What happened to this poor dog is incredible. A selfie was enough to make the police intervene, what could have happened?
The story takes place in a town just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Dan Tillery and his girlfriend were living in a house and were interested in adopting a dog. When they saw Diggy for the first time it was love at first sight! The couple knew they were the right family for the puppy, however, they couldn't have imagined that an innocent selfie would go viral, turning their lives upside down forever.
Diggy was a dog wandering the streets of Detroit. He was only two years old when he was rescued by Detroit Dog Rescue: he was malnourished, had a flea infestation and was in desperate need of help. This nonprofit organization works to help and raise awareness for the city's stray dogs. In addition to that, it also does work on finding homes for these poor critters. But Diggy was a case in point....
In fact, when Detroit Dog Rescue found little Diggy, the facility was already full. The van used to retrieve stray dogs already had 12 of them, so Diggy found himself alone in a cage. His face showed all his sadness. Kristina Rinaldi, the executive director of the association, noticed this scene and decided to intervene. She had the poor dog's fate at heart and knew she couldn't abandon him, so she called in her volunteers.
Although Detroit Dog Rescue didn't have the space to take Diggy in, Kristina and her volunteers decided to help him anyway. They promised to rescue him no matter what, Kristina even personally transported him in her car to the shelter. Diggy seemed to be on his way to a new and better life, but no one knew that one innocent action would trigger a series of serious events.
As soon as he arrived at the facility, Diggy underwent all the necessary medical treatment and was assigned a diet according to his needs. Diggy also had the opportunity to socialize with other dogs, which allowed him to develop a playful character. In fact, life on the street had made the puppy very fearful and hesitant in relating to other animals and people.
At first Diggy was shy and timid, but after treatment his mood improved and his true personality emerged. The team that was involved in his care discovered the dog's unique personality traits, each one more fun than the last! For example, when Diggy was excited, he would wiggle his butt back and forth. He did this all the time, so much so that the volunteers gave him the nickname Mr. Wiggleton. With each passing day, the volunteers at Detroit Dog Rescue were more and more convinced that he needed a family to care for him.
During Diggy's time at the facility, Detroit Dog Rescue volunteers posted photos of the dog on social media, hoping someone would notice and adopt him. But after a month, still no one had come to take little Diggy, even though he was an adorable and loving dog. Volunteers were disappointed that a dog with that personality couldn't find a family and wondered if anyone would ever adopt him....
At the same time that Diggy was with volunteers, Dan Tillery was accomplishing his goal of buying a new home. Not only did this allow him to not have to pay rent, but it also allowed him to finally fulfill his dream of adopting a dog. In fact, Dan moved into his new residence in Waterford Township where he has no contractual restrictions on having animals in the house, which prevented him from adopting a puppy in the house where he previously lived. So now Dan and his girlfriend were finally determined to rescue a little puppy in need.
Dan immediately set out to find a dog he could adopt, so he could shower him with all the affection he had been holding onto for years. As he and his girlfriend began looking at all the possible options, they came across Detroit Dog Rescue's Facebook page where they saw Diggy's sweet little face for the first time. That puppy immediately caught the couple's attention and they were intrigued.
According to the couple, Diggy stood out from all the other dogs they had seen: he had a goofy smile printed on his face that characterized him. Just from the photos, the couple was convinced to adopt him, impressed by the personality the puppy displayed. Their euphoria soon led them to contact the shelter to start adoption proceedings, before any other family would notice Diggy.
So Dan and his girlfriend called Detroit Dog Rescue to set up an adoption appointment for Diggy right away. When the volunteers at the center heard about this they burst with joy! They were happy that this puppy had found a family, because they were sure he would repay them with so much love, and because their idea to put his pictures on Facebook had worked. But before taking him home, the couple needed to put the puppy through a trial run to see if he would adapt to his new home.
Therefore, with volunteers, a visit to the new home was arranged for Diggy. The center staff were convinced that the puppy would adjust, but that's never a sure thing with a stray dog. Fortunately, the meeting with his new owners went great! Diggy immediately became attached to Dan and his girlfriend, who immediately filled out the adoption forms. After three months Diggy finally had a home...or so it seemed.
Diggy was officially part of the family! He immediately felt comfortable with Dan and his partner, so much so that he continually showed his affection, such as going to wake them up every morning with lots of kisses. Dan immediately bonded with Diggy, so much so that he decided to document his life on social media. However, Dan didn't know that doing this would have led to harmful consequences.
Dan and his girlfriend were so impressed with their dog's beauty and joyfulness that they were very pleased to share his photos on social media. Detroit Dog Rescue were so pleased with Diggy's new life that they decided to share a photo of the dog with his new owner on their Facebook page, demonstrating the wonderful job they had done. Within days, thousands of people had seen the photo, unaware that it would cause a big stir.
Detroit Dog Rescue's Facebook page is wallpapered with photos of dogs that, through their center, have had a successful turnaround in their lives. However, Dan and Diggy's story got a crazy response! The volunteers chose the photo with the two of them lying on the ground, where the dog seemed to be smiling for real. The photo was so popular that it received 24,000 likes in just 24 hours. It went so viral that it even appeared on an edition of Good Morning America.
Dan and his girlfriend never would have imagined that Diggy's photo could get such a great response. Thousands of people had shared the snap because they really liked the smiling dog, being captured by his personality. This popularity, however, was about to bring Dan some big trouble....
A few days after it was posted, the photo was reported to the Waterford Township Police Department, where Dan, his girlfriend and Diggy lived. The person who made the report noticed something about Diggy that wasn't quite right and action was needed on the matter. Was Dan breaking the law? Clarification was needed.
Dan and Diggy were living their lives in peace, when one day the unexpected happened: much to their surprise, the police came knocking on their front door. The photo of Dan and Diggy that had gone viral prompted the officers to intervene. Dan was completely unaware of why they had come to his house. Why would anyone report them? Who was so angry? The cops told him that they noticed from the photo they had been told they were breaking the law. But what was the real reason?
Dan couldn't understand why the police had raided his home for a picture with his dog. But then the reason was revealed: according to the officers, Diggy was a pit bull and the breed was not allowed in the city of Waterford because of an old local ordinance. They mention a 1990 ordinance that banned the ownership of pit bull dogs in the city, a law that Dan was breaking given Diggy's adoption.
This law was introduced because of the reputation the pit bull breed had about 30 years ago. The residents of Waterford Township considered these animals to be a threat to their safety. But Dan was against this, he considered Diggy the exact opposite from the one described, he was in fact very loving and sweet towards other creatures. But now what would happen to the puppy?
When the police entered the house they approached Diggy very cautiously, because they thought he would be aggressive towards them. But the dog approached them with his usual smile and joyful manner, overturning all the prejudices they had about that breed. Diggy even gave them kisses, confirming that he wouldn't hurt a fly. And this Dan knew very well. By law, however, Dan was about to be presented with an ultimatum.
Although Diggy had proven his kindness, the agents put an ultimatum to his owner: hand over Diggy or face the serious consequences of not doing so. Dan didn't think twice and refused to be separated from his four-legged friend. Although the agents never went over the top, Dan was not happy with what was happening: Diggy was a very good dog, he was the exact opposite of all the stereotypes about pit bulls.
Eventually the officers decided to give Dan a tight deadline to turn the puppy over to the authorities. Dan found himself in an uncomfortable situation in which he didn't know how to move: he didn't want to turn Diggy in, but he had no idea how to avoid breaking the law. Should he turn the dog in? Or move out so they could continue living together? Whatever he was going to do, he needed to do it quickly.
Time passed and the deadline date arrived. Dan refused to surrender the dog, knowing that he was a very good animal, but it resulted in a citation for violating the city's pit bull ban. Dan was devastated by the decision and decided to contact the one person who could help him - Kristina Rinaldi of Detroit Dog Rescue. Kristina didn't back down from helping Diggy and his owner, so they went to the police station together to defend their position.
Both Dan and Kristina were well aware that Diggy would not be a threat to the city. In addition, Kristina had worked with pit bulls for years and knew very well that the stereotypes about this breed were completely unfounded. Banning a breed of dog in a city was wrong, in their view. Together, the two gave their opinions on the case to the officers at the police station, but they never imagined what would happen next....
Dan and Kristina's attempts were useless, Diggy continued to be deemed dangerous, plus a fine was assigned to his owner for violating the city's pit bull rule. Dan had to pay a $500 fine and could have also faced further consequences if he continued to keep the dog. But the dog's owner noticed that the police failed to notice a crucial detail about the animal that could have changed the situation for good.
At this point Dan wanted to get to the bottom of things, so he went through Diggy's adoption papers. When he went to read them he noticed that his dog belonged to the American Bulldog breed and not to the Pitbull breed. Dan went into a rage: the community member who reported the photo was wrong about the dog's breed, causing him and his family many problems. Dan therefore reiterated his will not to part with Diggy, this time with documents in his favor. The two friends were about to go viral once again....
Throughout this period Dan was documenting Diggy's story on social media. The duo had found quite a bit of success and had created quite a fanbase. Dan hoped that by sharing the story someone would help him, and indeed they did! Testimonials came from all over the world in support of Dan and his four-legged friend, so much that even the Michigan Humane Society came forward to help take a big step.
This fanbase then rallied to the rescue of Diggy and Dan, posting an online petition in their support, demonstrating that there were many who were against the police decision. The petition exposed the whole story of the two protagonists, underlining that the main mistake was the wrong breed of Diggy, as well as pointing out how the prejudices about pit bulls were wrong.
Even though Dan had won his battle, because he could keep Diggy as he belonged to the American Bulldog breed, he knew that he had to use the opportunity to defend all the pit bulls in the world. He was aware that they could be aggressive, but this is the result of bad behavior by owners who often mistreat these dogs. Dan considered the city's law, which punished only dogs and not bad owners, too excessive. Both he and his supporters knew this. But would they be able to get it across to everyone?
Diggy and Dan had once again gone viral on the internet. Their petition quickly made the rounds of the main social platforms, reaching 54,000 signatures in just a few days. Amazed at the overwhelming support he received online, Dan was convinced to get a lawyer and get to the bottom of this story. He would do anything to not abandon poor Diggy.
Something else about this story didn't seem right: how could a dog expert like Kristina Rinaldi not know about the city's pit bull ban? In fact, she was aware of it all right! Before putting Diggy up for adoption, moreover, she inquired whether American Bulldogs were accepted in the city of Waterford, given the ban on the pit bull breed, and the local authorities replied in the affirmative. This happened long before Dan and Diggy met and this testimony strengthened the position of the two friends. But the police didn't see it the same way, so it had to go to the courts. What would they decide?
The case made headlines, so a town meeting was called to resolve the issue. Dan was expecting a few people to attend, but when he was faced with hundreds of people coming to support him, he was pleasantly surprised! The story of the two friends had touched the hearts of many people who had come to defend their rights. These people were horrified by the way the authorities and some members of the community had identified poor Diggy and were ready to reiterate their disapproval outside Waterford City Hall.
What made Dan happiest, however, was that in the crowd, which supported their cause, were many Waterford residents. Many of them felt that the ban on pit bulls was an outdated law, showing how neighboring cities had abolished similar regulations years ago. No one was happy that their tax dollars were being used to fight pit bull owners instead of on more useful things. Now they were calling for the abolishment of this senseless law.
Many veterinary experts who had dealt with pit bulls in their professional lives and those who simply owned one and knew very well that the prejudices about this breed were unfounded, came to support Diggy. They showed the data of how other breeds had bitten more people than the one they were banning and how this rule penalized the dog and not the bad owner, the main responsible for episodes of violence.
Dan and his girlfriend were glad for all the support they received, but it wouldn't solve things. Diggy was still considered a dangerous animal, and the court had yet to rule on the puppy's fate. The couple trusted in justice, but they couldn't help thinking the worst. What would happen to poor Diggy? Would the court rule against or in favor of the case?
After months of strenuous fighting, the 51st District Court dismissed Dan and Diggy's case. This meant that the puppy was allowed to stay in the home with his owner; the authorities had no right to stop him. The Waterford City law was deemed obsolete: the new provision mandated that only veterinarians could determine dog breeds, not police officers. Dan and his partner's joy was irrepressible!
The story they experienced only strengthened the bond Dan and Diggy had. For this reason, the boy decided to show all the love he felt for his four-legged friend with a tattoo in his honor. This was a symbol of all the bad times they had been through together but managed to overcome.
Dan and Diggy's story shows how prejudice can ruin the lives of people and their loved ones. Fortunately, their story ended for the best, but all over the world pit bulls are still seen as dangerous dogs. Being an animal, any dog is potentially dangerous if not cared for and trained properly; however, the pit bull has a bad name, due to misconceptions. Many people think that the bite of this breed is the most powerful among dogs, but this is a wrong perception: several studies have shown that the strength of the bite of the pit bull is less compared to other "bulldogs". In addition to this, there is the mistaken but widespread idea of the "locked jaw", which would give this breed even more danger than it actually has.
Pit bulls in the collective imagination are seen as extremely dangerous dogs, but this is a mistake. According to the ASPCA (animal welfare agency), "a well-socialized and well-behaved pit bull is one of the sweetest, smartest and kindest dogs imaginable." According to the vice president of the ASPCA's Animal Behavior Center in New York, Pamela Reid, pit bulls are no more aggressive than other breeds, at most they can be "less tolerant" of other fellow dogs. This would be due to "a great tenacity. They set their sights on something and do it. This makes them great dogs for sports like weight pulling. They are very strong and athletic animals."
However, it remains necessary to point out that despite the good words spent in favor of pit bulls, owners of this breed have drawbacks. According to WebMD, pit bull owners can have to deal with "rising insurance rates or policy cancellation, problems with rents and the watchful eye of neighbors and passersby." These are common difficulties that Dan also faced, despite the fact that his dog was not a pit bull but a similar breed, and all the residents of Waterford Township, who nevertheless continued to fight for the rights of these beautiful animals.