Rocket - He's not a Pitbull

UPDATE  - July  30th 2012 - Rockets family have spoken to a high profile lawyer in Melbourne today regarding Rockets case. They were informed that the case would not be heard in the supreme court for over 6 months, and that the cost will be in excess of $50,000 dollars if they are unsuccessful. Rockets family are obviously very distressed about this situation, both for the welfare of Rocket over such a long time, and the obvious financial struggle that they will be facing. They are very thankful for the ongoing support and love they are receiving from all the members of this page and beyond. More information to come after the family have had some time to process this news, and assess their options.

Money needs to be raised, we need to do what we can for Rocket's family. This case is just so frustrating. Governments have far too much power, and they abuse it at will.  We must not give up on Rocket. He is absolutely beautiful, and doesn't deserve what's happening to him. Poor boy.

UPDATE - July 26th 2012 10:40PM - Here is an amazing DNA test that was done on Rocket.The results are clear, he is not a pitbull. Rocket is miniature Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire, and Bull terrier mix. There's also a letter by Dr. Noel Nadesan, the veterinarian who needed to take blood for the DNA test. In his letter, Dr. Nadesan clearly states that Rocket was the perfect patient, and barely needed to be held. Rocket was well behaved. Even with all of this, VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal refused to hear any of it.

You can see the documents here - http://dropcanvas.com/atw4j


You will need Acrobat Reader to view them.


This case is beginning to sound more, and more like Lennox. It needs to stop ASAP.


UPDATE from The Save Rocket Page on Facebook:


Rocket has been in Cranbourne West Lost Dogs for a total of 123 Days with Close to No Exercise . They have a Exercise pen which is Concreted which measures no more that 3 meters wide by 2 meters in width. which they when ever remember allow him to stretch his legs. After Contacting the Pound this Morning to see how Rocket is they have informed me that since the hearing Council has taken Rocket from this Pound and has not made us aware of were they have placed him. This is OUTRAGEOUS!

Here is Rocket - An absolutely beautiful dog:

Rocket has NO history of aggression whatsoever. He has never attacked anyone. Rockets owners have been denied ANY visitation, and, should his family lose their battle to fight for his life, then they have to pay huge expenses for the costs that the council incurs while he is in their care. The family has 26 days to appeal the decision of the courts to have him killed.

This is taken directly from the save Rocket Facebook page:

During some wild weather in Pakenham, Victoria, Australia about 4 months ago, part of Rockets fence blew down/broke. Rocket got out of the backyard, as he was obviously scared by the storm. He went and waited on his front door step for mum and dad to come home, as was obviously reported to the Cardinia council as a loose dog. As a result, Rocket has been held by the council and deemed as a restricted breed. His (VCAT) hearing was yesterday, and the ruling was upheld. There are 28 days to appeal his case, and gather as much support as he can get. 6 out of 11 appeals heard by VCAT have been successful.


Again, you can sign the petition - http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-rocket-from-bsl.htmll

Here is Cardinia Shire Councils contact info - It is so important to be polite. Threatening messages and swearing do nothing to help, and then the animals suffer. Please keep your messages clean and polite, but to the point. http://www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/page/page.aspx?Page_id=30

This page will be updated as I get more information.

Rocket - The Dog

Rocket is another dog suffering at the hands of bad laws.

HEre is his Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-save-Rocket-Another-victim-of-Victorian-BSL/323124094447754

And here is the petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-rocket-from-bsl.htmll

It seems that Rocket has done absolutely nothing, and this is full breed discrimination. I am looking further into this. This breed assessment was done by a professional:

http://dropcanvas.com/rnox2

More will come as I get more details.

SAVE WICCA! Desperate!! UPDATE

UPDATE July 26th 2012, 10:05PM - Wicca was humanely euthanized at 5PM EST today. Her owner, Chris, was able to see her. So sorry humanity failed you Wicca. RIP. We will continue to fight against BSL. For more information, please go to Wicca's page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Wicca/450404848326080

Court document obtained online - http://tinyurl.com/cdvp8ss

UPDATE July 26th 2012, 11:15AM - Last night protest were held. Supporters continue to email and petition. There is no news as to what today may bring. Chris will be able to see Wicca today.

UPDATE July 25th 2012 7:25PM - The city of Montreal has refused to listen to any common sense. Despite all efforts, they have deemed Wicca unsafe, and she is to be killed by the Berger Blanc. Pierre Couture, owner of the Berger Blanc is refusing to euthanize her and will be part of a protest being held tonight, in Montreal at 405, Ogilvy avenue. Wicca is still alive!! 


UPDATE July 24th 2012, 8:45PM - Here is the segment Montreal's CTV News ran on the 6:00PM segment - http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.891837


UPDATE July 24th 2012, 5:05PM - Wicca is at the Berger Blanc pound in Montreal, which is an absolutely horrible place for her to be. Chris will be on CTV news in Montreal on tonight's 6PM and 11PM news. I don't  know if Wicca can still be saved, but we must try! Also, according to the city of Montreal, Wicca DID bite the paramedic that went on scene. Chris received 2 fines for the bites alone. The fines he received should be enough, don't you think? Killing her is just plain cruel.


UPDATE 8:42PM - Recent information in regards to Wicca has been brought to my attention.  I feel that myself, and all of those pulling together for Wicca may have not been given full details, or a lack of information as to the circumstances surrounding this case.  It's unfortunate, as it seems again, Wicca is the one suffering. I have signed the petition, and written to the mayor.
What actually happened seems to be a bit of a mystery. I leave it to you to decide. I do believe that Wicca DID bite that woman, and she DID lunge at the paramedic (although did not harm him). She did not do much damage - As you can see here:

Even if she didn't do a lot of damage, the point is that she did do some. I strongly believe that had Wicca been a Shepherd, or a Golden, then she would have been spared. However, she's an Amstaff, and for that reason, she's paying the price of BSL.  I hope that she can be saved. Wicca needs to be fully assessed, and perhaps some training would be in her best interest. 

Here's the full article from when it happened:

http://cultmontreal.com/2012/07/in-dogged-pursuit-of-justice/ 



UPDATE: 7:42PM - Chris's lawyers are trying to see if they can appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Wicca is to be killed within the next 48 hours.

Wicca is currently at the Berger Blanc in Montreal, which is an absolutely horrible pound. The Berger Blanc is one of the worse places for any animal to end up. Wicca is to be killed. Chris' appeal was denied.

We MUST do what we can to save her!! We MUST try all venues! This one is so close to home for me. I'm only 40 minutes from Montreal, and I am appalled that this is happening!!

A small bit of information in regards to this situation. On several occasions Chris requested the courts have the dog assessed, and every time they refused. Wicca was spooked by a woman who approached her while she was laying down, and Wicca grazed the woman's stomach. This could have been ANY dog. Any dog can be spooked. Wicca has not been given a chance.

To read more about Wicca:
http://tinyurl.com/czcslx6

The maire of Montreal - maire@ville.montreal.qc.ca
The mayor on Twitter

CTV News on Twitter https://twitter.com/CTVMontreal

CBC news on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CBCMontreal 

Thy mayor of Montreal's Twitter - https://twitter.com/Gerald_Tremblay

For more info on what can be done visit Sophie's Dog Adoption - https://www.facebook.com/sophiesdogadoption

Here's Wicca's petition - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/378/625/628/save-wicca-from-a-death-order/?cid=FB_Share

*****PLease, I know that BSL makes people very emotional. But death threats, rudeness and swearing, will not aid Wicca in any way. Please remain civil if you write to any of the above.****

This is all I have right now. Trying to work fast. 

Duke is Going Home!

Isn't that fantastic news?! No other update from the family on their Facebook page... but really, do we need anything else?

Duke Update

UPDATE - July 16th 2012 - Due to a discomfort this has brought to the family, I will no longer be posting about Duke.  They prefer to keep everything under wraps during this difficult time. When, and if they decide to update me, I will update my blog, or when information on their Facebook page is posted. Thanks.


On July 11th, 2012, Lennox was killed by the Belfast City Council. This life ended in complete tragedy, and I believe that there should be an investigation leading into the way that the BCC handled this entire situation. I am behind the Barnes family 100% should they decide to take legal action against the city. Fundraisers and donations could be make to help pay for legal fees.

That being said, there's a new situation that has been brought to my attention, and to the attention of many others. I'm trying to gather as much information as possible to share with the masses. This information is accurate and has been confirmed by the family. I have been given the go ahead to post this information.

This is the story of Duke. Duke was taken from his owner, Jon Smillie, on April 13th 2012 in Yeoville, Somerset, in the UK, for being a Pitbull terrier. When Jon first got Duke, he was under the impression that he had purchased an Staffordshire Bull Terrier. We all know that this makes no difference, because according to BSL, it only has to be a "pitbull type" (which covers an enormous percentage of the dog population).  Duke has absolutely no history of aggression.

Duke is only 18 months old, and has been Jon's best friend since he first got him, when Duke was just a 5 week old pup. Duke was well exercised, as Jon walked him every morning for 2 hours. Jon was unaware that there was an issue with Duke until he was advised by friends that police had been on the street looking for him.  Jon has NOT been allowed to see Duke since he was taken in April, and has not been informed of his whereabouts.  We do not know what kind of state Duke is in now. The full article can be found here.

Duke's court date has been set. This court date will determine whether Duke should be euthanized or not. I prefer to call it killed, because, let's be honest, there's nothing right about euthanizing a dog with no history of aggression, and simply "looks" like he could be dangerous.

 As we all know, legal fees can be exorbitant. Jon has been stretched financially by the whole ordeal. You can donate via PayPal to the Save Duke fund at saveduke@hotmail.co.uk. 


You can petition to save Duke here - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-duke

And you can join the Save Duke Facebook page here - https://www.facebook.com/SaveDuke

No twitter account as of yet. However you can reach mine at http://www.twitter.com/daphneboyce

I will update this blog as information becomes available to me.

Fundraising Information

This is a recent post on the Save Duke Facebook Page - 


Hi all, first of all would like to say a massive thank you for all of your support! Secondly just an update regarding fundraising and donations, we originally wanted to do fundraising between Jons family and friends as we were not expecting the support that we have got, we would like to thank you for the donations we have recieved and would ask if you would like to donate in the future please make your donations to the DDA Watch as these guys have been fantastic in supporting us. Thank you all again!


https://www.facebook.com/SaveDuke



To know more about DDA Watch, you can "Like" their Facebook page and read about them here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DDA-Watch/366883744658

If you wish to donate to DDA Watch click here.

Statement from Allison Smillie

Here is a statement from Allison Smillie - in regards to the situation:

Hi all, Please take time to read this statement from Alison Smillie. Duke is my grand-dog, our court case is coming up soon, I would like to tell you all what has happened but feel because he belongs to my son and because I do not want to jeopardise any chance that we may have of getting him home I cannot divulge any info that may have an adverse reaction in court. As you will understand we are very very upset and worried (especially today with poor Lennox and his family), all I can really say is on 25th April at 6am we went and picked up Jon and Duke from their home and went for a long walk around a country park where Jon and Duke normally go, and then went to a meeting point arranged the day before with the police, to hand Duke over, naively believing that he would be examined and returned soon after, ever since our lives have been put on hold, going through the motions of everyday life but all the while constantly worrying about Duke's welfare, (I really don’t know how Lennox' family have managed to hold it together with such dignity and grace for so long), I know this has really turned my son's world upside-down, he is completely lost with-out his boy. Every night before I go to bed I ask the angels, spirits and Gods of all religions to hold Duke, to comfort him and tell him that we love him and we are doing all we can to get him home.
We have had lots of help, kindness and support from Nik at Cooper and Co, an amazing animal behaviorist Sarah Fisher, Chris from Custom ink and Sian from DDA watch as well of course from all of you.
We would ask you to refrain from coming to the court or using any intimidating tactics, we believe (maybe naively) that the facts should be enough to get Duke home with Jon where he belongs.
I hope this helps a little bit, and once again thank you to everyone for all your support. xx

Taken from https://www.facebook.com/SaveDuke