Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Thousands show support for saving Ace, emaciated pit bull scheduled to be euthanized in Detroit

As the clock ticks down to Friday — the day emaciated stray Ace, a pit bull, is scheduled to be euthanized — the number of people fighting to save him continues to grow.
Personally, I cannot see how Detroit can allow this stray to be euthanized.
Policies and politics and pit bull rhetoric aside, the sheer amount of bad press this story is generating for the City of Detroit makes it seem impossible that the euthanasia will actually occur.
After seeing last night's TV report on FOX2, which mentioned an upcoming meeting between a rescue group and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, it looks to me like Bing will get to be the hero that saves Ace's life.
And if he doesn't, Bing will certainly be nabbed as the villain that killed him.
As for the policy that is mandating Ace's euthanasia, I can only say I struggle to define my own opinion on it.
It seems perfectly reasonable that any dog, regardless of breed, ought to have the opportunity to be transferred to a rescue if a rescue so requests it. That, at least, I'm clear on.
But with my husband working in the gritty neighborhoods and alleyways of Detroit five days a week for the past few years, I am all too familiar with the stray dog problem in Detroit. And yes, my husband reports, a great majority of those strays appear to be pits or pit mixes.
We buy dog food for him to bring to work. Most of the guys on his crew do the same. Sometimes, if working in same block for a few days at a time, he'll come back with success stories of finally getting one dog or another to approach him or take food from his hand.
These are feral dogs, most likely born that way, and most likely living short and difficult lives. Most of the dogs he sees are emaciated. A feral life is not an easy one for a dog.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know the situation is a sad one.
I hope Ace's story will have a happy ending. God knows the city needs it.

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Read the story, Detroit's pit bull policy causes outcry after malnourished dog Ace remains scheduled for euthanasia this week



5 comments:

  1. I'm with you — there has to be happy ending to this story. There just has to be.

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  2. Did you see the latest on the news last night? Apparently, some woman claimed Ace was her dog, stolen from her a long time ago. But the dog she was taken to was not Ace, she said, and not the dog shown in the photos.

    It makes me think he was euthanized as soon as he was brought in, probably due in large part to his severely emaciated state. So sad.

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  3. RIP Ace. He was indeed euthanized yesterday. Even though this is tragic, I can only hope that his story will inspire Animal Control Agencies and Humane Society's around the nation to reevaluate their regulations and practices.

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  4. We got to do something about that. more than just talking on blogs and forums. any ideas!!!

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