Dan Tillery, a musician, always wanted to adopt a dog. Then he met Diggy, a lovely dog from Detroit Dog Rescue’s no-kill shelter. Without further deliberation, he adopted Diggy.
Right after getting the dog home, Tillery shared a photo of him and Diggy wearing large, matching grins. A few days later, the cops then came knocking on their door. Tillery lives in Waterford Township, Michigan, which bans pit bulls.
According to Waterford Police Chief Scott Underwood, the officers went to Tillery’s house to look at Diggy after hearing allegations that the dog violated the city’s breed ban. He went on to say that the authorities strongly believed that Diggy was a pit bull because of his physical attributes. They gave Tillery three days to find a new home for Diggy.
Tillery instead contacted a veterinarian who checked on Diggy and determined that he was an American bulldog. A lot of people supported him, and more than 110,000 people signed a petition requesting Diggy’s return to his family and the repeal of Waterford Township’s pit bull prohibition. In August, the town changed its ordinance.
The ban remains in place. However, canines suspected of being pit bulls by the city may now prove otherwise by bringing their pets to a township-approved veterinarian for evaluation. The findings will become part of the adjudication if the veterinarian believes the dog isn’t a pitbull.
Waterford Township had to wait a few weeks longer for Diggy’s verdict. Finally, on Tuesday, the city withdrew its case, and Tillery, Diggy, and their supporters were all happy and jumping for joy. After a while, Tillery shared the good news on social media, saying that he and Megan, his girlfriend, could now officially keep Diggy.
In an email to TODAY, Detroit Dog Rescue founder Kristina Millman-Rinaldi also expressed her delight that Diggy can now enjoy his life with Dan and Megan.
You can watch the full video here.
Credit: WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7