Public voices can save animal lives - Mimi returns home

Mimi is returning home.

Earlier this week, the media in Ft. Worth, TX launched a story about a military veteran, Steven Woods, and the potentially deadly fate of his loved dog Mimi.

In 2006, Woods was severely wounded in a road-side bomb incident while serving in Iraq. Woos was medically discharged from the army with nerve damage, back problems and post traumatic stress disorder.

In order to deal with the depression from the PTSD, Woods' doctor suggested he get a dog (note that according some reports, 18 veterans commit suicide every day due to PTSD).

In July, one of Woods' neighbors claimed that Mimi bit him in the finger. The neighbor met Mimi and originally said that Mimi wasn't the dog that bit him. But then, 3 months later, authorities came and took Mimi and had threated to put her down.

After the story launched, there became a huge amount of support for Woods and Mimi. In a statement released yesterday, the city of Ft. Worth announced:

"Due to an outpouring of concern for Steven woods and his dog, Mimi, the Code Compliance Department has provided the following update on the situation:"

The update included how the city was looking to work with Woods to get his dog back. Today, Mimi officially returned home. 

It is great that the public in Ft. Worth rallied behind this veteran and his dog. It certainly sounds like if the dog is guilty of anything it was a nip, not an attack.  And it shows that the public can make an impact on city policy.

No one (ok, at least almost no one) is in favor of killing animals needlessly. Unfortunately, many cities dismiss killing as if there is nothing else they can do. There is. And public outcry can force the cities to explore other options.

It wasn't long ago that a TV station in Los Angeles decided on a policy against allowing pit bulls and Rottweilers on their shelter pet of the week segment. Days later, due to public outcry, the station changed its policy. In Lucas County, OH, public pressure led the county to begin allowing 'pit bull' type dogs to get out of their shelter and be transferred to the local humane society vs instantly killing all 'pit bulls' in the shelter.

Public outcry can change public policy. And we need more of it to encourage cities to make better animal welfare policies. The politicians often need it as a boost to make the 'right' decision. And the animals need them to be changed. And it is this type of public pressure than can lead to positive changes in shelters and city policies. Such public pressure could encourage shelters, like those in Houston, to change their policies.  Dog owners, and their dogs, in places like Ontario, need public pressure to get their breed-discriminatory policies changed as wll.

The animals need us to create this outcry. Just like in Ft. Worth, we can -- and must -- make our voices heard. Their lives may depend on it.

 

Comments

[MichelleD]

People need to wake up. It is ridiculous that a small bite can get a dog the death penalty.

[Keira]

This dog should have never been taken away from it's owner! I'm so glad that she is finally back home where she is loved & needed!

[Salette Andrews]

Thanks for this update! I am still working to get the Board of Supervisors in Pinal County, Arizona, to make changes in light of the other recent case of a veteran's dog that didn't end happily. If you're on Facebook, please join us by clicking "Like" on Justice for Target: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/pages/Justice-for-Target/129531093771793

[kmk]

In all my years this was one of the most ridiculous cases I've ever seen. How does a dog get confiscated three months after a minor incident because the "victim", who previously said Mimi wasn't the dog that bit him, changes his mind?

Ft. Worth Animal Control was being totally unreasonable with a minority war veteran with PTSD - and he had an attorney! One person told me Ft. Worth was seeking retribution because of all the bad publicity they'd received due to this case. Well, go figure!

I'm just glad the public used the indignation normally reserved for stuff like Mike Vick and turned their disgust on Ft. Worth Animal Control.

[Nancy Hyden Woodward]

I don't know kmk but I agree with his/her comment about the outrageous behaviour of Animal Control.

However, I disagree with his/her opinion on public indignation's limitations. Does he/she live in the desert? - just joking.

[MichelleD]

I'm not sure its possible to have enough indignation for Vick...but I think the point she's making is (act of dog fighting aside) that Vick killed a handful of dogs compared to the slaughter going on in our city shelters.

Personally I'd like to see HALF the indignation the public has for puppy mills go towards the needless slaughter going on in our shelters. Not to mention that this ineptness being sponsored by our tax dollars...

[kelly lange]

Couldn't agree more michelle. The conidtions that "puppy mill" dogs are in are already illegal, with or without prop b. Yet, we allow our tax dollars to fund city shelters, who are starving dogs, not giving them proper vet care, and playing a game of "duck duck goose" in terms of who lives or dies. There isn't a method to the madness, and everyone accepts it bc "its so much better than it was when it was ran by the city". I'm speaking of kcmo, of course. Once a huge sh*t hole, now a big sh*t hole= still a sh*t hole.

[MichelleD]

Sadly, "its so much better than it was when it was ran by the city" is a true statement. The problem I see is 1) we don't have any alternatives - who is going to step up and run the damn thing? I'm personally pissed that the BIG private shelters in this city won't do more to pressure change or take it over themselves. 2) Our city "leaders" are happy to accept the "everything is great!" bullshit they're being fed by the heads of AC and the shelter even tho they've been told REPEATEDLY whats going on isn't acceptable.

The bright side is election season is upon us and NOW is the time to make a huge stink, get election promises documented then make sure we're beating down their door on a weekly basis to make sure things get changed.

[kmk]

Oh yea, we get outraged when Mike Vick kills SIX dogs (count them on two hands) but when cities ban pit bulls and innocent pets end up being put down because owners can't finanically comply with the stupidity, no one cares. And MichelleD is right - the shelters, and along with that, city ordinances that are Part Of The Problem, deserve more scrutiny from the public.

By the way, the last time I checked all but one of the Vick dogs was still alive, unless some of them have died of old age or some other problem.

Anyway, the big private shelters in the KC metro are too busy making money, looking good in the media and extorting the public ("hey, look at us, we're no kill - now send money or we'll have to KILL these animals!"), or catering to cities with completely ignorant pet laws without having any sort of game plan that takes advantage of the fact they're sitting right smack in the middle of one of the wealthiest counties in the country. Animal Haven should have a state of the art shelter by now that's plated with 24 karat gold!

By the way, what's up with Pet Connection? There's enough money in Johnson County, KS to float a fleet of battleships. They need a new marketing plan!

[Ann Davis]

"Web story about Fort Worth 'therapy dog' was a fake"

>>>... As it turns out, Woods has no combat injury or war record whatsoever... He also faces civil penalties in connection with another pit bull attack and two other confrontations in the spring in his former neighborhood along Tahoe Drive in southeast Fort Worth...

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/28/2731698/web-story-about-fort-worth-therapy.html

[Brent]

Thanks Ann -- and yes, sadly it appears that Woods was a complete liar...and I have no sympathy for him.