I know this has absolutely nothing to do with pet hedgehogs. But a friend of mine asked me to put this on my site and as a dog lover how could I refuse. To cut a long story short what I am going to do is ask you to click on a link and sign a petition, in an effort to save an innocent dog’s life. So I hope you’ll bear with me and take the time to read the story and watch Bruce’s video.
Bruce’s Story
Bruce is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He was found wandering as a stray puppy by a family in Northern Ireland in the UK. He lived happily with his family for several years and then suddenly on 19 September 2007 he was snatched away by officials from the local town council and incarcerated in a dog kennel. The reason these officials could seize the dog is that they decided that Bruce had the appearance of “pit bull type” dog and was therefore banned by the Dangerous Dogs Act (Northen Ireland) Order 1991. What this basically means is that an official can decide that a dog is dangerous simply because he looks like a pit bull! The fact that Bruce has never bitten or acted aggressively towards anybody is not relevant. The fact that Bruce has never put a paw wrong is not disputed by the town council.
In August 2008 a trial at Bangor Magistrates’ Court ruled that Bruce was of the “pit bull type” even though two expert identification witnesses gave evidence that he was not. Two weeks later Bruce was condemned to death.
This sentence caused an uproar and the family and their neighbours have done everything in the power to bring this matter to the public’s attention.
Since his time in the kennel Bruce’s physical condition has deteriorated markedly. He has lost weight and has an open and infected sore on his nose, which has been caused by his constant attempts to open his cage’s door. He has also had to have his tail amputated and is suffering from pressure sores. Despite the pain he must be suffering, experts that have examined the dog have said that he still does not present any danger to the public which is amazing considering what officialdom has put him through.
Please Watch This Video
The Law is Truly an Ass
The most ridiculous part of this story is that if Bruce had been living across the water in England, Wales or Scotland he would not be in this situation. Had he been living literally a few miles down the road in the Republic of Ireland he would happily be living his life with his family as there is no law in that country banning “pit bull type” dogs.
In 1997 England, Wales and Scotland amended The Dangerous Dogs Act so that dogs that proved to be unlawful by appearance (i.e. they look like pit bulls) but were otherwise friendly pets no longer had to be put down. Instead they were entered into a register. Unfortunately even though Northern Ireland is part of the UK it did not adopt this amendment so dogs are still in danger of being destroyed due to their looks alone, notwithstanding the fact that they may have never done anything to merit such treatment.
Many well known animal welfare organisations in the UK have spoken out against this situation and have called for a change in the law. These include the RSPCA, The Dog Trust and the UK Kennel Club.
A dog sanctuary in the Republic of Ireland has even offered Bruce a home, but the court has so far refused to accept the offer.
At the time of writing Bruce has been granted another stay of execution by a Judicial Review of the case while “every avenue of the law is explored”, however this is only temporary. Please add your voice to the many thousands from all over the world that have already signed the petition to clearly state that THIS IS WRONG, JUST WRONG.
Please take a few minutes to go here and sign the online petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BRING-BRUCE-HOME-X
Thank you.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Commonsense should apply here. Just as humans, pet animals should not be categorized by their appearance, but by their behavior.
I couldn’t agree more John. What the British government seems to have done here is ban a dog based on the cruel actions of a minority of owners (dog baiters), and punished responsible owners who keep them as pets. Apparently there are statistics that show that bloody Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers bite more people each year.
the law is an ass. i love dogs. i had dogs all my life and just like a week ago i had a dog pass away. i was soooooooooo sad. but i thought she was in a different place now. and now i have a rottwieller and a pittbull and no one will take my dogs away from me even if i have to go in jail for killing someone. i will not let anyone hurt them. so i will try to help Bruce. i know it can be hard to lose something and to be away from him for ever it can break your heart. also all dogs should deserve to have a long life just like people. so i will try to help him.
i know that everything not just dogs should be taken away by there behavor not by there aperence. I HATE THE LAW!!!
this law is total bullshit I’ve been around dogs since I was little and I couldnt imagine ever wanting a breeds death just cause a few of that particular breed are aggressive in my oppinion blame the owners if they raise and animal up right with love and compassion they are rarely ever aggresive blame the deed not the breed I have friends all over who own pitbulls and from MY personal experiance their one of the nicest dogs in the world if raised right Bruce isnt even a pitbull and yet is being sentenced to death for “looking like one” I may not be able to do much but I will pass along this video and others I find and Bruce will remain in my thoughts
Truly terrible story about Bruce! Do you have any updates?
WOW!! i had a pet pit bull for over 15 years and it hurts when people say that they are bad. i trusted that dog with my new born son before i would trust most people. so this story is truly sad…..oh and i also totally agree with nicky…blame the owners not the dogs!!!!!!!
i already have signed this petition a while ago but just had to say that unfortunately he would not have come off much better in england. despite the ammendments many of our dogs are still being either destroying in dying in police ‘care’ from starvation with other similar injuries to poor bruce from total lack of care. despite the fact that breed specific legislation clearly does not work as every chav on every street corner still has a ‘status’ dog it is still being enforced on friendly dogs that are clearly not illegal breeds for no reason other than being a little tall for a staffy etc. Deed Not Breed!
I live in the United States, and while I’ve never heard of anything like this happening here, it still makes me sick. I have known of at least three different people who had a pit bull and had to lie and say it was a different, similar-looking breed so that they could keep it. There are apartment complexes in my area whose ads specifically say “No Pit Bulls.” But some of the friendliest dogs I have ever encountered have been pit bulls, or else another breed with a bad name. My own dog, who died back in 2007, was a purebred black Chow. Every single person who encountered him was scared of him, although the ONLY time he ever bit anybody was during a thunderstorm (he was afraid of thunderstorms and my mother had told her not to try and touch him to bring him in, as he would likely bite anyone close to him besides my mom, but the woman tried anyway). He snapped at another person once, and that was a neighbourhood kid who tried to stab him with a pair of scissors.
On the other side, the meanest dogs I’ve ever met are ones who are generally favoured. My brother was bitten by my grandmother’s Cocker Spaniel when he was four. I myself was bitten on the lip by a chihuahua when I was about seven. Small dogs, small bites, that’s why I think pit bulls and the like are given the bad names – because the ones who do bite will do more damage than a smaller dog. It’s a stupid reason to condemn a dog, just because its size means if it IS prone to snap, it’ll do more damage, but there you have it.
hey this dog looks a lot like my boxer cross
whats going on with this story – its from 2009 – was he saved
What happened to him? Was Bruce killed or was he saved???
This law in Ireland is just like WWII; trying to get rid of all the Jews! Jews or Pitbulls, it doesn’t matter. Its all in the individual, not their breed or religion. Its discrimination and its sooo wrong! I hope the Irish law realizes their becoming the next “Hitler”
I was wondering since the petition is closed, did Bruce ever make it home? I really hope he did, this is all discrimination and FUCKED UP humane societies should be all over this, even if on death row he should not be confined to such conditions, shit like this honest to god breaks my heart, i’m crying right now.
I really hope Bruce got home, please, please let me know.
My dog Melody is s a rottweiler and people are always judging her as a bad dog, but that dog is the biggest baby and would do anything for me and my family. People need to stop discriminating, and not only against animals but people and everything else.
mean creul aful nasty unfair stop horid unhearted creatures called the human race stand up for the dogs not the law