Dan Tillery and his girlfriend adopted a rescue dog from a local shelter in Detroit, Michigan. It was like a dream come true; they soon became a loving and happy family together with Diggy, the always smiling dog. Dan often took photographs of him and their life together, but he wouldn’t think in his wildest dreams that one smiley selfie would lead to the police knocking on his door. What happened? What could have been in that selfie that caught the police’s attention?

The rescue dog

The story started when a 2 year old dog was wandering the streets of Detroit completely alone. He was soon picked up by Detroit Animal Control, who gave him to Detroit Dog Rescue, a local shelter. The only problem was that he didn’t fit in their van, because it was already full with 12 other dogs. He sat in his cage alone.

The rescue

Fortunately the executive director of the Detroit Dog Rescue, Kristina Rinaldi was also on the sight and she felt sorry for the dog. She put him in her own car. If she knew what this will lead to!

Sir Wiggleton

The volunteers of the Detroit Dog Rescue took him in and started to get attached to him. They called him Sir Wiggleton, because when he got excited, he started to do this silly dance.

Waiting for a family

The shelter provided him the usual process of finding a new home. They gave him the proper medical treatments he needed and searched for a family that would take him in. Months went by but nothing happened.

Finally

Only an hour drive away, there was a couple who desperately wanted a dog like him. They just moved to Waterford Township to their own home and now it was possible for them to have their own dog. The family searched for possibilities and they found the Facebook page of the Detroit Dog Rescue.

Love at first sight

Dan Tillery and his girlfriend found the pictures posted about Sir Wiggleton and they fell in love instantly. How couldn’t they? This dog was always smiling! They took action immediately.

The visitors

They visited the Detroit Dog Rescue where the volunteers was super excited that the photos they posted about Sir Wiggleton on Facebook have finally reached their audience. Dan and his girlfriend took him home, but it was only a trial as the protocol dictated it. They were curious how it would turn out!

They signed the adoption papers

The couple took the dog home and everything went great. He fit in the family perfectly and it seemed like he found his home. Dan and his girlfriend renamed him Diggy and signed the adoption papers happily. But not everything went by as they expected.

The happy dog

Diggy was really happy with his new family. He showed his affection by licking Dan’s face every morning and he was really enthusiastic about everything. The new family wanted to share their happiness with the world. If they had known what would happen after one innocent photo…

Diggy became a star

The unfortunate story started with the family starting to post photos of them on their social media accounts. Diggy was sure photogenic as he was always smiling and goofy. The volunteers at the Detroit Dog Rescue were also curious about the wellbeing of the dog so they followed the couple’s pictures and reposted one of them. It turned out that it was a shame.

The photo went viral

They didn’t expect that the photo they shared would go viral. It got more than 24,000 likes in only a few days. People really liked the happy dog and his happy owner and the pic became so popular that it even got on TV. But the events took an unexpected turn. There were some people who didn’t only see a happy duo, but something else.

The police

Someone reported the photo to the local police in Waterford Township. Some people saw something on the picture that was violating the law. But what was it?

The unexpected knocking on the door

One day, the police knocked on Dan’s door. It was a complete shock for him as he didn’t do anything wrong – at least he didn’t know about it. The police told him that he violated the law and there will be consequences.

The forbidden breed

The police said that Diggy is a pit bull, and this breed is forbidden in Waterford Township. The town had this rule since 1990, so this means that Dan and his girlfriend broke the law by taking Diggy home with them. The reason of this was that pit bulls had a reputation of being dangerous. But can we say this about Diggy?

The greeting

The police went to see Diggy and to their biggest surprise, he greeted them not with a violent bark but with licking their faces. But the law is the law, so there would be consequences. They gave Dan an ultimatum.

Two options

Dan had basically two options. One: he surrenders his dog. Two: he faces the consequences and goes to court. He chose the second one. He loved Diggy as a part of his family and there was no way he would let one stupid law be in the way of that.

The deadline

The deadline the police gave him came and went by. Dan did nothing. Then he was given a citation by the police. Dan contacted the Detroit Dog Rescue instantly and Kristina Rinaldi was backing him up. The police only missed out one tiny detail about Diggy…

The fine

Dan got a ticket of 500 dollars, but he had one thing to say for himself. A small thing that could change the outcome of the events completely.

A bulldog?

It was a big surprise for the police to find out that Diggy wasn’t even a pit bull. He was an American Bulldog. It was clearly stated in the adoption papers, too, that Kristina showed to the police. But the story’s not over.

Dan turned to his fans

Dan was not only famous because of that one picture that went viral. He also has a music career and a sizable fan base because of it. He posted about this case on his social media accounts so that people will give him consolation or help. Word spread and a lot of people stood up for him. Even the Michigan Humane Society got involved. They planned on doing something about this ridiculous law.

An online petition

Dan and the supporters of Diggy drafted an online petition. They argued that not only Diggy was not a pit bull, but this legislation against the dog breed is ridiculous. They tried to prove that pit bulls are not violent by nature, only if they are mistreated by their owners. The law should punish the owners, not an entire breed.

The case became really big

The petition had over 54,000 signatures in a really short time. Dan wouldn’t believe this in his wildest dreams that this case would grow this big. Dan hired a lawyer and went to court to fight for Diggy.

They were thinking ahead

It was lucky for them that they had been thinking ahead the whole time. Kristina knew about the prohibition of pit bulls in that town so she contacted the local authorities way before the adoption. She made sure that they allowed American Bulldogs in that area. They gathered the documents on Diggy being an American Bulldog. The police didn’t care about this before, but now Dan went to court to prove his right.

The supporters

A local town hall was held to discuss this case, but nobody tought that it would get this big. Hundreds of supporters showed up at the town hall of Waterford Township and they started to become angry.

Ridiculous laws

The supporters stated that according to them, it is ridiculous that the law doesn’t punish the people who mistreat their dogs. They also pointed out that this law was repealed in nearby townships, too.

Interesting facts

The supporters of Diggy’s case also gathered some facts about the behaviour of different dog breeds. As it turned out, people were more likely to get attacked and bitten by dachshunds or chihuahuas than a pit bull. Several supporters had a lot of experience with dogs as they were working with rescue dog groups. They stated that a pit bull’s behaviour is completely up to his owner’s.

Numbers

In 2016, there were 41 fatalities from dog attacks in the USA. Pit bulls were responsible for 22 of them, so it’s fairly harsh evidence against the breed. Everyone had to remind the legislators that the people are responsible for how a dog behaves, not the pedigree itself. And on top of that, Diggy is not even a pit bull, so what are we talking about?

The decision

Dan and his girlfriend was waiting nervously to find out the decision of the court. If they lose, they have to give up Diggy.

Victory!

After months of legal battles, the court dismissed the case! Diggy could stay at home with his family and on top of that, they also changed the law! Now it mandates that only vets can decide a dog’s breed, not the police.

A memory

To celebrate this victory, Dan went to get a tattoo of his beloved dog. Now that nobody’s in the way of their happiness, they can move on from this stressful time.