Things like this sadden me

Lately in the news I am hearing to many stories about dog being killed, and it seems that almost always it is a pit bull. I will be posting a few links that you can read and see some of the stories that I am referring to. I am so saddened by this and I know that our situation is not entirely the same as some, but the end result is death of a family pet, and it is that end result that has got to stop. Coco is not with us today because of ignorance and fear of a police officer. That statement is mild compared to what I would really like to say, but I do have to keep in mind that we want to take the high road! We miss Coco every day and the more times I hear about pit bulls being shot the more I wish I could hold him just one more time.

Today I was contacted by the people who owned this pit bull and also by someone that was at the incident. My heart goes out to them because I know how they feel. They are going to be engaging on a journey for justice just as we did. I do not know all the facts and I am not in anyway putting fault on any party, but I am saying once again an pit bull is dead because of an officer who could not think of another way to handle his fear(keep in mind alleged fear!)
http://www.news-press.com/comments/article/20101109/NEWS0101/101109044/Cape-Coral-police-officers-cleared-in-shooting-death-of-dog

Asking for the support of fellow dog lovers!

Please read the story and watch the brief video clip and you can form an opinion for yourself. If you live in our area and think what the vet clinic did was wrong and should have been handled differently please come out and protest with us in front of Lehigh Animal Hospital tomorrow at 2PM.



LEHIGH ACRES, Fla - Rain couldn't silence the cries of some who say what vets at Lehigh Acres Animal Hospital did was heartless. Protesters gathered outside the animal hospital a day after two dogs were put down because its owners couldn't pay a $2,000 boarding bill.

Deputies escorted workers to their cars Friday afternoon.

The animal hospital insists they did nothing wrong. They provided us with copies that show the hospital mailed several letters to the dog's family warning they would give up ownership of the dogs if the bill was not paid.

No one at the hospital would go on camera for an interview, but they did admit to taking donations from viewers who reached out to help even after our story aired and the dogs were euthanized.

On Friday, they released this statement: "The dogs were put down because they didn't have a safe stable home to go to nor did they have any financial income to be cared for correctly."

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-08-20/Angry-protesters-camp-outside-Lehigh-animal-hospital#ixzz0xDb4wxWh

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LEHIGH ACRES, Fla - A Lehigh animal hospital refused to answer questions about whether it put several dogs to sleep because the owners can't pay for boarding them.

Vets at Lehigh Acres Animal Hospital had nothing to say to our cameras after we asked whether it was okay to euthanize two dogs because its owners couldn't pay more than $2,000 in boarding fees.

Taylor's Tears Animal Rescue in Fort Myers tried to step in and help.

The group reached out to the hospital and said they would take in the dogs until some sort of payment plan was worked out, but were turned down.

Animal Services says the whole situation is a civil matter.

Legally, the hospital has to serve papers to the family saying they have until a certain date to pay the bills or they give up ownership of the dogs.

The family says they have not received any paperwork.

Coco's Rescue in full swing!!!

We are off and running with getting Coco's Rescue up and running. We are always in need of blankets, kennels, shampoo, towels, dog toys/chews, and food. All of your help and support is greatly appreciated.
We have been taking in dogs(only pit bulls)and making sure they are taken care of until they are ready to find their forever home. We are seeing a variety of dogs come into our home. Some are very well taken care of and the owners had no choice but to get rid of them. Others come to us needing a lot of care to get back on track with eating, interacting with other dogs, and just learning how to be a family pet. We are working hard to make sure that each dog that comes to us enjoys all that our home has to offer before we adopt them to new owners. We have set up an application and an adoption contract to ensure that these dogs are placed in good homes and we are hoping to minimize the chances of them ending up back in a shelter by placing a clause in the contract that says the adopter must bring the dog back to us if for any reason they need to surrender the animal. We have purchased kennels/cages for each dog that we have. They eat well 2x daily and they love the time that they get outside to run around and play in the yard. The yard offers them a sense of freedom that many of them have never had. Each dog that has come to stay with us has become a part of us and we find it harder to adopt them out after they have spent a length of time here. We try to keep them long enough to be able to know their good qualities as well as the things that make them tick. We want to make sure that when we adopt them out, we are able to offer the person adopting the dog as much information as we possible can. We really just want what is best for these dogs and we are going to do our best ONE PIT BULL AT A TIME! We know that Coco is looking down on us and smiling each time he sees a dog get a good home and a second chance at a life.
We currently have 3 dogs available for adoption. These dogs can be seen on our new website at http://cocosrescue.blogspot.com/.
Max is a red nosed male pit bull. He is about 2 1/2years old.Great temperament, loves to be outside, great with kids, good with other dogs once he gets to know them.He is crate trained, and house broken. Max was rescued almost 4 1/2 months ago and just needs to go to a good home where he will be taken care of and get loads of love.Max has not been neutered, but needs to be. He is very loving, and eager to please. When outside he is protective of the yard and lets you know if someone is there that shouldn't be:-) Max is a little tall and is filling out nicely. He was skinny when we got him,and had a major issue with his skin on his face. it has healed nicely and you cant even tell where it was, and the exercise and good food is agreeing with him :-) He looks a 100% better, and we finally feel like he is ready for a new forever home.
Rebelis a very playful dog that just wants lots and lots of attention. He loves being outside, he is not fully housebroken. He is kennel trained. Rebel also needs to get neutered as well as get all of his shots. He came to us almost 3weeks ago. He is still very much a puppy. He will make a great addition to your family. He is still young enough that you will be able to train him the proper way.
Kingis just a little over a year old. He is full of energy, very playful, and also loving. He was raised around 5children, so he is great with them. He was also raised with a female dog, so he gets along well with others. Not to sure about male dogs. He is not neutered, and we are unsure if he has shots. We picked him up about 2weeks ago from a family in East Fort Myers. King just needs someone that has room for him to run, and who will give him lots of love. He is housebroken and kennel trained. He does well on a leash when you take him outside. If left in the backyard, he likes to find a shady spot for a nice nap :-) King is going to make a great addition to the right family.
We also just took in a male brindle pit bull named Romeo. Romeo came to us from the Clearwater area. He will be available for adoption in a few months. We want to make sure we are able to get to know him and give him a little self esteem back. He spent way to much time in a shelter. He is a great dog.

Feeling a little stuck

Thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you
yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often
speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your
memory is a keepsake, with which I'll never part. God has you in His
keeping, I have you in my heart.♥ RIP COCO ♥

These last few weeks have been pretty slow. Seems a lot of the corners we turn we are met with a dead end. We have had conversations with many people who hear our situation and want to offer their support and we are continually appreciative, but we are getting a little discouraged because it seems that the people that we really need to impact with our efforts are just numb to it, they don't budge, and they certainly don't ever admit fault. Sometimes I wonder if these people even have a heart or a soul. I have been reading so many stories lately about cops killing innocent animals and getting away with it, people abusing animals in ways that I can't even describe, and my heart just breaks and it makes me miss Coco that much more. He was killed so quickly, and we were not prepared for anything like that to happen. Saying goodbye is something it seems that we have to do everyday, and goodbye just doesn't get easier. We feel like something so precious was ripped away from us, and it just isn't right. We don't understand why people can't just step up to the plate and admit fault. Not that admitting they were wrong will bring Coco back, but it would sure make things a little easier to bear. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of Coco or remember something he did or remember something about him. He is a memory that we are not willing to ever give up.
The other day a stray dog was loose in the neighborhood and it had an aggressive side. We have children and there are many other children in the area. After speaking to animal control and hearing it would be at least 45minutes until they were able to get there, I called the sheriffs office, just out of curiosity to see what they would say or do. I was told that they don't have the tools to take care of a loose dog. I told the lady on the phone to hold on, wait a second for her to please explain to me what made things different the night those neighbors called on my dog and the police responded and killed my dog? I was hung up on. So, if they don't have the tools to respond to an animal at large, what is the point of them even coming out, or what was their intent when they showed up to my house that night? This quickly made me so angry as I thought about how their so called policy must be one of those things they use one day and throw away the next. I just wonder where we go from here. We want justice, but I just keep wondering what other emotional costs are we going to pay before we get it?

Support amazes me!

I am constantly on a daily basis being shown how many people out there both in our town and all around the state and the world really care about this whole situation and really care about how they can help us get our word out there. We have two different petition sites as well as this blog and we are doing well on each of them. The first petition site which is on here has over 600 signatures and the second petition which is on Change.org has almost 300 signatures. All of those signatures together are from all over the world. This battle that we are waging on animal cruelty, BSL, and animal injustice is hitting many people in a mighty way. It is something that affects all of us who love and adore animals.
Wearing our Justice for Coco shirts to different places and while passing out fliers, it amazes me how many people stop us and want to know what exactly happened to Coco, what is BSL, and what are we trying to do. I have spoke with people on the phone who the minute I say Coco, know just who I am and what I am trying to do. We have met so many different people that have shared many different views with us. Some of those views come with strong opinions and many of them have helped us explore avenues that we didn't even know about. An overwhelming majority is pro-Coco, but every once in awhile we will get a strong anti-Coco. While walking in the Edison Parade I had one person look at me and tell me that my dog deserved to die. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to fight the urge to fire back with negative words of my own. I just turned and continued passing fliers out to people. If I would have responded it would have just given people a bitter taste in their mouth of me. We have to be bigger and better than that, it is not easy, but we try to just let those negative comments roll off our back because everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and they are able to voice them. Those are just the opinions that we don't quite agree with! (LOL!) It is often overwhelming to hear so many people wanting to know exactly what is Justice for Coco. While walking down the road before passing out fliers we heard some many people reading our shirts and questioning out loud what it was all about. Each member of our family, as well as some friends have Justice for Coco shirts so people are definitely seeing a united front when it comes to our family. It gives us such a sense of pride to know that in wearing our shirts, it is really making a difference. I know that there are so many times I have seen people reading a shirt in public and I look down at the shirt and think that what it says is so meaningless. In wearing these Justice for Coco shirts, I know the meaning behind it, and it makes it that much better!
I sometimes wish I could just get everyone together in one place and be able to tell my story so that everyone was on the same page. That is a big reason for this blog so that we have a place, a sounding board, to do just that. We just need your help in making sure supporters like you know just how to get onto our page, know how to become followers, and who will help spread the word.
Last night while out, we were stopped by a couple who spoke with my husband about our story and by the time the conversation was over the female handed my husband $10.00 and said she wanted to be the first donation to the Coco fund. This was overwhelming to us because we never imagined that such a gesture would come into play. We spoke with the couple about our gratitude and I explained that we never wanted people to look at us and think we were doing the things that we do for money or anything like that, and she looked at me and said, "It take money"! I kind of laughed, but she is so right. Everything that we are trying to do is money related and sometimes I get a little discouraged and wonder how we will ever be able to manage everything, and for some reason little things like this donation just seem to put it all into perspective and I am reminded that with faith all things are possible! As a child my parents taught us children to always stand up for something no matter what it was, and we were told that if we truly believed in something then to not let it drop. It is the principle behind it that makes it worth the fight. As an adult I am reminded of the country song that says: you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Well we are standing for something and this Justice for Coco is something that we feel strongly about, and we will continue to stand, continue to wear shirts in his memory, and will continue to ask for your ongoing support. If we don't take a stand and speak up for our animal, who will?
I just like to be able to check in with everyone and let you know my thoughts, update you on our progress, and also to let you know we are still out there going strong. We know this fight will not end over night, and we know that we have to be in it for the long haul.
If any one has any questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on here or through our email at cygor64@gmail.com.
Again thank you all so much for your ongoing support. Please don't forget while you are visiting our blog to click on the FOLLOW tab and become a member of our blog. This allows you to post comments, view all updates, and even have email notifications when new posts and comments are added.

YOU DO THE MATH: FIGHT BSL!

What is BSL?

Any law, ordinance or policy that affects only a specific breed or breeds. Breeds affected are usually Pit Bulls, American Bulldogs, Boxers, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and sometimes German Shepherds.

Most often these laws are proposed and passed after a city/county/state receives reports of several attacks by a specific breed of dog. BSL has been found many times over to be an ineffective proposal.

What makes BSL ineffective?

Dog attacks are usually the fault of an irresponsible owner, not a specific breed, therefore, banning an entire breed will solve nothing. The irresponsible owners will just most likely move on to another breed, and continue making bad choices regarding their dogs. BSL targets the breed, instead of the owner, where the responsibility belongs.There is a vicious circle surrounding Pit Bulls: a “tough guy” decides he wants a “tough” dog for his reputation. So, he gets a Pit Bull. When the dog passes the “fun” puppy stage, he is most likely tied out on a chain and left to spend his days with little or no attention from humans, or he is abused. When the dog does receive some attention, it’s from the “tough” guy’s “tough” friends, and they bully the dog, or play roughly and mean with him. The dog quickly becomes restless, starved for attention, and frustrated. One day, he breaks loose and runs free, charging a human, or another animal…not to bite them, but to be loved. Because he’s never been able to run free, he is so excited that his running and playing are mistaken for rampaging and acting vicious. All he’s ever known is abuse, and if a friendly human hand reaches out, he may very well bite, but it’s because he doesn’t know any better, not because he was born or bred that way. This is a prime example of an irresponsible owner. However, we see that the owner isn’t the one punished; it’s the dog and his entire breed’s reputation.

Other reasons BSL isn’t effective:

It’s very costly. It’s costly to the responsible owners because they are forced to pay for insurance policies, ridiculously tall fences to be built, etc. BSL is also costly to the place enforcing it. There will be kenneling costs and court costs to deal with.It’s unfair to responsible owners. It restricts your right as a responsible dog owner to own certain breeds. If the law states that you can own the dog, but there are restrictions (muzzling, short leashes, high fences), you are still punished. When you take your dog in public, you are frowned upon and sometimes harassed by others for owning what they believe to be a “vicious” breed.

Dogs can only be identified by appearance, and Pit Bulls are especially difficult for the average person to identify. There are far too many people that are not qualified to determine breeds of dogs and therefore Pit Bulls have become scapegoats. Any dog that bites or attacks often gets called a Pit Bull, but many of these are actually not Pit Bulls at all, or are mixes with another dominant breed. Because of this, many dogs will be wrongly identified, and countless lives taken.
BSL is actually unconstitutional!

Other Important Facts You Might Want to Know:

*There is no proof that a Pit Bull is any more dangerous than any other breed.
*Pit Bulls actually score higher on temperament tests than most other breeds. American Pit Bull Terriers as a breed have passed the American Temperament Test at an 84.1 percentage rate, and American Staffordshire Terriers have passed with an 83.9 percentage rate. This is above the scores of Golden Retrievers, who have a passing percentage rate of 83.8; and Collies with a passing rate of 79.2 percent. Please visit http://www.atts.org/ for more information on temperament testing.

*In one day, a Pit Bull attacked a child, as did a Labrador Retriever. Hundreds of reporters covered the Pit Bull attack, while only a few covered the other. They are portrayed only negatively in the media, rarely will they show a positive Pit Bull hero story, because the media believes positive doesn’t sell.

*Pit Bulls are some of the most effective dogs used in law enforcement. Please visit www.lawdogsusa.org for more information on how Pit Bulls are used in law enforcement, and why they are preferred.

*The Center for Disease Control conducted a study on fatal dog bites over a twenty year period between the years 1979 and 1998. Although the breeds of dogs involved were noted in this study, the CDC does not conclude that specific breeds are more likely to bite or fatally attack. Therefore, these findings should not be used for breed-specific policy making decisions relating to this topic. 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year and of that number, approximately 12 fatalities are the result (about 0.0002% of the total number of people bitten). Because there is no accurate method to determine the population of any particular breed, there is no conclusive way to measure which breeds are more likely to bite or kill. If it can not be determined that a breed is more likely to bite or kill than any other, a breed ban is obviously not the answer.



Source: http://www.bamabully.org/bsl.html

Edison Festival of Lights

Wow, what a night! We passed out over 500 fliers to people while they were watching the parade. We met tons of supporters, were able to show off our Justice for Coco shirts, and just had an all around good time while fighting for our cause. The people we met and who got fliers from us were receptive to our cause and asked many questions. We were able to really explain details about BSL(breed specific legislature) and animal cruelty to many who took our fliers. We are hoping that many of those people that have our fliers going our blog and continue to also pass on the word for Coco's Justice.
In wearing our shirts that we made for ourselves, our children, and other family members it is such a great thing to walk into a store and be asked to explain what our shirt stands for. I truly believe that Coco is looking down on us and smiling because it finally feels like we are getting somewhere.
Thank you everyone that has supported us and who will continue to support us. We will keep you posted with any and all new leads.