Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Other Animal welfare issues & petitons => Other Animals - Rescue - Urgent cases only => Topic started by: JackSpratt on July 04, 2009, 10:39:40 AM
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Crossposted:
Bruce, the NI 'pit bull type' - long (but urgent) post!
For those of you who have been following the story of Bruce, the Staffordshire seized as 'type' in NI it has now come to crunch time.
Bruce had been ordered by the court to be destroyed on Monday, 6th July. For those not familiar with Bruce's story ther is a brief summary and heart-wrenching video here:
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/3045/e...-row-dog-bruce/
Bruce has an offer of a rescue space in Eire where pit bulls can live legally. Bruce's only remaining chance - and it is a very slim chance - is a mass letter campaign to try to persuade decision makers to allow him to leave the UK.
There is very little time left to try to save Bruce. Please put pressure on descision makers by writing in support of Bruce.
Home Secretary - Alan Johnson
email - public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or johnsona@parliament.uk
Please ask for Bruce to be given safe passage to Eire where he can live legally. It's probably best if you can compose your own letters but here's a template letter...
Please write today. There is so little time left.
QUOTE
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you with regard to a travesty about to occur in Northern Ireland and to beg you to intervene and help save a life.
The life in question belongs to Bruce,a young Staffordshire Bull Terrier who was living happily with his family in Northern Ireland. On September 19th 2007 Bruce was seized by council officials as an alleged “pit bull type” and taken to secluded kennels whilst his owner was taken to court for owning a banned type of dog.
While incarcerated in kennels his family were allowed to visit Bruce in October 2007, Bruce had lost weight, muscle and had a cut to his muzzle. Five months later Bruce was allowed a second visit from his family in March 2008, they were shocked with what they found: The wound on Bruce's muzzle was larger and had become infected, he had to have his tail amputated, had open sores, was underweight and looked totally rejected, yet despite the clear pain he was in, is described by experts as being a friendly dog that poses no danger to the public. In a desperate attempt to save Bruce, owner Shannon Brown, supporters and neighbours have created petitions and videos resulting in worldwide support to “Bring Bruce Home”.
Northern Ireland has not adopted the 1997 Amendment Act as in England, Scotland and Wales, despite being proposed several times, thus meaning any dog deemed to be “pit bull type” cannot be entered onto the Index of Exempted Dogs. If the proposal had been accepted in Northern Ireland, as with the rest of the UK, Bruce would have been home long before now, alive and well registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
If Bruce lived in Southern Ireland where no breeds are nationally banned he would never have been seized at all. Bruce has been offered a place of safety with a reputable rescue in Southern Ireland where he could legally live out the rest of his life, this offer has been conveyed to the solicitor but has sadly not been accepted by the court.
I understand that you have the power to grant a pardon and we beg of you to do all within your power to allow Bruce the chance of life by requesting Bruce is granted safe passage to Southern Ireland and the rescue placement that is waiting there for him. This is all that is needed. I am sure, Mr. Johnson, that you are aware of how emotionally committed good owners are to their pets. Dogs are part of our families as much as children. Please spare Bruce’s owner the further trauma of destroying Bruce so needlessly. Please pardon Bruce and allow a blameless animal the chance of life.
We claim to be a nation of animal lovers, surely now it is time to prove it?
Yours faithfully
Thank you. Thank you for writing. Just one last thing....
Excluding the bit about 'having the power to pardon' please write also to:
Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
http://www.shaunwoodward.com/enquiry.html
and Northern Ireland Ministers
Peter Robinson
http://www.peterrobinson.org/EnquiryForm.asp
Martin Mcguiness
ps.ministers@ofmdfmni.gov.uk
Gerry Kelly
ps.ministers@ofmdfmni.gov.uk
and Jeffrey Donaldson
http://www.jeffreydonaldson.org/AdviceCentre.asp - e-mail: jeffreydonaldsonmp@laganvalley.net
and Tony Hill, Mayor of Northdown Borough Council
email: tony.hill@northdown.gov.uk
This can only work if enough people write but if enough letters land on enough desktops perhaps we can make a difference.
More templates and contacts here:
For vets:
http://ddawatch.webs.com/savingbrucevetdraft.htm
For media and other welfare organisations
http://ddawatch.webs.com/brucetemplategeneral.htm
LATEST UPDATE – STOP PRESS: Bruce's execution has been postponed! He is still due to be killed. We don't know when so, please, keep emailing, keep cross-posting, keep writing!
Thanks All!
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Jack - you say hat the he is a Staffy but a Staffy is legal - so why is he on death row??
Has he done anything wrong?
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"Bruce was seized by council officials as an alleged “pit bull type” and taken to secluded kennels whilst his owner was taken to court for owning a banned type of dog..... is described by experts as being a friendly dog that poses no danger to the public."
Not to my knowledge, no.
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Unfortunately once decided its pitbull type thats it :tired:
I cant remember where i found it but theres a pro pitbull site with pics of about 50 dogs and it questioned your ability to pick out the few pitbulls actually pictured, amazing how similar all the breeds are.
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www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
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Den you beat me to it.
Unfortunately you say the word pitbull and everybody thinks of Ellie Lawrence, all poor pitbulls are tarred with the same brush
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,20218.0.html
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Thats the one, thanks ;D
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I only just noticed that thread Yvonne. I saw you posted a question about if a Great Dane is crossed with a lab are the puppies Pitties? The answer is absolutely not :)
To make it confusing the term Pitbull covers a few different breeds and often refers to similar breeds. If you look back in history bulldogs and terriers were crossed to make fighting dogs for entertainment - they would fight in pits and became known as pitbulls. Go through the years with different breedings and distinct breeds emerged. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was one and the American Pitbull Terrier was another. What is now known as the American pitties were the breed created after lots of breeding to make the best fighters. Now I believe it is this type of dog which is the one banned over here ... Both full bred or a cross of this type.
Because Staffies share a history with pitties it's easy to cross them with other breeds and end up with dogs that look like pitbulls. Technically they are Staffie crosses but if you can't prove they are it's so easy for people to label them as pits of pittie types.
I think that's how it works, it's really complicated but it's something like that, I've no doubt missed out a lot of info, but I'm not a bullbreed person.
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:'( I have emailed
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I have signed the petition
Is Bruce still alive? there are some reeports that he was PTS on 29th June
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UPDATE:
The latest news is that Bruce's barrister has applied for a judicial review. I don't know if it has been granted yet but counsel has promised that Bruce won't be destroyed untill every legal avenue has been explored.
This means that Bruce won't die on Monday but he is still condemened and his life hangs in the balance. It vital to keep up the pressure and keep emailing/writing. We may get little or no notice next time.
Our emails to NI ministers are getting brushed off with referals to Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development.
I'm trying to find some sympathetic NI politicians that we can write to who might help pin down Robinson, Kelly and McGuinness. See below:
Please email the following regarding Bruce. They are mps in the area Bruce was taken from. Please forward everywhere!
more urgent contact details
North Down constituency has six MLAs (think each constituency has six elected)
MLA = Members of the Legislative Assembly
Alex Easton
Stephen Farry
Peter Weir
Leslie Cree
Brian Wilson
Alan McFarland
Alexander Easton DUP ???
Stephen farry ???
Peter Weir DUP pjweir@hotmail.com
Leslie Cree UUP Leslie.cree@northdown.gov.uk
Brian wilson???
Alan McFarland UUP alanmla@hotmail.com
or facebook pages
Here's Peter Weir
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Farr...gid=57364012878
Here's Stephen Farry MLA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Farry-MLA/71584014663
Brian Wilson
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Farr.../aldermanwilson
Thank you!!!
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JS I'm sending lots of emails but some on the first post (at the end - without the pardon) are bouncing, says email addy not formatted correctly?
eta: it's ok seem to have sorted it
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Thanks Janey. Poor dog - if people acted this way because of how another human being looked there'd be uproar about discrimination and stereotyping.
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I really don't hold out much hope for this doggy as it is the Champ story all over again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aQLog460Io
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We can try our best for Bruce.
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Have just received a reply from 1 of the emails:
Re Bruce the Dog
Dear Sir/ Madam
Thank you for your e mail. I was concerned to read about the situation that Bruce has found himself in, and have written to North Down Borough Council to see if anything can be done. Given however that a judicial process has been put in place it may be difficult to see what action can be taken to rectify the situation. I regret that this is the case but it would be wrong to give you false hope. The Assembly has risen for the summer, but I will press the Minister to introduce the appropriate legislation to ensure that no other Bruces are put in the same position.
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Peter Weir MLA
which seems fair enough - at least he's trying to help
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Which seems fair enough - at least he's trying to help
Agreed. Better than an outright negative reaction.
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Does anybody have an update on Bruce?
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I've not heard anything but was also wondering
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I can't find any, but I'll keep looking! I'm sure (Super) Niall will be able to tell me. :)
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This is the latest update on Bruce
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/3244/dda-confusion-in-northern-ireland-as-bruce-awaits-his-fate-on-deathrow/
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Is Bruce still alive - does anybody know ??
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I tried (unsuccessfully) to find out not long ago.
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Bruce is still alive. There was an appeal March 10th and they are having another hearing at somepoint to hear further argument.
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Bruce is apparently still incarcerated....
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Only just seen this thread, is it still worth writing in?
As a staffie owner things like this really do worry me :(
By the way I picked out the pitbull from the line up on my second guess. From the little I know about pitbulls they are very similar in temperament to staffies i.e. love people kids and other dogs/animals and they are big softies. Because of both dogs histories it makes them easier to train to fight but I truly do believe that if you really want to you could train any breed of dog to be vicious and fight. I also noted that a number of those in the line up also historically used to be used a fighting dogs. Its all down to us humans and now the dogs get the blame.
I am very proud of my staffie and he is a perfect example of a very well behaved dog (i've attached a pic of the big softie being a big softie). I make a point of taking him to dog shows - where we kinda get frowned upon and I show him in classes against the labs and the spaniels and the JRT's etc etc...sometimes we are lucky and our good efforts get rewarded. I also take him to training classes and he will be doing his good citizens awards...the trainer wishes more people would bring their staffies to class and I agree, we need more responsible staffie owners...otherwise they will continue to get a bad name and that makes me :censored:
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Don't think it would hurt, Steff. The update stated Bruce was still being detained but no decision had yet been made, poor lad.
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Bruce is free!!!!! :Luv:
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That is very good news but how?
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That is very good news but how?
I've not seen the details as of yet. Just that he's on his way to Dublin.
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;D
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I felt that this would be another sad story - we had a smiliary situation "Champ" and this poor dog was made an example of
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/PIt-bull-Champ-is-put.4736710.jp?articlepage=2
So sad
:'(