By: N Gilbert
Meet Memphis! Memphis is an extremely handsome and big lovable Pit Bull residing in New Jersey.
Memphis has never had any aggression problems, never bitten anyone, person or animal. So why is he being picked on might you ask? All because of his breed. A PIT BULL! Nonsense right? Below you will find Jeff Coltenback's summary on the story of Memphis...
"Memphis' abbreviated story (it’s a really long one though): Memphis was picked up as stray in Feb 2012 and further restricted by shelter management after his initial 7-day hold was up. He was then deemed unadoptable by an evaluator in March (not by any judicial system). He has no bite history and, to my knowledge, has never injured anyone -- human or animal. His only c
rime; his breed. After learning about Memphis, I contacted the Township of Bloomfield Health Dept and offered my services to evaluate/train him. In order to gain permission to do so (which permitted me to train him only; I was prohibited from evaluating him), I signed a 5-page legal contract which also included holding me liable for Memphis and any expenses incurred on his behalf.
Part of my training with Memphis, like any dog I work with, included socialization. During this socialization training, he interacted with both adults and children -- all by permission. Due to this, the Township said I put the public in danger and ordered me to bring Memphis back to the shelter, which I did. My wife, Diana, and I then offered to adopt him permanently and sign a waiver relieving the Township of all liability. I submitted my adoption application to the Health Department, Mayor and Town Council, along with 12 Letters of Recommendation from professionals and rescue groups, here in the tri-state area.
During his entire 8 days with us, Memphis never exhibited any behaviors that provided an opportunity for me to correct or modify his behavior. He has been around people, dogs, cats, rats and even parrots without incident. My wife and I had Memphis for one week, and fell madly in love with him -- he's just that kind of dog. Since he has been sent from our sofa back to the shelter, we cry for him every day. We eagerly await the Township's decision on whether or not they will allow us to adopt him. Memphis is truly a great dog who has a responsible, stable, experienced and loving forever home to go to -- ours."
Currently, there is a huge legal battle going on over getting Memphis to reside with the Coltenbacks. Many supporters have even gone to Jersey to protest on Memphis' behalf. Currently, there is a petition online as of right now to help get Memphis home.
There is now over 47,000 signatures to date on the petition and it needs to reach 100,000. Please sign and share the petition: http://www.causes.com/actions/1674225
For more info on Memphis, please visit his website:
or Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/savememphisnj
Please help us all to stop this insanity that is happening before our very eyes. Belfast was enough, lets not let it happen in the USA!
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