A Dog Named Gucci

Gucci
Photo from Gucci’s Facebook page

I came across this after the fundraising drive had ended, so I don’t have a current status. If you know more, please give us an update in the comments.

In brief, here’s the story: a 10-week old Chow-Husky puppy was horrifically abused and set on fire, but was then rescued by a man named Doug James, who nursed the dog back to health and took him into his home, where they lived together for the next 16 years. During this time, both Doug and Gucci worked tirelessly to change the animal cruelty laws in Alabama and across the United States.
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Teacher’s Allergies vs. Autistic Child’s Service Dog: What would you do?

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-girl-dog-image18983159This is a tough one. Pretend you’re on the school board of a small, rural school district in Southern Ohio. An autistic child in your school needs to bring her service dog with her to class. In your small district, you have only a limited number of special education classroooms, and the room this child is in is taught by a woman who is allergic to dogs. What do you do?

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Update on Justice – the dog set on fire last April

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC! Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

The surveillance video recorded last April and recently released shows four young men walking through a housing complex with Justice, a lab terrier puppy on a leash. One of the men wanders off-screen, then the dog wanders back into the frame, fully engulfed in flames, and collapses. The dog lived for ten days with 3rd-degree burns over 70% of his body before succumbing to his injuries.

One of the perpetrators apparently doused him him in lighter fluid and flicked a cigarette onto him. All four of the suspects pleaded guilty, and the three observers have already been sentenced.

The ringleader had agreed to a plea deal that would involve five years in prison, but the judge said that lighter fluid could not be considered a lethal weapon (he apparently did not see the video). He changed the plea deal, reducing Darius Ewing’s sentence to just two years. However, he then reversed his decision and reinstated the five-year deal.

In my opinion, even five years isn’t enough. What could possibly possess people (and I use that term loosely) to do something like this? I can’t even find the right words to describe it. Sad? Definitely, but also depraved, sick, and incomprehensible.

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Saturday Survey: White House Statement on Breed Specific Legislation

Somehow during a week dominated by the introduction of Sunny, his family’s new dog, President Obama was able to address the topic of breed specific legislation. What is breed specific legislation or BSL? It is any law that seeks to make it illegal to own a specific dog because of his or her breed. BSL has been used particularly against pit bulls. Advocates of BSL say it keeps people safer by limiting the number of dangerous dogs being kept as family pets. Those against BSL say there are no bad breeds, only bad breeders and owners who teach their dogs to be aggressive and / or dangerous.

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