THIS GUY POSTED A PICTURE WITH HIS NEW DOG AND INSTANTLY POLICE SHOWED UP ON HIS DOORSTEP

 

Dogs are the most friendly and loyal creatures in this world. There would hardly be anyone who won’t agree with this fact. Among many dog lovers, one was this man from Michigan. His happy time with his dog unluckily didn’t last long, as a selfie became the reason for him to stand in front of a jury.

Fond Of Dogs

Dan Tillery lives with his girlfriend Megan in Waterford Township, Michigan. Dan is an ambitious guy with a long list of wishes. The first one among them is to have a house of his own where he could live with his beautiful girlfriend and a dog. He was in love with dogs and always wanted a dog by his side but unfortunately, the owner of the apartment he was living in, had prohibited the staying of dogs. He really wanted a home of his own!    

The Wishlist!

Dan wanted a home of his own so much that he after spending hours in the music studio was also doing side business only to earn and save enough money to buy a house. His girlfriend too was toiling hard to eventually have their own house.      

Home Sweet Home!

After accumulating enough money Dan and his girlfriend finally purchased their own home in June 2016 and when they got into their house the first thing they decided  was to bring in was a dog. But, what happened after they brought this bundle of joy to their home is surprising.

No Issues

It was after a month while talking to the Oakland Press that he said, “[My girlfriend and I] have been wanting a dog forever, but the place we were renting would not allow dogs. We just recently purchased our first home. All ours. And dogs are allowed.”

It Was The One

After the couple made up their mind to bring a dog to their house, the next major problem was to come to an agreement on which kind of dog to bring. It was sheer luck that while on his search for a dog Dan saw an American bulldog named Sir Wiggleton in a shelter where the dog had been taking refuge for the past 100 days.

Heartfelt Connection!

It was a first sight love for Dan! When he saw the picture of Sir Wiggleton, he instantly felt the connection. He knew only by seeing the giant goofy face of the pooch that he can become a perfect companion. He wasn’t able to wait to click lots of pictures with the cute dog that they just had adopted so they brought the dog home immediately.

Brought It Home

So Dan brought the dog to his house, it seemed that the dog also liked Dan’s company as they both posed for a picture with the pup posing in an amusing manner with his tongue hanging from his mouth and head cocked. Until then everything seemed quite wonderful to the couple, Dan named the dog Diggy.

Cool Dude!

Just like his father, Diggy is very adventurous by nature. Dan would take the canine out on several car trips where he would partake in all the adventures along with his owner and his friends. Dan would also love to show his lovely pooch off to his friends. No doubt, Diggy was having a great time with his new owner. The things were going really very well till Dan clicked a picture of his cool dog.

Someone Got Provoked

The most striking feature of the dog was his wide-mouthed grin. So, Dan, a musician by profession started taking selfies with the dog to capture the amazing moment. His goofy smile had captured the heart of each and every person who came across his cute photos. For Dan, he couldn’t help but take selfies with his pet and post them online.

Online Sensation!

In no time, Diggy became a social media sensation as Dan would post all his pictures on the social networking sites. His smile had won over people’s heart. Surprisingly, one of the pictures which Dan took of the dog provoked someone to call the police. Dan had no idea about it.

Sent The Photo

On a first look, the photo seemed to have nothing objectionable. It was just a picture of an extremely happy owner with his dog. In the photo too, the most distinguishing feature was the dog’s characteristic smile. Dan was feeling very lucky and even sent the photo to the Detroit Dog Rescue as a token of thanks for helping his dog at the time of need.

Instant Fame

The rescue team decided to post the picture on their page and it was not long that the picture went viral and got an astonishing 24,000 likes. Dan and his dog Diggy had become the talk of the town as the people from all the news channels began to call Dan.

Sending All The Love

Dan’s page was flooded with messages conveying love for Diggy from all over the world. Suddenly Diggy had become center of the attraction among thousands of people. Dan couldn’t have been happier.  But, the happiness was short-lived as something sad was waiting for them.

Very Happy

The post’s caption read “We know this photo is going to break the internet and we apologize, but we had to share. After almost 100 days in the shelter, Sir Wiggleton just got adopted. Sir Wiggleton and his new Dad are celebrating adoption day with huge smiles all around!”

Left Perplexed

Dan was a fun loving person and now he had found his partner in crime. The duo did many stupid and amusing things together. But, when after a few days of the picture going viral the Watford Police Department Came to Dan’s house, he was left confused and had a natural question in his mind, ” why?”

Committed A Crime

It was illegal to keep pitbull and pit bull mixes as a pet in Watford, the police informed Dan. According to the law they were deemed as “dangerous dogs”. Since it was a crime to be found in possession of one, the only possible option left for Dan was to return it to the Detroit Dog Rescue or else pay the consequences. Dan was left baffled.

Didn’t Worry

Dan was hopeful that the police would leave the issue by giving Dan a warning as he knew that his dog was not dangerous in any sense. He said, “When they went to the gate [to] actually see him, he licked their face, was very kind,” Dan explained to WWJ. “They said, we’re dog lovers, that’s cool, he seems like a good boy. Took some pictures of him.”

Looking Alike

Though the dog was an American Bulldog he had a striking resemblance to Pit Bull. At first sight, anyone would mistake him for a pit bull. Many people had done so before and that is what happened with the person who filed the complaint and now the police officials were having the same confusion.      

A Bad Dream

Unfortunately, the officials did not bother to listen to Dan. Police told The Detroit News in June, “It looks like a pit to me, I’d write a ticket.” Dan was distraught on realizing the fact that he was left with only three days to stay with his new companion despite the fact that his adoption papers stated it as an American Bulldog.

What Rescue Says?

Even the Detroit dog rescue maintained that they had taken care of all the necessary procedure before adoption. The organization also put forth all the documents that clearly stated that Diggy was a bulldog not a pit bull. Infact before giving away the dog, the group had taken the approval of township.

Making The Strategy

Naturally, Dan was outraged! He wanted his buddy back at any cost and to get him back he decided to resort to the same tool that had taken his pet away from him. Once again he turned to the Facebook. Along with letting Diggy’s fan know about the development he also sought help from animal rights activists.

Came For Support

Everyone along with the animal rights activists came in support of Dan, but it seemed all in vain as the officers were firm in their decision.“From our standpoint, it’s a pretty clear case of an ordinance that makes it clear what’s permissible and what’s not. Our job is to enforce the ordinance,” Chief Scott Underwood of the Waterford Police explained to the Oakland Press.

Totally Unaware

Ironically, the photo which had initiated all these troubles for Dan came to his rescue. The fact that it had gone viral meant that many people came to know about this incident. Now it was not only the animal activists who had his back rather thousands of people. Unaware of this, Dan had only two options in front of him that of paying $500 ticket or ending up in jail.

Want It Back

Everyone was disheartened by the news. The public demanded reunion of the pet with his owner in one voice. The director of Detroit dog rescue, Rinaldi explained “Diggy is living a great life with Dan, as the nation has seen, he has the best dog smile and is just a loving dog.” Now, Dan had the back of million people.

It’s Complicated !

It was an unfavourable situation for the rescue too. This case had the potential of harming the reputaion of the organisation. The rescue explained “the city is skeptical to believe veterinarians now, because they think any vet would just want Diggy to stay in a good home. We are extremely disappointed in this decision and feel we have fulfilled every request of the city, even before Diggy’s adoption.”

Counter- Attack

People were in full mood to counter-attack the decision of the authorities. Contrary to the fact, Dan was preparing himself for a hearing in the court. The supporters organized an online petition to remove the ban from the city, so as to allow the reunion of Dan and his pitbull.

Standing Up For A Cause

Dan was all set to fight his case in the court. This time he was fighting for two purposes. He was resolved to get his dog back and also to make the authority lift the ban on the adoption of the pit bulls.

Gained Confidence

Now in order to save his dog form leaving him, Dan had the only option of proving that Diggy only looked like a pitbull and was not actually one. He said,“My lawyer and I are going to do everything possible to make sure Diggy stays in his home with us, his family.” he posted online. “Thanks for all of your support, guys. I’m not a quitter.”

A Big Issue

Astonishingly, this incident made a big issue. Thousands of people from all parts signed the petition. But, things were still not good for Dan as authorities had not come with a final decision on the matter. One thing which acted in Dan’s favor was the unbelievable support he was getting from the people as they had overpowered a landmark town meeting for the same cause.

Holding Him Again!

Fortunately, all the efforts of the people and Dan’s pure affection towards his dog came in handy. In a hearing in the 51st District Court, all charges were eventually dropped.“People had really invested their emotions into this story, and it’s beautiful to see so many people care about rescue dogs,” said Kristina Rinaldi, the director of the Detroit Dog Rescue.

Dismissal Of Charges

Margaret Scott, a prosecutor in Waterford Township explained in a mail, “Immediately upon receipt of the signed and notarized affidavits from the veterinarians, we agreed that the charges should be dismissed.” The event was remarkable in many ways!

Changed Everything…

This turned into one historic incident, as the authorities had to change the law and reframe it. Now, it was no longer illegal to keep a pitbull and the owners had full independence to keep the dog according to their will. “We get to keep our boy,” Dan wrote in a celebratory Facebook post. “He’s a good boy.”

Thanksgiving!

Dan also thanked all the people who supported him. He wrote “Thanks Kristina Millman-Rinaldi and Detroit Dog Rescue for sticking with us throughout this process. Thank you Bobby Murkowski and Miller Canfield for the Great Job done! Thanks to everyone involved.”

Congratulating Fans

Tillary shared his happiness with the fans of Diggy. He also talked about the distressing time  they went through. He said “I’m just really happy, you try to be optimistic and positive but there were scares where my girlfriend and I, we’d look at each other and say, ‘What if they take our dog from us?’

The End

It was a beautiful end. “Diggy will share many more happy days with his family in Waterford, MI,” said the post. “We can’t thank Dan, Megan, their legal team, as well as city officials, and all of Diggy’s supporters [enough], for helping to make this happen,” posted Detroit dog rescue.