Save Our Knight! Don't let this dog die

A Tale of a White Knight

In days of old, a white knight was regarded as a savior, a rescuing hero. A white knight expects nothing in return for his deeds. A white knight gives wholeheartedly, knowing that giving is it's own reward. And now, a tale of a present day White Knight.

Please allow us to introduce you to Knight, a handsome white American Bulldog/Pit Bull mix that is currently housed at Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeburg, Maine.   The dedicated staff members, volunteers, and friends of Harvest Hills Animal Shelter have found this dog to be an absolute pleasure.  Knight has been a friendly, playful goofball during playtime,  but he is desperate to be with people all the time, pining away in his solitude. He cries for company when he is outside in an exercise kennel. He rolls onto his back for a belly rub.  He longs to be loved, and to share his love and loyalty with someone.  Sadly, the future of Knight's life is now hanging in limbo, pending the outcome of a court hearing on Tuesday, April 22nd,  2008.   Continue reading to learn how Knight has found himself in this predicament.

Knight was owned by a convicted felon.  He had been picked up by Animal Control several times in the past for running at large, but had never shown aggression towards them, nor does he have a previous bite history that we are aware of. 

Knight is at a high risk of being put to death because his irresponsible criminal owner commanded him to attack a sheriff that was  approaching their home to serve paperwork.  Knight listened to his owner and did as he was told. He attacked on command, and stopped when his owner stopped him.  This dog was trained to do as he was told, and acted upon the wishes of his owner.  Without hesitation or reservation, he did that which would please his owner. The officer was able to drive himself to the hospital, where he was treated and released for injuries to his legs. Loyalty, dedication and obedience are all traits that we value in our personal pets.  We are not asking you to agree with training a dog to attack, but only to recognize that this dog was doing AS HE WAS TOLD. We do not agree with the action that was taken, but we are placing the blame where it needs to be placed, with the owner.

 Knight was recently evaluated by a respected dog trainer who specializes in training canines for police work, search and rescue,  and  protection.  The entire evaluation session was filmed and Knight passed every test with flying colors.  The trainer himself is ready to go to court (with the tape) to fight for Knight and has committed to finding appropriate placement for Knight if he is allowed to live.   Unfortunately, if Knight is deemed a vicious dog (this idea is so ridiculous, it is almost hard to write), he may be put to death shortly after the court case is heard.  We are asking that you, a person who can tell the difference between a vicious dog and a trained, obedient dog that does as it is told,  please sign this petition choosing life for Knight. Please sign it, then forward the link along to other intelligent people who realize that dogs cannot, and should not, be blamed for the irresponsible behavior of a human.  Consider this: if a police officer orders his K9 to attack in order to stop a criminal or for protection,  the dog is a hero (as he should be).   A police dog does as he is told, when he is told, and is allowed to live with his handler, often times in homes with children.  But Knight, out of loyalty and an aim to please his owner, essentially did the same thing as a police dog would do, but he may be put to death because of it.  Knight's attack was on command, not a spontaneous act.  If Knight were a dog to fear, we would have heard about him long before this incident and he probably would have been put down already.  Many people (including the ACO who picked him up the night of the incident, staff members at Harvest Hills, volunteers, and the trainer) have met Knight and have come to the same conclusion, he is not a vicious dog and he deserves to live.  Knight could surely live out his life with a responsible, dog knowledgeable owner, ideally as a working partner with law enforcement.  What a delicious twist of fate that could be. Justice needs to be served, and someone needs to pay for this deed.  But not the dog.   Allow Knight the opportunity to serve our officers. Allow him to give wholeheartedly of himself to a cause that is worthy of such devotion. Your signature is needed to help save our White Knight. Please sign right away.  The court case is being held on Tuesday, April 22nd.