Isis is a Pit Bull. She’s also a hero, having saved Jamie
Kraczkowski, her owner,from her drunk, abusive boyfriend.
Said Kraczkowski about the incident:
“Finally, when my head got hit against the wall [by my
boyfriend], [Isis] just grabbed his pant leg and she was done. She was done
with him abusing me – and abusing her.”
But when the police arrived on the scene to help
Kraczkowski, they told her she had a mere five days to get rid of her dog, her
baby, her hero Pit Bull, because Hazel Park (the Michigan town where she lives)
had banned Pit Bulls in 2013.
Kraczkowski continued:
“Thank God they’re allowing me to do home quarantine now.
But, you know, it’s been pretty traumatizing for me. I don’t know what’s going
to happen with my dog. I definitely don’t feel safe without her.”
That was two months ago. In the time since, there’s been a
pretty massive uproar from people in the Hazel Park community and across the
country in support of Jamie Kraczkowski and Isis. It turns out that people
aren’t too keen on dogs – especially hero dogs – being punished just for
looking a certain way.
At last Wednesday’s city council meeting, many of those
supportive Hazel Park citizens stood up in defense of Isis and Pit Bulls in
general.
Suzanna Rondeau was one such person. She spoke to FOX 2
after the meeting:
“When I heard there was a ban on Pit Bulls [in Hazel Park],
I was pretty upset. I have Pit Bulls. So I basically couldn’t live in Hazel
Park with my dogs.”
Also at the meeting was Magan Bouchard, who said:
“I’ve got a niece and they have a Pit Bull and live up
north and the dog protects the baby.”
The incredible support was enough to convince the City
Council to lift the ban on Pit Bulls altogether, though City Manager Edward
Klobucher did come out to defend the original decision:
“We can’t ban stupid owners, so we looked to try to address
what was a serious public health situation when we had 40-something bites by
Pit Bulls in the past few years.”
(It’s worth noting that studies have shown that visual
identification of Pit Bulls is notoriously unreliable. Studies have also shown
that, in places that have banned Pit Bulls – like Council Bluffs, Iowa – dog
bites didn’t really decrease overall, and significantly increased among other
breeds, like Labs and Boxers.)
While Pit Bulls are indeed once again allowed to live in
Hazel Park, there are limitations – Pit Bulls have to be licensed, they have to
be spayed/neutered, they have to have shots, they have to go through behavioral
assessment to determine whether or not they’re dangerous, they have to have
insurance, and owners have to have a fence.
It’s not a perfect situation for Pit Bull owners, but it’s
certainly better than the alternative – having their dogs put to death for
their appearance.
Though the fight against Breed Specific Legislation is
ongoing, there’s no doubt that laws against Pit Bulls are softening in the
United States. Moreaville, Louisiana tried to ban Pit Bulls back in November of
2014, but a public outcry (thanks to a girl named O’Hara Owens and her Pit Bull
Zeus) got the ban overturned. Furthermore, more and more states are outright
prohibiting BSL, like New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
It’s the sort of trend that might make stories like this
one a whole lot more common, due in no small part to bonafide hero dogs like
Isis.
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