Help Save Spike — Wrongfully Jailed & Facing Death

Story:

Hi, my name is Michelle and I’m fighting to save my beloved dog, Spike, from being destroyed after a terrible misunderstanding. Spike has been locked in the pound for over 40 days, and now they want to euthanize him—even though he was provoked and acted in fear.

Spike is not a vicious dog. He’s never attacked unprovoked. The day in question, another dog (off-leash), a homeless man’s dog which my dog has encountered before and had an incident coming out of CVS around the little wall thing. The other dog was there, and they saw each other and then they scuffled. I immediately pulled Spike away before they could fight. Then on the day in question, I was going to the bank, Spike was walking over through the parking lot. I see the dog unleashed. His owner is not right by him, and Spike starts acting in fear. The owner comes from the trash a few feet away, gets his dog, and walks away. I go to the bank, and then we leave the bank, and I go into Salvation Army. I don’t see that dog around. I made sure to look around. Then I was looking at a shirt, he saw the dog and the man come in. He bolted off to go protect himself and myself because, again, he’s been attacked multiple times by dogs not on leashes, even one time by four dogs at once. So I immediately run over to Spike. Within not even a minute, he had already been kicked and punched. The guy took a finger and got bit off. Once I reached Spike, I grabbed his leash, which was on him, called his name, and pulled him back, and he sat by me. So he was not acting out of being a vicious dog. He was acting out of being in fear and pain. That all happened so fast. Spike reacted, a man tried to kick and punch Spike. During the chaos, the man was bitten. They took my dog. They’re gonna keep him for 10 days once they got him.

Now I’m in the middle of an appeal to prove that Spike was defending himself. California’s law California Food & Agricultural Code § 31603 — “Vicious Dog”

“Vicious dog” means either of the following:

(a) Any dog that, when unprovoked, in an aggressive manner, inflicts severe injury on or kills a human being.

(b) Any dog previously determined to be and currently listed as a potentially dangerous dog that, after its owner is notified, continues the behavior described in § 31602 or is maintained in violation of §§ 31641, 31642, or 31643. supports that a dog who bites out of fear or pain should not be labeled vicious. But until we win the case, Spike remains locked away, and the shelter is demanding I pay over 40 days of impound fees just to get him back—even if we prove he’s not vicious.

I need help to pay for:

• Legal filing and court fees

• Daily impound fees (~$20/day and rising)

• Boarding costs while Spike waits for justice

• Transportation, printing, and expert reports

If you know me, you know I love this dog more than anything. He doesn’t deserve to die. I’m doing everything I can—but I can’t do it alone. Please help bring Spike home safe, where he belongs.

Every dollar helps—and if you can’t give, please share.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

#JusticeForSpike

I don’t know how when I proposed all this in the first court, the judge just ruled however he wanted to and said that the law states that if he’s not provoked and he is vicious, but I told him how he was provoked, and if he read the law right, he would know, but there was no court reporter in there in these kinds of cases. But it does state in the declaration from the animal control that he was kicking and hitting my dog. Also, there’s a whole bunch of other discrepancies like the animal control lady said my dog had a tail and it was standing straight up after I was wagging when he saw her, but my dog doesn’t have a tail and it doesn’t move. He was born with no tail, so that’s crazy right there how she just gets to lie about that and how the judge just gets to rule however he wants to. Very corrupt. And when I was trying to do my appeal, they were making it the hardest possible for me to get it done, but I did it. I’m just waiting for the new court date. My poor baby’s been in there so long. He’s probably going crazy in a little space not around anybody because he’s been deemed vicious. And I know that they’re thinking I’m not gonna have the money to pay to get him out because it’s been over 40 days, but I’m gonna have it because they’re not gonna have any excuses or anything that stops me from getting my dog.

Animal control people should have higher standards of work ethics and proving investigating dog situations and have had a dog at least once in their life and that they’re not biased.

So I beg of you to help save Spike, to help bring my baby home. I’ve had him since he was six weeks old. He’s six years old now. He’s got me through domestic violence, depression, being lonely, homelessness. When I was depressed and homeless and going through it and sometimes I couldn’t have him with me, so I would be sad. So he made me strive to get a place, which I have now, and we’ve had our place for seven months. But if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even fought for myself. I miss him so much. He probably has no idea what’s going on, thinking I’m never gonna come get him. Please, prayers, prayers, prayers that the judge is about following the law and doing what’s right and lets Spike come home.

Through God, anything is possible.

If anybody has any information on any groups or advocates for pets or Pitbulls, I would appreciate that too, or any advice or past experiences dealing with this, I would love to hear it all. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and anything helps, even prayers. Thank you so much. I will keep everybody updated.