ALERT! URGENT! Stop the killing of Spencer the Pit Bull

*****PLEASE CROSS POST*****
Stop the killing of Spencer the Pit Bull

A Pit Bull puppy is being put down because of his breed....Some Midtown residents rescued a starved, dehydrated pit bull terrier found dragging a 10-foot-chain Tuesday night by calling Mobile Animal Shelter, but the dog will be put down next week because such breeds aren't put up for adoption, authorities said.

It doesn't have scars or open sores that would indicate it had been used for fighting, and it was not aggressive toward other animals at the shelter.

"He seems to be real friendly," the kennel manager said. "He doesn't bark at any of the other dogs."

...PLEASE SIGN & FORWARD ON WE NEED 1,000 SIGNATURES BY THE COURT DATE OF Friday, June 9, 2006:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/501219437

LINKS to Articles:

Rescued pit bull terrier to be euthanized

Drive under way to save stray dog

Hi All:

I created a quick petition for Spencer the Pit Bull Puppy. Please sign it and keep it going, once it has reached 1,000 signatures please send it back to Cherish so that she can use it for her court case!

Please hurry, time appears to be of the essence.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/501219437

Thank you, Sylva Penkov-Southwell

Save Spencer the Pit Bull Puppy from being killed!!!!! Thank You!

We need all the help we can get. After speaking to my lawyer, I have learned that I need at least 1,000 signatures to "Keep Spencer Alive" if we want our case to have more leverage.

If you wouldn't mind, could you help me get those through MySpace. All I need are names, addresses, and phone numbers to be sent to my messages. I WILL NOT give anyone's information out--we just need the signatures to back us.

Also, just in case anyone would like to help flood our mayor with calls, his Chief of Staff's name is Al Stokes, and his number is (251)208-7346.

The mayor's name is Sam Jones.

Thank you so much for helping out! We need all the help we can get!

Sincerely, Cherish Lombard

Hi

My name is Cherish Lombard. I am a Morning radio host at WABB, 97.5 FM in Mobile, AL. I am also a member of the Animal Rescue Foundation, which is a no-kill rescue group in the area.

The following was brought to my attention and now I'm trying to get all the help and support that I can. If you cannot help, please forward this email to anyone you think may be able to.

A Pit Bull puppy is being put down because of his breed. I have contacted the Mayor's Chief of Staff, Al Stokes, who told me, "The dog will be put to sleep--the city has spoken".

I asked about a rescue group here, or out of state taking Spencer, and was told no. (Mr. Stokes's phone number is 251-208-7346).

After the following articles were printed, we filed an injunction against the City of Mobile. We have a court date scheduled for Friday, June 9. If we lose, this friendly dog, who has never shown any aggression, will be put down shortly after.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Please contact me if you can offer any suggestions to help Spencer, and others like him in the future.

Thank You,

Cherish Lombard

Mobile Register

Rescued pit bull terrier to be euthanized Thursday, June 01, 2006

By RON COLQUITT

Staff Reporter

Some Midtown residents rescued a starved, dehydrated pit bull terrier

found dragging a 10-foot-chain Tuesday night by calling Mobile Animal Shelter, but the dog will be put down next week because such breeds aren't put up for adoption, authorities said. The leather collar around the dog's neck had "Spencer" stenciled on it, according to one of the residents who found it wandering theneighborhood.

The dog was so thin it was able to slip through the narrow bars of a wrought iron gate to get near the barbecue it smelled being grilled in the back yard of a Hunter Avenue home in Midtown.

Janet Jordan, kennel manager at the Animal Shelter, said Wednesday that the brown-and-white dog appears to be about 1� years old. It doesn't have scars or open sores that would indicate it had been used for fighting, and it was not aggressive toward other animals at the shelter.

"He seems to be real friendly," the kennel manager said. "He doesn't bark at any of the other dogs."

"He's been neglected as far as food," she said. "And when you do that... their internal organs suffer too because of the lack of caloric intake."

Jordan said the dog will be fed and given water and made comfortable for a week in case the owner wants to claim it. The dog will be euthanized Tuesday if not claimed, the kennel manager said.

"Our policy is we do not adopt out pit bulls because a lot of people use them for fighting, and because he is a fighter, you never know,"she said.

Sarah Hopson, director of Mobile County Animal Control based in Prichard, said they have the same policy when it comes to pit bulls.

"We don't adopt out pit bulls. The liability is too great," Hopson said.

Jordan and Hopson said owners of pit bulls never claim them because they know they could be fined or jailed on a cruelty to animals charge.

A person can be fined $172 for allowing a dog to "run at large," Jordan said.

Elizabeth Flott, humane officer with the Mobile Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said Wednesday that cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $2,000 and a year in jail. Jordan said Mobile Animal Shelter gets about five pit bulls a month.

Bill Fassbender, director of animal control at the Mobile Animal Shelter, said Wednesday that most of the pit bulls they pick up show signs of starvation and dehydration."It's almost the fighting weight," he said of the pit bull found inMidtown.

"They (owners) like to keep them down thin for the fighting. I guess because they're quicker or something."

Mobile Register Drive under way to save stray dog Saturday, June 03, 2006

By RON COLQUITT Staff Reporter

WABB radio personality Cherish Lombard has begun a drive to stop the destruction of Spencer, the male pit bull terrier scheduled to be killed Tuesday at Mobile Animal Shelter.

Lombard said Friday that she is seeking the help of the national and regional offices of the Humane Society.

Workers at the Animal Shelter said earlier in the week that the dog appears to be gentle, even though pit bulls have a reputation of being very aggressive and vicious when they attack.

Spencer was rescued earlier in the week by Midtown residents.

"I think the dog deserves another chance," Lombard said of the dog. "He is being judged for his breed and nobody is looking at his individual, good characteristics."

According to Lombard, a Humane Society official at the national level expressed her concern for the dog, but she had not heard back from the regional official in Pensacola.

"Spencer" was stenciled on the grown dog's collar, and Lombard believes that is the dog's name. The starved, dehydrated animal was discovered Tuesday night dragging a 10-foot chain along Hunter Avenue in Midtown. An Animal Shelter worker took the dog to the shelter where it was given food and water.

The 23-year-old radio host said she will try Monday to get aninjunction to delay or stop the euthanization.

Lombard said she contacted Al Stokes, Mayor Sam Jones' chief of staff, but he refused to intervene. Stokes was out of town Friday and could not be reached for comment.

Bill Fassbender, Animal Shelter director, said pit bulls brought to the shelter are destroyed unless the owner claims them, because the breed is considered too dangerous to be adopted."

The decision has been made," Fassbender said Friday."I don't want to put the animal down no more than anybody else does,but we have to look out for the liability of the city and look out for the safety of the public.