A petition to save Hero the Staffy has gone viral as the beloved family pet risks the grim fate of being put to sleep after attacking a Dachshund.
[jwplayer kSqClAhI]
If you’re unfamiliar with the now-viral story of Coco the Dachshund and Hero the Staffy, let me quickly bring you up to speed.
According to owner Kashila Chintamunee, her Dachshund named Coco, along with two other dogs escaped from her property on Tuesday morning. The three dogs ran to a nearby park, where an altercation took place between the dogs and Hero the Staffy. Despite a few changes to the story, this narrative seems to be the most truthful, with CCTV footage supporting the claims.
However, Hero’s owner Claudia-Paki Harrison’s husband has defended her actions.
“My wife tried to pull our dog back on the lead by she was struggling to separate the two of them,” he said.
So basically, Hero the Staffy was minding his own business on a leashed walk with his mum and her human child when he was provoked by three smaller dogs. Unfortunately, things got aggressive and Hero’s owner had to let go of him to protect her child, thus resulting in the death of Coco.
It is truly heartbreaking that any dog had to die in this incident, but now Hero could also be facing death as a result of the ordeal.
Thankfully, a Change.org petition has been started to hopefully save Hero from being put to sleep. In less than 6 hours, the petition has already amassed a whopping 23,000 signatures, and is well on the way to hitting the 25,000 goal.
Started by Emma McLean, the petition details the situation and urges the local Cardinia Council to reconsider putting the dog to sleep because “Hero was NOT the instigator.”
“Lets not make an already heartbreaking tragedy worse by putting a dog to death for defending himself and his family,” the petition reads.
Since the petition went viral, McLean has clarified that she does not actually know Hero’s owner, but has passed on the messages of support.
“I don’t personally know Hero’s owner, but I have been in contact with her after I made my petition,” she said in a petition update. “She knows she has people in her corner.”
According to Dogs Victoria, “your dog can be seized and you can be prosecuted” if your pet attacks, chases or bites a person or animal.
However, the website also states that you can defend your pet from being declared a “dangerous dog” if you can prove that the dog was being “teased, abused or assaulted.” So, it is possible that Hero could actually have a defence in this instance.
The owners of both dogs, Cintamunnee and Harrison have plead their case to the Cardinia Shire Council, defending their respective actions in the ordeal.
The Cardinia Shire Council is now investigating the incident.
