A young man named Chris has a dog who is beloved to him named Forrest. Chris and his dog live in Adams County which is adjacent to Denver. Forrest dug out of his kennel and was picked up in July by Denver's Animal Control who deemed him to be a Pit Bull-type dog, which are banned in Denver.
Chris has a hearing on Wednesday after which, Forrest may be killed by Animal Control, even though Chris and his dog DO NOT LIVE IN THE CITY OF DENVER.
Chris has called around to various people in and around Denver trying to get help. He cannot even talk about his dog without tears spilling from his eyes. He's panicked that they might kill his dog just because he looks like he might be a Pit Bull. He was scheduled to move to Ft. Collins, Colorado, which is an hour and a half away from Denver, but is waiting to see what happens with Forrest. If he gets his dog back, the dog will never come anywhere near the city of Denver again. Please he lp persuade the city to give Chris back his dog.
He visits Forrest at the shelter every time he can and brings him treats. The shelter volunteers that are caring for Forrest have reported that he is a great, happy dog! Forrest ha s not bitten anyone. He is not a bad dog. He just looks like a Pit Bull. And get this...The last time Chris was there, he said he was overcome with grief at seeing his dog there and he started crying. He said that an administrator at the shelter looked at him and laughed. She laughed! Are the people of Denver so heartless that they laugh at the grief of people who might lose their dogs? This is the city that is so proud to host the Democratic National Convention in a couple weeks.
Step one:
Contact Mayor John Hickenlooper: MileHighMayor@ci.Denver.co.us
Call these phone numbers for the Mayor and his staff:
303-206-4507
720-865-9090
720-865-9016
720-913-1311
Step Two:
Contact City Council members and people in Animal Control. Please be respectful and write polite letters NOW asking them to release Forrest to his owner.
Take a deep breath and do not bash anyone! People listen to sincere requests and ignore angry demands. Cut and paste these email addresses OR contact me directly if you are unable to complete this task:generalpl@roverlution.org
Sue.Cobb@denvergov.org, Suzan.Moore@denvergov.org, Heather.Barry@denvergov.org, Dencc@denvergov.org, Nancy.Severson@ci.denver.so.us, Doug.Kelley@ci.Denver.co.us, Rick.Garcia@DenverGov.org, Rita.Contreras@denvergov.org, Pat.Defra@denvergov.org, Jeanne.Fatz@ci.denver.co.us, Paul.Lopez@denvergov.org, Gia.Irlando@denvergov.org, Denise.Perez@ci.denver.co.us, Peggy.Lehmann@denvergov.org, Diane.Young@denvergov.org, Sunni.Rogers@denvergov.org, Marcia.Johnson@Denvergov.org, Lynn.Pressnal@denvergov.org, Sarah.Hader@denvergov.org, Charlie.Brown@Denvergov.org, Carol.Singer@denvergov.org, Meagan.Mercer@denvergov.org, Chris.Nevitt@denvergov.org, Jennifer.Redies@denvergov.org, Valerie.Kerns@denvergov.org, Carla.Madison@denvergov.org, Stephanie.Cross@Denvergov.org, Lynne.Lombard-Hunt@denvergov.org, Judy.Montero@denvergov.org, Stephanie.Syner@denvergov.org, Teresa.StPeter@Denvergov.org, Jeanne.Robb@ci.denver.co.us, Nora.Kimball@ci.denver.co.us, Kathi.Anderson@ci.denver.co.us, Caitlin.Quander@ci.denver.co.us, Michael.Hancock@denvergov.org, Julia.Gayles@denvergov.org, Rosalind.Alston@denvergov.org, Carol.Boigon@denvergov.org, Lisa.Zoeller@denvergov.org, Rachel.Kurtz-Phelan@denvergov.org, LinkhartAtLarge@ci.denver.co.us, Felix.Ortiz@denvergov.org, Nancy.Severson@denvergov.org, Doug.Kelley@denvergov.org, Ursla.Null@Denvergov.org
USE THE TEMPLATE BELOW TO CONTACT THESE OFFICIALS:
Dear Mayor Hickenlooper and Denver City Officials,
Bad news travels fast and I feel obligated to speak out on the behalf of a dog named Forrest belonging to a young man named Chris.
Since Chris and Forrest reside outside your city limits in Adams County, and to my knowledge this dog has not harmed anyone, please do the right thing and release this innocent dog.Furthermore, I understand that Chris has no ties to Denver and in fact is planning a move to Ft. Collins, Colorado, which is an hour and a half away from Denver.
If for some unknown reason the city of Denver is not willing to release this dog to his owner, I have contacts in California, myself included that will adopt this dog to prevent another unnecessary death and tragic ending.
In closing I would like to add that I am a veterinarian in California with a practice in Brea. You can visit my website: www.foundersvet.com or call me at my office directly (714) 990-0661 for any further information you may require.
I await your reply.
Sincerely,Paula Terifaj DVM
Reality check: Forrest could be killed as early as this Wednesday, August 13. There is no time to spare--let's get Forrest out of Denver!
March on!
4 comments:
Is there any update on Forrest?
I just heard about this last night and emailed all of the officials.
Thank you.
I received this email late yesterday afternoon from another reliable source, and set it out to my distribution list immediately. I have not heard an update about Forrest either. I sent the vet who wrote the letter an email today to get an update, but have not yet heard from her.
Has anyone called the number listed in the email?
Here is my response to comments made by Kathi Anderson--city staffer who had some rather nasty remarks for people wrote emails asking that Forrest be released to his owner, Chris.
Some have asked me, “How familiar were you with the situation before you forwarded the information on? “ That’s a fair question. I have been involved with members of the Pit Bull BAND (since 2005) who have been in the trenches fighting Denver ’s breed ban tooth and nail for the last 4 years. From the very beginning this group and other Denver residents attended city council meetings and scheduled personal meetings with the Mayor and other city council members—desperate to provide them with all the reasons why the city proposed breed ban was a terrible idea and warned them about all the innocent dogs and responsible dog owners who would be punished by such a discriminatory law. When they failed to stop the city from pursuing its agenda to rid the city of pit bulls and any dog they deemed to resemble a pit bull—dog owners got a 30 day notice to dispose of their dogs or the city would do it for them. Animal control officers began knocking on doors and raiding the yards of Denver residents with suspected pit bulls. People were fined and threaten with jail time if they did not peacefully surrender their dogs. The outlawed family dog was then executed at the animal Denver shelter. I would not tell this sickening story if it were not true! I certainly wish it was only a bed time nightmare...
I give you this short recap (leaving out the names of Denver residents and some former Denver residents—who moved leaving behind their homes and jobs just to keep their dog from being killed) because a civil lawsuit has been filed against the city of Denver and I have been asked not to use their names. I also think it necessary to give everyone a little taste of the real Denver —so, that when statements are made by any city representative you can afford some healthy skepticism.
So, where do I get my information in regards to the details surrounding Chris and Forrest? Straight from the mouth of those who are actually there—working to support Chris through his ordeal. People I have personally met and know well. If these people can attest for the character of Chris McGahey, that’s good enough for me. Was I in the yard where Forrest dug out? No. Was he in a cage or kennel? How would I know and why would Denver care— Adams County is out of their jurisdiction. Besides, Denver is not concerned for the welfare of Forrest—they can’t kill this dog fast enough!
Here are some more facts: Chris has plans to become a veterinarian technician, has hired an attorney to help him get his dog back, and visits Forrest at the shelter everyday bringing him treats. Here is how your city correspondent described Chris: “If this dog is like Chris's child, he should be brought up on charges of child abuse!”
Consider the above inflammatory attack on Chris’s character along with this keep your nose out of our business remark, “Maybe you should check some facts before you leap onto a band wagon you know nothing about.” How rude--ouch, I need a Band-Aid. Well, I do know this: if Chris is so unsuitable and that is the reason Denver won’t release Forrest—when why has Denver refused to release Forrest to one of several dog rescue organizations (outside of Colorado) who have made repeated phone calls to the Director of Animal Control, Doug Kelly asking to adopt Forrest?? They always get transferred to his voice mail and their messages are not returned. I have had the same experience.
I hope I was able to shed some light on the big picture: An innocent dog will pay with his life for being in the wrong city. Period!
General Packleader (aka the vet who wrote the letter you posted on this blog--Thanks!)
www.ROVERlution.org
Thank God for this site or we would never have found out about this nightmare for Forrest and we are all hurting for him. I wish his beautiful had never been anywhere near awful Denver. I'm a Democrat but this has ruined the convention for me. Forrest will not ever be forgotten and will become the poster child of this horrific abuse. Reminds of Nazi Germany. I hope the AKC can help and I hope all the victims of this misguided legislation will be compensated in a way that punishes Denver severely even though no amount of money can replace ones beloved companionl I clutch my pitbull, Lola tighter tonight and beg the allmighty spirit for a miracle. I offered to pay all fines for Chris or do anything in the world to save this dog. It falls on deaf ears. Pray for a miracle.
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