Many people believe pit bulls should be banned because of their reputation for being dangerous, unpredictable animals. No other dog breed has suffered so much public scrutiny, even though pits are just as capable of giving and receiving love as any other breed.

When musician Dan Tillery adopted a pit bull, he was overjoyed. So much, in fact, that one of the first things he did was share a photo of himself with his new pup on Facebook. However, little did he realize that posting that picture would soon cause him a great deal of anguish.

Dan Tillery, a musician in Michigan, posted a picture of himself with his new dog Diggy on Facebook. Not long after, police were knocking at his door, demanding he turn over the dog…

Facebook



One of his Facebook friends had seen the picture of Dan and his dog and called the police because owning a pit bull is illegal in Michigan. Unfortunately, the police then removed Diggy from Dan’s possession, but that’s when Dan got to work. He decided to find a loophole in the law and began researching breed-specific legislation. While he was searching, he also did some poking around in Diggy’s family tree which led him to discover something else entirely.

Facebook

As it turned out, Diggy wasn’t a pit bull at all, he was an American bulldog! Knowing it would be legal to keep him as long as he could prove Diggy’s breed, Dan headed to the police station to reclaim his dog.

Facebook

Once he got to the police station, Dan made another discovery: Police aren’t allowed to identify dogs themselves, which meant the officers who removed Diggy had acted illegally. Though he wasn’t allowed to take Diggy back quite yet, Dan was definitely on the right track.

Facebook



After a grueling legal process, Diggy was declared an American bulldog and finally released back to Dan!

Facebook

There’s still a lot of work to be done to clear the pit bull’s reputation as an aggressive breed, but I’m glad at least Dan and Diggy got the happy ending they deserve.

Share this heartwarming story with your friends below!