ANIMAL RESCUERS DEFEND ONLINE PETITION IN COURT
Michigan court rules that petition to save three victims of animal cruelty can stay on Change.org
MONROE, MICHIGAN – A Monroe County judge has upheld the First Amendment rights of animal activists appealing for the lives of three dogs rescued from a dog fighting bust.
Advocates from the Monroe SPCA and Buster Foundation, a pit bull rescue group based in Belleville, Mich., posted photographs and videos of the dogs online to support their case that the animals should not be put down.
Jennifer Burke, a local animal advocate, started a petition on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing social change platform. The petition, which has gathered more than 4,000 signatures in less than three weeks, features a video of a dog named “Dusty” being evaluated by Dr. Katherine Houpt, the prosecution’s expert witness. The video makes the case that that Dr. Houpt’s testimony condemning the dog does not match the evidence.
“I created the petition because we were finally allowed to show the public what sweet, gentle dogs these are, and my opinion is that the expert was biased based on the testimony from her evaluations,” said Burke, the Change.org petition starter, in reference to the July 13th decision to put three of the four dogs down.
The Monroe County prosecutor wanted the groups held in contempt of court for distributing materials about the case online. But on August 4 Judge Vitale of the First District Court ruled that forcing the advocates to remove the photos and video from Change.org, their websites and social media would infringe on their First Amendment rights.
“This is about fighting for whats right, and we have 3800 signatures to prove that we are not alone,” said Burke, the Change.org petition starter. “We are aware that there are thousands of other dogs out there that need rescue, however if we continue to stand by and watch these needless killings we aren’t getting to the root of the problem. Michigan taxpayers have a right to know where their money is being spent.”
“We are shocked that the prosecution has made our battle for getting these dogs vet care, training, and human contact almost impossible,” Burke continued. “This is wrong, and we are standing up for ourselves and for these dogs that deserve a second chance. This victory means we are re-energized for our appeal. The community support has been amazing.”
“The dedication of Ms. Burke, the rescue groups and the community to giving these dogs a second chance is remarkable,” said Stephanie Feldstein, Senior Organizer for Change.org. “Through the petition on Change.org and their social media outreach, they’ve truly succeeded in giving these dogs a voice.”
The groups will gain custody of one dog, Razzle, later this month. The appeal to save the lives of Dusty and two other dogs has not yet been scheduled.
Live signature totals from the campaign on Change.org:
https://www.change.org/petitions/katherine-houpt-vmd-phd-recant-testimony