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I live in Iowa and 5 1/2 months ago, my American Bully got out of my yard and traveled into the city limits where the local animal control picked him up. I live outside the city limits and am not required to have a dog license. They claim that once he crossed over into the city limits, that they now have jurisdiction over the dog and due to their Breed Specific Laws are not allowing me to have him back. I hired an attorney and have exhausted all legal avenues to getting the dog back.

My dog, 'Sin', has the best temperment ever. He has never bitten or even growled at anyone. He is a family pet for me and the neighborhood kids played with him in the back yard. He has never ever had any problems with or even showed any signs of aggression. So I was/am in total disbelief when they told me he was so vicious they couldn't even take him out of his cage to do an aggression test on him. They said he lunged at the cage fence and tried to bite any one who even walked by him - so they were going to euthanize him. I asked if I could witness the behavior personally because I just couldn't believe what they were saying but my request was denied.
Someone told me back when this whole thing started, that it was because 'someone wants that dog'. I said they were crazy. Sin is very well behaved and his Razors Edge bloodline has given him champion grade stunning looks, so....well, maybe.

The whole thing seemed a little hokey though when two months later they still had not killed this animal they said was 'so vicious'. So that's when I got an attorney to try and stop them from killing him. They agreed to let a behavior specialist outside their group assess him for aggressiveness. Well, guess what - their behavior specialist said he was not aggressive and could be placed out for adoption. Now, I'm told the shelter who had signed their affidavit, as previously requested, taking responsibility for the dog if he was deemed adoptable, is not an acceptable shelter to them. Now, he has to be placed outside the state of Iowa, which my lawyer says is 'because they don't want you to get him back' and they are suggesting a shelter in Colorado.

I love that dog to death. He is a part of my family and of my heart. If I have no legal rights to get him back here in Iowa so now my only option is to have someone in Colorado adopt him from the shelter there and give him back to me. I would pay to the person that adopts him, any fees or cost associated with adopting him from the shelter. So that person would not be out any money what so ever for helping me out.

They are probably going to send him out there this week so I don't have much time at all to get things lined up.

Sin didn't harm anyone or anything and yet I've seen dogs that actually bite people go back to their owners here. The only reason I can't have him back is because of his breed. And if I don't get him back, how do I know that who ever wanted him in the first place isn't ending up with him? I am so grateful that he is not being put down because he does not deserve that at all. He is the best dog ever and the only wrong done was by me in not being a responsible pet owner.

If you live in Colorado and would be willing to adopt my dog from the Humane Society in Longmont, then give him back to me, please respond quickly so we can get it set up and be the first in line to adopt him.

If you don't live in Colorado but know someone who does, could you please ask them if they would be willing to help us?

Thank you so much for any help you can give me.