Dan and Megan
When Dan and Megan moved to the city of Detroit in Michigan, one of the first things they decided to do was to look for a animal shelter.
They wanted to adopt that dog who would become their best friend for the rest of their lives, and they were willing to give the dog everything to make him or her happy.
Detroit Dog Rescue
The couple's decision would make their life very happy but, at the same time, some sadness and difficult times were in store for them.
When looking for a shelter, they found the Detroit Dog Rescue, and within its walls they found their forever friend, Mr. Wiggleton, a white American Pitbull, which had been rescued a few months earlier.
The Little Bulldog
A few months before, while they were patrolling for abandoned dogs, the Detroit Dog Rescue came across a small, two-year-old abandoned white American Bulldog.
Sadly, their van was already full and they could not make space for him, but they were worried of what could happen to the pup.
Mr. Wiggleton
It was rumored that at night, a group of animal control employees were patrolling the streets, taking stray dogs to euthanize.
Fortunately for Mr. Wiggleton, and thanks to his very calm nature, Kristina Rinaldi decided to take the dog into her personal car and took him to the shelter to be safe and taken care of by the staff.
Who Is A Good Boy?
Later that day, it was evident that Kristina had made the right call when taking Mr. Wiggleton with her to the Detroit Dog Rescue center.
Almost immediately, Mr. Wiggleton started to play with all the other dogs at the center and showed himself as one of the cutest, friendliest and most charming dogs they had ever encountered.
Happy Wiggling
Up to that moment, Mr. Wiggleton did not have a name of his own, but as he was always wiggling his tail happily, they decided to call him that way.
But despite being such a wonderful and beautiful dog, people did not want to adopt him because of his breed. All the other dogs were being adopted, yet Mr. Wiggleton remained there.
Love At First Sight
Luckily for Mr. Wiggleton, Dan and Megan had recently moved into their new home and started looking for shelters, but they did not like the conditions in which the animals were, until they got to Detroit Dog Rescue.
As soon as they arrived, they were mesmerized by the face of the beautiful dog and knew that they would be theirs forever.
100 days
The young couple arranged a meeting with the Detroit Dog Center to meet Mr. Wiggleton for the first time.
As soon as they arrived and they met him, Dan and Mr. Wiggleton immediately formed a bond, and Megan fell in love with the beautiful dog soon after. It seemed that the wait was over for Mr. Wiggleton after almost 100 days at the shelter.
Adoption Papers
After getting the dog settled in his forever home with Megan and Dan, the couple started to prepare the necessary paperwork for the adoption process to start.
After a few weeks of paperwork, the adoption came through: Mr. Wiggleton was registerd as an Americal Bulldog by the name of Diggy.
Happy Dog
With his adoption papers ready and already settled into his new home, Diggy was much more happy than he ever believed he could be.
Megan and Dan felt the same way about the young Bulldog and were sure that they had made the right call when adopting him. Their daily lives were full of joy and laughter.
Social Media
As the proud parents they were, Dan and Megan decided to share Diggy and his beautiful smile with the world via social media posts. Many people fell immediately in love with them, and in no time they became the new viral sensation in social media.
But, as it always happens in the world, there were some individuals that wanted to paint a negative image of the family.
Waterford Township
As the internet is a world phenomenon that connects billions of people at the same time in different parts of the world, it is no wonder that the photos of Dan, Megan and Diggy reached the Waterford Township in Michigan.
When seeing the photos, authorities discovered that Dan and Megan were violating local regulations and sent police authorities to their house.
Policemen
One morning, Dan and Megan were woken up by knocks at their door. Dan opened the door and was left stunned by what he was seeing: policemen. When they started to explain what the reason for their visit was, Dan could not believe what he was hearing.
The police was there because of a photo of his dog, and apparently, they were breaking the law?
Breaking The Law
The policemen continued to explain that, if Dan and Megan did not comply, they would file a case against them.
They told them that the city had an ordinance since 1990 that banned dangerous animals, and bulldogs were included. For that reason, Dan and Megan were breaking the law.
Diggy And The Police
After explaining themselves, the police told Dan that they had to see Diggy. They followed Dan at a distance, afraid that the dog would bite them as soon as he saw them, but Diggy welcomed them with a big smile while wagging his tail.
Astonished at what they were seeing, the policemen did not know what to do, but they had to follow protocol.
Ultimatum
The policemen told Dan and Megan that they had to give Diggy to them or face economic consequences, but they refused.
Without any other option, the police officers gave them an ultimatum: they had three days to decide that they would do with Diggy. But Dan and Megan could not imagine their lives without their new family member.
The Longest Three Days
After three long days, Dan and Megan decided not to comply with the police ultimatum, and thus they were cited to appear in the Waterford Township Police station.
As Dan was getting desperate, he requested the help of Kristina Rinaldi, the director of Detroit Dog Rescue, and both went to the Police Station together.
The Power of The Internet
As soon as he arrived, Dan was asked to pay a $500 fine for owning a Pitbull but he refused, as the police had overlooked a very important detail. It was evident from Diggy's adoption papers that he was, in fact, not a Pitbull, but a bulldog.
On top of that, Dan used the power of the internet to seek more help, and to his fortune, many of his followers decided to support them.
Michigan Humane Society
Dan's cry for help went around the world and it even arrived to the Michigan Humane Society, which took an immediate interest in the issue.
A petition was raised stating that dogs are not inherently violent, but it depends on how the dog is raised and the environment in which it lives. Sadly, they did not know if signing the petition would be enough.
Worldwide Petition
More than 54,000 people from all around the globe signed the petition and Dan was in awe because of the love and affection that he, Megan and Diggy were receiving.
Megan and Dan hoped that this was enough to save Diggy's life, but they were decided to fight the law until the last consequences to keep their family united.
Following Protocol
Dan and Kristina had all the necessary paperwork on Diggy that proved that he was an American Bulldog and that he was registered that way.
All protocols had been followed, as Kristina had called the local authorities of Dan's neighbourhood to check if American Bulldogs were allowed to live in that particular area.
Official Meeting
An official meeting was called and all the inhabitants of Waterford, Michigan, were invited. Not only the locals attended the official meeting, but also every supporter of Dan, Megan and Diggy were in attendance, showing their love and support.
Many people were there to try to get rid of this old law that banned animals for no real reason.
Dangerous animals
All of Diggy's supporters made posters and banners showing their disagreement with the decision that was taken.
They also believed that the police had their own agenda and that they would try to enforce the unfair law in order to request bribes from the owners of 'dangerous animals'.
Dog Rescue Groups
Many of the attendees did not know, but the meeting had some unexpected guests that had several important factors to share with them.
Representatives of dog rescue groups stated that dogs that seemed harmless, such as chihuahuas, could be very dangerous animals if they were bred the wrong way.
Changing The Law
Many months after the adoption and the start of this beautiful, yet complicated history, on September 2016, the 51st District Court announced that they dismissed Diggy's case.
On top of that, thank to Dan, Megan and everybody who attended the official meeting, the Waterford Township decided to change the law that banned dangerous animals! A happy ending for everybody! If it weren't for Diggy's charming smile, he might have not gone viral, and then he wouldn't have gotten the support he needed to survive.