(KTVI) – A family dog may face the death sentence because of how he looks. The dog in question is named Patches. Police say the dog is banned because they believe he`s a pit bull. The 15-year-old girl who found him, called Fox Files Investigator Chris Hayes for help.
Patches loves chasing rock and roll drumsticks. He`ll go after them all day in his unique bunny hop style. 15-year-old Bayle Sutton found him as a stray.
She said, “It was pretty much love at first site.”
She said Patches really found her, when he followed her one day walking through town.
She said, “At first I kind of just petted him and kind of kept walking, but he kept following me right behind me.
Her Aunt Tammy and Uncle Denny Tucker took the dog in, but Bayle calls patches her own.
Aunt Tammy said, “(Bayle) comes down here every evening to play with him.”
Now they`re finding Patches may be an outlaw.
Bayle added, “Yeah they want to take him. They said we have 5 days to get rid of him.”
While you might see a cute prancing puppy, the town sees him as a `public threat.`
Annapolis, MO police wrote a ticket ordering Bayle`s Aunt and Uncle to give him up. City Ordinance says ‘Pitbulls Prohibited.’ Apparently police think patches is a pit.
Aunt Tammy said, “We don`t think he`s a pitbull. We think he`s part of the family, that`s all that he is.”
They`re prepared to fight for Patches in court Wednesday.
FOX2 bought a DNA test kit to help. I took two swabs of patches gums. Results won`t return in time for Court, but the Tuckers hope the Judge will agree to wait for the truth. Bayle says no one else seems to agree with how Police see Patches.
Bayle said, “I haven`t thought of him as a Pit since I got him. I`ve thought of him as a lab mix with american bulldog in him.”
DNA results may take several weeks, but we`ll return to Iron County to see what the courts decide.
The originally scheduled hearing was rescheduled by the Judge because of a medical emergency.
Annapolis’ Police Chief told us he’s only enforcing the laws on the books and that he would personally make sure Patches isn’t put down. He said he’d make sure a the dog goes to a family who can own her legally.
Read the full Annapolis, MO City Dog Ordinance
Tell us what you think about this story. Tweet @fox2now with the hash tag #SavePatches .
Get in touch with FOX 2 reporter on twitter @ChrisHayesTV
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