MAY 15, 2015 UPDATE: Thanks to Isis, officials in Hazel Park, Mich., have repealed the town’s breed ban.
When Jamie Kraczkowski’s increasingly violent boyfriend began beating her yet again last week, her 2-year old Pit Bull, Isis, came to her rescue.
“When my head got hit against the wall, she just grabbed his pant leg and she was done,” Kraczkowski, of Hazel Park, Mich., told WJBK. “She was done with him abusing me — and abusing her.”
Her now ex-boyfriend, Jamie Dopke, left. But when he turned himself in Thursday and was charged with domestic violence, he complained to police that Isis had attacked him, requiring 30 stitches in his leg.
Because Dopke had been abusing Kraczkowski at the time, Hazel Park police said Isis would not be euthanized.
“If I had a dog and I was being attacked by somebody, I’d hope my dog would intervene,” an unidentified police officer told WJBK.
Unfortunately, however, Hazel Park enforces a Pit Bull ban, so Kraczkowski has been ordered to find a new home for her hero within five days.
“Thank God they’re allowing me to do home quarantine now. But, you know, it’s been pretty traumatizing for me,” she told WJBK, her bruised hands shaking.
Kraczkowski said her home’s lease and utilities are in Dopke’s name. Dopke is currently free on bail.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with my dog,” she said. “I definitely don’t feel safe without her.”
Because it is so unfair — not to mention costly to enforce and proven to be ineffective in increasing public safety — breed-specific legislation (BSL), which includes Pit Bull bans, is opposed by President Obama and virtually all major animal welfare organizations: the ASPCA, AVMA, HSUS, etc., etc. For these reasons, the trend has been to repeal these useless bans.
Holly Bachor, who was born and raised in Hazel Park, wants the city to follow this trend.
“We are looking for residents who want to speak out against the breed discrimination law currently in effect in Hazel Park,” she wrote in a comment on the FOX 2 Detroit Facebook page. “This is an opportunity to repeal the law, but we need Hazel Park residents and animal welfare advocates to join the effort. Please email info@mi-paca.org to add your name to the Hazel Park team.”
In a comment on the WJBK story, the American Pit Bull Terrier Association Inc (NZ) wrote, “Let’s hope this young lady and her dog can get out of Hazel Park. Men who beat women are still dragging their knuckles along the ground. Authorities still banning breeds are also unevolved and dangerous.”
Kraczkowski has started an online fund to help her move with Isis to a dog-friendly city. As of this morning, $525 of her $2,500 goal has been raised.
Photo via GoFundMe.com