The Story of Zeus.

 Resulting from a nationwide petition that went viral almost overnight, the “vicious” dog ban of Moreauville, Louisiana was recently overturned, sparing the lives of the town’s “dangerous” breeds.

Under the ordinance, pit bulls and rottweilers were to be “disposed” of on December 1st in compliance to the ban. It was reported that these types of dogs were running the streets and making people feel unsafe.

Behind the campaign was a local mother Joanna Armand and her family; namely her daughter O’hara Owens who is wheelchair-bound and depends on her service dog, Zeus, a pit bull. In addition to saving Zeus, they hoped to reiterate that savage dogs are at the fault of the owner and how they’re raised, not the breed.

The family expressed great love for their furry family member and praised his ability to help O’hara who is often in pain and wears a halo-brace due to severe neck problems. "If anything ever happened to him, I probably would just shut down," said Owens.

The MoveOn petition was created in November with the goal of gathering 100,000 signatures to stop the euthanization of the dogs. At the time of this post, the number of signatures had climbed to almost 350,000, and counting, even as the campaign is now closed.

This spoke volumes to the council of a town and the ordinance was repealed on the very day it was set to take effect. Being that the town is inhabited by under 1,000 people, there was a true need for nationwide support, and the response was overwhelming.

Mayor Timmy Lemoine stated receiving a warning from PETA claiming that if the council didn’t repeal the ordinance, PETA had enough money to shut the town of Moreauville down. “I wasn’t going to be known as the mayor that shut the village of Moreauville down because of this” said Lemoine. 

The new agreement will enact a different statute that targets the owner and not the pet. Lemoine explained, “a citation will be issued like a ticket, if there’s a problem with the animal,” from there it will be up to the district attorney to decide the fine and repercussions for the owner and/or the animal.

This is a strong victory for the dog-loving community of the country while the efforts against breed specific legislation continues.

Author: Kate Brack