Please Help Legion to Sanctuary

Focus:Animal WelfareAction

Request:Donation

Location:Montana, United States

11/04/2012

To All Those Who Know The Love of a Dog, and All Who Love Animals

I am writing to ask you to help Legion, the pit bull that many of  the Care 2 family helped to rescue in July 2012.  He needs our help again.  Legion spent the first 2 years of his life chained on a 4 foot chain to a bedroom wall, getting out only once a day, at 11pm to go potty.  He was isolated, beaten, and got nothing in the way of vet care, toys, or love. He was rescued at the last minute, and if you didn't know about him before, you can read his original story here.

http://www.care2.com/causes/pit-bull-chained-to-a-wall-stops-a-murder-and-now-needs-a-home.html

In July he was given a chance to go to the Behavioral Unit at Longmont Humane Society, and Care 2 members contributed the funds that he needed to get there.  In 3 days the costs of his trip from Montana were raised, and I and another Pit Bulls 4 Peace member drove the 14 hour drive to get him there. 

He has done very well at Longmont Humane Society, and his trainers all love him.  The Behavioral Manager has taken a personal interest in him, and has spent many hours with him.  Jenny from the Great Animal Rescue Chase visited him in September and took some great pictures of him.  I visited him in September as well, and was overjoyed to see how far he had come.  He walked well on his leash, and was great with my friend James, who he had never actually touched before, although he had seen him.  

Rhea Morriarty, the Behavior Unit Manager at Longmont has worked extensively with Legion in learning to keep his eyes on his handlers when he is nervous or frightened, and he has learned to allow strangers to present a hand and to follow the “touch” command.  When he hears this command, he touches the hand with his nose and returns to his handler for a treat.  Legion has a very “yummy tummy” and treats always pave the way to friendship with him.  He is good with all the trainers and the 20 volunteers that work with him. Sadly, this has not translated to unexpected meetings with strangers, and especially with children. 

Unfortunately, after hours and hours of work, the behavioral staff has decided that Legion will not make a good candidate for adoption.  The damage he sustained was too great, and while his progress has been remarkable, it is not enough to call him safe for adoption to anything other than a very special home.  Sadly, there are way too few of these, and it is quite unlikely that we can find one for Legion. 

The staff at Longmont has contacted me to say that we need to begin arrangements to transfer Legion to a sanctuary.  In their estimation, it will be a long time before Legion would safe in the community.  He is unpredictable in who he does not like, and when he does not like or trust someone, he lunges without warning.  Given his bite history, he and the public would both be at risk if he were adopted into a home that did not adequately know how to handle him.  If something were to occur, Legion would without doubt be put down, an innocent person could be hurt and all that Longmont has worked to achieve would be at risk.  We can’t ask them to take that chance, and pit bulls do not need any further bad publicity.

Without our commitment to raising the funds to move Legion to sanctuary, Longmont will have no choice but EUTHANASIA for him.  WE JUST CAN’T let this happen to him.  We all worked to get him to safety once, and we can do it again.  It was never his fault that he was raised in abuse, and was so badly damaged.  Humans did this, and other humans must help him now.  Whenever I despair of humans, I remember all of you and how you helped a dog you did not know, because I told his story.  And then, I have hope again. 

There are two Sanctuaries they have in mind, Best Friends, in Utah, and Smiling Dog in Texas.

In order to transfer him to Best Friends, Longmont must commit to bringing 4 dogs in his place to Longmont.  The cost to them is around $4000.00.  This would be a one time cost, and Legion would be homed for life.  Smiling Dog would build him his own townhouse and yard, and they must have the funds for this up front.  This is $1262.00.  However, this option has a long term cost.  A committed crew of people will need to sign up to donate the cost of upkeep, which is $80 a month.   This will include his food, his vet, toys, and trainers, essentially all his expenses. Any number of people can sign up for a monthly donation to make up this amount. You can see more about this at this link. http://www.smilingdogfarms.org/sdf_intake_procedure.html Legion will not be shown on their page until the final decision to send him there is made, however you can see how their system works.

The costs of transporting him are included in the transfer to Best Friends, however we need to raise and additional $400.00 to ship him by air to Smiling Dogs.  Rhea at Longmont is opening negotiations with both of these sanctuaries, and Longmont will keep Legion safely, while we raise these funds.  We have to remember though, that every day they keep Legion, another dog that could benefit from their healing, does not get the chance. And if it takes too long, they will have to make the choice than none of us want to be made.  WE JUST CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO HIM.

I am committing money and time to this cause.  At my house, we are forgoing any Christmas gifts for family and friends, and those funds will be pledged in our families names, to help him.  I am praying that all of you will continue to support Legion as generously or more than you did when he needed to go to Longmont.  Many people helped to raise those funds.  Some sent as little as $3, and one very special person sent $200.00.  If each of you could dig a little more, and if each of you agreed to send his story far and wide, there could yet be a good end for this very special boy. 

Please help Legion.  http://www.firststarontheright.com/legion.htm

Thanks

Tammara,

Pit Bulls 4 Peace Rescue Manager and Foster Parent