Outdated Breed Laws Leave Family With A Heartbreaking Choice: Their Dog Or Their Home

Last April, a distinctive black and white pooch named Lucy escaped her yard and found herself in the care of Leawood, Kansas Animal Control. This everyday incident set off a desperate legal battle that remains unresolved. Even though Lucy’s mom, Kristi Bond, rushed to pick her up the following day, a letter from the city of Leawood soon arrived. They had deemed Lucy a “dangerous animal” because she fit the “appearance and characteristics” of a Pit Bull. Photo via Kristi Bond/GoFundMe The Battle Begins The Bonds had three days to rehome Lucy, or she would be taken based on Section 2-102 (k) of Chapter 2 of the Leawood City Code, which defines “any pit bull dog, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or any animal having the appearance or characteristics of being predominantly of the breeds” as a dangerous animal. When their three days were up, an armed officer arrived at the Bond home to confiscate Lucy, but Kristi refused to give her over. Instead, she turned to the courts, armed with a letter from her veterinarian declaring Lucy a “Boxer mix.” Unfortunately, the judge was not swayed and ruled on the side of the city. But Bond refuses...