Facebook Users Mount Campaign to Save 'Gay Dog' from Being Put Down by Tennessee Kill Shelter [UPDATE: Rescued!]
This healthy male American Bulldog mix is scheduled to be put down later today at the Rabies Control shelter in Jackson, Tennesee.
"Not bc he is mean or bc he tears things up," says a Facebook user who calls herself the "Jackson Madison Rabies Control Stalker."
No: "Because his owner says he's gay."
According to the 39-year-old mother-of-four who pays regular visits to the kill shelter looking for dogs to rescue, this unloved pooch was rejected because he was found "hunched [over]" another male dog.
"His owner threw him away bc he refuses to have a 'gay' dog!" she writes. "Don't let this gorgeous dog die [because] his owner is ignorant of normal dog behavior! He's in kennel 10L and he WILL be put down tomorrow bc there is no room at the inn!"
Never ones to shy away from a good cause, Facebook users from across the country jumped at the opportunity to rescue the doomed dog.
Multiple people and at least one canine rescue group volunteered to show up at the shelter as soon as the doors open this morning and have him pulled from death row.
"I am adopting this big boy first thing in the morning," wrote Facebook user Stephanie Fryns of WOOF Connections. "He will be neutered/ htwm tested/ and vetted. He will be temperament tested and then places in a rescue verified and approved home."
Per her latest update, she is already outside the shelter, waiting to be let in: "I have talked to them.. they know and will let me in at open. :)"
UPDATE: Rescued! According to The Tennessean, Gawker's coverage of the "gay dog" story had resulted in a flood of calls to the Jackson shelter where he was being kept. "I have had about 10 million calls this morning. It has been adopted already. It is gone," said an unnamed shelter employee. "He's in good hands."
[photos via Facebook]