Boxing Inspired Dog Names

Many people are afraid of Pit Bulls. Most of them need not be feared, but because of the actions of a few, a whole breed faces prejudice and fear. One Pit Bull named Dempsey learned that first hand as her owner fought for three years to avoid Dempsey being put down, for the minor crime of having her muzzle off in public.

Dempsey belonged to owner Dianne Fanneran. Like most busy people, Fanneran didn't always have time to walk her dog so one evening in April of 1992 she was walked by someone else. Dempsey was on her leash and wore her muzzle.as she always did when she went in public.Then Dempsey started acting like she didn't feel well and needed to vomit. The walker removed her muzzle to facilitate the dog's being sick. During those few moments while Dempsey was unmuzzled she was spotted by two policeman.  Britain had passed the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991 and it was now illegal for certain breeds to be without a muzzle or unleashed in public. Dempsey's caretaker was charged under that act.

That one moment of being without her muzzle led to a death sentence for Dempsey. The Ealing Magistrates' Court ordered Dempsey to be euthanized for not wearing a muzzle in public.

Appeals went on for three years all the way up to the  House of Lords. The media ran with the story and animal activists took up the charge to block's Dempsey's execution. They fought about the unfairness of the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991. It allowed the judge no discretion for individual cases. If found guilty, the dog must be destroyed. Another fine point was that the dog didn't even have to specifically be one of the four banned breeds that included Pit Bulls. It only had to be a 'type', meaning it only had to have physical similarities to that breed.

The argument grew so notorious and heated that actress and animal advocate Brigitte Bardot offered the dog a safe haven at her home in France to avoid the harsh British law. Fortunately for Dempsey she finally won the case on a legal technicality. Dempsey's owner, who wasn't present during the initial incident, had not been informed of the hearing and didn't even know Dempsey was in trouble. That legal loophole allowed Dempsey's life to be spared. She lived until the ripe old age of 17.

The law itself did not get any amendments until 1997. Dempsey crossed that rainbow bridge a long time ago but her legacy still lives on. Because of her people were made aware of a harsh, bad law and inspired people to fight for animals' rights.