Hello,

I hope that this finds you all well and that you are enjoying a beautiful winter season. My name is Serena Krause and I am a 21 year old living in Eau Claire, WI. My family moved to Walworth, WI when I was in the second grade; I couldn't imagine a childhood spent anywhere other than my safe, small, inclusive home village. But, I am incredibly saddened to say that the same village that helped raise me is now trying to rip my family apart.

As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression my parents separation was an incredibly tough time in my life. Add that to the pressures of high school and my lacking self confidence my senior year of school was easily the lowest point in my life thus far. Cue Prince.

My mom, the strongest person I know, thought that a dog might be the thing that our family needed. All three of us, my mom, sister, and I, love being around them and have spent many a night dog sitting for our neighbors and friends beloved pets. After weeks of scouring the internet my mom found the perfect puppy. We made a several hour long commute to Illinois to meet with the puppy and it was love at first sight. Not the figurative ewwy, gooey type, but the feeling when all the pieces of a puzzle fit together perfectly. The first time I held my puppy he was this thin, gangling, frightened little bundle of love. It was like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders and I was at peace.

But things weren't exactly "perfect." While Prince meshed in seamlessly with our family he was a sick puppy. He had come from Kentucky where he overcame Parvovirus. After many expensive vet visits we learned that Prince was also allergic to just about everything under the sun and would need to be on costly pet food. While some people would give up a pet that had so many hidden expenses, Prince was a part of our family. And just like you wouldn't kick out a child for medical bills, we kept Prince and supported him.

In the last four years he has grown into a BEAUTIFUL family pet. We have never had any issues with aggressive behavior towards people of any age, other pets, strangers, etc. Prince greets everyone and everything with enthusiasm and unconditional love.

But, just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong an accident happened. Our neighbor, who frequently takes Prince on runs, and his young daughter were over and in what can only be explained as a freak event the child was injured by our dog. The baby received a handful of stitches under her eye and made a quick recovery. Doing what was right the incident was reported and followed up with. My mother was issued a ticket and was told that Prince would have to be removed from our home.

We were devastated.
We are devastated.

The child's parents did not press charges and were, in fact, fighting to keep Prince at home. After a long journey the case ended up in front of the village judge who determined the city ordinance was too vague and that the dog should be allow to stay at home. We promptly brought Prince back home.

Fast forward to the present. A year after the village judge ruled that Prince could stay at home the village of Walworth is appealing their own judges decision. Again, the father of the child, the man who was present when the accident occurred, insists that there was NO aggression in the event and that it was an accident. There will be a jury trial in March to determine whether or not Prince can stay at home. 

We are and intend to fight like crazy to keep my baby brother at home. He is the glue that held us together during a time when it felt like everything was unraveling. I cannot imagine a home visit without a puppy snuggle on the couch, I do not want to imagine it. I will not imagine it. Please, take a moment to sign this petition to let the village know that we will not be bullied into giving up.

Please help us keep our family together.

For more information you can see the Milwaukee news report at : http://www.tmj4.com/news/i-team/village-of-walworth-files-appeal-in-court-to-ban-family-beagle-from-neighborhood

I will keep you all in my thoughts and will provide updates as I receive them!

Thank you!