VIDEO, PHOTOS: Pet Lovers Stand up for Pit Bulls

Nicole Scrima, a Waukesha teenager, felt that her 1-year-old pit bull Capone could be at risk if Waukesha banned pit bulls as proposals at the city level to create an ordinance to address vicious dogs are being researched.

Legislation has not yet appeared on an Ordinance & License Committee agenda and Alderman Roger Patton has reportedly pulled his referral to ban all pit bulls except for commercial uses. Alderwoman Kathleen Cummings is working with the city attorney’s office to review a comprehensive ordinance after a vicious pit bull mauled a woman in a residential neighborhood. The woman was transported to Flight for Life for her injuries.

“My dog is pretty much best friend,” said Scrima on Friday evening.

Scrima was concerned that she might lose her best friend, so she took matters into her own hands and organized a protest through Facebook to bring the issue to the public spotlight during Freeman Friday Night Live – a popular music event in downtown Waukesha.

“I wanted to protect my own dog in case they passed the ban,” she said.

The protesters marched through downtown Waukesha with signs discouraging a pit bull ban. While some people brought dogs, the majority of the people involved left their pets at home.

The protest brought people from the southeastern Wisconsin area, including Kurt Kaufmann, of Milwaukee, who brought pictures of his two pit bulls – Scrappy and Kiyah.

More than 400 people had committed to joining the protest through a Facebook invitation. While 400 people did not partake in the protest, Scrima said she was happy with the numbers that did show up.

“I’m content,” she said. “I wasn’t even expecting this many people to show up.”