A Farnham man who is facing the festive period without his best friend has made a single wish: please give me my dog back for Christmas.
Zbyszek Molodziejok – or Ziggy to his friends – is facing a court battle to keep his dog Chunky amid disputed claims it’s a banned breed.
Ziggy has not seen his four-legged friend since the American bulldog-French Mastiff cross was seized by officers who visited his Sandy Hill home in October.
He insists Chunky is registered with a local vets and authorities as an American bulldog and is not the banned American XL Bully.
But the police say otherwise with Ziggy being given an ultimatum: either take the matter to court, or have the dog destroyed.
So he’s vowed to “take a chance” while two online campaigns to return the “loveable” and “well behaved” Chunky to its owner are gaining traction.
“I’ve not seen Chunky since he was taken away in October,” said Ziggy, who also has evidence to prove Chunky is a support dog.
“A couple of weeks the kennels contacted me and said there are two options. Option A is they will destroy it, and there is an option B, which is go to court.
“I got the impression they are trying to scare me, saying I will be banned for life from keeping dogs. These people aren’t normal, they are soulless.”
He added: “I will take a chance through the courts so I can have him home.”
Chunky was seized following “multiple reports from concerns members of the public” about an XL Bully being off the lead and without a muzzle.
Ziggy admits the dog was loose but insists the public love him with his friend and campaigner, Maddison Allen, backing campaigns to get him home.
She said: “He just looks like a scary dog, but there’s nothing more than that – the dog is well known around town and you’ve only got to see the pictures online.
“People are sharing pictures of themselves with the dog and it just shows how friendly it is. There’s been no reason for this.”
Surrey Police said in a statement: “Whilst owning a XL Bully is not illegal, under UK law, they must be registered with Defra and kept on a lead and muzzled when in public, which has not been the case here.
“As a result of the reports, in October a warrant to seize the dog was issued by Guildford Magistrates’ Court and the dog was taken into police custody at a private kennels.
“An expert Dog Liaison Officer has examined the dog thoroughly and determined they are an XL Bully and are not registered for a Defra exemption.
“As this dog has not been kept in line with the law, and the owner does not want to sign over his dog for euthanasia, it will remain in private kennels pending a court hearing.”
The Freedom for Chunky crowdfunding campaign can be found at https://shorturl.at/iUHUy or look for ‘Lets Get Chunky Home on Facebook.