vegansaurus:

A struggling soap actor, Nick Santino, put his dog to sleep last Tuesday and then took his own life out of guilt, according to the New York Post. Santino adopted his dog Rocco, a pit bull mix, a few years ago, writing on his Facebook page, “I did not rescue Rocco, Rocco rescued me.” Then last year, his building created a new, extreme pet policy that prohibits residents from owning pit bulls. As Rocco was already a resident before the new rule, he was allowed to stay, but friends and neighbors report that Santino was consistently harassed about Rocco. Neighbor’s complained about dog barking and Santino was threatened with a fine even though reports indicate Rocco was not much of a barker. Santino felt like he was being singled out because he was the only pit bull owner in the building. “It was open season on him,” one friend said. Another neighbor added, “Everybody knows that he had been harassed by the building management.”

After months of pressure, Santino put Rocco to sleep. Why he didn’t just move, I do not know, but it sounds like he had limited finances and moving is costly. As an orphan who grew up in foster care, Santino probably didn’t have family he could turn to. I guess he felt like he had no other options. And I guess he couldn’t live with his decision. “Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend,” Santino wrote in his suicide note, according to a friend. “Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this,” the note said.

On the ASPCA’s page on breed-specific-laws (BSLs), as one of the many problems with BSLs, they say “Good owners and dogs are punished:”

BSL also causes hardship to responsible owners of entirely friendly, properly supervised and well-socialized dogs who happen to fall within the regulated breed. Although these dog owners have done nothing to endanger the public, they are required to comply with local breed bans and regulations unless they are able to mount successful (and often costly) legal challenges. 

I think we can see that’s exactly what took place here; because of a breed-specific-law in an apartment building, Santino and Rocco were punished. It’s a sad story with a sad ending, one I don’t fully understand. Both Rocco and Santino are to be cremated and friends say they will reunite their ashes. 

You can read more on the ASPCA’s breed-specific-legislation stance here. You can also read up on aggression testing by breed and see that pit bulls test pretty well. Better than golden retrievers! Imagine if a building tried to ban them!

Photo of Nick Santino and Rocco from the New York Post.