Vigil to be held for actor and his pit bull
A vigil is being held in New York Saturday in honor of Nick Santino, the soap opera actor who took his own life after putting his dog down.
Santino, according to friends and family, was distraught and feeling guilty after having his pit bull Rocco euthanized — a step acquaintances say he took after his condo board instituted rules against pit bulls and other restrictions against dogs.
“Rocco trusted me and I failed him,” Santino wrote in a suicide note. “He didn’t deserve this.”
Santino was allowed to keep his dog under a grandfather clause, but according to friends, he was being harassed about his dog by the board and fellow residents.
In response to the incident, the Animal Farm Foundation, in conjunction with the National Canine Research Council, had scheduled a press conference on on the social, financial, and legal challenges and discrimination facing pet owners in New York City, but canceled it in the wake of a police officer’s death in the city.
Instead, it’s coordinating a vigil that starts at 4 p.m. Saturday, outside of One Lincoln Plaza, 20 West 64th St.
“The recent death of Nick Santino and his dog Rocco highlight the important role pets play in American lives, but it also illustrates the social, financial, and legal challenges facing pet owners, especially in urban areas like New York City,” the foundation said in a press release.
(Photo: Emmacleary.com)
Posted by jwoestendiek February 3rd, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animal farm foundation, animals, bans, breed, breed-specific, city, condo, discrimination, dogs, euthanized, manhattan, national canine research council, new york, nick santino, pets, pit bull, pitbull, restrictions, rocco, rules, suicide, vigil
Comment from Miss Jan
Time February 3, 2012 at 6:19 pm
There is even more to this story including systematic harassment and intense bullying for a long period of time by others in the residence building including management. It is so sad to see that many people do not understand about what bullying does to a target and are in many forums and bboards opining that the victim deserved whatever happened and that he was at fault for first having his best friend pts and then “stupidly” taking his own life. Many people if never themselves a victim of domestic violence, bullying in school, bullying in the workplace or a cyberbullying victim simply do not think it’s anything particularly bad and some of the comments I have seen are truly disgusting and even inhuman.