I believe that there are two reasons for this attitude:
Neville is a perfect example of what’s at stake when the choice is made to either embrace people or blame people. A shelter dog, with literally no hope of survival, depended on people to advocate for him, fundraise for him, and adopt him. Those hundreds of thousands of people saw their own story and the lives of their pets in Neville’s story and truly understood that his life was worth saving. The movement to #SaveNeville proved that many people agree with us at Austin Pets Alive!, that people do care for animals, even those that are not perfect, and want them to have a second chance. Neville’s story isn’t about a “problematic community,” but rather it is about the people who believed he was worth saving and stood up to say ‘We Are All Neville!’.
--Dr. Ellen Jefferson, Executive Director