In January 2011, a Pit Bull mix named Prada escaped her home in Nashville. After getting into a couple of skirmishes with neighborhood dogs, Prada was deemed a threat to public safety and was set to be euthanized.
But Nicole Andree, who rescued Prada when she was only four weeks old, refused to give up on her best friend.
Andree launched a legal battle and social media campaign to save Prada, now four years old, hoping that her Pit Bull would be spared.
The fight to save Prada included an online petition signed by supporters across the country and beyond, asking Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee to pardon Prada and save her life.
After three unsuccessful attempts and three defeats, it seemed Prada’s days were numbered. But Nashville area attorney Jean Harrison, who represented Andree and Prada pro bono, wanted to try once more. Harrison argued that Prada is the victim of widespread prejudice against Pit Bull Terriers.
Finally, after more than a year, Prada’s fate has been decided: Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Joe Binkley, Jr., signed an order that spares Prada’s life – but with provisions.
“I’m very happy,” Andree said of the judge’s ruling. “At the same time, it’s a bittersweet win.”
As stipulated by the judge’s ruling, Prada and her mom, who fought so hard to save her, will not get the chance to reunite; Prada has been ordered to remain at the Villalobos Rescue Center for the remainder of her life.
Prada is set to join the dogs housed on the Villalobos Rescue Center sanctuary made famous in the Animal Planet reality show Pit Bulls & Parolees. The sanctuary recently relocated to a new facility in New Orleans, La.
Despite the fact that she must give up her best friend, Andree says she does not regret fighting for Prada’s life. “I just wanted her to live.”
Andree knows that her girl will be in good hands with Tia Torres, the woman in charge of Villalobos, but she will always miss Prada. “She was my kid,” Andree says. “At 35-years-old, I have no children, and she was my kid.”
Prada must begin her stay at Villalobos within two weeks as ordered by the judge.
Whether Prada will be featured on the reality show remains to be seen, but the future is certainly brighter than it once was for the Pit Bull. Though she will not get the chance to live out her days with Nicole Andree, at least she will get the chance to live out her days at all.
