Mark Buehrle’s left arm may have been greeted warmly down in south Florida this offseason, but the same can’t be said for one of his family’s four dogs.
According to the Miami Herald, “Slater” Buehrle, an 18-month-old American Staffordshire terrier, falls under a pitbull ban that has been in place in Miami-Dade County since 1989. That means the Buehrle family didn’t have the option of moving anywhere close to the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark after Mark signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the team last month.
Mark Buehrle, a dog lover who made headlines when he said he hoped Michael Vick would get hurt, avoided the ban by moving his family to a dog-friendly development in south Broward County. And while he says he wouldn’t have signed with the Marlins if there had been no housing alternatives for Slater and the rest of his family, Buehrle still wants to speak up against the injustice of the ban.
From the Miami Herald:
Mark Buehrle believes “it’s kind of ridiculous that because of the way a dog looks, people will ban it. Every kind of dog has good and bad, and that depends on the handlers. If you leave a dog outside all the time, it’ll be crazy. Slater would never do anything harmful.”
Mark Buehrle grew up with cats, rabbits and fish, but got his first dog with Jamie. They married in 2005 and are spokespeople for Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society, which accepted 22 of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick’s pit bulls.
The Buehrles have three other dogs — Viszlas named Diesel, Drake and Duke — and adopted Slater after Jamie fell in love with him during work with an animal rescue group. Judging from his festive getup in the picture above, he sure doesn’t look too menacing.
Though Slater and the Buehrles were forced to go live elsewhere, perhaps their story will help end a ban that causes a much bigger hardship for other families.
After all, not everyone who moves to Miami-Dade County for a job has the luxury of being able to choose where to live. The awareness the Buehrles are driving could prevent dog owners from having to make a decision they shouldn’t have to in the first place.
This man is amazing….
From an AMstaff owner to another…you are very kind in your words….
i am in awe u are so amazing iam lost for words ,god bless you and ur famielie and thank you!! in the name of all doglovers 😉
Why don’t they ban the idiot who made up this law, from living in Florida? I think the many athletes who are juiced up on steroids in the Miami area,are the ones that the authorities should be afraid of, and who should be banned from Miami. I’ve been to Miami, if they think that loving Pit Bulls, owned by responsible pet owners, are their biggest problem….they had better wake up and smell the coffee. How many murders, robberies and violent drug and gun related offences are Pit Bulls responsible for in Miami….yeah, I thought as much.
When will people stop making stupid laws that are self serving to vote getting, small minded politicians, and when will the voters be smart enough to stop them?
Why don’t they ban the idiot who made up this law, from living in Florida? I think the many athletes who are juiced up on steroids in the Miami area,are the ones that the authorities should be afraid of, and who should be banned from Miami. I’ve been to Miami, if they think that loving Pit Bulls, owned by responsible pet owners, are their biggest problem….they had better wake up and smell the coffee. How many murders, robberies and violent drug and gun related offences are Pit Bulls responsible for in Miami….yeah, I thought as much.
When will people stop making stupid laws that are self serving to vote getting, small minded politicians, and when will the voters be smart enough to stop them?
Mark, I’m glad there are people like you in this world!:)
It’s for reasons like this that made Chicago White Sox fans so sad to see Mark traded to the Marlins this past off season. We’ll miss him not only for his pitching, but for his character and the work he and his wife have done to promote the benefits of rescuing dogs.
This is one sports star who truely is inspiring and deserves to be held up as a ‘hero’.Love the Vick comment and couldnt agree more.
This is one sports star who truely is inspiring and deserves to be held up as a ‘hero’.Love the Vick comment and couldnt agree more.