Diggy fought the law and won: Case against famous smiling dog dismissed

Photo from Dan Tillery on Facebook

Diggy the smiling dog can keep on smiling after the case to have him removed from his home was dismissed Tuesday.

A photo of the pup turned viral after owner Dan Tillery posted a picture on social media showing the dog smiling.

The photo attracted the attention of Waterford Township officials, who believed the dog to be a pit bull. The breed is banned by an ordinance in the township.

The ordinance prohibits any person from owning, possessing or maintaining a pit bull/pit bull terrier within the Township and a violation can result in a civil infraction and a fine of $500.

It was a winding battle as Tillery fought to prove Diggy is an American Bulldog, even getting verification from the Detroit Dog Rescue.

DDR presented documentation to the township from a Waterford veterinarian stating Diggy appears to be an American Bulldog.

The courts dismissed the ordinance violation charge on Tuesday, allowing Diggy to stay in his forever home with Dan and Megan.

"Thanks for all of the support everybody! We did it," Tillery said in a Facebook post. "Thanks Kristina Millman-Rinaldi and Detroit Dog Rescue for sticking with us throughout this process. Thank you Bobby Murkowski and Miller Canfield for the Great Job done! Thanks to everyone involved. We get to keep our boy. He's a good boy."

DDR Director Kristina Rinaldi echoed the excitement.

"I'm overjoyed to know that Diggy will be spending the rest of his life where he belongs -with his family. I can't thank Dan and Megan enough for loving him as much as we do at DDR," she said in a statement. "I think the whole world loves Diggy! We, at DDR, are thrilled that we were able to help him find his way to a happy forever. Diggy's road to forever was a combination of so many great people working together and that's what rescuing dogs is all about."