A Dog Named Gucci Day

Proclamation
By the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, “A Dog Named Gucci”, is a feature-length documentary examining animal abuse laws in the United States and will screen at the Crescent Theater on September 23, 2015, in Mobile Alabama; and

WHEREAS, the movie explains the story of a puppy, named Gucci, set on fire and the brave Mobile, Alabama man Doug James, who came to the rescue. But for rescuer Doug James, saving Gucci was just the beginning. Together they would forge a forever bond of devotion and perseverance working to change the non-existent animal cruelty laws in their home state, proving that justice is a dog’s best friend; and

WHEREAS, Gucci’s story captivated the state of Alabama in the mid-1990’s; and

WHEREAS, together with local legislators, and with Gucci always faithfully by his side, the “Gucci Bill” passed in Alabama, changing the laws in our state and making domestic animal abuse a felony; and

WHEREAS, the film also spotlights three other dogs who, with their owners, have made an incredible impact on the laws protecting animals. These include Susie from North Carolina, who has a felony abuse law named in her honor and is the current American Humane Association’s Hero Dog of the Year; Louis Vuitton, from Montgomery, Alabama, the first dog to test the Gucci Law; and Nitro from Queens, New York whose ultimate sacrifice in an Ohio kennel led to the state’s first felony animal abuse laws; and

WHEREAS, the film grew out of the love for rescue dogs:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim September 23, 2015, as

A Dog Named Gucci Day

in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 18th day of September 2015.

Robert Bentley
Governor