The Cost of Political Wars | Season 1, Episode 4

In this fourth episode – titled “The Cost of Political Wars“, of the inaugural season of the “I Am Human. This Is My Dog.” podcast, I am forced to jump slightly ahead (from where we left off in episode three) to the spring of 2009 for an interview I conducted with a man named Leonard Shelton.

Leonard was a 20 year veteran in the U.S. military, where he served as a Marine in both Iraq wars. Upon his return home, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among other things.

Acting on the advice from a friend, Leonard adopted a dog named Rosco in February 2009, who helped him with his mental health. Two months after his adoption, Leonard and Rosco were targeted and given a citation under the newly passed pit bull ban in Lakewood, Ohio.

On July 31, 2009 Leonard granted me an interview for my first documentary – “Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent” where he told me his story on camera, with a pending lawsuit against the city of Lakewood, naming several city officials in the filing.

Due to his recent passing on May 15, 2023, this episode is dedicated to Leonard Charles Shelton. Select soundbytes from his interview made it into the film. This is the first time the complete interview from that day will be made public in its entirety.