ohmidog!

When Karen and Anthony Scully filed for divorce, determining custody of the six dogs wasn’t too difficult. He got four, she got two. The sticking point came later — with a feud, still going on five years later, over who should get the dogs’ semen.

The matter –  or perhaps issue is a better word — landed before Family Court Judge Cheryl Matthews Wednesday morning.

Karen Scully, who lives in Florida, and her ex-husband, Anthony Scully of Oakland County, Michigan, are feuding in Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac over who has the legal right to the semen belonging to Cyrus, Regg and Romeo, all AKC-registered bullmastiffs.

Bull mastiff pups fetch $2,000 each in the marketplace.

The Scullys were hobby breeders in Oakland County until their divorce in 2002, and they had banked sperm from their mastiffs in a freezing center in Sterling Heights. Both still raise bullmastiffs.

Anthony Scully, through his attorney, said the semen is his — or rather, is property that should belong to him — and that his ex-wife, in moving to Florida, gave up claim. Karen Scully, who appeared in court via teleconference, claimed she has ownership, since the dogs that provided the semen once belonged to her.

Judge Matthews said she thought the case was a prank at first. “I asked, ‘Am I Being Punk’d … Is this a Candid Camera thing?” she said.

Matthews ruled that it was not a divorce matter and told the couple they would have to fight it out in civil court, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press.

The case has been assigned to Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman.

(Photo: Anthony Scully with Romeo, family photo)

Honda showed off it’s most dog-friendly Element SUV yet at the New York International Auto Show yesterday.

The vehicle will feature a cushioned pet bed with safety restraints in the cargo area, a spill-resistant water bowl, a ventilation fan to keep canines comfortable and a folding ramp that gives animals an easy way to get in and out.

In the back seat, there’s an integrated pet carrier and machine-washable seat covers. The rubber floor mats feature a toy-bone pattern, and paw-print emblems on the side and back of the vehicle draw attention to its pet-friendly status.

Honda says it’s still finalizing the features, but the Dog Friendly Element will be available this fall, according to the Associated Press.

“In an interesting turn of events, cars are now chasing dogs,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “Factory integration of a cushioned pet bed, restraint systems and other components are intended to transform the Element into the ultimate dog car.”

“Pets have become more like family, more important to households than ever before,” said James Jenkins, a senior product planner for Honda. “We felt this was the perfect vehicle to offer such dog friendly features.”

The Element already is appealing to pet owners because of features such as its easy-to-clean flooring in the cargo area and its wide side cargo doors.

The consumer pet travel advice website, Dogcars.com, honored the 2007 Honda Element with its first-ever “Dog Car of the Year” award.

The maker of the Michael Vick chew toy for dogs — or one of them, anyway — has been sued by the state attorney general’s office, which alleges the company claimed animal charities would benefit from the toy’s sale, but never donated a cent.

Attorney General Bill McCollum filed a lawsuit alleging toy seller Jaime Salcedo and his Jacksonville, Florida, company, Showbiz Promotions LLC, misled consumers with claims that proceeds from the dog toys would go to animal shelters

The company also produced a doll modeled after Caylee Anthony, a 2-year-old Florida girl whose mother is awaiting trial on charges of murdering her and hiding her body in the woods. The company said profits from the sale of the dolls would benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

McCollum said the company donated only $10 to the children’s group and none to animal shelters, according to a Reuters report. 

“Any company that intentionally misleads innocent consumers to believe they are contributing to worthy charitable causes is absolutely reprehensible,” McCollum said in a news release. “It is disgusting that a company would exploit a tragic situation for personal gain.”

He said the state began investigating the Internet sales company last year after receiving more than 200 complaints about the dog chew toys.

Showbiz Promotions suspended sales of the Caylee doll in January because of public outrage. 

When I last wrote about the toy, two companies were making them — the guys who came up with the idea had split up and gone their separate, but similar ways. Darren Usher was producing what he called The Official Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy, while Salcedo operated Vickdogchewtoy.com.

Here’s the ad still running on the latter website:

Walkers wishing to pregister for next Sunday’s March for the Animals can do so this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Maryland SPCA Headquarters House, at 3300 Falls Road in Baltimoe.

The march is Sunday, April 19, at Druid Hill Park.

By registering earlier, walkers can avoid the lines the day of the event, and get their t-shirt, doggie bandana and goody bag.

For those walking in packs, a designated pack member should bring donations and pledge sheets and pick up the t-shirts, goody bags and doggie bandanas for everyone in  their pack. Pack shirts will not be available the day of the event.

Donations for all walkers will be accepted up to and including the day of the event. 

The March for the Animals is the annual 1.5-mile walk-a-thon benefiting The Maryland SPCA. Nearly 6,000 people and their pets attend the March last year.

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and the walk will kick-off at 10:00 a.m., with Duff Goldman of “Ace of Cakes” cutting the ribbon at the starting line.

More information about forming a pack can be found here. For directions to the event, click here. For the schedule of events, click here.