ohmidog!

“It was bad people who killed them,” 5-year-old Ethan Stalcup said after the bodies of his family’s two dogs were found, apparently killed with an axe.

“I don’t understand why anybody would do this,”  his mother, Rose Stalcup, said in an interview. “It really hurts to know that we live in a world where people can be this cruel.”

Her husband, J.P. Stalcup, wondered what the killers might do next: “What happens if, you know, they do that a couple more times and all of the sudden they’re not happy with – it’s not giving them as much jollies as it was the first couple times …”

That was before Japheth (J.P.) Daniel Stalcup admitted to police that it was he who killed his dogs — because, he said, he couldn’t afford to take care of them.

Now, as Stalcup awaits trial on charges of aggravated animal abuse, KATU – the station that aired the earlier interviews with the family — reports Stalcup has another dog, despite a judge’s order prohibiting it.

One of the conditions Stalcup agreed to in order to be free from jail until the trial was ”no possession or living with any animals.”

Stalcup, of Eagle Creek, Oregon,  initially reported his dogs — Duke, a black Lab, and Buddy, a Lab-blue heeler mix — missing last November. Two days later he reported to police that he had found their bodies, about 100 yards from the house. Stalcup told investigators the dogs appeared to have been hit with an axe several times. One of the dogs was tossed from a cliff, deputies said.

As the police investigation progressed, Stalcup eventually admitted to killing the dogs. His trial date is March 25.

Acting on a tip from a viewer, KATU visited his home on Monday, confirming the family had a new puppy.

J.P. Stalcup told a reporter that his lawyer had cleared it with a judge for him to have pets at home, but prosecutors were unaware of any such permission being granted.

(Photo: The Stalcup’s new puppy (at top) and one of their previous dogs, Duke / KATU)

When a man claimed her American bulldog Duke escaped her fenced yard and bit him, Carissa Curry was confused — and with good reason.

She’d left the dog inside her Toledo home when she went to work that day. She’d secured the gate of the fence around her yard. And Duke, even if he did manage to somehow get out of her house, had never left the yard before.

Curry returned home from work to find Duke was gone.

A note was left on her door by the Lucas County dog warden. When she called the phone number on it, she was informed that she was being charged with failure to confine her dog.

Toledo Police had been to her home earlier that day, back in August, after a man said he had been bitten by Duke while strolling down the sidewalk. The man said Duke pushed open the gate, attacked him then returned to the yard.

Duke was seized by the Lucas County dog warden, labeled a potentially dangerous dog, and quarantined for ten days.

In the days that followed, Curry, a health care worker and single mother of a 2-year-old boy, would grow only more confused, and worried.

She faced a misdemeanor charge that could carry a penalty of 30 days in jail.

She worried about losing her job, and her home, and having to pay hefty insurance fees as the owner of a “dangerous dog.”

And — even though she had left the door to her home unlocked — she still had no idea how her dog got out of it, or the yard.

She heard from neighbors who had seen the man walking through the neighborhood. One said she never saw Duke leave the yard — but did see the man enter it.

It was looking more and more like Duke, as opposed to miraculously escaping both house and yard, had actually just been defending his home, as Curry suspected from the start.

This week, at a pre-trial hearing, the ”failure to confine” charge against Curry ws dropped.

She still faces a charge of “failure to vaccinate.” While she claims she has the paperwork, she was unable to present it within the two days the dog warden gave her. That charge was upheld in court.

And Duke still faces a determination on whether he’s a “dangerous dog,” which could lead to restrictions that include being muzzled, having signs posted to that effect in his yard, and having to kept in a pen with a roof, according to DogHeirs.com.

The Lexus Project is handling the case against Duke and representing him in court. You can learn more about Duke, and help support his cause by visiting these links:

• Donate to the Support Duke fund
• Sign the petition
• Follow Duke’s story on Facebook

You can read Curry’s explanation of what’s transpired so far in the comments below.

(Photos: DogHeirs.com)

When nine-week-old Harper Brousseau stopped breathing during the night, a mutt named Duke woke up her parents.

Jenna Brousseau says Duke jumped up on her bed Sunday night, and woke up her and her husband with his shaking.

That was out of character for Duke, so the couple went to check on their daughter at their home in Connecticut to make sure everything was alright.

In the nursery, they found their daughter wasn’t breathing and called 911.

Paramedics were able to revive the baby, who’s now doing fine.

This political ad opens with Bill Stouffer’s wife seemingly extolling the virtues of her husband, a candidate for Missouri secretary of state.

“He’s very loyal and protects those that he serves. He’s always ready to fight for what is right,” she says. “And he’s always hunting for the truth.”

Not until Stouffer thanks her for the compliment does she say, “Oh Bill, you know I’m talking about Duke.”

Duke is the Stouffer’s bloodhound, who often accompanies the two-term Republican state senator on appearances.

Stouffer’s hoping the dog will help him win his upcoming primary on Aug. 7, in which he’ll face off against two other Republicans running for secretary of state.

Stouffer says bringing the dog along on appearances always gets him attention, leading to questions from voters — but most of the questions are about is dog.

Stouffer is from Saline County, the same county where Jim the Wonder Dog lived.

You don’t know Jim the Wonder Dog?

Guess you’ll have to read our next entry. For now, let’s just say he once appeared before the Missouri legislature, and that, were he alive today, he could probably tell us who the winners will be in Missouri’s primary election.

Duke hardly ever lets his mother, Daisy, out of his sight — because she has none.

Daisy, a 10-year-old yellow Lab, is completely blind. Duke serves as her unofficial seeing eye dog.

Earlier this month, after their owners lost their home to foreclosure, Duke and Daisy ended up at an animal shelter.

They were just days away from being euthanized when a rescue group called Second Hand Hounds stepped in, according to CBS 4 in Minnesota.

They’re now being kept, together, in foster care provided through Secondhand Hounds, based in Edina, Minnesota.

“She’s 10 and she’s completely blind, so she follows his lead,” said professional dog trainer Leda Blom, who is working with Daisy. “He doesn’t let her out of his sight too much. If she goes around a corner, he’s very quick to follow up on where she is.”

Second Hand Hounds hopes they can find an adoptive home where Duke and Daisy can live together.

Names: Truman and Duke

Breeds:  Duke’s a black German shepherd, Truman’s a Rottweiler mix

Ages: Duke is going on 9, Truman’s 3

Encountered: At the Dunes’ Edge Campground in Provincetown, Mass.

Backstory: A woman named Eileen from Tennessee pulled into the campsite adjoining mine in a cute little Coach House motorhome — just like the one I’ve been coveting. I stepped out of my tent, put my RVNV aside and went over to meet the two dogs traveling with her. Truman’s a bundle of energy, Duke (named after the school that Eileen attended) a bit more mature. Both were as friendly as they can be. Eileen was, too, offering me some of the chocolate tart she picked up at a bakery down the road. She bought the motorhome and started traveling after the death of her husband. She was gradually making her way back home to Seiverville, Tenn., after a trip to Canada and other points.

According to the old saying — at least as old as Shakespeare — every dog has his day. 

In California they just got an extra one.

Interpreting a regulation that sets the “holding period” for a stray dog impounded in a public or private animal shelter at “six business days” (or, if certain exceptions apply, “four business days”), a state appeals court in San Francisco has ruled that Saturdays don’t count as business days.

The ruling  was the first to interpret a 1998 California law that increased the holding periods for public and private shelters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The ruling will affect Contra Costa County Animal Services and all other counties and cities with similar policies.

The case goes back to 2006, when a miniature pinscher named Duke, was impounded at a county shelter in Pinole on a Thursday. The shelter held the dog until the following Wednesday, when another person took him. Duke’s owner, Veena Purifoy, went to the shelter the next day the following to find him gone.

She sued both the county and the new owner, who relinquished Duke in a settlement, Evans said. The suit against the county challenged its claim that the shelter had held the dog for the required four business days.

Overturning a judge’s ruling in the county’s favor, the appeals court said the state law did not define business days but was intended to increase holding periods from the pre-1998 law, which required a 72-hour hold.

Excluding Saturday as a business day serves “the legislative goal of access, because longer holding periods will often provide more opportunities for redemption and adoption,” Justice Martin Jenkins said in the 3-0 ruling.

(Photo from Cafepress.com)

Here’s a not-too-heavy-handed public service announcement being aired by the SPCA of Malaysia.

The star of the spot is Duke, a former stray adopted by Richard and Chae Lin of the Gardner & Wife Theatre Company. You can read more about Duke, a mutt who has won several obedience awards, on his blog.

The ad, aimed at encouraging spaying and neutering, takes a light-hearted approach to a huge and serious problem — both in Malaysia and the U.S., where more than 6 million dogs and cats are dropped off at shelters each year, about half of whom end up being euthanized.

As the ad concludes: ”There are some things you can’t teach your dog. Be a responsible owner. Neuter or spay your pet.”

In a reversal of roles, humans rescued a 16-month-old St. Bernard from freezing weather.

The dog, named Duke, escaped from his yard and ended up frozen to the ice on a pond at a golf course near Billings, Montana.

A maintenance worker at the Peter Yegen Jr. Golf Club, spotted the dog at about 9 a.m. Friday. Two firefighters on a sled managed to reach the shivering dog, breaking the ice around his tail with a mallet, and hauling the dog ashore — along with the chunk of ice still attached to him.

Rescuers believe that Duke, who weights nearly 120 pounds, fell through the ice on the pond sometime during the night and, after pulling himself out, sat on the ice and became frozen to it, according to an Associated Press account.

Duke was taken to Big Sky Pet Center, where he was listed in good condition after being de-iced and warmed up under a blow dryer.

“Lady” and “Bear” top the list of most popular dog names in the U.S., the American Kennel Club announced today.

In the male category, Bear is followed by Blue, Max, Duke and Buddy. For female dogs, the next most popular names are Bella (or Belle), Princess, May and Rose.

The results are based on a survey of 2007 AKC registration statistics.

“Traditionally names based on a puppy’s physical appearance or personality, such as ‘Spot’ or ‘Sassy,’ have been popular with dog owners,” said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “Today we are seeing human names, such as ‘Jack’ and ‘Molly,’ and names that reflect a pet’s stature in the home, such as ‘King’ and ‘Princess,’ gain in popularity as more people consider their dog a valued member of the family.”

The AKC says short, sweet and easily recognizable names work best in getting your dog to be responsive. It recommends using a name that is one or two syllables, ending with a vowel, such as “Sadie” or “Rocky.”

They recommend against name that is long or difficult to say, such as “Sir Barks A Lot,” saying it will only confuse your dog. It also says names that sound like commands — Joe, for instance, sounds like no — should be avoided.

Other recommendations from the AKC include, picking a name that will fit your dog regardless of his age, testing the name out for a day or two before making a 10-15-year commitment, using the name often so the dog can learn it quickly, and not raising your voice every time you call your dog by name. “Try to use his name in positive, playful settings, such as when you feed him, play with him or pet him,” the AKC suggests.

Here’s the full AKC list of most popular names.

Read more »