ohmidog!

A Maryland man who tied his dog outside in a hot July sun, with fatal consequences, was ordered to spend 90 days in jail and do 50 hours of community service.

Judge Janice Rodnick Ambrose suggested Michael Patrick Flemming, 24, of Thurmont, do his community service at the Frederick County Animal Control shelter, the Frederick News-Post reported.

“They may not want you,” Ambrose said Tuesday in District Court. “But I think you should have to work with animals for what you’ve done.”

Convicted of four misdemeanor charges in the July 25, 2009, death of Taurus, a 3-year-old black and brown Rottweiler, Flemming offered a brief statement: “There’s no amount of time you can give me that will erase what I have to deal with every day.”

“‘He was my baby,’”  Flemming said in a two-page handwritten statement. “‘I loved him almost more than anyone in my life.’”

Flemming told the court he’d put his dog out to urinate, went inside and fell asleep. He didn’t mention that he chained the dog to a stake, without  water, an omission the judge pointed out.

“You tied your dog up. That’s why you are here today,” Ambrose said. “Your poor dog is dead because you didn’t love it enough to take care of it.”

A landscaper found the 112-pound dog unconscious in the middle of Flemming’s yard and contacted animal control officers, according to court documents.

Flemming has a sentencing hearing set for next week on fleeing and eluding charges, and another hearing next month on drug charges, according to court documents.

Delegate Cheryl Glenn will introduce an amendment to the state’s proposed dangerous dog law this week that would prohibit municipalities from banning or regulating dogs based on their breed.

Pushed by the Maryland Dog Federation, the proposed amendment to House Bill 1314, aimed at strengthening the state’s dangerous dog law,  reads:

“Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to prevent a municipality from adopting or enforcing its own more stringent program for the control of dangerous dogs provided, however, that no such program shall ban, regulate or address dogs in a manner which is specific as to breed.”

The federation says the amendment will prohibit laws thats discriminate against particular breeds of dogs. Similar measures have been passed in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and eight other states.

If approved the proposed amendment would void the current breed ban in Prince George’s County, where about 900 pit bulls and pit bull mixes are euthanized a year, according to the federation.

“The seizing of innocent family pets simply because of their appearance is unconscionable. Responsible dog guardians should be allowed to own whatever breed they want. Reckless owners should be prohibited from owning any dog,” the federation said.

The federation is encouraging those who support the amendment to write Delegate Cheryl Glenn (cheryl.glenn@house.state.md.us); and to attend the March 18 hearing of the Judiciary Committee (at 1 p.m. in Room 100 of the House Office Building in Annapolis).

A dog hanging out in his owner’s jewelry store ate a diamond worth $20,000.

Worse yet, it wasn’t even one of the store’s diamonds, but one that a diamond dealer was showing off to the owners at Robert Bernard Jewelry Store, located in, of all places, Rockville, Md.

The diamond dealer dropped the gem when he pulled it out, and the store owner’s golden retriever, named Soli, scarfed it right up,WJLA reported.

The store owners called Soli’s vet, who advised letting nature take its course.

“It was not that pleasant,” said George Kaufmann, co-owner of Robert Bernard Jewelers. “I followed him; I had to pick up his stuff; I had to go through the things. I can understand what it was like in the old Gold Rush. I felt like I had just hit pay dirt.”

After three days, the diamond exited Soli and was returned to the dealer.

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but Camp Bow Wow in Columbia thinks you can still find your perfect match at its 2nd Annual Cupids & Canines Adopt-A-Thon Event.

The event, postponed by snow in February, will take place Saturday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Adoption-ready dogs will be on hand from the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL), Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS), and the Prince George’s County SPCA/Humane Society.

Even if you’re already in a commited canine relationship, you and your pet are invited to drop by for discounted microchipping, food and a chance to win prizes, including tickets to Toby’s in Columbia, a night’s stay at the Harbor View Inn in Annapolis.

A Valentine’s Day sting operation by Montgomery County Police led to the arrest of a man they say stole two dogs from a Silver Spring woman, then demanded she pay a ransom.

Police arrested Najie S. Walker, 21, at a Friendly’s Restaurant, where he was found hiding in a bathroom, Gazette.net reported.

Gloria Chicas, of the 12000 block of Bronzegate Place in Silver Spring, said two of her four dogs — Scooby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, and Scrappy, a 13-month-old French poodle — disappeared from her back yard Sunday morning.

After that she received a series of phone calls from a man demanding hundreds of dollars to return the dogs.

Chicas agreed to pay, but she said noone showed up at the designated meeting spot. Later, he called later to say that he wanted more money for the dogs. That’s when Chicas called the police. When officers responded to the call, they found a dead dog that had been hit by a car near her house. The dog matched the description of Scooby, and Chicas was brought out to identify the body, officers said.

After sconfirming the dead dog was Scooby, police arranged the sting, aimed at getting Scrappy back and catching the dognapper. Several phone conversations took place between  Officer M. Rodriguez, an undercover officer posing as Chicas’ nephew and the caller, who was told Chicas would meet him and swap the remaining dog for $300.

When Rodriguez’s partner pulled up in a marked police car, Walker fled to the Friendly’s restaurant and was found sitting in the stall of the men’s bathroom, Rodriguez said. In the nearby McDonald’s parking lot, police said they found his accomplice in a car with Scrappy.

Walker was charged with theft under $1,000 and is being held on a $1,500 bond. The State’s Attorney’s Office is working with the Animal Services Division to further charge Walker and the woman for extortion.

(Photo: Montgomery County Police)

Hard times for Mike Harding led to dogs around the world resting comfortably.

Harding got laid off from his Wall Street firm in 1987, and it was that setback that led him to start his own company — Kuranda Dog Beds in Glen Burnie, The Capital in Annapolis reported yesterday.

Quickly becoming an industry standard, and a fixture at kennels and shelters, the chew resistant, elevated cots are sold out of small office near BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport — about 30,000 of them a year.

Harding says he never expected the dog bed to make a profit. Instead, he had higher hopes for another product — a roller that absorbs water from tennis courts and ball fields, called the Super Sopper. It never took off.

But Kurunda beds have since 1993 when Harding’s friend and investor, Paul Connolly, took the bed to a local kennel to gauge interest. The interest was there but the bed — the prototype was round — took up to much space.

That sent Harding back to the drawing board, where he came up with a new rectangular model.

“We immediately started making sales to boarding kennels, breeders, and hunters,” Harding said.

Since then, the bed has continued to evolve, and draw praise from kennels and shelters who need durable beds that stand up to high pressure washing.

All of the beds come out of the Glen Burnie building, where employees assemble the kits that are shipped to customers from Texas to Hong Kong.

In 2005, Connolly came up with the company’s “Donate a Bed” program, which allows anyone to use Kurunda’s website to buy a bed at wholesale and then donate it to a shelter. Forty of the donated beds recently went to Iraq for the dogs used by the military to sniff out explosives.

 
Here in the winter of our discontent in Baltimore — the snowiest city (believe it!) in the continental United States –  we are getting by, getting sore and getting a little tired of it.

Most dogs still seem to be loving it, but I think even among them, all the slip-sliding around might be starting to wear thin. Even these two American Eskimo dogs seemed to think it has all been a bit much.

As of  Monday, 79.9 inches had fallen so far this winter, and more is coming down as we speak. We’ve had more than Rochester, more than Syracuse, more than Binghamton, and more, I think we can all agree, than enough.

The streets are lined with icebergs. Schools have been closed for a good week. Parking spaces are like gold. Getting anything accomplished takes four times as long as it normally does. Our back hurts, and we’re getting a little antsy, perhaps a little cranky.

Pets help us get through the cabin fever — as comforting as an old movie — countering the stress and loneliness and keeping us connected, however cut off from other humans we might feel.

I’m lucky enough to have three this week — my dog Ace, Darcy the Boston Terrier, who’s spending another week with me while her parents tie the knot in Hawaii, and my temporary cat Miley, still available for adoption, should you need a cat to help you through the winter.

All are co-existing nicely, if not as playfully as Ace and Darcy, who are more fun to watch than 90 percent of what’s on TV.

Sure, there is a downside. As we’re not getting to the park as much, my back yard is no longer the blank white canvas it was after the first snowfall, but a series of abstract yellow stains — like those inkblot tests — all punctuated with brown exclamation points.

I will get to it as I will get to most everything else this winter, including shoveling today’s snow:

Eventually!

Yesterday’s Washington Post had a great series of photos depicting the rescue of a yellow Lab who wandered into an icy pond in Potomac.

A neighbor spotted the dog — named Tully — out his kitchen window and called 911. Rescuers arrived within minutes, cut through a fence and plunged in after him as the dog’s family watched.

The four-year old dog was worn out by then and unable to hoist himself out, according to his owner, Bruce Stewart, whose 14-year-old son encouraged the dog from shore: “Hold on there, buddy! You’re a good boy!”

Rashad Surratt, a firefighter, entered the pond and Tully paddled toward him. The rescuer wrapped his arms and a harness around the dog, who seemed happy to get a hand. “He just gave up,” Surratt said Saturday. “He was really, really tired.”

Other firefighters were able to help pull Tully across the ice and get him to the shore. Tully was wrapped in coats and blankets, loaded onto a toboggan and pulled home by firefighters and residents. To see all the photos, visit the Post’s photo gallery.

Stewart, an executive at text-messaging company kgb, said Tully apparently walked right through his electronic fence, which had been disabled by the snow.

(Photo: Lea Thompson / Washington Post)

Dining with your dog could soon become legal in Frederick County, Maryland.

Sen. Alexander Mooney  is proposing a measure to give the Frederick County Commissioners the authority to allow people to dine with their dogs in outdoor dining areas, the Frederick Gazette reports.

Mooney filed the bill last week, the day after Frederick city officials — who want to see outdoor dining with dogs legalized — decided to wait on drafting a bill of their own, in light of concerns that restaurant rules and regulations fall under county jurisdiction.

Mooney’s proposal would give the county commissioners the authority to allow outdoor dining with dogs. The Maryland General Assembly would have to pass the bill, and the governor would have to sign it. Then it would be up to the county on whether to allow it.

The Downtown Frederick Partnership, which promotes economic development in downtown Frederick, has spearheaded the campaign to permit dining with dogs.

Kara Norman, executive director, said one of the partnership’s most successful events is its August “First Saturday” celebration, which is themed “Dog Days of Summer.” The event brings more than 11,000 visitors to downtown Frederick from several counties and neighboring states.

“I think it’s important to our residents and the people who live here, as well as to our tourists,” she said. “The partnership has found, and many of our merchants have found that this is a group who is loyal, willing to travel, and really appreciates that you take care of them … and their dog.”

The owners of dogs deemed dangerous by local authorities would be required to spay or neuter their animals within 30 days of receiving such a notice, under a bill proposed by a Maryland lawmaker.

Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, R-Talbot, told members of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that her proposal would reduce the number of dogs in shelters and alleviate aggressiveness, according to the Associated Press.

House Bill 15 would require the spaying or neutering of any dog who has been classified by a local government as “dangerous,” and impose fines of $2,500 for those who failed to take the action.

Though rules vary, local jurisdictions generally deem a dog dangerous when it has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person without provocation. Dogs that repeatedly bite people, attack without provocation or kill or severely injure a domestic animal when not on their owner’s property can also be designated “dangerous.”

It’s not the first time that Haddaway-Riccio has gone after “dangerous dogs.” She’s one of the sponsors of legislation that would require agencies to inform foreign brides of any criminal acts in a prospective husband’s past.

The legislation was prompted by the case of Nataliya Fox, a mail-order bride from Ukraine who — through a marriage broker then based in Maryland — met a husband in Virginia who later was accused of beating and threatening her.

The bill would close the loopholes Haddaway-Riccio says exist in a 2005 federal law. The federal law stipulates marriage brokers pass on such information, but allows them to pass on only that which clients self-report.