Marjorie Knoller, the San Francisco lawyer who allowed the 2 vicious 100+ pound Presa Canario dogs she was caring for to kill her neighbor Dianne Whipple in 2001 - may be going back to prison. Knoller served 16 months of a 4 year sentence in prison before she was paroled for the crime, which had been reduced to involuntary manslaughter. A superior court judge on Friday reinstated the jury’s original second degree murder conviction.
The judge ruled after listing some of more than 30 incidents in which Marjorie Knoller’s dogs bit or lunged at other people, and there was even a veterinarian’s letter warning that the dogs were dangerous.
Knoller now faces 15 years to life in prison when she’s sentenced on Sept. 22, 2008.
Knoller will be held in jail until her sentencing, without bail, since she faces a possible life sentence, has no community ties and can be considered a flight risk.
I say it’s about time irresponsible dog owners get exactly what’s coming to them!
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August 24, 2008 - 9:34 am
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Cynthia
People love dogs…and purebred dogs are a favorite. Thieves are no different. Dognappings are on the rise with the economic downturn. In the first five months of 2008, the American Kennel Club noted three times as many dog thefts as the year before.
Purebred or designer pups can cost thousands of dollars. And many are small enough to grab up & put in a jacket without anyone noticing. Toy breeds, puppies, and purebred dogs that look expensive or unusual are the most vulnerable. Among the stolen breeds tracked by the AKC in 2008 are Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Pomeranians, shih tzu & bulldogs, to name a few. With so many websites & other outlets where you can sell a dog, many people won’t ask questions if they can buy a designer pup for half the going rate. But not only are the dogs being sold, they’re also being stolen to claim rewards, & given as gifts. Around the holidays are prime dognapping times.
It seems that dognapping is a crime of opportunity. With the economy the way it is today, anything that can bring in money is fair game. And with many breeds of dog going for thousands, sadly stealing an unattended dog is a no-brainer.
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August 3, 2008 - 10:10 pm
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Cynthia
Jennifer Lopez is being sued by a flight attendant because her “well behaved” German Shepherd guard dog bit the flight attendant during a flight in 2006. The dog didn’t actually break the skin but bit the woman’s pant leg. In trying to get away from the dog, the woman fell, twisting her back. That was 2 years ago. She claims she can no longer work because the injury was severe enough to require surgery. The former flight attendant’s lawyer said his client has made several attempts to settle the case with Lopez, but she has been ignored.
Why is it that so many celebrities feel they don’t have to be responsible dog owners. Even though Lopez hired a private jet, letting an aggressive dog roam free (especially in a small space like a plane) is just plain irresponsible.
In 2 separate incidents in separate parts of the country, people were robbed and their small dogs were also taken. In Dallas, Texas, Kona, a little Yorkshire Terrier was stolen along with all the valuables in his owners apartment. The burglars also got away with plasma televisions, iPods and laptop computers. And in Lake County, Florida, Precious, a 5 pound, 3-year-old Yorkie was stolen. Surprisingly, the buglars didn’t take anything else, even though the residents had a plasma television and other valuables. Rewards are being offered in both cases.
Unfortunately it’s easier to pick up a small dog & stuff it in your jacket than it is to try to haul out a large TV without being spotted. And you can get more money for the dog. Tiny pooches can be sold for big money - thousands of dollars. As a result of this, I’m sure more owners of small dogs are considering doggie daycare as a safe option.
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June 21, 2008 - 9:37 am
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Cynthia
A couple in Denton, TX are asking the local animal shelter for $206,000 for the wrongful euthanasia of their beloved 3 year old black labrador mix, Amicus. A worker mistakenly euthanized the dog one day before its owners had arranged to retrieve it.
Amicus got out of his yard and the animal control officers picked him up. The neighbors informed the officers whose dog it was & they left a notice. The couple had arranged to pick Amicus up 8 days later because they had to wait for a check to pay the $109 fee to get him out.
An apology is not sufficient for the couple after losing their dog. They are asking for so much because they had the dog since he was a puppy, they rented him out to father other pups as a way to supplement their income, and of course they suffered “emotional pain and stress.” They also haven’t ruled out a lawsuit.
A 72 year old woman in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia was attacked by a 26 year old man over her dog’s excessive barking. The man was visiting his friend who was a neighbor of the woman and her dog. He made threats to kill the dog and threw a potted plant at the dog before he jumped the fence and pushed the woman to the ground. He’s been charged with one count of serious assault on an elderly person.
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May 30, 2008 - 10:37 am
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Cynthia
A Sydney, Australia man who faced 7 charges of robbery showed up in court hobbling on crutches with a cast on his foot. The reason? A police dog ‘held’ the suspect when he took off running from the scene of a crime.
When it comes to police dogs, crime doesn’t pay! Ouch! 
A company has come out with “dog armour” to protect your dog from other dog’s attacks. It doesn’t look very comfortable & looks like it may’ve been designed primarily for fighting Pit Bulls, but it could come in handy for any dog.
Our girl Hopey was attacked by a much larger dog who ended up doing so much damage that Hopey had to have 45 stitches! She’s fine now but she sure could’ve used some dog armour.
Doggie social networking websites are nothing new. There are a few of them. They’re basically a MySpace for dogs & their owners. But a new site not only offers a meeting place, but it also offers the first ever Amber Alert for dogs.
If your dog comes up missing, there’s a free service at Dognamic.com to find your pup & hopefully reunite the two of you fairly quickly.
The site features a virtual flier for missing dogs. Users can create a personal profile page for their dogs, then drop it into the Missing Mode. Members within a designated distance from the missing animal’s ZIP code will be notified by the Web site’s ticker system, which is similar to the news scroll we see at the bottom of the television screen.
Their sister site at DogAmberAlert.com is scrolling Amber Alerts all the time for 6 different US cities. It looks like if you live within 50 miles of any of these cities, you can put out your own doggie Amber Alert. It’s a new site, so I’m sure that once more dog owners find out about it, more cities will be included.
I think it’s a great idea. Check it out & spread the word!
An Oregon man swears the dog he picked up from the boarding kennel is not his dog. However the kennel insists it is.
The problem arose when Ken Griggs left his black labrador Callie at a kennel for a week while he went on Spring break. When he came back, the dog he picked up looked like Callie but didn’t behave like Callie. Even the family cat, who loved Callie hissed at the impostor.
The owner of the kennel said Griggs has the right dog. But Callie’s vet examined the dog Griggs brought home and found evidence that it’s not Callie.
To make matters worse, there were 7 black labs boarded at the kennel when Callie was there. So it may be a case of a mix up. But the kennel owner & the other dog owners say no.
Read the rest of the story here for the twist in the story…
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April 28, 2008 - 2:55 pm
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Cynthia
