A Gig Harbor, WA woman who faced up to 90 days in jail for registering her dog to vote has agreed to a deal that could remove the charge from her record.
Jane Balogh, 66, won’t be prosecuted on the charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant if she does 10 hours of community service, pays a $250 fine and avoids violating the law for the next year.
Balogh registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix, Duncan M. McDonald, to vote in April 2006 by putting her telephone bill in the dog’s name and using that as identification when she mailed the form to election officials. She said she did it to protest a change in the law that she believed made it too easy for noncitizens to vote.
In November she wrote “VOID” across the first ballot sent to the dog and returned it with an image of a paw print on the signature line. An election official called and she admitted what she had done, but the dog still was sent absentee ballots for school bond elections in February and May.
Duncan M. McDonald was removed from the voter rolls in July, three weeks after the charge was filed against Balogh, who pleaded not guilty.
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September 7, 2007 - 7:58 am
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Cynthia
Leona Helmsley’s former housekeeper is suing Leona’s Maltese dog, Trouble. Trouble was known to bite people and the housekeeper had been bitten numerous times. What would you expect from the “Queen of Mean’s” dog? The housekeeper tried suing when she was bitten and failed. So she is once again suing the dog.
Trouble may be in more trouble. Helmsley left her beloved pet to her brother, who it turns out doesn’t want her. So Trouble needs a new home. Ya see, even having money doesn’t buy happiness! 
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September 5, 2007 - 7:42 am
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Cynthia
Former billionaire hotel heiress Leona Helmsley who died this month left her Maltese, named Trouble $12 million to continue to live the life of luxury.
Helmsley’s relatives didn’t fare so well in the bequeath department. Leona’s brother gets to care for the dog, and 2 of her grandchildren will receive nothing – “for reasons known to them.”
Read more about the “Queen of Mean’s” will here…
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August 30, 2007 - 8:06 am
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Cynthia
The city government of New Delhi, India has an outrageous solution for solving the large population of half a million stray dogs in their city – ship them to Korea to be made into soup! And that’s only one of the many solutions that the city council is considering.
Bosintang is a traditional South Korean soup that includes dog meat as its primary ingredient.
The problem of stray dogs is so prevalent that there is talk of drugging the dogs to make them sleep throughout the day to keep them out of the way of citizens. There’s also talk of sending the stray dogs to neighboring states.
On average, nearly 17,500 dog bites are reported every year in Delhi and last year 27 people died of rabies. Stray dogs have even attacked and killed small children.
The dog attacks have raised questions about the government’s sincerity to do something about the stray dog problem.
The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that it is not clear which of the ideas would be implemented in the city. The council chairman has also asked the veterinary department to look into the growing problem of stray dogs and come up with a better solution.
Here’s a novel concept: spay and neuter all dogs!
The government started a sterilization program back in 2003, but the civic agency only spent a quarter of the alloted $500,000. It looks like government around the world is the same…
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August 19, 2007 - 8:48 am
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Cynthia
Trey Smith, a Humane Society inspector in Toronto, Canada, was apparently suspended for helping a dog in distress.
During a heatwave, he was alerted to a Rottweiler locked in a hot car, slumped over from the heat. He broke the window in order to rescue the dog and let it out.
The problem arose when the dog’s owner ran out to the sound of the car alarm and confronted the officer. A scuffle ensued and the officer handcuffed the dog’s owner to the car while he carried the dog to safety.
Many bystanders saw what happened and apparently beat up the dog’s owner – because when the police arrived, the dog’s owner was bleeding.
But the choice to help the dog and handcuff the owner cost the animal inspector. The Ontario SPCA suspended his agent’s license pending an internal review. He can still work at the SPCA but he can’t investigate animal cruelty cases.
Read the whole story and watch a video here…
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August 16, 2007 - 8:04 am
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Cynthia
In Berlin, Germany, a drunk wheelchair bound man ordered his Border Collie dog to attack unsuspecting shoppers. Six people were bitten and taken to the hospital, including a policewoman.
A crowd gathered shortly after the attacks (having missed the entire incident) and mistakenly thought the police were harassing the man in the wheelchair as they tried to arrest him. Needless to say, many people expressed outrage over the perceived “police brutality.”
The man faces prosecution for causing bodily harm, resisting arrest, and verbal slander. The dog was taken to a shelter.
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August 15, 2007 - 7:56 am
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Cynthia
I reported on Malbok, the Korean day of eating dog a few days ago, and now here’s a report about yet one more excuse to justify eating dog meat.
North Korea’s delicacy of “sweat meat†(Dangogi) or dog is said to be eaten as a way to cope with the hot summer heat there. Dangogi has become a luxury since food shortages worsened in North Korea but it is also eaten in South Korea. I guess any excuse they can come up with to eat dog meat makes it acceptable. 
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August 9, 2007 - 8:00 am
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Cynthia
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who is charged with dogfighting now has a toy made in his image. The toy is a tough plastic dog chew toy called “The Official Vick’s Dog Chew Toy.” It’s said to be tough enough for even the type of dogs he fought – pit bulls.
Even though Vick is despicable for what he allegedly did (remember he hasn’t been convicted yet), the Florida company that made the toy may face legal troubles. After all, Vick gets paid to endorse products and using his name is a violation of the NFL trademark because the toy shows Vick in his Atlanta Falcons uniform.
If you’re interested in buying the $10.99 toy, check eBAY (where you’ll find it way over-priced) or get it straight from the source .
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August 8, 2007 - 8:15 am
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Cynthia
Today is Malbok, one of the three days of the year when Koreans consume most of the 100,000 tons of dog meat they eat every year.
Even though dog meat consumption is said to be illegal, statistics show that over 2 million dogs were slaughtered as food in 2005 with no decline this year.
A bill to legalize the sale and consumption of dog meat has been trying to come before the Korean National Assembly for seven months and has been stalled.
Dog meat is a delicacy with older Koreans. However, younger Koreans (under 30 years old) will not eat dog. Most younger people look at dogs as pets, not food. So the attitude is changing. Thank goodness!
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August 3, 2007 - 7:50 am
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Cynthia
A Boston man who tried to rob a convenience store discovered that the clerk wasn’t having any of it. An altercation ensued, a customer jumped in and the would be robber ran off. Problem was, he had brought along his roommate’s pit bull dog to the robbery. When the robber ran away, he left the dog at the store. All the police had to do was follow the dog, who lead them straight to the home of the robber. I think this guy qualifies as one of the dumbest criminals.
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July 29, 2007 - 1:50 pm
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Cynthia
