There's the problem . . .
Posted on 05/07/2002 1:50:58 PM PDT by McGruff
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (May 7, 2002 12:29 a.m. EDT) - Buddy, the hero dog who attracted nationwide attention, is dead. The black Labrador retriever drew national attention two months ago after he lost his owner, Bill Hitchcock. The caretaker of a lodge on Prince William Sound's Knight Island and the island's sole winter resident died Feb. 15 in a tree-felling accident. Buddy apparently stood by Hitchcock for 12 days and then led searchers to his body. Lodge owners Roger and Marilyn Stowell of Spokane, Wash., received roughly 1,000 phone calls from people across America wanting to adopt Buddy. They picked Jim Brewer, mayor of the Alaska Peninsula village of Chignik. Reporters gathered at Lake Hood in Anchorage on March 7 to watch Buddy arrive via floatplane to join Brewer, who took him for a stroll. Everyone appeared happy; the dog had a loving new home. But the joy lasted barely a month. Brewer chose to have Buddy killed by Anchorage Animal Control after he became increasingly aggressive and bit his hand. "It turns out he was a super alpha male who had never been properly socialized with people," he said. "Everybody tried to put the best light possible on Buddy in hopes there was a small chance things would have worked out." Brewer said he brought Buddy to Anchorage in early April for a veterinary appointment and then left him with a family in the city to recuperate. While Buddy was there, Brewer said, his dominant personality peaked. The family asked Brewer to pick up the dog a few days later. "He was growling and acting aggressively with their young children," Brewer said. Brewer and his wife, Polly Aleck, took Buddy back to their Anchorage hotel room that morning. The dog continued acting surly throughout the day. "I took him for a walk after dinner. Then he sat down on the floor and after about five minutes had this bored look on his face," Brewer said. "I was watching TV in the hotel. He stood by the door, and I said, No.' He turned around on me with a challenging stare, lifting his lips, and started to growl." He walked Buddy to the car for a timeout. "As I was pushing him into the car, he turned to bite at me and ... . bit down and ripped through my hand," Brewer said. Brewer's wife drove him to the hospital, where he received 14 stitches. Hospital staffers called Animal Control to report the attack, and an officer responded to impound the dog. Erin Myers, Animal Control spokeswoman, said an animal that bites is ineligible for adoption. The owner must take the pet back or surrender it. Brewer signed a surrender form April 11, she said, and Buddy was put to sleep 11 days later. Roger Stowell was outraged to learn of the dog's death. Stowell said Buddy could be difficult and required special attention. "He was even aggressive like that with Bill," Stowell said. "That's the reason we were so selective in finding him a new home." Stowell said he'd been told about Buddy's biting Brewer and left a message to find out what was going on but never heard back. Marilyn Stowell spent about six hours speaking with Brewer over several days before deciding to place Buddy with him. In a March interview, she said she thought Buddy and Brewer would be soul mates and was ecstatic about the placement. Roger Stowell said he and his wife are upset things ended this way. "I told him if it didn't work out, I wanted Buddy back," Stowell said. "I didn't know what I was going to do if I got him back, but I wasn't going to put him down." Stowell said he would have searched for a new home for Buddy or sent him to a dog-training school in Colorado. Brewer said he consulted some Labrador retriever experts who told him that Buddy, age 4, was probably too old for corrective training. Brewer said he wasn't informed of Buddy's combative tendencies when he asked to adopt him.
"The dog continued acting surly"
Who the h*ll talks this way about a dog? Something sounds fishy to me.
Another Buddy abused by another politician.
Can anyone else think of a "super alpha male" who bites people and isn't properly socialized? Maybe we can introduce him to Brewer.
My vote for "Worst Mayoral PR of the Day".
Mr. Brewer sounds like something of a jerk. He probably asked for the dog as a PR stunt to begin with.
Me, too. Labs are usually even-tempered and pretty laid-back. This one is clearly agressive.
What's this bit about giving the dog a "time-out"? Is he kidding?
Or, introduce him to the animal control officer with a needle in his hand! Better put some ice on that.
Sadly, no!
Just another liberal whimp who will be beaten and eaten by his offspring.
No wonder this freak wasn't the alpha male, a timeout for a dog?
Dogs don't understand modern pschyco-babble. A quick grab, put the dog on his back, and stare him down for about five seconds is all it takes.
Our dog challenged for authority once when he thought I wasn't looking. I was. He knows his place in the pack now. Haven't had another problem since.
Semper Fi!
Who brought that stupid rule in?
Almost any dog will bite (or at least nip) under certain conditions.
Looks like it was his wife (Polly Aleck) who wanted the dog :
How's your pup doing? Mine has Cushing's disease. (I think that's just the vet's expensive way of saying he's old - lol). He's going bald. Very odd to see on a dog. He's slowing down a lot, but still barks, bites, jumps, runs, swims, and walks like a puppy. The teeth he has left are getting prettier everyday too. ;)
Same here,(with two)...one I got from my step daughter who found it half starved, beaten and tied to a tree...I took him and he was not "spirit" beaten, just physically, and was none too friendly towards the homo-sapien so to speak.
He now heels, returns, follows MY hand signals with a snap of my fingers. (Not that this all came about without punishment, but I know what works and what sends dogs the other way).
FMCDH
Well, I have to disagree with you here. My point is that Mr. Brewer never should have asked for the dog to begin with, if he's handing out 'time-outs' by trying to shove the dog into the car.
This dog demonstrated exactly the kind of devotion to his master that makes the flippancy with which Mr. Brewer dispatched him all the more... sad. That dog showed far more devotion to his master than Mr. Brewer ever showed for him. Brewer had to know there were 1000 people wanting to adopt the dog... a better solution definitely could have been worked out.
For 12 days this dog watched over his dead master.
I think dogs are great. It's this mayor I'm ticked off about.
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