Doberman

I watched ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" for the first and last time Feb. 18. One almost can pardon adoring parents for thinking it's funny for "Junior" to pour dirt onto their pet Doberman's eyes but not the judgment of the show's producers for considering it to be a hilarious situation. Mary Lou Maloy, Hemet

While I have been extremely heartened by the reception of my movie"Hugo,"I feel that there is one area where we've been severely slighted. I have been cautioned against speaking out on this issue lest I create the appearance of churlishness. Well, I'm going to have to risk it. One recent morning, I turned on the television, and imagine my surprise when I heard the nominations for the first Golden Collar Awards for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. After all, we had Blackie the Doberman in our movie.

A group of World War II dogs--including 25 killed in action--have been recognized for their heroic service on Guam. A statue of Kurt, a Doberman pinscher who saved the lives of 250 Marines when he alerted them to Japanese soldiers, was dedicated at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville.

Those doe-eyed, tail-wagging pooches waiting for new homes may be as loyal as any dog lover could want. But anyone planning to adopt or purchase a dog should beware: Fido or Fifi could be a killer when it comes to homeowner liability insurance. Based on the dog-bite claims they see, insurers feel that some breeds are a poor risk.

I watched ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" for the first and last time Feb. 18. One almost can pardon adoring parents for thinking it's funny for "junior" to pour dirt onto their pet Doberman's eyes, but not the judgment of the show's producers for considering it to be a hilarious situation. Mary Lou Maloy, Hemet

I was unnerved at the picture of a beautiful, innocent animal strapped with explosives, who lay dead as a result of the Israeli raid into Lebanon (Part I, Dec. 10). Why can't people who wish to blow up other people carry their own explosives, instead of drafting a Doberman dog for an undeserved suicide mission? Let man destroy himself if he must, but keep animals out of it. TOM CARR Woodland Hills

A critically injured motorist's dog kept her rescuers at bay for an hour after she slammed into the back of a city bus Saturday, authorities said. Mary Joy, 35, of Los Angeles was traveling about 35 m.p.h. on Venice Boulevard near Clarington Avenue when she skidded on the rain-slick street into a stopped city bus about 5:15 p.m., police said. Joy's Datsun crumpled on impact, police said, and her face hit the steering wheel, inflicting major head injuries.

When a Doberman pinscher attacked an animal-control officer last week in Northridge, officials took the standard steps in dealing with the dog, whose owner no longer wanted him. The dog, named Apollo, was taken to the West Valley Animal Shelter, where he is being quarantined for the required 10 days and will probably be destroyed. "The dog's a goner for the most part because he's bitten people besides our officer," said Lt. Linda Gordon of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation.

A mountain lion killed in Glendora last Sunday by state game wardens was in "fine physical health with a stomach full of Doberman," a medical report by state wildlife investigators has concluded. Department of Fish and Game officials also said an examination of the canyon where the cougar kept its food proved that the animal was responsible for killing dogs and other domestic animals in the San Gabriel Mountains foothills of Glendora and Claremont.

An 81-year-old woman was attacked by her two Doberman pinscher dogs while walking them and bled to death from wounds to her throat, police said Thursday. Anna W. Freedman was walking the dogs, a male and a female, near her home Wednesday night when they attacked her for an unknown reason.

A Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after authorities said he told workers at a shelter that he was getting rid of his Doberman puppy because his hands hurt from hitting it. Isaak Gowhari, 34, was sentenced Thursday to 45 days in county jail after entering his plea to the misdemeanor counts. The judge also barred Gowhari from owning an animal for three years. Gowhari could not be reached for comment.

When it comes to watchdogs, I've always thought bigger is better. Something the size of Barney the Dinosaur except with much more bite. So what's this about a Chihuahua making the Top 10 list for watchdogs? And a poodle? Aren't poodles just for folks who want their pets in silly looking costumes? Not so, says Stanley Coren, who teaches psychology at the University of British Columbia in Canada and is author of "The Intelligence of Dogs."

A 62-year-old woman was bitten numerous times on her hands and her Doberman pinscher was killed following an attack by stray pit bull mixes Friday morning, police said. Dian Seifert of Westlake was walking her leashed dog, Kalinka, on a trail near Glastonbury Road when the dog was attacked by the strays about 9 a.m., according to a friend. "They went right at the dobie's throat," said Annette Bencke, who was with Seifert when the attack occurred.

A group of World War II dogs--including 25 killed in action--have been recognized for their heroic service on Guam. A statue of Kurt, a Doberman pinscher who saved the lives of 250 Marines when he alerted them to Japanese soldiers, was dedicated at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville.

A mountain lion killed in Glendora last Sunday by state game wardens was in "fine physical health with a stomach full of Doberman," a medical report by state wildlife investigators has concluded. Department of Fish and Game officials also said an examination of the canyon where the cougar kept its food proved that the animal was responsible for killing dogs and other domestic animals in the San Gabriel Mountains foothills of Glendora and Claremont.

An Anaheim man used a pocketknife to fend off an attack by a pit bull-like terrier who mauled him and his Doberman pinscher Tuesday as they were coming home from a walk, neighbors said. Greg Gardner, 28, was taken by a neighbor to UCI Medical Center in Orange after the attack by a neighbor's 4-year-old American Stafford terrier. He was treated for a dog bite to the right hand and later released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

A Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after authorities said he told workers at a shelter that he was getting rid of his Doberman puppy because his hands hurt from hitting it. Isaak Gowhari, 34, was sentenced Thursday to 45 days in county jail after entering his plea to the misdemeanor counts. The judge also barred Gowhari from owning an animal for three years. Gowhari could not be reached for comment.

Four pit bulls and a Doberman pinscher in San Bernardino mauled a 1-year-old girl who crawled into the unfenced yard where the animals were chained, authorities said Monday. The girl, Brenda Diaz, was reported missing from her home at about 6 p.m. Sunday, Sgt. Jenifer Aragon said. Police found her 30 minutes later in the backyard of a house next door with about 50 bite wounds over her body.

I watched ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" for the first and last time Feb. 18. One almost can pardon adoring parents for thinking it's funny for "Junior" to pour dirt onto their pet Doberman's eyes but not the judgment of the show's producers for considering it to be a hilarious situation. Mary Lou Maloy, Hemet

I watched ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" for the first and last time Feb. 18. One almost can pardon adoring parents for thinking it's funny for "junior" to pour dirt onto their pet Doberman's eyes, but not the judgment of the show's producers for considering it to be a hilarious situation. Mary Lou Maloy, Hemet