Guard Dogs

A multiple poisoning of guard dogs has taken place right here in Northridge. The death suffered by an animal that has been poisoned is a horrible one, especially if the poison happens to be strychnine, a chemical found in rat poison. The guard dogs at Motor Holidays were all one big happy family, with Duke the patriarchal head and Duchess the grandmother of the lot. These were two beautiful and loving shepherds. Little Sasha was only 5 months old and was a gentle spirit who would rather lie in the sun or play with a shop rag than hurt anyone.

Police in Belize searched Monday for the founder of McAfee Inc., who is wanted for questioning in the death of his American neighbor in a Caribbean island town. John McAfee lived next door to 57-year-old Gregory Faull, who was found dead Sunday morning in the hallway of his apartment, Belize Police Department spokesman Raphael Martinez said. Faull's housekeeper discovered him shot in the head, lying face-up in a pool of blood. Investigators believe Faull was killed late Saturday night or early Sunday morning during a rainy evening on the island of Ambergris Caye.

Out of work, the first batch of East German border guard dogs arrived in West Germany on Saturday in search of new jobs as house pets. Now that the Berlin Wall is open, East Germany doesn't need many of the dogs and cannot afford to feed them. So it is giving about 2,500 of its 6,500 dogs to West Germany.

There have always been good dogs and bad dogs. The good dogs come when you call, romp happily with the children and stay off the sofa. The bad dogs chase after cars, trample the flower beds and pass wind under the coffee table. Then there are the really bad dogs -- the cat-killers, face-biters and snarling, drooling wretches so mean even their owners want them shot. Those are Steve Markwell's kind of dogs. FOR THE RECORD: Dog sanctuary: In Friday's Section A, a photo accompanying an article on a sanctuary for mean dogs in Washington state was credited to Kim Murphy of the Los Angeles Times.

Ireland began electronically tagging guard dogs Friday after a vicious attack on two Dublin schoolboys by a pack of marauding German shepherds. Veterinary surgeons implanted electronic microchips under the skin of guard dogs to keep track of them, and officials set up a national register for an estimated 2,000 of the animals. The 9-year-old schoolboys were attacked outside their school last year by a pack of dogs and severely mauled.

Crystal and Moose, the two German shepherd guard dogs who were fired from their jobs at the Cultural Heritage Foundation because they were too nice to chase intruders, found new jobs over the weekend--as pets. Unlike their other line of work, the dogs got the hang of their new job quickly, said new owner Nancy Hansen of Van Nuys, a script supervisor. They frolicked in their new yard, barked at the neighbors' dogs, wolfed down dinner, and spent a night snoozing on the patio.

A man was attacked by three guard dogs and killed while trespassing at a steel storage yard in Compton early Saturday, sheriff's officials said. Deputies were called to the property in the 1800 block of West Compton Boulevard about 5:30 a.m. to investigate a suspected burglary. When they arrived, deputies found the dogs, which were pit bull mixes, mauling the suspected intruder. The man was taken to Memorial Hospital of Gardena, where he was pronounced dead, said sheriff's Lt. Mike Alerich.

Your article on guard dogs (Orange County Life, Jan. 11) failed to bring out one point which is very important to the safety of the average reader. In order to protect consumers from unscrupulous business operators, the California Business & Professions Code (Sect. 7520) requires that all persons who sell or train protection dogs, or Schutzhund dogs (German for protection), be licensed as Protection Dog Operators. Licenses must be publicly displayed and listed in printed advertisements.

An Inglewood man suspected of stealing and setting fire to a truck full of guard dogs was spotted by authorities Monday, but fled--only to be bitten and dragged by a police dog from his hiding place beneath a building. John Daniels, 30, had been sought since shortly after a truck loaded with 37 attack-trained dogs belonging to C & C Sentry Dogs International of Gardena disappeared from a southside street last Sept. 5. The truck was found ablaze a short time later.

For many years, the rental of almost anything with wheels--cars, trailers and motor homes--was common, and it still is. In recent years, though, enterprising merchants have added tools, machinery, garden equipment and sick-room equipment to the rental market, not to mention the items listed below and many more. Why rent at all? Some people find it difficult to make a final decision on purchasing an item, and renting gives them additional time; some want or need to preserve their cash.

As soon as Renee Legro saw the sheep, she screamed. The herd, 1,300 strong, has been coming for 30 years to graze in this valley on the backside of the Continental Divide. But as Colorado has become an adventure sports destination, the once-empty valley has filled with hikers, campers and mountain bikers like Legro, and she was about to tragically embody the collision of the old West with the new. Legro, 33, screamed because she knew what came with the herd -- guard dogs.

A man was attacked by three guard dogs and killed while trespassing at a steel storage yard in Compton early Saturday, sheriff's officials said. Deputies were called to the property in the 1800 block of West Compton Boulevard about 5:30 a.m. to investigate a suspected burglary. When they arrived, deputies found the dogs, which were pit bull mixes, mauling the suspected intruder. The man was taken to Memorial Hospital of Gardena, where he was pronounced dead, said sheriff's Lt. Mike Alerich.

It is tough being an alpha wolf -- the pack leader -- as Michael McDonald knows too well. It means deciding when they eat, where they live and, sometimes, which ones have to die. When he is near, the packs at Tsitsikamma Wolf Sanctuary, near the southern coast, jump up and start circling. They know he's the top wolf, but, he says, "I irritate them. I have to take all the harsh decisions. I am always the enemy."

That wiggly puppy pestering its owner for a chew toy may not look much like its wolf ancestors, but genetic research on our canine companions shows many have more in common with White Fang than some people might think. Like humans, dogs have about 99% of their genes in common with one another. But a few very distinct genetic differences separate them into some 400 breeds known worldwide. Researchers who compared dog genes to wolves found that a group of ancient dog types split off first.

The San Francisco couple on trial for the fatal dog-mauling of their neighbor knew their massive Presa Canario dogs were dangerous yet did nothing to prevent a ferocious attack, prosecutors said during opening statements Tuesday. "Diane Whipple was not the first victim of these dogs, but was the last in a line of almost 30 prior warnings and incidents," Assistant Dist. Atty. James Hammer said in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where the case was moved because of publicity in the Bay Area.

I'm against capital punishment for people, but what about dogs? Seems like I ought to develop a little consistency on the subject, but frankly, I don't want to think about it. Too much stress in my life already. That doesn't mean I wasn't drawn to the story last week about the dog named Slater who was put to death Saturday for its attack on a 10-year-old boy last Christmas. The boy needed more than 50 stitches on his face.

I'm against capital punishment for people, but what about dogs? Seems like I ought to develop a little consistency on the subject, but frankly, I don't want to think about it. Too much stress in my life already. That doesn't mean I wasn't drawn to the story last week about the dog named Slater who was put to death Saturday for its attack on a 10-year-old boy last Christmas. The boy needed more than 50 stitches on his face.

The hundred-pound-plus Rottweiler, jaws as big as a suitcase, strains at the end of his leash, whoofing and itching for a chance to attack. Finally, Ann Hill gives the command, and Sasko clamps his massive chops down on the protective leather sleeve held by trainer Brad Franz. After a few seconds of twisting and tugging, Hill calls her dog off, and Sasko is sweet as sugar. "He's my baby," says Hill, of Yorba Linda, the wife of former Los Angeles Rams' tight end David Hill.

Bane, the English mastiff crossbreed that fatally mauled a San Francisco woman, is part of a new generation of fighting dogs being bred for size and ferocity in a canine arms race that is yielding animals more than twice the size of the pit bull. The 123-pound animal leapt at Diane Whipple last week and clamped its large jaws around her neck, killing her in an attack so vicious that police later needed counseling.

With a promotion, a commendation and a pat on the rump, the Marine Corps' top dog on the West Coast was sent into retirement Friday. Po Boy's Smokin' Joe, an English bulldog with a sweet personality and an occasionally fierce countenance, was retired with full honors in a ceremony with a band, color guard and farewell speech by a general. "I spoke to Joe this morning," Maj. Gen. Jan C. Huly told a gathering of several hundred at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.