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Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Tuesday 23 February 2010

10-year-old miniature dachshund named Spork has been declared vicious by the city of Lafayette in Colorado -

Reading - 10-year-old miniature dachshund named Spork has been declared vicious by the city of Lafayette in Colorado -

Spork the dachshund


A trip to the vet has sparked a legal drama that has a Colorado couple afraid they will lose their dog.

A 10-year-old miniature dachshund named Spork has been declared vicious by the city of Lafayette in Colorado, CBS station KCNC-TV reports.

The Walker family has spent $6,000 to save their dog and they plan to go to trial. There's a lot at stake: Spork could be euthanized, the family could be forced to move or Spork could be kenneled.

"He's our baby," said Spork's owner Kelly Walker. "We've had him for 10 years."

In August 2009 Spork was at the Jasper Animal Hospital for what's described as routine dental surgery. Spork was in Kelly Walker's arms and nervous.

"He was defecating on my arm and the floor," Walker explained.

At some point while in the animal hospital lobby Spork bit the vet tech in the face. Walker didn't actually see it happen.

"I knew about it when she turned around with her back towards me and I said what's the matter and she said he bit me," said Walker.

At the animal hospital Walker was told Animal Control would be contacted.

"I was crying. The dog was shaking," said Walker. "It was a horrible experience."

For the Walkers, the situation would only get worse. A few weeks later the city of Lafayette served them with a vicious dog citation.

"We found a Daily Camera article from 2007 that said of 33 tickets like this have been issued, 26 resulted in euthanasia or relocation," said Tim Walker, Kelly's husband.

State law regarding vicious dogs actually exempts veterinary professionals from dog bites. The Walkers hired an attorney.

"When we filed a motion to dismiss these charges under state law the municipality of Lafayette said 'we can assert home rule. We can govern our own people,'" said Jennifer Reba Edwards, the attorney for the Walkers.

The case goes forward in April. The Walkers say they will fight with all they've got to save Spork's life.

"You can't take your dog to the vet and end up a criminal," Tim Walker said.

On Tuesday Dr. Donald Dodge, chief veterinarian and founder of the Jasper Animal Hospital, released a statement.

"Jasper Animal Hospital has not advocated for, or participated in any way in subsequent decisions by the City of Lafayette to prosecute Spork's guardians. We remain very worried about everyone concerned -- the dog, his guardians, and the injured technician. We consider this incident a tragedy, and we sincerely wish the very best for everyone concerned, Spork in particular," Dodge said in the statement.

FDIC reports 27 percent jump in problem banks during the 4th Q of 2009 to 702, the highest level since 1993 -

Reading - FDIC reports 27 percent jump in problem banks during the 4th Q of 2009 to 702, the highest level since 1993 -

The number of "problem" U.S. banks jumped 27 percent during the fourth quarter of 2009 to 702, the highest level since 1993 and a sign the industry's recovery is still shaky, regulators reported on Tuesday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said the industry overall eked out a profit of $914 million for the quarter, benefiting from a healing economy, but said the improvement was concentrated in the largest banks.

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said the profit was a huge improvement over the $37.8 billion loss the industry reported in the fourth quarter of 2008. "It's not that this was a strong quarter. It's simply that everything was so bad a year ago," Bair said in a statement.

Smaller institutions are still struggling with deteriorating loan portfolios, especially with loans tied to commercial real estate. The FDIC set aside an additional $17.8 billion during the fourth quarter for expected bank failures.

Regulators have closed 20 U.S. banks so far this year and 185 since January 2008, as banks continue to struggle with loan portfolios stocked with souring loans.

Read more -http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Regulators-report-27-percent-rb-3180263608.html?x=0&.v=1