515 Crew

[Big Fat Retard]

Call Animal control at 515-284-6905

August 7, 2009
Dog? Wolf? Canine in custody until answer found

By TOM ALEX
talex@dmreg.com

Her owner says the animal isn't a wolf, but the police aren't so sure. A Des Moines ordinance says wolves can't be pets.

Scrappy was released on a probation of sorts Thursday pending a determination of whether the animal is a dog, wolf or wolf dog.

The animal has been in custody since April 29, when she was picked up after running loose.

When owner Crystal Smith tried to retrieve Scrappy from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc., someone decided the animal looked like a wolf and detained it.

Des Moines, like dozens of other cities, has an ordinance that says residents can't keep a wolf.

Smith said Scrappy isn't a wolf.

"I am not positive of her breed mix, but she has a Siberian husky look," said Smith, who has owned the animal for about eight years. "She does not have wild animal tendencies. She's very tame and friendly."

Police Sgt. Scott Raudabaugh, Des Moines' chief humane officer, said: "All the indicators, to me, are that it's a wolf. My dilemma is I can't just walk away from that. I don't feel comfortable with someone keeping it in the city like it's a dog."

Because the city ordinance mentions "wolves," and not wolf dogs or wolf-dog mixes, a court will decide the animal's fate.

The issue was discussed before Judge Robert Hanson on Thursday. But the only decision made was that Scrappy could be released to Rovers Ranch in Runnells, in the care of Darcy Emehiser, a professional dog trainer.

Emehiser promised under oath that she has ample insurance and a fenced area from which Scrappy can't escape.

Smith's attorney, Pam Vandel, said the issue boils down to whether Scrappy is a wolf or a dog. She said most dogs have wolf in their ancestry. Vandel said there's no way to know until Scrappy is dead whether she's a wolf.

L. David Mech, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota who has a special interest in wolves, said DNA can be used to tell whether an animal is a wolf or a dog but it won't yield a percentage of either in a mix.

He said it's not possible to tell a wolf from some hybrids by examination.

He said the World Conservation Union Wolf Specialist Group, of which he is chairman, recommends against keeping wolves or wolf dogs as pets.

No one has papers showing Scrappy's family tree.

A date for the next hearing was not announced.

[Big Fat Retard]

[joseph]

why is it funny to me that they cant tell until its dead? i mean how are they gonna tell after its dead? what are they gonna cut open that they couldnt do some kinda biopsy or something to now?

i guess the real lesson is dont let you dog run away and if it does make up one of those family tree deals.

[Nick]

Jesus. That's just ridiculous. The lady has had the dog for 8 years. If it was a threat to the owner or anyone else, don't you think it would have done something vicious already?

This just seems like a cop, who was probably picked on in high school, using their power to try and make themselves feel good. Leave the poor dog alone and let it go back home!

[Hank Fist]

no shit, there's plenty of mean and viscious dogs around town that should be in line in front of this animal. Perhaps they should spend $12,000 of taxpayers money to do some DNA testing on well a behaved dog.

Here are a couple of breeds that should be illegal to own:
Schnoodles
anything miniature
Pit Bull
Puffy Haired dogs

On a sort of side note, I find the breeding of and genetic modifications made to some of these animals more of travesty to nature than Bt corn (disclaimer:i work in biotech). Case in point: the miniature pincer or chihuahua. The skull of this animal has been decreased so obscenely the eyeballs practically pop out of the sockets, it's miniscule brain can barely keep the animal functioning properly without extreme human intervention, and the bark....ohhhh the bark.

[Nick]

Puffy Haired dogs

This has me dying over here for some reason.

[BIll]

Breed specific bans are bullshit. Owners that allow their dogs to be viscous should be outlawed not dog breeds. I have a ferocious child killing pit bull that is afraid of our cat. I cant even have my dog in the town I grew up in now. Its not the breeds fault, its not the dogs fault, its shitty dog owners that are to blame.

[Big Fat Retard]

I called the number and talked to Raudabaugh. The dude is a total douchebag. He's too stupid to realize that all dogs have wolf DNA. I asked if his badge trumps science and he got really angry and yelled at me. He said he wants more calls from the public. 515-284-6905.

[El Rhino]

He's too stupid to realize that all dogs have wolf DNA.

Uhh.... I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. Dogs do have wolf DNA but that doesn't mean that dogs are wolves and that they aren't able to be classified as separate species.

[Big Fat Retard]

He's too stupid to realize that all dogs have wolf DNA.

Uhh.... I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. Dogs do have wolf DNA but that doesn't mean that dogs are wolves and that they aren't able to be classified as separate species.

Raudabaugh is too dense to realize that. Just looking at that picture it's obvious that dog isn't a wolf, but a husky mix of some sort. Look at the feet. ( I guess you can't see the feet in the picture here, but you can see them in the register's photo.)

Even if the dog is part wolf, mixed dogs aren't illegal in Des Moines and there is no way in hell that dog is a purebred wolf.

I've dealt with Raudabaugh before and the guy is a mouth breathing, knuckledragging, inbred.He's one of those cops that thinks having a police badge makes him an expert on dogs. I helped a friend beat one of his cases in front of the city council and the creep was infuriated. it was quite funny.

[Hank Fist]

anyone ever seen the NOVA on dogs? it's really good. they remove breeding pressure from these dogs and kind of let them go feral, after 5 generations or something like that, they look like wolves.

dogs shouldn't be afraid of cats. there's something wrong with that dog.

[Big Fat Retard]

That ain't no wolf.

[BIll]

dogs shouldn't be afraid of cats. there's something wrong with that dog.

Lots of things wrong with her. But, being vicious is not one of them. If they can reform Michel Vic's dogs then there is no reason that any dog that hasn't already attacked someone should be put down.

They should DNA test scrappy to find out exactly what breed he is.

[joseph]

anyone ever seen the NOVA on dogs? it's really good. they remove breeding pressure from these dogs and kind of let them go feral, after 5 generations or something like that, they look like wolves.

dogs shouldn't be afraid of cats. there's something wrong with that dog.

I SEEN IT. its good

[Big Fat Retard]

dogs shouldn't be afraid of cats. there's something wrong with that dog.

Lots of things wrong with her. But, being vicious is not one of them. If they can reform Michel Vic's dogs then there is no reason that any dog that hasn't already attacked someone should be put down.

They should DNA test scrappy to find out exactly what breed he is.

L. David Mech, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota who has a special interest in wolves, said DNA can be used to tell whether an animal is a wolf or a dog but it won't yield a percentage of either in a mix.

He said it's not possible to tell a wolf from some hybrids by examination.

[weirdtaylor]

let the fucking dog go, if it eats some kids arm worry about it then. i have been around a lot of dogs that are saupose o be vishious the only dog i have ever been bitten by was a mini taco bell dog then it peed on me. fuck i have known people to have 15ft burmese pythons in their houses thats more frightning than a fucking dog that kinda, kinda looks like a wolf!

[Big Fat Retard]

let the fucking dog go, if it eats some kids arm worry about it then. i have been around a lot of dogs that are saupose o be vishious the only dog i have ever been bitten by was a mini taco bell dog then it peed on me. fuck i have known people to have 15ft burmese pythons in their houses thats more frightning than a fucking dog that kinda, kinda looks like a wolf!

if you think they should let the dog go, then pick up your phone and dial 515-284-6905 between 9-5, m-f and ask Sgt Raudabaugh and let him know what you think. The guy is getting bombarded with calls now and he's hating it. The more the merrier!

[Shamone Jackson]

The people that confiscated that great looking dog should be shot in the back of the fucking head and down they go into the ditch . Just like the old times.

[Hank Fist]

pretty sure in old times they'd just shoot the dog.

[inflaymes]

Wolves have very odd/split personality and pure wolves only have 4 hind toes! That should be proof enough for the dimwit cop!

At this time, no definitive test exists to prove if an animal is "part wolf". In time, science may provide such a test using DNA markers, but there is none now.

In 1993 dogs were reclassified as Canis Lupus Familiaris, a subspecies of Canis Lupus. There is no test currently, DNA or blood, to determine whether a dog has any "wolf blood" in him.

There has been, to my knowledge, no court case against a hybrid owner that was lost by the hybrid owner when the issue involved was identification. In other words, the states, counties etc. have been unable to prove in a court the identity of a suspected hybrid. This is primarily because wolves and dogs are the same species and no scientist has yet found a DNA marker that will hold up in court to "prove" an animal has recent wolf ancestry.

They probably never will, partly because a number of dog breeds themselves have recent wolf ancestry (like German Shepherds - absolutely documented). Partly because scientists think dogs are multiphyletic, i.e. they probably arose more than once from different subspecies of wolves. This would make an Alaskan malamute more related to a North American wolf than it would be to a German Shepherd (which probably derived from a European wolf). We can all have our opinions about which animals look wolfy but this is just opinion. It does not hold up in court (at least so far).

Let the dog GO!

[Big Fat Retard]

Wolves have very odd/split personality and pure wolves only have 4 hind toes! That should be proof enough for the dimwit cop!

You need to call Sgt Raudabaugh at 515-284-6905 and let him know this. For some reason he gets upset when you ask him what kind of training he has that makes him an expert on dog breeds.

[joseph]

Call Animal control at 515-284-6905



Scrappy was released on a probation of sorts Thursday pending a determination of whether the animal is a dog, wolf or wolf dog.

[inflaymes]

I would like to know HOW they are going to prove this? I think he is a cat...but that's just me.

[Varg]

Breed specific bans are bullshit. Owners that allow their dogs to be viscous should be outlawed not dog breeds. I have a ferocious child killing pit bull that is afraid of our cat. I cant even have my dog in the town I grew up in now. Its not the breeds fault, its not the dogs fault, its shitty dog owners that are to blame.

This.

I wasn't allowed to have a Great Dane OR a Boxer in Boston because they were considered viscous breeds. (so were German Shepherds,strong wtf?)
My friend out here has a Pitbull/mix and it's a great dog- waaay better behaved than all the other little worthless "toy" dogs.

They need to be getting their information from Casar Millan, not the local PD or wherever the fuck this shit comes from.

[inflaymes]

I worked in a kennel for over 3 years. Best breeds are Boxers, hands down! (I've always wanted one) German Shepherds also top the list. I have been around several Pitbulls and they all depend on how they were raised. All dogs have a tendency to be aggressive if they are never broken of the alpha male syndrome. DOgs are like people..some of them are shitheads.

[Hank Fist]

Dogs are bred to have different abilities. Some are genetically prone to fetch a ball, some are prone to rip your balls off. Dumb people often buy dogs prone to rip your balls off. I don't want those people to be able to buy those dogs.

[joseph]

Dogs are bred to have different abilities. Some are genetically prone to fetch a ball, some are prone to rip your balls off. Dumb people often buy dogs prone to rip your balls off. I don't want those people to be able to buy those dogs.

i dont want dumb people.

[Hank Fist]

one thing at a time, joseph, one thing at a time.

[joseph]

one thing at a time, joseph, one thing at a time.

did you start the list without me?

[Big Fat Retard]

Call Animal control at 515-284-6905



Scrappy was released on a probation of sorts Thursday pending a determination of whether the animal is a dog, wolf or wolf dog.

Scrappy is still under Animal Contol's custody and the owner will probably have to continue to pay boarding fees as long as the dog is in their custody. This isn't about keeping anyone safe, it's about the City of Des Moines extorting as much money as possible from pet owners. All Raudabaugh has to do is admit he's a dumbshit and he can let the dog go. He is the one who is solely responsible for keeping that dog from it's owner.