In case you haven't been following the news of this ongoing drama, “Charles the Monarch” a Labradoodle that was shaved down to look like a lion and his naughty owner, Daniel Painter, have been making quit a stir. It seems the non-compliant dog owner doesn't seem to understand that when a judge tells you to keep a leash on your pooch, it isn't just a suggestion.
In fact, Painter was caught on camera letting his would-be-King dog run loose just hours after he agreed to a plea that stated he was not to do this again. Charlie was picked up by the good folks at the Norfolk Animal Care Center where he was detained, yet again, while Painter was dealing with this situation.
Not looking good for Painter, he sprung the Labrapooch from his cell and fled to his sisters in Gloucester to avoid the fuzz.
Unfortunately, for the criminal canine and his owner, Sis was fully onboard with the law and promised to bring Charlie back to the Norfolk facility where he would await a new family to adopt him…hopefully, one that would understand the leash laws better than Painter.
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But Charlie's owner wasn't about to roll over and let his beloved fur baby be taken away from him. Later that week he went before Judge Trevor Robinson, who then signed off on a new agreement for the dog owner; build a fence or install an electric fence and use a leash when out in public at all times.
It also seems ole' Charles had the okay to run free when he was doing mascot work at Old Dominion University, according to this new agreement. The only problem was, Charlie never was an official mascot at this school and he didn't have any booked gigs there in the future either.
Even though the prospects of being zapped by an electrical shock in your own backyard may not be pleasant for the canine, his owner was also ordered to a 60 day jail sentence, a $2,500 fine, along with community service and a report on the woes of letting your dog run amuck. However, the story doesn't end there.
To date, Painter's fines were reduced to a mere $250, all jail time was suspended and he only needs to do 40 hours of community service and be on two years of good behavior (in other words, KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEASH)! He was also reunited with his furry wanna-be lion.
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But this still wasn't something Painter could adhere to, so he went after a license to have Charlie certified as a service dog because he claims to suffer from epilepsy. This tactic didn't work and was later turned down because of the pending case against Painter.
Although, this tenacious dog owner continues to have Charlie involved in charity work (and was even on Good Morning America where they met Rob Lowe) I'm not sure what his reasoning is to so blatantly disregard a simple leash law. Is it fame, money or just the pure disregard for the safety of his dog? You decide…
