Dog days in Butler County

Has Butler County Judge Rob Lyons' decision on a dog named China come back to bite him?

China, aka Shadow, was a neglected pooch whose owner was found guilty of letting a chain collar get so tight that it was embedded in the flesh of the dog’s neck.

Lyons convicted owner Otis Clark Jr., on Aug. 2, of animal cruelty and having an unlicensed dog. But after Clark paid his fines and fees, Lyons allowed him to have China back; a move that outraged lots and lots of dog lovers in the region and prompted County Auditor Kay Rogers to say on a radio talk show that Lyons’ own three dogs didn’t have up-to-date licenses.

Actually by then Lyons’ son had registered the dogs – Cocoa, Allie and Ike – although they hadn’t been registered at the time of Clark’s conviction. All dogs are supposed to be registered by Jan. 31 every year, which means Rogers was technically correct that Lyons had been in violation.

The judge has defended his handling of China’s case, noting in his own radio interview that he has ordered Clark’s probation officer to periodically check on the dog’s welfare.

It’s fair to wonder why the judge was willing to give the dog back to somebody convicted of animal cruelty, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was convinced the Clark family will take better care of China now that the whole world and the county probation department are watching.

I do wonder about the county auditor ratting him out on the radio. The fact that he had belatedly gotten the licenses apparently has not softened her attitude toward the judge. The Enquirer reported she said Tuesday that she still considered the judge a dog law violator for having been late with the registrations, a matter she said she would have her staff bring to the attention of the county prosecutor.

Even with public outrage about animal cruelty rightly raised by the horrors of the Michael Vick case, I think that’s going a little far. If Rogers keeps gnawing at this bone, I think somebody should yank her chain.