Case Report

After more than a year in the Cass County Animal Shelter, Booger, or Bogey, is finally available for adoption. The 2- or 3-year-old husky-chow mix had been discovered 13 months ago chained to his doghouse in Dowagiac, apparently without food or water. His companion, a pit bull-terrier mix, had died, apparently of starvation.

Robin Rowe, an animal control officer at the shelter, named the surviving dog Booger for its "little snot'' tendency to tip over its food bowl and jump around in its pen. But Judy Brown, an animal control specialist, dislikes the name and calls the dog Bogey.

It was Brown who took pictures of Booger/Bogey, in hopes of having him adopted.

"He's a real ham,'' she said. "He was like, which way do I cock my head?''

County Animal Control Director Pat Featherston said the dog weighed just 29 pounds when it was removed from a property at 203 Second Ave. on Dec. 23, 2003. The removal followed by a day a neighbor's telephone call about the malnourished dog and its deceased companion.

"There were (food and water) bowls there -- they had been tipped over -- that were in the same position as the day before, so it didn't look like they were being cared for. So we got a warrant to seize the animal,'' Featherston said.

An examination at the Dowagiac Animal Hospital revealed worms in Booger/Bogey's intestines -- the cause of its malnutrition -- but no other signs of abuse. Featherston said the dog's owner, Clinton Woods, told him his family had traveled to Indianapolis for the Christmas holiday on Dec. 21, 2003, and he had arranged for someone else to care for the dogs in his absence.

Still, Woods was arraigned on animal cruelty charges in 4th District Court, where he entered an innocent plea. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, Featherston said, after he didn't appear for a final pretrial conference prior to his June 29, 2004, trial date.

By then, Woods apparently had moved to Indianapolis, where a civil forfeiture complaint was served that would have led to the dog's release from the shelter. But because Woods wasn't personally served -- the complaint was mailed and posted at his residence instead -- the state of Michigan didn't consider it proper notice and Booger/Bogey remained at the shelter.

Finally, the Cass prosecutor's office, at Featherston's request, researched the issue and agreed the dog could be put up for adoption.

Featherston said the case is still pending against Woods, who has been notified the dog will remain his property only if he's willing to pay just more than $2,000 in veterinary and boarding fees.

"Apparently, he doesn't want the dog back,'' he said.

He said Booger/Bogey now weighs 42 pounds, is in good condition and has had all its shots. Although the dog may not win any contests, Featherston cautioned that "beauty is only fur deep.''

Anyone interested in adopting the dog should call the shelter at (269) 445-3701.

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