bacpac adopts a dog

“I was down on the Buffalo River dodging horses and torn toilet paper. Except for the human mess it was a pretty good day. I had bagged a geocache and found a nice camp spot, I made a late lunch and decided I was too bored to camp so I headed back which meant I could cross the river four times or cross the mountain once.

I started up the mountain when something behind me in the brush caught my attention. A dog was following me up the mountain. I waved my stick and told it to go away. I leaned into the mountain again and the dog followed at a fair distance. I finally called to the dog and she came pretty close. After that she stayed with me. The dog never barked or jumped on me.

Four miles later I made it to the parking lot the dog went to investigate a campsite. I felt guilty even though it wasn't my dog. The dog caught up to me again and approached another camper on the parking lot. I told the lady it was not my dog. I got in my truck and left. The dog was following the lady camper as I headed home.”

“For 2 seconds. Well, it's progress anyway”

“You should have taken the dog!

8)”

“LOL!!! waved,,,,, don't you mean swung!!”

“Hell just froze over.”

“It did?

8)

Thats good!”

“oh, I do believe, I do believe...I do I do, I do I do believe.”

“Dogs often are sttracted to things that smell like #&%!$.”

“Dogs often are attracted to things that smell like #&%!$.”

“"You should have taken the dog!
8)"
its crazy mike

Heck, you should have taken the lady!”

“Any body else see the blue moon tonight? Should've taken in the abandoned or lost pooch.

Happened to me last year...same thing, the pooch followed another family when we were near the trailhead...I let the dog follow them (I was thinking of using a cord to tie him/her to me)...at least I gave the dog some water. Hope the family took the dog...I still wonder this days.”

“Should have taken the dog??? Are you nuts? Why? The dog was in excellent health with a collar and shoulder harness, but no tags. I assumed it belonged to a canoist who was looking for it. I was parked at the down stream take out point. It seemed like a likely place for the owners to find it.

Take the dog? You people are nuts.”

“I can hear Hank Williams.....




........Cold, cold heart...”

“I woulda left it too. Someone was probably looking for it.”

“Or take the dog and leave a few found dog signs around. It's probably better for the dog to not go home with bacpac anyway.”

“I wouldn't have taken the dog either. Someone was prolly lookin' for him. This isn't to say that I am joining forces w/ bacpac. (just a little disclaimer)”

“And what happened then...?
Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!”

“Yeah, but its fun to pick on bacpac!



The poor widdoo doggie!



Three sizes?
That's just from all that cholesterol.”

“wow, bacpac actually...backpacks.

i always wanted to check out the buffalo, heard many great things about the area.”

“Like Pepperdog said...I meant take the dog and leave "Found Dog" signs on posts near the trailhead.”

“The dog approaches the lady camper

Lady camper says to bacpac:
"Does your dog bite?"

bacpac replies:
"No"

dog bites lady camper.

lady camper says to bacpac:
"I thought you said your dog does not bite!"

bacpac replies:
"That is not my dog."”

“stan, I didn't find the dog. The dog found me, besides she left a few signs on the trail.”

“jmitch, You are spending too much time thinking about me. Get a life.”

“shure its not a calf? or maybee a monkey?”

“I am certain it was a dog. However it never barked so I couldn't tell what it was by the sound it made.”

“Bacpac, I think prowler was asking if you are a monkey, not the dog.

LOL”

“bacpac, don't flatter yourself, although you're in obvious need of it.”

“Monkey schmonkey, bacpac is a member of the great ape family.”

“Take it easy on him. It's not easy being the last surviving Neanderthal.”

“Geez, I'd bet if Bacpac took the dog a bunch of folks here would call him a dog thief.”

“Some of my friends call me DK, short for Dog Killer.”

“Is that like Jerry Lee Lewis's , "Killer"?

Roll over Rover and let bacpac take over.........






........and bacpac drove 'er!”

“the buffalo rocks! i can't waqit to go to the upper buffalo wilderness! we do alot of hiking and floating there. i have never seen the dog, however.”

“Falmouth man takes on neighbors and their pets

By PAULA PETERS
STAFF WRITER

FALMOUTH - Kevin Donohoe believes he is making his world a safer place. Fed up with what he believes is the lack of enforcement of canine laws in Falmouth, and motivated by a fear of dogs, Donohoe has taken the policing of his neighbors' pets into his own hands.

But instead of being applauded for his efforts to rid the town of loose dogs defecating on beaches and frightening unsuspecting citizens, Donohoe has been branded a vigilante, advised by a selectman and a judge to seek psychiatric help for his phobia, and banned from a section of Falmouth Heights from Vesper Avenue to Tower House Road for two years.

The 54-year-old retired CPA, who splits his residence between a home in Natick and another on Alma Road in Falmouth Heights, makes no bones about his disdain for dogs.

"I'm afraid of dogs, I don't want them anywhere near me," he said.

His confrontations with dog owners have earned him seven criminal convictions in the last two decades, mostly in Natick, his primary residence except for the last few years when he has been spending more time in Falmouth.

In Natick, Donohoe has a record of six convictions on charges ranging from assault and battery, destruction of property, threats, disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct resulting from his dog-related confrontations with neighbors there dating back to 1986.

Last week, Donohoe was in Falmouth District Court to answer charges that he violated Judge Michael Creedon's order to stay out of Jennifer Fitts' neighborhood, a condition of his Oct. 8 conviction of disorderly conduct.

Last February, Donohoe was riding his bike up Crown Avenue when Fitts' dog, a Labrador retriever mix named Radar, ran over to Donohoe unleashed, along with an 11-year-old deaf springer spaniel belonging to Fitts' sister, Karen Thornton of Centerville.

Donohoe admits he assumed his "defensive position" and grabbed a metal rod he keeps on his bike to defend himself against the two dogs, but the more he swung, the more the dogs "lunged" at him.

Fitts, who was across the street with her toddler and sister, ran over to retrieve the dogs. The encounter with Donohoe was by all accounts unpleasant. She accused Donohoe of becoming belligerent and using vulgar language in front of her 3-year-old son, even as they restrained the dogs.

Fitts said the whole encounter was frightening, and Donohoe's presence in the neighborhood became more profound after the incident. He carried a canvas bag with a camera and tape recorder he used to document dogs and people he considered suspect, according to Fitts, and the metal rod was ever present across his handle bars.

For that reason, Fitts said, there was widespread relief when the judge ordered him to stay away. But shortly after the order, two neighbors reported to police that Donohoe had been in the area.

"When we saw him in the neighborhood less than two weeks after the trial, that was very nerve-wracking," Fitts said.

At last week's hearing, Creedon listed several streets leading to Circular Avenue that will be off limits and sternly rebuked Donohoe, who he said clearly violated the spirit of the order..



A matter of control
So what would drive a man to ride his bike around town armed with weapons and surveillance equipment?
Donohoe has never been bitten, but has a vague childhood memory of a dog lunging at him, planting the seed of fear that would grow throughout his life. It was a jogging experience some 25 years ago, when he was chased by a barking dog, that prompted him to go on the defensive.

"I was terrified, and I never wanted a dog to have that control over me again," he said.

He has since given up jogging, but Donohoe loves to walk the beaches of Falmouth and ride his bike along the many quiet streets and bike trails. Unfortunately, they are places he said where he often encounters loose dogs with careless owners.

Donohoe denies his fears are irrational and readily points to the mauling death of 33-year-old Diane Whipple in San Francisco two years ago. While death by dog bite is rare, according to the Dog Bite Law Web site, attacks by dogs have reached epidemic proportions as the dog population steadily increases.

In the United States, approximately 5 million people a year are bitten by dogs . Most require only minor attention, but an average of 15 to 20 attacks are fatal, according to the data.

Everything he does, Donohoe said, is to protect himself from being attacked and to encourage dog owners to obey the law.

"What makes me so provocative is that I am very intent on not getting bitten," he said "There are a group of dog owners who are very upset at me because I'm trying to get the laws enforced. So I get demonized."

Which is what he believes happened during the October trial where he was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct, and Fitts and her sister became victims. Only Fitts was given a citation for having a loose dog. Thornton, who lives in Centerville, was not cited. The jury rejected the assault charge, but agreed Donohoe had been disorderly. He claims the sisters were just as guilty in that respect.

In addition to the stay away order, Creedon sentenced Donohoe to two years in the House of Correction, suspended, ordered him to undergo anger management training, and also suggested Donohoe get counseling to address his irrational fear of "man's best friend."



Justice or harassment?
Falmouth Selectman Troy Clarkson gave Donohoe similar advice last November when he appeared before the board holding a hearing on his complaints about a rambunctious chocolate Labrador retriever named Travis.
Donohoe claims the dog belonging to his neighbor, Arthur Cunningham, chased Donohoe on his bike on several occasions, prompting selectmen to order Cunningham to keep the dog tied.

But since then, Cunningham, his girlfriend and Travis have reportedly been under surveillance by Donohoe.

"He rides by my house three to five times a night," said Cunningham. "He doesn't act like someone who is afraid of dogs, I think he goes looking for dogs on purpose."

Falmouth Animal Control Officer Tom Garland, who describes Donohoe as a vigilante, considers his behavior to be very unusual considering his professed fear of dogs. "He sees a loose dog and approaches it, violently swinging his club and yelling at the owner. People can be afraid of dogs, but what he does would actually provoke a dog."

In September, Donohoe stopped his bike in front of Cunningham's house and began taking pictures of his girlfriend playing with the dog in the yard. She filed a report with Falmouth Police.

"To me he is just harassing us," said Cunningham, who feels as if he is being stalked.



"A file a mile thick"
According to a recent survey of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, an estimated 68 million dogs are pets in this country. Dogs live in four out of 10 households and about one quarter of dog owners have more than one dog. In Falmouth, according to town licensing records, there are nearly 2,500 dogs.
Garland, the animal control officer, said he began hearing from Donohoe about two years ago and regularly checks on his complaints but doesn't see nearly as many loose dogs as Donohoe does.

"We have a file a mile thick with his complaints," Garland said.

He denies there is a pack of loose dogs plaguing Falmouth. He said when he does receive complaints they are followed up, but Animal Control consists of Garland and one assistant. Most calls are picked up by an answering machine and the officers check up on a complaint hours after it was made.

"Sometimes I issue citations," said Garland, but not always. Like a police officer who can often issue a warning, Garland said, "I have to evaluate how flagrant the violation is. We don't run down every delinquent dog owner and give them a citation."

Town Administrator Robert Whritenour said Garland is doing a fine job with animal control in Falmouth and Donohoe's characterization of Falmouth's dog problem is far from the reality.

However, a year and a half ago Garland came under fire when several dog bite reports accumulated against one dog, Buster, before a hearing took place before selectmen. Garland was accused of giving the owner too many chances, but selectmen ordered the dog destroyed.

Donohoe admits his past convictions in Natick don't look good, but swears he has done nothing wrong.

At Natick District Court an employee in the clerk's office wouldn't give his name, but confirmed that Donohoe is also well known in the courthouse. "He was here a lot, the neighbors were here a lot, and it was all about the dogs," she said. "He would take pictures and record people."

Natick Animal Control Officer Keith Tosi said Donohoe is well known to the town's police department where Donohoe complained about neighborhood dogs, and neighbors complained about Donohoe.

"We have had numerous complaints, everything from assault and battery, cruelty to animals, and foul language," Tosi said.

To say that Donohoe disliked the dogs of Natick is an understatement, said Tosi. "He hates dogs passionately."

Donohoe said his problems in Natick resulted from a few dog owners who insisted on allowing their dogs to defecate on his lawn. He said, moreover, he was successful in getting animal control in the town to crack down on delinquent dog owners, and he intends to see the same thing happen in Falmouth.

Despite his legal troubles, which he said have cost him considerably, Donohoe does not plan to back down until there is "vigorous enforcement" of the town's animal control laws.

In a perfect world, said Donohoe, "I would love to just go out there and not encounter any dogs."

Cape Cod Times”

“Sounds more like Micah than bacpac. Did he leave little LNT=LDH graffiti signs behind?”

“Where's Buddha Bear? He just loves these backpacking stories!”

“DAT'S A FUNNY STORY.

First . . . I fully agree that joggers and bikers should NOT have to deal with dogs that are improperly restrained.

Second, and in the interest of full disclosure . . .

I have been jogging in THAT EXACT neighborhood for 10 years

without a single dog incident (that I can remember, and I am fairly well attuned).

My oldest son learned to ride a two wheeler in that neighbor, goes out for rides with his Gramma in that neighbor, we walk back and forth to the beach, and go for evening walks . . .never a problem


Then there were the cvoyotes living under my inlaws shed . . .in that neighborhood.”

“So now we know how to find you Mr. AnonymousLee.”

“Perhaps you'd better thank Mr. Donohoe for making the neighborhood safe for you, lee.”

“Mr. Donohoe's OK. People no longer appreciate hard work or a job well done. It is obvious that animal control is not doing their job in that neighborhood.”

“Ahhhhhh LyndyS


Not quite . . .I live in CT. I vacation at my in-laws summer place on the Cape (Falmouth Heights) for a week or two each summer (although I may be up there over Thanksgiving day weekend)”

“It's urban living nowslimmer. The city does not do its job, but they persecute those who take it upon themselves to do the job themselves.

It's the old Catch-22. When Major Major is in, you cannot see him. You can only see him when he's out.”

“Sleuthing is possible, though, Lee. I like the Cape but I hate the traffic getting there.”