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ImkerVS
05-03-2007, 15:20
'DOG-GONE!'
Story from The Valley Beautiful Beacon, Tuesday, May 1, 2007
By Dustin Street, Staff writer

Dog-gone it! The Unicoi County Sheriff's Department arrested 20-year-old Joseph Fricke, 3140 Windermere Drive in Pensacola, Florida, last Wednesday after they found him to be in possession of a 16-month-old blue tick named "Boot".

The dog, a highly-trained, skilled hunting dog owned by Steve Shelton, whose property is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, went missing around Monday. Shelton told authorities it was not the first time one of his dogs had gone missing.

Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris said the dog was wearing a collar with identification when it wandered onto the Appalachian Trail and found a group of hikers. Apparently, one of the hikers actually located a phone and called Shelton (the owner) to inform him that his dog was with a man named "Yogi" (Fricke's trail nickname).

The man also told him that the dog's collar had been removed and discarded and replaced by a bandana and a rope.

According to the sheriff, Fricke renamed the dog "Boo-Boo". Interestingly, Fricke's trail name ("Yogi") and the name he gave to the dog ("Boo-Boo") are consistent with two cartoon characters from the popular Hanna-Barbera classic "Yogi Bear".

Harris said he and Mike Hensley traveled to the Appalachian Trail at Bald Mountain Wednesday to look for Fricke so that Shelton's dog, which had been missing for two days could be safely returned.

Harris said he and another deputy walked all the way to Spivey, a distance of about six miles, looking for the pair. Hensley had come off the mountain and tracked Fricke to a nearby hostel.

Fricke was found at the hostel and arrested for theft by the sheriff's department. Harris said Fricke admitted to taking the dog along for his hike but that he would not admit to removing and discarding the dog's collar.

Fricke also admitted to other allegations that he tried to sell the dog once and then, seeing he could not sell it, he tried to give the dog away later.

Fricke was booked into the Unicoi County Jail, where he spent the night. Fricke's court date had been set for the next morning on April 27. By the end of the day, Harris said, he was back on the trail heading north.

Harris said that Fricke told him his night in jail was the most comfortable sleep he'd had in a long time.

Shelton's blue tick was found in the Spivey area by Hensley after a search. Boot was returned to Shelton, his owner, who estimated the hunting dog's value to be at or around $10,000.

Lone Wolf
05-03-2007, 15:22
Good. Serves his ass right.

Alligator
05-03-2007, 15:25
I guess Yogi really isn't smarter than the average bear.

Overpass
05-03-2007, 15:41
Boot was returned to Shelton, his owner, who estimated the hunting dog's value to be at or around $10,000.

I call bullshait on that one. Anyone who actually had a dog worth that much would never let it run around like a stray to get hit by a car, shot by a hunter or stolen. Sounds like someone was planning a wee bit of insurance fraud.

Rhino-lfl
05-03-2007, 15:41
Typical isn't it.

Quoddy
05-03-2007, 15:43
Even stole a REAL thru hiker's name.

SGT Rock
05-03-2007, 15:44
Ms Janet was telling this story at Hot Springs, but the facts of the story were not the same.

Nean
05-03-2007, 15:46
Something smells poopy.:eek:

Overpass
05-03-2007, 15:47
I call bullshait on that one. Anyone who actually had a dog worth that much would never let it run around like a stray to get hit by a car, shot by a hunter or stolen. Sounds like someone was planning a wee bit of insurance fraud.
Not to mention the fact that at 16 months, the dog is still a puppy (puppyhood in dogs is defined as 0-18 months). A 16-month old puppy hasn't had time yet to become a "highly skilled, trained hunting dog".

Rhino-lfl
05-03-2007, 15:54
Not to mention the fact that at 16 months, the dog is still a puppy (puppyhood in dogs is defined as 0-18 months). A 16-month old puppy hasn't had time yet to become a "highly skilled, trained hunting dog".

It's still worth more then the coward bitch who stole him.

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 15:57
Yet another problem with this story/article:


'... they found him to be in possession of a 16-month-old blue tick named "Boot".

Then later:


Shelton's blue tick was found in the Spivey area by Hensley after a search.

How was he "in possession" when the dog was still running around loose in the woods (and required a search in order to be found) at the time the hiker was arrested?

Nean
05-03-2007, 16:01
It's still worth more then the coward bitch who stole him.

I'd like to hear Miss Janets version of this story.:-? The article said he went to court- but not that the kid was convicted of anything.:confused: If the dog had a collar the owner should of been called.:cool: If the dog is worth 10,000 the owner should take better care of it.:(

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 16:24
Blue tick hounds are a dime a dozen down south. Shelters are full of 'em (along with pits and chows). Ain't no such thing as one worth 10 grand.

spittinpigeon
05-03-2007, 16:29
After all the missing dog signs I saw on the trail, I have no pity for anyone who doesn't know what a leash is. They deserve to have their dogs stolen.

leeki pole
05-03-2007, 16:39
Blue tick hounds are a dime a dozen down south. Shelters are full of 'em (along with pits and chows). Ain't no such thing as one worth 10 grand.
Great trail name, by the way! You are absolutely right, they're everywhere down here. No way is a bluetick worth ten grand. The way most folks around here treat them, in a pen, no heartworm meds, no frontline, is a disgrace. The hiker was probably doing the dog a favor by giving her some attention. Smells like poop to me.

Rain Man
05-03-2007, 16:41
It's still worth more then the coward bitch who stole him.

You can't steal abandoned property.

Rain:sunMan

.

lobshot
05-03-2007, 16:48
Must have been a slow day for the sheriff and two others to go hiking 6 miles (hey, is he now a section hiker?) on the trail looking for a dog.
So, I wonder what the original phone call to the sheriff sounded like? " Uh, one of my dogs that I let run loose is missing. I heard he is on the Appalachian Trail. Would you and a couple deputies track him down for me? I suspect some hiker trash stole my dawg and I want justice."

The Weasel
05-03-2007, 16:53
You can't steal abandoned property.
Rain:sunMan
.
Actually, you can. But that topic's not goin' into The Weasel's Handy Dandy Law for Backpackers 101.

Sure hope Yogi read it, tho. Especially the part about, "Be nice to those people in uniforms with big honkin' guns." Maybe I should add a section on "Etiquette For Trail Hikers In Erwin City Jail". A few will recall that another thru was hassled in Erwin and his post was what led to my original thread.

Maybe I should add a section on "Etiquette For Trail Hikers In Unicoi Jail Or Don't Pick Up The Soap Just Because Bubba Tells You To."

The Weasel

mweinstone
05-03-2007, 17:19
theres only two facts. sarge and miss janet report diferent things than the papaer. thats fact one. papers get everything wrong as people who have been reported on know well. fact two. the dog had a lousy time of it. that is all. wait to judge or rush to judge. its your call.ill gander the thruhiker was an ass at least.

Overpass
05-03-2007, 17:20
The dog...went missing around Monday.

Around Monday?? He doesn't even know what day the dog left?

Yeah, suuure it's worth 10k.:rolleyes:

Dances with Mice
05-03-2007, 17:28
Sounds like my uncle. He'd have a five thousand dollar hunting dog riding in the back of his three hundred dollar pickup.

generoll
05-03-2007, 17:41
don't mess with a mans dog. many years ago my cousins daughter (can't figure out the bloodline there) went car camping at Whiggs Meadow with one of her girlfriends. a 'stray' dog showed up and it was a cold night so they felt sorry for the pooch and let it sleep in the car with them. since the dog had this funny collar with a wire stick out of it they took the collar off so it wouldn't poke them as the dog moved around. next morning they drove out and before they got to the skyway they found the road blocked by a pickup containing one very irate redneck. an armed one by the way. he held them at gunpoint and called the sheriff who came and calmed things down and convinced the girls to consider themselves lucky and go home.

wasn't there something here on WB just the other day about stupidity vs malice? dunno what the whole story is, but as i recall the mountain near Devils Fork Gap is called Shelton Laurel and the civil war graves there contain the remains of some Sheltons. probably not a good place to p*ss off the Shelton clan.

mudhead
05-03-2007, 19:26
How to impress the locals.

Heater
05-03-2007, 20:04
theres only two facts. sarge and miss janet report diferent things than the papaer. thats fact one. papers get everything wrong as people who have been reported on know well. fact two. the dog had a lousy time of it. that is all. wait to judge or rush to judge. its your call.ill gander the thruhiker was an ass at least.

I would like to adopt that dog. It would not even want to leave my side. :-?

warraghiyagey
05-03-2007, 20:09
With everything else said, it sure seems as though Yogi is living very close to the meaning of his trail name.;)

Darwin again
05-03-2007, 20:19
Good. Serves his ass right.

Damn straight. No animal should be forced to hike.

stumpy
05-03-2007, 20:21
After all the missing dog signs I saw on the trail, I have no pity for anyone who doesn't know what a leash is. They deserve to have their dogs stolen.



I guess you have never owned a dog? I keep a super close eye on my German Shorthaired Pointer, and he is still able to get free every now and then. I wouldn't wish a missing dog on anyone. That would be just pure hell. I know that 10k sounds like alot for a dog (probably over valued in this case), but I assure you that there are hunting dogs that have that much spent on training alone. A dog with great blood lines can be worth a mint in puppy fees!

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-03-2007, 20:37
I checked on the prices of trained blueticks - the highest I saw was about $3,000. Something is fishy.

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 20:41
I guess you have never owned a dog? I keep a super close eye on my German Shorthaired Pointer, and he is still able to get free every now and then. I wouldn't wish a missing dog on anyone. That would be just pure hell. I know that 10k sounds like alot for a dog (probably over valued in this case), but I assure you that there are hunting dogs that have that much spent on training alone. A dog with great blood lines can be worth a mint in puppy fees!

With respect, I know a fair bit about this topic. While stud fees can be in the hundreds of dollars per breeding for a proven, titled stud dog in areas such as conformation champions, search & rescue dogs and some other types, this is simply not the case with the hound breeds. Hunting dogs are a dime a dozen and the blue tick is the most common of those. At the most, a famous, proven hunting dog who had consistently sired superior offspring might be worth a thousand or two. Maybe. But this dog was an unproven puppy. And in any case, even IF this so-called $10,000 hunting dog existed, no one in their right mind who owning it would EVER let it run loose.

stumpy
05-03-2007, 21:36
I was thinking more on the dam side versas the sir. A litter with 10 pups at $300 dollars a pup works out to be $3000. As I said before, I would call BS on this guy, however it is not unrealistic for a hunting dog (even a blue tick hound) be worth that type of money. As with most coon hounds, it would not be unrealistic to think that it could get out of sight and be missing for a couple days on end either.

stumpy
05-03-2007, 21:37
Should have been dame and sire! :eek:

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 22:08
Should have been dame and sire! :eek:

Um, the term for a whelping bitch is dam, not "dame".

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 22:12
As with most coon hounds, it would not be unrealistic to think that it could get out of sight and be missing for a couple days on end either.

The article stated that the dog "wandered off" the owners property and he didn't even know the exact day the dog left. Obviously, it wasn't hunting at the time.

Rain Man
05-03-2007, 22:14
Actually, you can.

No, actually, you can't. If it's abandoned, there's (intentionally) no owner and no one to steal it from. You confusing lost and abandoned, perchance?

Personally, I wonder if that owner shouldn't be brought up on animal neglect charges? He could be on the Animal Planet channel!

Rain:sunMan

.

warraghiyagey
05-03-2007, 22:26
The article stated that the dog "wandered off" the owners property and he didn't even know the exact day the dog left. Obviously, it wasn't hunting at the time.

Blue Ticks are always hunting if left to their own devices. That's why the dog wandered off. Sounds like the guy's as much of a douche as the Judge suing his pants cleaner for 65 mil.
Yogi might do well though to make better choices. A friendly dog alone in the woods is fun to pet and pay attention to but that doesn't equate to ownership.
And a dollar value on a dog (especially ten thousand) is only worth it if you're the doosh willing to spend it.
An dog is not a commodity to be traded sold or marked for dollar value. It is a creation of nature as we all are and if we are fortunate enough a friend or companion.
With that all said Yogi might also be a dewsh for having collected a friend that was not for him to decide abscond with.:)

stumpy
05-03-2007, 22:27
Yes, you are correct "dam" is what I was looking for. That does not change the point that a dog (even a Blue tick) could be worth that much money. That was really my point from the start. This guy is probably full of crap, and was probably not keeping up with his dog. The hiker was probably acting shady as well. According to the article another hicker called and reported the guy. So, I am sure he was not just being followed by the dog. At any rate, if anyone were to find a dog with ID and/or a collar, it belongs to someone and should not just be looked at as a stray. Dogs get away from owners, and hunting dogs more than other breeds. My dog is micro-chiped, wears a collar with a tag, and even has a tat in his left ear (just in case he were to get away from us).

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 22:44
Yes, you are correct "dam" is what I was looking for. That does not change the point that a dog (even a Blue tick) could be worth that much money. That was really my point from the start. This guy is probably full of crap, and was probably not keeping up with his dog. The hiker was probably acting shady as well. According to the article another hicker called and reported the guy. So, I am sure he was not just being followed by the dog. At any rate, if anyone were to find a dog with ID and/or a collar, it belongs to someone and should not just be looked at as a stray. Dogs get away from owners, and hunting dogs more than other breeds. My dog is micro-chiped, wears a collar with a tag, and even has a tat in his left ear (just in case he were to get away from us).

Stump, I agree 100% about all your points except one: There is no way an untrained, unproven bluetick puppy would be worth more than, at most, maybe $50, and that only if it was sired by something decent. Unicoi County, Tennessee, is hardly a hotbed of champion blueticks who could sire anything worth selling/trading for more than a case of cheap beer.

I agree that the hiker almost certainly did something shady. Agreed also that if you find a dog w/collar and tags, anything other than calling the owner is cruel, if not criminal.

Finally, I concur that it looks like a pretty clearcut case of intended insurance fraud on the part of the puppy's owner. What an asshat.

Lone Wolf
05-03-2007, 23:05
cyber hikers unite! buncha armchair Aholes.

stumpy
05-03-2007, 23:13
Stump, I agree 100% about all your points except one: There is no way an untrained, unproven bluetick puppy would be worth more than, at most, maybe $50, and that only if it was sired by something decent. Unicoi County, Tennessee, is hardly a hotbed of champion blueticks who could sire anything worth selling/trading for more than a case of cheap beer.

I agree that the hiker almost certainly did something shady. Agreed also that if you find a dog w/collar and tags, anything other than calling the owner is cruel, if not criminal.

Finally, I concur that it looks like a pretty clearcut case of intended insurance fraud on the part of the puppy's owner. What an asshat.

I guess that we are just approaching this from different angles. I don't believe for one second that the dog in the article is worth that much money. I just know that many people read that figure and can't believe that any dog would be worth such a large sum of money. The money put into and made from champion hunting dogs would blow most peoples minds. It is unreal how much money is spent on thier training, breeding, etc.

Lone Wolf
05-03-2007, 23:18
let's take up donations to free the little hippy:banana

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 23:22
I guess that we are just approaching this from different angles. I don't believe for one second that the dog in the article is worth that much money. I just know that many people read that figure and can't believe that any dog would be worth such a large sum of money. The money put into and made from champion hunting dogs would blow most peoples minds. It is unreal how much money is spent on thier training, breeding, etc.

I think we agree about more stuff than we disagree about. I respect that you obviously know quite a bit about dogs yourself . I guess my only points are that

a) No way it was "champion hunting dog", just a 16-month old puppy, and;

b) if the dog really was (even in the redneck owner's mind) worth that much, it wouldn't be allowed to "wander off the owner's property" without the owner even being sure which day of the week it departed.. Hell, if I owned something worth 10 g's, I'd sure as heck keep it secured.

stumpy
05-03-2007, 23:29
If I had a dog worth $10,000 I would never let it out of my site. It would be the most misrable dog on earth! I can barely keep track of my cheap, hunting dog!

Rufous Sided Towhee
05-03-2007, 23:37
If I had a dog worth $10,000 I would never let it out of my site. It would be the most misrable dog on earth! I can barely keep track of my cheap, hunting dog!

LOL.

I grew up in a family that, for several generations now, has been involved in purebred dog breeding, trialing and showing. Despite that, my most recent dog was a mix, they even gave her to me free at the shelter. She hiked with me most of her life and just passed away last year. She was priceless to me.

Stumpy, we may not agree on every point, but we obviously both love and care for our canine friends.

peace,

RST

Lugnut
05-04-2007, 00:15
Um, the term for a whelping bitch is dam, not "dame".

Gettin' real close to a rap song.

Overpass
05-04-2007, 00:22
Gettin' real close to a rap song.

Only if the puppy was nappy-haired. :D

fonsie
05-04-2007, 08:00
I wish I still had my Blue Tic, I would take her hiking down in that area with me. She was a highly trained protector....LOL dam I could of sold her for 10,000.....That guy who lost his dog sounds like he abused his dog and it ran away. My dog would never run away, thats because I don't keep them in a cage in a cold barn like the hunters do. I hate stupid people.

StarLyte
05-04-2007, 08:16
I wish I still had my Blue Tic, I would take her hiking down in that area with me. She was a highly trained protector....LOL dam I could of sold her for 10,000.....That guy who lost his dog sounds like he abused his dog and it ran away. My dog would never run away, thats because I don't keep them in a cage in a cold barn like the hunters do. I hate stupid people.

Yeah it does sound suspect doesn't it.

There's always dogs loose in that of the A.T. though. Always. Ask Janet. Hikers feel sorry for them and then want to bring them to Janet's-Kind-Heart-Place.

Now if people could have sympathy and love for people like that, just think what kind of world it would be.

Dances with Mice
05-04-2007, 08:29
There's always dogs loose in that of the A.T. though. Always. Ask Janet. Hikers feel sorry for them and then want to bring them to Janet's-Kind-Heart-Place.

Now if people could have sympathy and love for people like that, just think what kind of world it would be.You mean a world where hikers bring homeless people to Janet's? She might need nametags to tell the two groups apart.

TOW
05-04-2007, 09:23
'DOG-GONE!'
Story from The Valley Beautiful Beacon, Tuesday, May 1, 2007
By Dustin Street, Staff writer

Dog-gone it! The Unicoi County Sheriff's Department arrested 20-year-old Joseph Fricke, 3140 Windermere Drive in Pensacola, Florida, last Wednesday after they found him to be in possession of a 16-month-old blue tick named "Boot".

The dog, a highly-trained, skilled hunting dog owned by Steve Shelton, whose property is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, went missing around Monday. Shelton told authorities it was not the first time one of his dogs had gone missing.

Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris said the dog was wearing a collar with identification when it wandered onto the Appalachian Trail and found a group of hikers. Apparently, one of the hikers actually located a phone and called Shelton (the owner) to inform him that his dog was with a man named "Yogi" (Fricke's trail nickname).

The man also told him that the dog's collar had been removed and discarded and replaced by a bandana and a rope.

According to the sheriff, Fricke renamed the dog "Boo-Boo". Interestingly, Fricke's trail name ("Yogi") and the name he gave to the dog ("Boo-Boo") are consistent with two cartoon characters from the popular Hanna-Barbera classic "Yogi Bear".

Harris said he and Mike Hensley traveled to the Appalachian Trail at Bald Mountain Wednesday to look for Fricke so that Shelton's dog, which had been missing for two days could be safely returned.

Harris said he and another deputy walked all the way to Spivey, a distance of about six miles, looking for the pair. Hensley had come off the mountain and tracked Fricke to a nearby hostel.

Fricke was found at the hostel and arrested for theft by the sheriff's department. Harris said Fricke admitted to taking the dog along for his hike but that he would not admit to removing and discarding the dog's collar.

Fricke also admitted to other allegations that he tried to sell the dog once and then, seeing he could not sell it, he tried to give the dog away later.

Fricke was booked into the Unicoi County Jail, where he spent the night. Fricke's court date had been set for the next morning on April 27. By the end of the day, Harris said, he was back on the trail heading north.

Harris said that Fricke told him his night in jail was the most comfortable sleep he'd had in a long time.

Shelton's blue tick was found in the Spivey area by Hensley after a search. Boot was returned to Shelton, his owner, who estimated the hunting dog's value to be at or around $10,000.
So his new trail name will be "Yogi The Dog Thief" now, right?

lobshot
05-04-2007, 09:41
I think the most unbelievable part of the whole story was that the sherrif and deputy WALKED 6 MILES on the trail looking for this guy. There isnt a single donut shop out there.

fredmugs
05-04-2007, 10:31
It's kind of hard to give any credibility to an article written by a guy who was amazed that someone with a trail name of Yogi would name the dog Boo-Boo. If this guy ever hits the trail his name should be Captain Obvious.

And to think I could have left my ex-wife on the trail and some thru hiker could have adopted her.

Overpass
05-04-2007, 10:38
I think the most unbelievable part of the whole story was that the sherrif and deputy WALKED 6 MILES on the trail looking for this guy. There isnt a single donut shop out there.

Sounds like the cops and the dog's owner are all part of the same southern redneck good ole boys club. :rolleyes:

Toolshed
05-04-2007, 10:42
Sounds like my uncle. He'd have a five thousand dollar hunting dog riding in the back of his three hundred dollar pickup.
Now that's funny!!! (But sadly, true........)

Overpass
05-04-2007, 10:43
I agree, it would be great to hear the real story. Miss Janet, if you're reading this thread could you tell us what really happened?

Lone Wolf
05-04-2007, 11:12
Sounds like the cops and the dog's owner are all part of the same southern redneck good ole boys club. :rolleyes:

another dumb friggin statement

Rhino-lfl
05-04-2007, 11:22
It's kind of hard to give any credibility to an article written by a guy who was amazed that someone with a trail name of Yogi would name the dog Boo-Boo. ...

Well it's hard to believe someone could be so unimaginative.

generoll
05-04-2007, 12:00
Sounds like the cops and the dog's owner are all part of the same southern redneck good ole boys club. :rolleyes:


Sounds like typical stereotyping to me. Guess it's safe to say those kinds of things about southern rednecks. The last unprotected minority group.

yappy
05-04-2007, 12:13
I agree with the person who said the guy should be checked out for animal abuse...the things that we do to animals .. creepy.....I wonder what kinda condition the dog was in when they found him ? maybe the kid " kept " him cuz he was gun shy and scared....also, up here in Alaska a superb sled dog can go for alot of money.

berninbush
05-04-2007, 13:21
Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris said the dog was wearing a collar with identification when it wandered onto the Appalachian Trail and found a group of hikers. Apparently, one of the hikers actually located a phone and called Shelton (the owner) to inform him that his dog was with a man named "Yogi" (Fricke's trail nickname).

The man also told him that the dog's collar had been removed and discarded and replaced by a bandana and a rope.

Am I the only one who thinks this part makes no sense?? The caller told the owner that the dog was wearing his collar and tag. Then he said that the dog was with Yogi. Then he said that Yogi had removed the collar and tag, and replaced them with a bandanna and rope. The only possible way I can see this could be true was if Yogi discarded the collar *in the presence of witnesses* and then the oh-so-generous caller, who didn't care enough to stop Yogi from walking off with the dog, picked up the collar and called the number on the tag.

Yogi may not be overly bright, but surely he didn't tell another group of thru-hikers "oh look, a nice dog, I'm going to steal him!"

Overpass
05-04-2007, 14:59
Yogi may not be overly bright, but surely he didn't tell another group of thru-hikers "oh look, a nice dog, I'm going to steal him!"

I was thinking the same thing. That article is one of the poorest pieces of reporting I've ever read, raises more questions than answers and also agreed that the reporters amazement over the dog's new name was just dumbass.

booney_1
05-04-2007, 15:50
I think my group met Steve Shelton last summer at the Flint Mountain Shelter. He's one of these guys that leaves supplies and trail magic at the shelters.

He was looking for a beagle that wondered off. He said his dogs are always disappearing. He said hikers thought that any dog that they came across was lost, and often "adopted" them. They don't realize that many people live very close to the trail.

I remember his name, since it was the same as the civil war era graves a few miles past Flint Mountain Shelter.

He was wearing calf high snake boots and warned us of rattle snakes in the meadow near the Jerry Cabin Shelter, since we were all wearing low trail shoes or basketball sneakers. We thought it was pretty funny...and then the next day one of us saw a timber rattler as big around as your forearm!!
Yikes!!!

Nightwalker
05-04-2007, 16:08
I have to thank you guys for one of the funniest threads in awhile. Very few of you know anything at all about the facts of the case, but your prejudices tell you that "there's something fishy going on here."

Heck, ya'll done got it figgered out. What's gonna happen if the truth actually comes out, and it has nothing to do with what the internet hikers came up with? Shout it down? I especially like the part where Blue Tick Hounds are the most common species in the South, and are therefore worthless. Priceless!

Oh, please, keep this up. It makes my day, really!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
*They're not the most common breed in this part of the South by any means, and quite a few of them go for big money. I realize that my word doesn't count here, because I actually live in the South and know a little about hunting dogs. Forget you saw this. :banana

sherrill
05-04-2007, 17:02
I've got a $10 grand dog that's attempting to break the AT speed record. He snores while sleeping in his hammock in the shelters, but nobody complains because he carries a gun. If you see him, tell him I'll call him soon on his cell.

Yahtzee
05-04-2007, 17:44
Hold it, hold it. I just talked to the dog and got the story.

First, he's not a pure blue-tick, but was too ashamed to admit what his worse half was.

Second, when their eyes met, it was love at first site. "BooBoo" said that Yogi was the hiker of his dreams. Was it stealing or justifiable zoophilia? BooBoo wouldn't say. All he would say was that the night they spent together on Beauty Spot was the greatest of his 128 year life.

Third, he said he was free not worth 10K. Left free because he wasn't a pure-bred. Damn, blue-breeder.

Fourth, the police enjoyed the six miles so much they quit their jobs and started hiking north. Trailnames: Starsky and Hutch.

Lastly, if you are ever hiking in Erwin and a blue tick gives you a wink, run like hell, you'll never match up to his memory of Yogi. So sayeth the dog.

Now you know.

Bonjour
05-04-2007, 18:12
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/pruett/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpgDarned if they didn't post a picture of the dog and the rest of the litter.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e171/Psycmeistr/hillbilly-dogs.jpg

warraghiyagey
05-04-2007, 19:24
Sounds like typical stereotyping to me. Guess it's safe to say those kinds of things about southern rednecks. The last unprotected minority group.

I'm thinking if you were to walk through their yard at night you'd see that they are not so unprotected. . . Kablam!

ImkerVS
05-04-2007, 20:12
Actually this is better than usual police reporting for this newspaper, which is the "other" newspaper in Erwin, trying to compete with the multi-award winning weekly, The Erwin Record. The Record did not carry this dog theft story at all.

Occasionally Beacon reporters have thrown out objectivity totally, including the word "allegedly". Sheriff Harris is the chairman of the republican party, also. Maybe the combination of politics and a badge are having a bad effect on reporting here. I've complained about it. I warned them they better learn how to do crime reporting or they were going to get sued by somebody and become a front page story in the other paper in town.

Just because it's in the newspaper doesn't mean it's true.

butch trent
05-04-2007, 20:47
Last fall while hiking from Sams Gap we came across a dog wearing a radio collar. I explained to my son what the collar was and the dog began walking with us and followed us to the Big Bald. At the Summit of Big Bald we met a hunter who was tracking this very dog he had been looking for this dog for a while. The man was training dogs for the upcoming bear season. This could have been the same man and dog. Leave a man's dog alone!

bfitz
05-04-2007, 21:15
The owners figured the cops would be more helpful finding their dog if they reported him stolen rather than lost.

Panzer1
05-04-2007, 21:30
Sounds like there may be some exaggerations with:
" The dog, a highly-trained, skilled hunting dog" at 16 months old and
"estimated the hunting dog's value to be at or around $10,000."

But still it was another hiker who was there and saw what was going on who called the owner. This other hiker also stated that the accused took off the dogs collar and discarded it. If you take off a dogs collar, well that sounds dishonest right there.

This article says the accused had a court date the next morning but did not say if he was found guilty or innocent....

Panzer

bfitz
05-04-2007, 21:42
He was at miss janets the next day. He didn't steal anything, the dog followed him, as happens frequently. He didn't try to sell it, he asked some townsfolk to please take it. The police investigated and found he did nothing wrong, but only after arresting and harrassing him. He was let go the next day and they gave him some money ad food by way of apology (apparently there is a fund for such things in Erwin donated by kind folks for hikers in need, probably first time they were able to give any of it to a hiker...).

Panzer1
05-04-2007, 22:05
This article does not report on anything that was said under oath in the courtroom. It is all about what was said to the reporter outside of court. None of this is sworn testimony. We don't really know what was said in the court room.

Steve Shelton claims in the article that some hiker called him and said yogi removed the collar. But it does not say that Steve Shelton said this in court under oath. Maybe Steve Shelton exaggerated some about phone call to make getting a conviction easier, like he exaggerated about the dogs level of training and value.

Panzer

Yahtzee
05-04-2007, 22:37
Bfitz, why you gotta ruin fantasy wif a dose of reality?

BTW, any room in your pack for a yahtzee. The hiker not the game.

With envy,

Overpass
05-04-2007, 22:49
He was at miss janets the next day. He didn't steal anything, the dog followed him, as happens frequently. He didn't try to sell it, he asked some townsfolk to please take it. The police investigated and found he did nothing wrong, but only after arresting and harrassing him. He was let go the next day and they gave him some money ad food by way of apology (apparently there is a fund for such things in Erwin donated by kind folks for hikers in need, probably first time they were able to give any of it to a hiker...).

Glad to hear the hiker was cleared.

Any word on if the dumbass dog owner is going to be cited for continually letting his dogs run loose?

RSWillis
05-04-2007, 23:38
this sounds like a dog that followed some NOBO's out of Sam's gap, and I took back to Sam's. If the owner can't keep his d*mn dog in his yard he shouldn't have somebody arrested if it follows them. What is with people and their f***ing dogs?

SGT Rock
05-04-2007, 23:55
This sort of reminds me of some of the situations I have seen around my house in East Tennessee. I'm one of the minority dog owners in my "neighborhood" (actually it is a hollow or holler) that keeps my dogs in the fence. Everyone else in the area lets their dog run free - one reason I had to quit jogging around the house. Inevitably one of their dogs come up missing - and there are always dead dogs hit by cars on the side of the road or unidentified strays walking around with collars on that have obviously come into the area from other areas because no one in our hollow recognizes them. BUT when one of the local dogs (almost always mutts) disappears, the general consensus is someone must have taken them. Despite the obvious evidence of dogs hit by cars and dogs wandering far away from home - and the fact no one can ever name anyone they have ever known picking up a dog on the side of the road, the "obvious" conclusion is always "someone probably took ol' Cooter, he is a pretty dog and worth a lot of money". Yea right, that is why you got him for free at the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Furlough
05-05-2007, 01:42
So his new trail name will be "Yogi The Dog Thief" now, right?

How about Dog Napper or Blue Tick Boy or Hound Hustler?

Miss Janet
05-05-2007, 01:49
Monday morning the reporter will visit to interview us for another article... the other side of the story. Unfortunately, it is not an easy situation. We have dozens of hunting dogs follow hikers back and forth on the trail every year.

Steve is a well known area hunter and dog breeder and I am sure he was concerned when his dog did not return home. Most of them will return home if they are NOT FED. This dog was running with hikers back and forth for days and eating anything that wasn't tied down.

It had become a problem and this kid agreed to take it into town to the humane society. When it caused him a lot of grief in just a few hours, all he wanted to do was get rid of it. He was not the first hiker to have the dog with them. As many as a dozen other hikers reported that the dog had followed them for hours and even spent the night with them. NO ONE has said that they saw a collar on the dog. The police will not give us the names of the hikers that supposedly called the owner and said that they saw the hiker remove the collar.

There were NO charges placed. He was released the next morning as soon as he was able to tell the sheriff the whole story. He is just a good natured kid who was trying to do what he thought was the right thing.

bfitz
05-05-2007, 02:06
Just another example of Erwin police hospitality (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14788&highlight=erwin+police+hospitality)...

Wanderingson
05-05-2007, 02:51
I have only one comment to make:

"With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone"

Overpass
05-05-2007, 10:11
Thanks for the info, Miss Janet.

Will it be the same dipshiat reporter that did the original article? If so, I'd be REAL careful about saying anything to him. He's obviously an irresponsible moron with absolutely no regard for facts or accuracy and it would serve him right if "Yogi" sued him for libel. Just be real careful...

Lone Wolf
05-05-2007, 10:58
even i jumped to conclusions. bad wolf.

bfitz
05-05-2007, 11:01
He's obviously an irresponsible moron with absolutely no regard for facts or accuracy and it would serve him right if "Yogi" sued him for libel. Excellent idea. The sherrif, too, since he's the bozo answering the reporter's questions (presumably, the article quotes him, anyway...). Trying to look like his doing his job and get his name in the paper.

Appalachian Tater
05-05-2007, 11:52
There were NO charges placed. He was released the next morning as soon as he was able to tell the sheriff the whole story.

He shouldn't have been held in the first place for stealing a dog even if he were guilty. I hope that his civil rights were not violated. From anecdotal evidence here, the sheriff's office in Erwin sounds like it's out of control.

freefall
05-05-2007, 12:16
Excellent idea. The sherrif, too, since he's the bozo answering the reporter's questions (presumably, the article quotes him, anyway...). Trying to look like his doing his job and get his name in the paper.

From what I remember of both the papers in Unicoi, they should be called the (Sheriff) Harris Herald.
You'd think the man could do no wrong. 2 years ago he nearly burned his barn down ( burning underbrush on a dry, windy day) and the vol. fire company and even inmates had to go up to the property to help save it. The papers just had a quick blurb about it. I never did hear if he reimbursed the fire dept.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-05-2007, 12:28
In many small towns - and not just in the south - a few powerful families run things and have run things for decades. While I have no personal knowledge of the Erwin township's make-up, it does sound like Orwell's famous quote may apply: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

oldfivetango
05-06-2007, 09:01
Sounds like typical stereotyping to me. Guess it's safe to say those kinds of things about southern rednecks. The last unprotected minority group.
I second that comment sir!
As for the hiker and the dog-I suspect the pup sort of tagged
along.If the collar had the owners name on it then the hiker is
remiss for not calling the owner.All he had to do is say"your dog followed
me to such and such a place and you can pick him up there 'cuase I
got a trail to follow."And if that bluetick was worth 10 grand then my wife's
poodle is worth twenty cause she actually knocks on the door instead of
scratching to be let back in.Anybody want her?
Oldfivetango

weary
05-06-2007, 09:36
It's kind of hard to give any credibility to an article written by a guy who was amazed that someone with a trail name of Yogi would name the dog Boo-Boo. If this guy ever hits the trail his name should be Captain Obvious.

And to think I could have left my ex-wife on the trail and some thru hiker could have adopted her.
There was a homeless girl on the trail in '93, who was adopted by two or three guys.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-06-2007, 10:03
And if that bluetick was worth 10 grand then my wife's
poodle is worth twenty cause she actually knocks on the door instead of
scratching to be let back in.Anybody want her?Give that dog away and you'll be sleeping in her doghouse.

weary
05-06-2007, 10:13
.....He is just a good natured kid who was trying to do what he thought was the right thing.
Back when I was just a good natured kid, around age 47, a friendly hound was following hikers through the Mahoosucs. One finally tired of the nuicance and tied the dog to a tree.

Being a good-natured liberal, bothered by the thought that the dog would likely starve to death, I walked the dog to Gorham and called the name on it's collar.

The owner said he didn't want the dog, that it was a dam(n) nuisance chasing hikers all the time and refused to come get it. Since it was getting dark and I was 100 miles from home and had to write stories the next morning that were full of mistakes and lies -- you know how reporters are -- I took the dog home with me and eventually gave it to another lying reporter.

Well, I think he was a liar, but he may have been different than the rest of us. He eventually became the public relations director for a major chain of banks in the northeast and surely no banker would lie, would they?

Now the sad part. The dog was killed after it bit the reporter's very pretty wife on the face. Thirty years later, she probably still carries the scar.

Weary

Wanderingson
05-06-2007, 10:18
If you spill "Spot" remover on your dog, will he disappear?

Frosty
05-06-2007, 11:11
Back when I was just a good natured kid, around age 47, a friendly hound was following hikers through the Mahoosucs. One finally tired of the nuicance and tied the dog to a tree.

Being a good-natured liberal, bothered by the thought that the dog would likely starve to death, I walked the dog to Gorham and called the name on it's collar.

The owner said he didn't want the dog, that it was a dam(n) nuisance chasing hikers all the time and refused to come get it. Since it was getting dark and I was 100 miles from home and had to write stories the next morning that were full of mistakes and lies -- you know how reporters are -- I took the dog home with me and eventually gave it to another lying reporter.

Well, I think he was a liar, but he may have been different than the rest of us. He eventually became the public relations director for a major chain of banks in the northeast and surely no banker would lie, would they?

Now the sad part. The dog was killed after it bit the reporter's very pretty wife on the face. Thirty years later, she probably still carries the scar.

WearyDid this happen in the 60's? Was LSD involved?

Darwin again
05-06-2007, 13:43
Back when I was just a good natured kid, around age 47, a friendly hound was following hikers through the Mahoosucs. One finally tired of the nuicance and tied the dog to a tree.

Being a good-natured liberal, bothered by the thought that the dog would likely starve to death, I walked the dog to Gorham and called the name on it's collar.

The owner said he didn't want the dog, that it was a dam(n) nuisance chasing hikers all the time and refused to come get it. Since it was getting dark and I was 100 miles from home and had to write stories the next morning that were full of mistakes and lies -- you know how reporters are -- I took the dog home with me and eventually gave it to another lying reporter.

Well, I think he was a liar, but he may have been different than the rest of us. He eventually became the public relations director for a major chain of banks in the northeast and surely no banker would lie, would they?

Now the sad part. The dog was killed after it bit the reporter's very pretty wife on the face. Thirty years later, she probably still carries the scar.

Weary

THAT is the most apt, accurate, on-the-nose description of the low profession of journamalism I've ever seen. :D

aaroniguana
05-06-2007, 16:55
How much was THAT dog worth?

weary
05-06-2007, 18:48
How much was THAT dog worth?
Nothing to the owner, obviously. I suspect that had I asked, he would have paid me a few bucks to get rid of the critter. The dog actually was quite pleasant. I would have liked to have kept him myself.

But at that time I was doing a lot of hiking with several groups -- sort of a last harrah of youth as I approached 50. Would every one be so lucky. That's one advantage of being a "late bloomer." after 12 years of mostly minimum wage jobs I was suddenly working for a real newspaper that had some pretentions of being the Maine "record of choice." I pretended to my wife that I was working. IN a sense I was. All these trips produced stories for the newspaper, though my editors were not especially enthusiastic about them. One editor complained, "we've got wood chips coming out of our ears."

But my regular job required a lot of dry technical stuff -- even the 10 years series that reported that Maine owned 400,000 acres that it has preserved a century and a half earlier, and then forgot what it has done -- had a lot of dry legal arguments. I was sort of pleased when the Maine Supreme Court ruled that my stories were mostly accurate, despite all the claims over the years that they were mostly a product of lies, mistakes and ignorance.

Getting back to the dog. We already had a dog. A terrible dog -- brought to us as compensation for one the donor had run over. Yup. I was one of those irresponsible dog owners that let their pets run free. For three years that terrible dog learned virtually nothing. Never gave me a pleasant moment. But for some reason I cried all the way to the vets when I had to take him to be "euthenized" -- a terrible word. Actually when I took him to be killed because his kidneys had failed.

Anyway. I figured one terrible dog was enough for my wife and kids stuck at home as I disappeared most weekends to play in the mountains for stories that my editors didn't want.

Now you know "the rest of the story." And no. There was never any LSD involved though from time to time someone broke out a bit of weed.

Weary

warraghiyagey
05-06-2007, 19:33
even i jumped to conclusions. bad wolf.


It's OK Wolf. Sit . . . stay.

:)

oldfivetango
05-06-2007, 20:06
Give that dog away and you'll be sleeping in her doghouse.

There you go jumping to conclusions once again,FD.What makes you
think I meant the dog?:D :banana
Oldfivetango

Overpass
05-06-2007, 20:14
I would like to request that the mods bleep out the name of the innocent hiker from this thread. Google being as it is, has probably already crawled this thread, and if so, any search of the hiker's name (by a potential employer, for example) will come up on a search. The there's Google's cache as well...it could take months before a search of this hiker's name stops retrieving the dumbass reporter's article.

The sooner his name is deleted from this thread, the less potential damage to his reputation. Sgt Rock, could you possibly do this?

Dances with Mice
05-06-2007, 20:16
Was LSD involved?Let's just leave the Mormans out of it.

Two Speed
05-06-2007, 21:14
Let's just leave the Mormans out of it.When did you become a Mormon? I thought you were one of those beer swillin' Juggalafarians. :-?

Dances with Mice
05-06-2007, 22:03
When did you become a Mormon?Never, don't understand how they got dragged into this discussion in the first place. But if you should buy a ten thousand dollar dog from a Morman and ask for a pedigree, be sure to specify that you mean the dog's.

Two Speed
05-07-2007, 05:57
Never, don't understand how they got dragged into this discussion in the first place.Well, this is WhiteBlaze, thread swerve has set in and thread ricochet is just over the horizon. I mean, really, you don't know how that happened?
But if you should buy a ten thousand dollar dog from a Morman and ask for a pedigree, be sure to specify that you mean the dog's.Uhhh, I think you're a lot more likely to run into a cheese eating accordian playing Mormon bartender with a blue tick hound for sale than the likelihood of conning me into blowing 10k on a mutt that don't know it's own way home.

However, it may be really amusing to watch. Know of any cheese eating accordian playing Mormon bartenders that have a blue tick hound for sale?

Gray Blazer
05-07-2007, 07:55
Never, don't understand how they got dragged into this discussion in the first place. But if you should buy a ten thousand dollar dog from a Morman and ask for a pedigree, be sure to specify that you mean the dog's.
HA HA, I get it. I'm an oxymormon.;)

Dances with Mice
05-07-2007, 08:07
However, it may be really amusing to watch. Know of any cheese eating accordian playing Mormon bartenders that have a blue tick hound for sale?Well, yeah. (http://cdbaby.com/cd/deluxe)

bfitz
05-07-2007, 09:13
There was a homeless girl on the trail in '93, who was adopted by two or three guys.

Was that a joke? Cuz if it was it was FUNNY.

weary
05-07-2007, 09:24
Was that a joke? Cuz if it was it was FUNNY.
Being 64 and suddenly being a compatriot of 19 and 20 year olds, I found a lot of trail happenings both interesting and amusing.

Nightwalker
05-07-2007, 14:38
Being 64 and suddenly being a compatriot of 19 and 20 year olds, I found a lot of trail happenings both interesting and amusing.

I would have loved to been following you around that year. The more I hear about your hike, the more you lose your old curmudgeon image. :)

doodle
05-10-2007, 14:51
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46446327@N00/474847591/

Jester2000
05-10-2007, 18:53
Know of any cheese eating accordian playing Mormon bartenders that have a blue tick hound for sale?

Man, if you find out, get me her phone number.

The Weasel
05-11-2007, 10:38
Man, if you find out, get me her phone number.

I know one, but her wife doesn't want me to give you her phone number until the trial is over.

The Weasel

Rambler
05-11-2007, 13:15
In the south it is common to have deer or bear dogs run wild for several days after being let loose for a hunt. The hounds wear collars with phone numbers, so the owners can be contacted. I found two such dogs in the GSNP, one of which I was able to return to park rangers. One of the dogs had a radio collar with a tracking device. It suddenly ran off chasing something and about ten minutes later I encountered a wide-eyed hiker, "Did you see that running bear?"

insure ants
07-04-2007, 13:42
Harris said he and Mike Hensley traveled to the Appalachian Trail at Bald Mountain Wednesday to look for Fricke so that Shelton's dog, which had been missing for two days could be safely returned.

Harris said he and another deputy walked all the way to Spivey, a distance of about six miles, looking for the pair. Hensley had come off the mountain and tracked Fricke to a nearby hostel.

Wow. You know you're in real small town Appalachia when the sheriff hikes six miles to find a missing dog, arrests someone for "stealing" it, and a big fuss is made in the papers. Even Andy Griffith had bigger things to worry about in Mayberry.

Chicken Feathers
07-05-2007, 19:19
Must have been a slow day for the sheriff and two others to go hiking 6 miles (hey, is he now a section hiker?) on the trail looking for a dog.
So, I wonder what the original phone call to the sheriff sounded like? " Uh, one of my dogs that I let run loose is missing. I heard he is on the Appalachian Trail. Would you and a couple deputies track him down for me? I suspect some hiker trash stole my dawg and I want justice."
you have to do more than 6 miles to be a section hiker

Toolshed
07-05-2007, 19:35
...Even Andy Griffith had bigger things to worry about in Mayberry. But Barney and Goober didn't!!!!!:banana

maxNcathy
07-05-2007, 20:41
I hiked with young "yogi" and talked to him after his night in jail.I found him to be a fine person.His story is more believable to me than what is in the news.
Sandalwood