So, how much are the family jewels of a prize-winning show dog worth if they were surgically removed without his proud owner’s permission…?
About $50,000 dollars plus eight vials of frozen sperm -- valued at $3000 each -- according to the terms of today’s out-of-court settlement.
Champion dog-show competitor John Wangsness sued champion dog-show breeder Vickie Halstead for “vindictively” neutering his prize-winning bichon frise ‘Beau Lemon’ in retaliation for granting a rival breeding siring privileges, the plaintiff claimed.
The dog’s wrongful alteration was slyly performed by the defendant in June 2013, Wangsness said, after she arranged with him to breed Beau to several of her own purebred bitches.
Before that, full-male Beau was ranked second best in his breed by the American Kennel Club and therefore could fetch Minnesotan John Wangsness a pretty penny in stud fees, as he had recently retired his famous canine.
Halstead has adamantly countered in her legal papers that she neutered Beau Lemon “for his health” although medical records show the prize-winning pooch was fit as a fiddle for the delicate duties that awaited him.
She also failed to credibly explain why she kept Beau’s semen on ice; allegedly even selling two vials of it to her own clients, although she wasn’t legally entitled to do so.
In any event, “it's a relief that this is over,” she coyly told reporters today, after finally settling the historic dogfight with her checkbook, and without admitting any wrongdoing.
@EponymousRox
#WeirdCrimes #BichonFrise #ShowDogs
