Chihuahua Walking The Lazy Way: Joan Zalk Faces Menacing Charges

[JuneOh]

Hence the word "unless" meaning; excluding those three ways, it isn't possible.

Edit: I guess I could have said "the only possible ways" but either way, I'm pretty sure anyone reading the post could have figured out what I meant.

Either it is possible for a dog to get dragged under the car or it isn't. Those three examples you gave are, in my opinion, reason enough to not walk a dog from a car but hey, I'm an overly anxious person and I worry about every little thing.

[Rockin Ma]

If she was going too fast the dog would've been dragged. It's light and up against the strength of a car. I'd like to know more about the cuts on the neck because it just seems to me the force to make the cuts would also be force to drag such a little dog.

[biteme]

Either it is possible for a dog to get dragged under the car or it isn't. Those three examples you gave are, in my opinion, reason enough to not walk a dog from a car but hey, I'm an overly anxious person and I worry about every little thing.

If you drive fast enough you can drag anything even another car
Apparently she wasn't even going fast enough to drag a short legged Chihuahua
If by drag under the car you mean wheels you need a long leash, very long chihuahua or very short car

[Rockin Ma]

OK it's decided. I saw a man WALKING his two little teacup whatever they were and as he walked they were running. No way was she driving as fast as the witnesses said.

[Heather4877]

I bet this poor little Chi's eyes were bulging out of his head ever more so than normal! I have a miniature Chi and she's a total pain to walk the normal way. I'm not really a big fan of the breed but an elderly woman couldn't care for her anymore so I took her cause my kids are crazy about her. She's the sweetest, tiny little thing, but definitely has some weird issues. Among other things, walking her involves basically having to drag her as she tucks her butt up under her and braces herself against the leash. Reminds me of trying to walk a cat on a leash. But I digress...

I agree that 15 mph has to be bullshit. The dog would have been dragged and had that occurred there would have been a lot more than a cut or two. Even a short drag next to a car would cause significant damage.

Doubt anyone will ask this woman to watch their pet anymore, even if they didn't have a problem with her methods. The publicity will make them feel guilty if they ask again. Damn, it's hard to get consistent help.

[JuneOh]

If you drive fast enough you can drag anything even another car
Apparently she wasn't even going fast enough to drag a short legged Chihuahua
If by drag under the car you mean wheels you need a long leash, very long chihuahua or very short car

Why not just get out and walk the damn dog? Then there is no way for the leash to get snagged on something under the car and pull the damn dog underneath the tire. There are so many possible ways for this to go bad, even at a "slow" speed. It's a moving vehicle for goodness sake. Not to mention how incredibly lazy it is to not just effing walk. At least half of the people in this country could use the exercise.

[badfish76]

My hundred pound beast that can (no shit) pace the car going 25-30 when he is loose and I am chasing him down wouldn't even dig this.

The woman is an idiot, and I know it wasn't her dog, but walks are bonding time with pooches. They LOVE to be walked and think you are a Goddess when you take them.

[Whisper]

Joan Zalk pleads guilty to animal cruelty for running chihuahua from moving car

Yoga instructor Joan Zalk saved herself a few steps by running a chihuahua named Cooper from the window of a moving car.

But the cost of this not-quite-brilliant idea, documented in a police report on view below, was high: an arrest and, ultimately, a guilty plea to misdemeanor animal cruelty.

As we noted in our original post about Zalk, the Boulder Police Department was contacted just past 9 a.m. on September 16 after seeing a woman in a Toyota Camry driving down the street while holding a leash connected to a chihuahua huffing and puffing alongside the vehicle. Even by Boulder standards, this was a strange sight -- strange enough for Denbow to snap a cell-phone photo that was entered into evidence.
[...]
In the end, however, Zalk accepted censure for misdemeanor animal cruelty; the felony menacing charge was dropped. The Camera reveals that she received 100 hours of community service and a one-year deferred sentence -- meaning that her record will be cleared if she avoids police trouble over the course of the next twelve months.

Tip one: The next time she walks the dog, she should keep the focus on "walking."

[...]

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword...moving_car.php

[Shadow]

we have a 5yr old, 8lb chihuahua pug mix. I would *never* allow her to be walked in this manner. She's fit and healthy but I don't think she needs to train for the Olympics when she's getting her walk time in. She's content with 1/2mile walk twice a day. In fact, she prefers to stroll at a leisurely pace. I'd certainly beat the hell out of anyone I caught 'drive-walking' her.

Personally, I think this woman needs to stay the hell away from ALL animals. At least until she's had a class or two on proper animal care.

~shadow

[HeatherHabilatory]

Good. I'm glad some charge stuck. I don't agree with a felony, but she obviously was too stupid to know how badly this could have gone, so she needed the court to teach her a lesson.

Walking a dog out the window of a car is fucking flat out retarded.