Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9502280086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Cuddled in the arms of his new owners, Hal and Joanne Stern of Botetourt Country, he managed a wag or two.
A television reporter jokingly put a microphone to his face and asked for comment. He offered none - not a woof.
But if you looked closely enough - into the brown eyes, beneath the wet nose, at the corners of his narrow mouth - you could swear Duke was smiling.
After two years roaming a small stretch of U.S. 460 in Northeast Roanoke, Duke was moving off the streets and into a new home.
No more dodging traffic. No more twice-daily helpings of hot dogs from the employees of East Coast Oil gas station and convenience store.
``He'll have a life with two other dogs and a loving home,'' said Joanne Stern, hugging Duke in the lobby of the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter. ``And lots of one-on-one.''
Animal control officers caught Duke with a baited trap last month after nearly two years of failed attempts. Duke was taken to Dr. Mark Finkler, a Roanoke veterinarian, who gave him a thorough checkup.
The street life hadn't been great for Duke's health. He had tapeworms, a tick - yes, just one - some fleas and a bruise around his right eye, Finkler said. And the steady diet of hot dogs had elevated his cholesterol.
The SPCA invited the public to apply to adopt Duke - twice. The first application deadline was extended two weeks to expand the pool of applicants.
They wound up with 22 applications.
The SPCA had asked that the new owner have a fence 5 to 6 feet high; someone home on a regular basis; a willingness to invest time and money for optimum care; and no more than one other pet.
Special dog, special circumstances, said Al Alexander, executive director of the SPCA shelter.
Last Friday, after an extensive review, a five-member committee - the SPCA board president, a board member, an animal behavior expert, a member of the League for Animal Protection, Alexander - selected the Sterns.
SPCA President Frank Van Balen said none of the applicants met all the criteria. The Sterns, who own Five-Buro Bagels in Southwest Roanoke County, met all but one. The committee would have preferred that the new owners have only one other pet, he said. The Sterns have two.
That aside, Duke's new home is perfect, Van Balen said.
The committee's vote was unanimous, said Waine Tomlinson, president of the League for Animal Protection.
They ``came closest to fulfilling what we would consider to be a stable and secure environment,'' Tomlinson said. ``We narrowed it down to four, and they were all good. But the Sterns came closest to what we were looking for.''
Duke has been introduced to the Sterns' other dogs - Leo and Shadow.
``The got along very well,'' Hal Stern said. ``And Leo is usually partial to other animals.''
The Sterns said they frequently travel the stretch of U.S. 460 where Duke used to roam. The couple said they had seen Duke, usually hanging out on the grassy median strip. Joanne Stern recalled checking her rear-view mirror as she passed him, just to make sure he had made it safely across.
When they heard the dog was a stray and up for adoption, the Sterns applied.
``When you love dogs, you don't want to see any of them come to harm,'' Hal Stern said. ``I guess this was just meant to be.''
For some, Duke was a symbol of freedom, of life without restriction. The more he eluded animal-control officers and the SPCA, the louder they cheered.
For others, Duke represented all that happens when animals are abandoned or abused. His luck on the streets was bound to run out, they said.
Alexander stood off to the side Monday, watching as the crowd of reporters and cameras thinned.
What could have been a tragic story had a pleasant ending, he said.
``I'm going to miss him,'' he said. ``But I know he'll be well cared for.''
Memo: ***CORRECTION***