Got to do a bit of spot news yesterday, which brought me out of the muck and mire of redistricting, petitions, etc.

My story about a man that had to stab and club a pit bull to death will probably get more page views, comments and water cooler discussions than anything I've written about the political fileting of St. Lawrence County.

But there's a political hook here. In November 2011's mayoral contest, Mayor Jeff Graham flip flopped on whether he thought dogs should be banned on city-owned property during special events.

At first, Mr. Graham's Barry Goldwater roots were evident. But then he spoke to people in the community who were shocked and appalled and, eventually, he votes to approve it.

Councilman Jeff Smith questioned the wisdom of a dog ban at public events.

But the case of Brian King and Mac, his young miniature dachshund, will probably renew discussion on City Council at its next meeting; Mr. King says he's thinking about speaking before the council on the matter.

It's a truly sad story for all involved; the family that owned the pit bull is clearly devastated about their loss, and Mr. King said he'll never let his dog out on that leash again.

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