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--> --> State appeals court hears howl for dog's life SALEM - Kiss-Kiss, a dog on death row, was not in the state Court of Appeals to plead for his life on Thursday. But his attorney was. Kiss-Kiss, a 10-year-old mixed breed dog, was sentenced to die in July 2000 for attacking a golden retriever, Wags, in a fight near Hood River that ended with Wags losing his tail. The sentence stems from a county ordinance against dogs acting "in a vicious and dangerous manner." Robert Babcock of Sherwood, the attorney for Kiss-Kiss' owner, told the appeals court the circuit judge who condemned the dog never should have considered the case. Babcock said the woman who was walking the retriever for its owner and brought the complaint had no legal standing to prosecute the case. No state or county attorneys offered arguments to the court Thursday. The appeals court, which has stayed the execution, didn't indicate when it will rule. Kiss-Kiss is part chow and part shar-pei. Outside the courtroom, Babcock said he has never heard of a dog facing execution because of a dogfight. Mo Stevenson, Kiss-Kiss' owner, said the penalty is extreme for her dog's first offense. She also claims that Wags' tail had to be amputated not because of the bites of Kiss-Kiss, but because of a rusty hoe used to break up the fight. Stevenson said she has paid Hood River County more than $4,000 to house her dog, who now is being kept in Union County at La Grande. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing