Sheriff Joe Arpaio is holding a press conference today in which he will seek a home for a pit bull named Queenie, which has been living in the Sheriff's Department's MASH Unit for about seven years.
Whenever we hear about America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff''s" soft spot for any animal that can't speak or file a lawsuit, we can't help but think back to another pooch from the sheriff's past, who had a home that the sheriff's goon squad burned to the ground with the dog inside.
In 2004, New Times featured a story titled Dog Day Afternoon about a raid gone wrong, when the sheriff's SWAT team stormed a house to serve a warrant to a 26-year-old man who had some outstanding traffic violations.
In the course of the raid, Joe's deputies fired teargas into the house, which arguably started a fire that burned it to the ground.
As the house was burning, one of Joe's humanitarians drove a 10-month-old pit bull puppy -- trying to flee the burning building -- back into the inferno.
As the puppy burned, sheriff's deputies reportedly laughed at the animal's distraught owner, Andrea Barker.
But when it comes to press conferences, Joe's a dog lover, right?
"I can't understand why we haven't found her a home," Arpaio tells ABC 15 about Queenie. "I realize she's not a celebrity dog like those we confiscated from the rapper Earl Simmons, aka DMX. Those dogs were more easily adopted, but Queenie is a good dog who deserves a good home. I hate to think of her spending the rest of her life behind bars, even though it's true, she's never complained, issued a grievance, or filed a lawsuit."
That's only because she can't talk, Joe.
Arpaio's press conference isn't just for Queenie (or his ego), mind you. The sheriff says his puppy prisons are becoming over-crowded, and he wants to raise awareness and increase adoptions.
"I run a no-kill animal shelter, and I intend to keep it that way," Arpaio says.
Raids by his SWAT team, apparently, are another story.
