A Dog That Gets Groomed Too Often

Faithful readers of this column may recognize Dede Stokes’ snapshot of the Pasadena pet grooming shop, whose symbol appears to be a headless hound (see photo).

I’ve received several pictures of same over the last several months and I realized I had never asked why the owner was content to display the torso. It turns out there have been a number of beheadings.

“I’m tired of attaching new heads that just wind up hanging on someone’s wall,” said owner Divinity Libby. “I’ve put up three or four heads but someone just keeps taking them off. They usually don’t last more than three or four days. At first, whoever took it would just lay the head next to the sign. But then people started stealing it.”

Libby isn’t replacing the noggin because she is in the process of hiring an artist to create a more abstract logo. And the process has taken longer than she figured. One positive note: She’s found a company that “guarantees against vandalism.”

In the meantime, her customers don’t seem to mind seeing a guillotined pooch. “They tell me,” she explained, “that it’s fun to drive by and see whether the dog has a head.”

PROP PREPARATIONS: James West of Rancho Palos Verdes has customized his Ford in case El Nino makes it necessary for him to take to the water lanes (see photo).

POSTAL HUMOR: A West Hollywood postal customer who identifies himself only as Steven (no use making those postal folks angry!) sent along a notice he received about his change-of-address request. The last line of the notice read: “If you do not speak English or you do not understand this letter, please take it with you to your local post office for assistance.”

SOME OTHER MAN’S BEST FRIEND: LAPD officers Chris Crosby and Dave Gonzalez responded to a “vicious animal” report in the San Fernando Valley and found two adult pit bulls attacking a puppy of the same breed.

“Pepper spray was deployed” but the “two pit bulls thought it was seasoning,” reported the Thin Blue Line, the LAPD union newspaper. The officers entered the yard where the quick-thinking, not to mention gutty, Crosby “offered his beefy body as bait,” the account continued. “The two pit bulls charged the much larger version of the food chain while Dave rescued the chewed-up mutt.”

What amused the officers was that after they had scrambled out of the yard uninjured, they observed that the two dogs were now wagging their tails to entice Crosby “back into the yard for a second go-around.”

MUSINGS: Five songs that didn’t have a chance for the “Titanic” soundtrack:

* “How Deep Is the Ocean?”

* “Row Your Boat”

* “Cool Water”

* “Anchors Aweigh”

* “Splish Splash”

miscelLAny:

Nice to see a special guest appearance at the Academy Award ceremonies by Bart the bear, who portrayed a mean-tempered villain in the recent movie, “The Edge.”

That film was characterized by reviewer Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal as “‘Jaws’--with drool.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.