Man jailed for barking at dog

A Monessen man found that a bark can result in a bite from the law when it's directed at a canine police officer.

Norris "Big Dog" Daniels, 57, of Pricedale was sentenced to up to a year in jail after he pleaded guilty Friday to one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct for barking at Ivo, the Monessen City Police dog.

Monessen police Officer Brian Vitale originally charged Daniels with taunting a police animal, a felony count.



In his arrest report, Vitale said Ivo was in the back seat of a police cruiser on Jan. 27 when Daniels walked up and started barking at the dog. Vitale said he told Daniels to stop, but the barking continued.

"I came around the corner. The kids call me Big Dog," Daniels explained yesterday in a Westmoreland County courtroom. "I saw some pit bulls and started barking at them. The officer assumed I was barking at their dog. I was barking at a little pit bull.

"I was at the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. Unable to post $5,000 bail, Daniels has been in jail since he was taken into custody.