Skip to main contentDog trainer Stephen Barry King, whose techniques included hanging hounds by the leash until they foamed at the mouth, was pronounced guilty of animal cruelty in London last week and forbidden to have any contact with dogs for eight years.
Deputy District Judge Julie Cooper of Marylebone Magistrates' Court found King, 42, guilty of choking a 2-year-old terrier called Gunner. She ordered him to shun dogs for eight years, pay $3,200 in court costs and perform 100 hours of community service.
A former Portland resident, King earned local notoriety after WW highlighted his methods, including a technique he called "helicoptering," in which he yanks a dog off the ground by its choke chain and spins it from side to side ("See Spot Hang," WW, April 16, 1997).
King later set up shop in the United Kingdom, where he drew the attention of animal-welfare advocates after an underground video allegedly showed him helicoptering a puppy until its chain broke.
In London, King denied the charges, saying, "I have never done anything like that in my life. You always give a dog an unpleasant response if it does something wrong, but it depends on the circumstances."
British animal-welfare activist Kate Hudson told WW she and other dog lovers were concerned that King would return to Oregon and resume dog training here. Numerous Oregonians reported cruelty by King during his time in Portland.
If you want to find out more about Stephen King's dark practices, see www.oozemagazine.co.uk/obeyorbecorrected.htm.
WWeek 2015