Philadelphia police last night charged Mister Woofs, the eight-year-old mixed breed who portrays the dog Marley in the forthcoming film adaptation of columnist John Grogan’s memoir “Marley and Me,” with disorderly conduct and public urination after the youthful star was caught relieving himself on a lamp post outside a popular downtown nightspot.He was also charged with assault after reportedly attempting to bite an arresting officer.
“Woofs is deeply embarrassed by this incident but we want to make clear that the whole story has not yet come out,” said attorney Richard Sprague, who is representing the actor.
Police said the co-star of the upcoming movie was with friends at “The Full Dish,” a discotheque and grooming parlor in center city shortly after 2 a.m. when he stepped outside, apparently to relieve himself. Witnesses said that he sniffed the base of the post, circled it twice, and then urinated. Police nearby observed the incident and swooped down.
Philadelphia officials last month announced a crackdown on public urination and other anti-social behavior and the arrest was one of a half dozen in a four block area around the neighborhood of the club, a spokeswoman said.
“Subject was asked to produce identification but responded incoherently. Affiant attempted to read the markings on what appeared to be a collar worn by subject whereupon actor growled, lunched and attempted to bite arresting officer,” according to an arrest report. “Actor was then transported to Station 4 for processing and mental health referral also made.”
The pre-release arrest marks yet another episode in the sometimes troubled history of dog movies, a legacy that began in 1957 when actor Rin Tin Tin IV was booked by Los Angeles police for public indecency after he was caught licking himself outside a downtown clothing store. The bad luck streak continued through the sixties when Tramp, then starring as a member of the Douglas family on television’s “My Three Sons,” was replaced in the cast after accusations of indecent assault when he was accused of rubbing himself against the leg of fellow cast member William Demerest.
Conspiracy theories continue to swirl around the fate of Morris the Cat, who was found dead in 1979, an apparent drug overdose, after tabloid reports linking him romantically with Hollywood Squares star Paul Lynde.
