Dog exiled from Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 23 (UPI) -- A Florida judge has ordered a dog belonging to a vascular surgeon exiled from Palm Beach after a court hearing.

Dr. Richard Lynn was given a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday to get his Rhodesian Ridgeback-German shepherd mix, Duke, out of town.

During the 90-minute hearing in West Palm Beach Tuesday, Shi Tzu owners cried as they described Duke's attacks on their small pets.

Vivian Dorris said that her dog, Charlie, a beagle-basset hound mix, endured three hours of surgery, racking up $5,000 in medical bills, after an attack by Duke, and now cringes when he hears a cat.

Lynn, who examined photos of the injured dogs, said that in his opinion as a surgeon the injuries were not as bad as the owners claimed. He also argued that Duke passed up thousands of opportunities to attack other dogs while being walked three or four times a day.