The Ballad of Dog and Beth II
Wednesday, June 18 2008 | Comments (0)
Dog and Beth in Court after
the Luster case
Dog and Beth finally moved in together in late 1997, nine years after they met. Getting together cost them. Beth's employers didn't approve and told her it was Dog or her job. No one tells Beth what to do; she told them off and was fired. Dog's sister, Jolene, who was running his Denver office, was supporting him as he got back on his feet. She made it clear to Dog that he was to stay away from Beth or she'd take away his support and the car she'd loaned him. He chose to go with Beth.
Though they only had each other to rely on, Dog and Beth soon became a force in the Denver bail bonds industry. While it was a battle to first get Dog off hard drugs, then secure an insurance company that would work with Dog's tarnished reputation, Dog recalls that they quickly became the industry's "worst nightmare." A combination of quirky advertising and chutzpah--the things that make Dog the colorful entertainment figure he is today--drew business to them. They offered free coffee and doughnuts, they maintained a constant friendly entertaining atmosphere, cops, DAs, everyone was welcome to drop in. Dog would garner attention by walking a huge pet lizard on a leash in front of the other bail bond stores. They reserved one wall for mugs shots of every criminal they caught and people would stop in just to see who they knew on Dog's wall.
On more serious issues, Beth used her connections in the state legislature to get bills created to reform the bail bonds industry, especially the insurance companies. Slowly, Dog and Beth restored the business in Denver, then began to work on his business in Hawaii. Beth was ever the promoter, helping Dog land interviews, TV spots, anything that would gain exposure and therefore more business and higher profile clientèle. She was the first to realize that a high profile case like Andrew Luster would secure their future and she helped to orchestrate the press connections and interviews that made Dog an early prominent figure in the hunt.
Dog and Beth out on the town
In one early interview, the TV producer felt that there was no time to get Dog to a studio, so he planned a live phone interview. Beth wasn't happy, "Excuse me, but are you familiar with what Dog looks like?" She uploaded some pictures for the producer to see. A few minutes later Dog was on the way to a studio.
Beth became the driving force behind that hunt, overseeing the research into Luster's background and personality and motivating Dog to see the hunt through. "Prove to me you're the best, Big Daddy. Let's see what you're made of." Dog says she taunted him everyday, pushing him to excel. She was also his emotional support when things looked hopeless.
Now that they are on TV, Beth is still the one that keeps things moving. You can see it in the show: The "let's stop playing around and WORK" attitude is there in every hunt. She also tries to get Dog to behave, to eat right, to quit smoking, and now--rumor has it--trying to curb his tendency to swear (by making him put money in a change jar every time he curses).
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