SAN DIEGO – San Diego’s most famous dog, Chopper the Biker Dog, now has an attorney and is actively looking to trademark his good name.

The six-year-old Boston terrier regularly visits with seniors, sick children and wounded warriors.

“Because he’s so well-known, people are trying to profit from my dog Chopper,” said Chopper’s sidekick and owner, Mark Shaffer. “I find his image being used on T-shirts, on patches, in advertising for different pet companies.”

Shaffer said the images are lifted from Chopper’s Facebook page, which has 106,000 followers as of Tuesday afternoon. Those images allow people to profit off Chopper without Shaffer’s permission.

“[It] makes me angry, mad, frustrated; yeah, I’m very angry,” he said.

Shaffer hired local attorney Gary Eastman to trademark “Chopper the Biker Dog.”

“Anytime you get somebody who gets a little notoriety and a little goodwill developed, unfortunately, people just jump on board and try to take it for themselves,” Eastman said.

Eastman, who is working free-of-charge, said it’s the first time he has tried to trademark a dog. Eastman said if “Grumpy Cat” can get a trademark, so can Chopper.

Shaffer said the biggest difference is he is not looking to make a buck.

“It’s not about making money from Chopper,” said Shaffer. “It’s about raising money.”

Shaffer said he would love proceeds from anything raised by Chopper to go towards the seniors, children and veterans the dog already visits.

Eastman said it would take a few months for the trademark paperwork to get through the federal system.

 

 

Source: 10news.com