Hot dog begins rehab

Not long after two men accused of stealing a beloved hot dog mascot appeared in court, Harry the Hot Dog was wheeled into Old Dominion Prosthetics & Orthotics to start his rehabilitation.

A bandaged Harry was dropped off Thursday for a complementary repair, said John Blanthorn, guardian of the hot dog and owner of All Good Groceries.

“We heard he was in critical condition, and we decided we could help,” said Cathy Garrison, the company’s business manager.

On April 9, the 6-foot, 200-pound anthropomorphic frankfurter disappeared from the Earlysville store. His 2-foot-tall son, Little Frank, held vigil for his father at the store by carrying a sign that said “Have you seen my daddy?” Harry was gone for 27 days before police, acting on a tip, dug up the hot dog patriarch near the Cedar Hill Mobile Home Park.

Harry did not weather the journey well. Both of his arms were snapped off, and he was down a shoelace. The bottles of ketchup and mustard he once clutched were gone.

In early May, police charged Charlottesville residents Jeremy Strain and David Dudley with grand larceny and felony destruction of property. During the Give Harry A Hand Day fundraiser on May 17, Blanthorn said Strain approached him to pay restitution for Harry.

“I feel sorry for what happened,” Strain explained after court Thursday.

Blanthorn said he told Strain to give the $500 to the University of Virginia’s Children’s Hospital, for which the event was raising money.

Strain pleaded guilty to misdemeanor destruction of property Thursday, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, all of which was suspended, and the pre-paid $500 restitution. Dudley pleaded guilty to petty larceny and misdemeanor destruction of property. He will serve 10 days in jail and pay $1,000 in restitution.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attor-ney Ron Huber said Strain’s sentence in Albemarle General District Court was impacted by his positive actions.

“The reason they were treated differently is because of their response to what they did,” Huber said. “Mr. Strain admitted involvement, accepted responsibility, apologized to the victim and paid restitution. Mr. Dudley did not accept responsibility for what he did.”

Strain said after court Thursday that he doesn’t know what happened to Harry while he was gone, nor would he say that he or Dudley took the statue. Huber said he also doesn’t know of the frank’s fate during his time away from Blanthorn.

Whatever happened to Harry, Old Dominion is willing to put him back together. The hot dog’s arms were carried into the workroom separately Thursday morning. Garrison said the employees think they can reattach one arm, but the other has extensive socket damage.

“He may have a hook instead of a hand,” Garrison said.

Harry is being treated like any other patient at Old Dominion, although normally it takes four to six weeks to create a prosthesis for a human appendage. The fiberglass and steel hot dog, which is valued at $2,000, will spend two weeks at Old Dominion.

Once Harry is in fine form, Blanthorn said he would swing by the children’s hospital to say hello. Blanthorn said he plans to use the restitution money for a children’s cause, which means it could be donated to the hospital or could fund hot dogs for children on Harry’s tab. The storeowner also said he wants to repeat the Harry fundraiser next year.