Senior Ethan Palsmeier has lived in Paola with his parents and sister for approximately 14 years. Within that span of time, Palsmeier and his family have acquired six dogs, which exceeds the city limit of two dogs per household.

“We never worry about getting caught,” Palsmeier said. “We haven’t been caught for 14 years, why would we now?”

Each of the Palsmeier dogs were accepted into the family through strange circumstances.

The family’s original dog Jack, a seizure-prone sheltie lab mix, was obtained through a local pet groomer, Kathy.

“He was chosen from a litter of puppies Kathy had acquired,” Palsmeier said.

Kathy also helped them to obtain their second dog Marley; a gangly-legged, paranoid, possible dachshund-miniature-pinscher mix, and their fourth dog Sam, an overweight dachshund.

“We got Marley one week after we had watched Marley and Me,” Palsmeier said. “She found Sam and one of his litter mates abandoned and we took one while she kept the other.”

Their third dog Rosa, a bossy chihuahua and the only female, was given to them by a friend who couldn’t afford to care for her.

“She was a flea-ridden mess when we got her,” Palsmeier said.

Their fifth dog Meatball was a gift from nature.

“Meatball was born from an accidental get-together between Rosa and Marley,” Palsmeier said. “ Meatball was the only one we kept from his litter.”

The sixth and final dog is a two pound chihuahua named Peanut. Peanut was part of the Palsmeier’s inheritance from Ethan’s great aunt.

“He came bundled with a car,” Palsmeier said. “We either got both or neither.”
According to Palsmeier, five of his family dogs, in weight, would add up to be one large dog. Meaning that his family really only has two dogs.