NEW YORK -- Schmitty the Yorkshire terrier happily performs a full repertoire of tricks, but there's one thing she won't do.
"She will not roll over," said her owner, Elly McGuire, on Monday at a news conference where her lawyer announced the resolution of their dog fight with the governor's wife over the licensing of a New York City terrier book character.
Schmitty, the 5-year-old terrier who stars in a line of greeting cards under the name the Real New Yorkie, refused to roll over in the dispute with Libby Pataki, who authored a children's book featuring a plucky city terrier named New Yorkey.
McGuire and her attorney, Linda Steinman, say Pataki was seeking to license the character and sell New Yorkey products after they already were trademarking Schmitty. Ruh roh.
Pataki's attorney did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment Monday.
Schmitty's $2.99 greeting cards feature her in various adorable outfits _ raincoat, sunglasses, wacky party hat _ and holiday gear _ green shamrock necktie, Mardi Gras beads. The Pentagon ordered 10,000 copies of a card showing Schmitty sitting in front of an American flag, with head cocked solemnly, to send to reservists in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 5-pound canine started her career as a greeting card model after the 2001 World Trade Center attack, which claimed the lives of nine firefighters from McGuire's neighborhood firehouse on Manhattan's Upper West Side. To raise money for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, McGuire sold cards featuring her puppy's furry face, and the tiny terrier quickly fetched a following.
Her handlers didn't allege that Gov. George Pataki's wife stole the New Yorkey idea after seeing the cards. But they said they expected her to back down after they pointed out the problem.
"Instead, we got these big letters and it became a legal beagle issue," McGuire told reporters at a news conference where Schmitty pranced across the conference table, wearing a Burberry harness.
Schmitty's only comment was the occasional growly bark.
"Yes, yes, you were a little upset, weren't you?" McGuire cooed.
Last week, though, Pataki agreed to call off the licensing process and said she wouldn't write any more books featuring a New Yorkey character, Steinman said. She will continue to sell her children's book, "Madison in New York," published by VSP Books, based in Alexandria, Va.
"It is certainly a step in the right direction," Steinman said.
Which is better than a step in something else.
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