Barber gets state to tweak rules

Canal Fulton- He hangs out at the local barbershop entertaining customers, watching Clint Eastwood movies and dozing on a couch. Franklin, a 4-year-old basset hound, may be the biggest celebrity in this historic community on the Ohio and Erie Canal. But all he craves is someone to rub his ears and feed him treats. The sad-eyed dog gained local notoriety last year when he was ordered out of the one-chair business by a state inspector because State Barber Board rules prohibited animals, except service dogs, in barbershops. But after intervention by owner Matt Schwendiman and his state representative, the board became the first in the nation to allow animals in barbershops if owners meet strict stipulations. Franklin returned to a hero's welcome last month.

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