A Ruff Break For Dr. Dog

Fans of Dr. Dog were disappointed this week to learn that the band had canceled its New York shows due to the severely bruised larynx of its singer, Toby Leaman.

The band—touring in support of its new album, Fate—was slated to play last night at the Bowery Ballroom and tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, but canceled the shows after Leaman was said to have been punched in the throat.

According to a publicist for the band, “Toby has a severely bruised larynx which is healing well,” which is cause for all of his fans to wag their tails, but how did the guy catch a fist in the windpipe? “That was written by a fan and [is] 100% false,” said the band’s mouthpiece, Steven Trachtenbroit, who attributed the singer’s ailment to a “bad tubing accident.”

Except the same message was posted on [the band’s MySpace blog] and sent out by its management company, Foundations Music, making us wonder exactly what kind of access this mysterious fan has. Either way, the flip-flopping flack added, “Throughout this week he has been able to sing better and better each day,” and the shows have been rescheduled for Aug. 26 and 27.