Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Dog swims from Alcatraz to shore SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A golden retriever named Jake has dog paddled his way to a bit of fame, swimming 1.2 miles in cold, choppy waters off the San Francisco shoreline. Advertisement Jake, the only dog among 500 swimmers in the South End Rowing Club's 10th annual Alcatraz Invitational, came in 72nd overall, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He made the swim Saturday with his human dad, Jeff Pokonosky. The pair live in San Diego and swim 2 miles twice a week. "It was colder and rougher than we thought it would be," Pokonosky told the newspaper after the race. "Jake amazed me." Pokonosky runs a company called WiggleWireless that delivers text messages and news to cell phones. Subscribers received live updates on Jake's progress and a portion of the money raised went to Guide Dogs for the Blind. Advertisement Wanted: 150 Martha Stewarts NEW YORK, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- If you're living in relative obscurity and your name happens to be Martha Stewart -- "that" Martha Stewart is looking for you. Producers of "Martha" -- the celebrity homemaker/executive/ex-convict's new syndicated talk show-- want an "only Martha Stewart audience" for its Sept. 12 launch. So, if you're name is Martha Stewart, you live in the United States or Canada and would finally like something more than smart aleck comments about your name, the producers say contact marthastewart.com/martha or send a snail mail to "My Name is Martha Stewart," MSLO Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 1942, N.Y., N.Y., 10116. The deadline is Sept. 1. Helmsley housekeeper sues over dog bites NEW YORK, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Tough-talking New York hotel magnate Leona Helmsley is being sued by a former housekeeper who claims she was repeatedly bitten by Helmsley's little dog. Part of Zamfira Sfara's former job was to feed the Maltese named Trouble. Because the dog won't eat from a plate, Helmsley reportedly ordered Sfara to feed it dinners of chef-prepared smoked salmon, chicken, and carrots with sour cream by hand, the New York Post said. Advertisement The 45-year-old said she put up with routine bites since last September, as the job paid $100,000 per year. But she claims now, she can't work as she can't close her hand and is in "tremendous pain every day." Helmsley's lawyers are seeking to have Sfara's suit, which seeks unspecified money damages thrown out of court. They argue any injuries she might have received would be work-related, so she should have sued Helmsley's company, not her personally. 1997 shark tank rupture sparks lawsuit SYDNEY, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A 61-year-old Australian woman is now suing the Sydney Aquarium after a huge glass tank burst in 1997, spewing out sharks among terrified tourists. Perth visitor Hazel Swinden said she was admiring the sea life in the tank. Seconds later, she was on her back, surrounded by sharks and fearing for her life, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported. The 61-year-old Swinden told the paper Monday that the 12,500-liter tank "exploded" as she stood in front of it, showering her with glass, saltwater and sharks. "I tried to get up because I knew there were sharks in the water," Mrs Swinden told the District Court. "The water was up to my chest when I was sitting. I looked out to the side and I saw a big, black shape swim down the side of me. It went around my feet. It was a shark." Advertisement Swinden contends she now suffers "flashbacks" and post traumatic stress disorder, the newspaper said, and was forced to give up her job as a sales assistant because of leg injuries she received from shattered glass. The aquarium is counter-suing the tank's manufacturer.
