Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Man kills 19-foot python to rescue dog KUCHING, Malaysia, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A Kuching, Malaysia, man said he killed a 19-foot python by clubbing it with a piece of wood and dragging it after it tried to kill his dog. Advertisement Aleson Mangga said he, his young sons and his dog were tapping rubber Sunday when he heard the canine barking wildly after running into a bush, The Borneo Post reported Monday. Mangga said he ran to the bush and grabbed a piece of wood after seeing the massive snake beginning to coil itself around the dog. He said he clubbed the snake repeatedly on its head until it gave up its grip on the dog, then Mangga and his sons tied rattan strips around the snake's neck and dragged it more than a mile back to their home, where it soon died from its injuries. Advertisement Mangga said he plans to sell the python carcass to a friend. Dog returned to owners after 425-mile trek ATLANTA, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A Georgia family whose Golden Retriever disappeared Dec. 23 said they were stunned to learn their pet had traveled 425 miles to Florida. Liz Carter says the microchip planted under the skin of 7-year-old Pepper alerted a St. Petersburg, Fla., veterinarian to the fact that Pepper was a long, long way from home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday. It seems Pepper wandered into Jay Getman's travel agency one afternoon last month and Getman took him to a vet to be checked out. The Carter family said they had given up hope of seeing see Pepper again and had even adopted another dog. When Carter got the call from Getman she said she was stunned that Pepper had traveled all the way to St. Petersburg from Buckhead, Ga. "I was speechless," Carter told the Journal-Constitution. "I didn't know what to do first." Carter drove to Florida and took Pepper home. Police: Teen started fire with love letter GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A 16-year-old boy in Sweden intent on burning a love letter in a fit of passion accidentally started a destructive fire, police allege. Advertisement Police in Gothenburg say the unidentified teenager confessed to burning a letter from a romantic interest after learning that she didn't have the same feelings for him, The Local said Monday. The burning letter caused a blaze that burned more than 21,500 square feet of wilderness, police said. Appearing in court in regards to the recent incident in the city's Slottsskogen park, the teen expressed regret over the fire and said he had attempted to extinguish the blaze after it began. The Local said the young man is facing a criminal charge of reckless endangerment in relation to the incident. Practice makes perfect for Scrabble champ LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The new champion of Britain's National Scrabble Championship says he has been working toward the accomplishment for 34 years. Allan Simmons, 51, said after winning the final of the 37th annual British Scrabble tournament that more than three decades of practice helped him defeat fellow finalist, 27-year-old Craig Beevers, The Daily Telegraph said Monday. "I have had many more years experience playing than him and it's so hard to get to the final, so I thought I had to go for it but I think there were points where I was a bit cautious and did not take my chances," Simmons said after Sunday's event. "At a normal tournament I think I would have been a bit more relaxed." Advertisement Simmons, who is ranked seventh among competitive Scrabble players in Britain, told The Daily Telegraph the tournament win and its grand prize of $1,740 was a dream come true. "It's the peak of one's playing career," he said. The Telegraph said Simmons won the final decisive game in the match with the word "sheering."
