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Iraqi dog gave U.S. soldier hope

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A dog rescued in Iraq by U.S. Navy medic Fred Kasper gave him something to look forward to until he could return home, his aunt says.

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Anita Kasper said after her nephew found the dog in the war-torn country, the animal became a source of inspiration until the dog was delivered to St. Louis County, Mo., this week, the St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch said Thursday.

"It really gave him something to look forward to," said Anita Kasper, who picked up the dog at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Wednesday. "It gave him something to find comfort in."

Kasper said with her nephew scheduled to ship out to a new location, the dog was sent to the United States thanks to the efforts of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International.

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Now Kasper says she is trying to raise funds to help pay for similar deliveries of pets adopted by U.S. soldiers overseas. She told the Post-Dispatch all funds would be given to SPCA officials for the overseas deliveries, which each cost thousands of dollars.


Council worries burglars might be hurt

WORCESTER, England, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- An English gardener whose equipment shed was broken into three times was ordered to take down a wire fence because it might injure anyone climbing over it.

Bill Malcolm told The Daily Mail he has lost about $600 worth of equipment to thieves. He said the local council told him they were afraid of people getting hurt by his 3-foot wire fence.

"I told them to let the thief sue me so at least that way I would know who was breaking into my allotment but everything I said fell on deaf ears," he said. "It seems as though they are so wrapped up in red tape, they are unable to help me. It was just three foot high and wasn't as though I'd dug a moat filled with piranha and erected 6-foot iron railings."

Malcolm said that there have been at least 50 thefts this year in the allotments in his neighborhood. Police say they have records of only five shed burglary reports.

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Crime too difficult for elderly burglar

DURHAM, England, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A 76-year-old convicted burglar in Britain says modern technology has made it so hard to commit crimes he is retiring.

Richard Blaylock, a great-grandfather, said after being released from jail last week that thanks to such advancements as DNA testing and high-quality surveillance equipment, a life of crime is no longer in his future, The Daily Telegraph said Thursday.

"It's getting harder and harder for criminals, with all the CCTV cameras and DNA evidence. It's a mugs' game. I'll never get into trouble again," the senior citizen said.

The career criminal has a total of 69 convictions on his record and has spent more than half of his life in 14 different prisons.

His release came after the elderly burglar received a three-month jail sentence for being stopped by police with his burglary tools.

Blaylock, whose first brush with the law occurred in 1943, said he hopes any young aspiring criminal would learn from his experiences, the Telegraph said.

"I would tell any youngsters thinking of going into a life of crime that they shouldn't. I've wasted my life in prison and I never made any money out of crime," he said.

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Texas bans fish pedicures

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Texas banned fish pedicures Thursday, barring salons from providing small live fish to eat the dead skin off clients' feet.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulation said that the practice could transmit disease, The Dallas Morning News reported. A spokeswoman, Susan Stanford, said that the same fish are used for different clients.

Living fish cannot be subjected to rigorous disinfection, Stanford said.

The craze for fish pedicures, pioneered by a salon in Virginia, spread quickly this summer. Stanford said she didn't know how many Texas salons do fish pedicures.

Zoe Caldwell, one of the owners of Zen Luxury Nail & Beauty Bar in Frisco, said she paid $2,500 for 500 fish.

"I guess we will either keep them as pets or send them back," she said.

She said that her salon follows rigorous procedures with its fish, disinfecting footbaths after every procedure while the fish are transferred to a tank and treated with antimicrobial agents.

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