DOG ROOTS OUT IRAQI WEAPONS
Buster, an explosives sniffer dog with the British Army, unearthed a hidden cache of arms from an enemy camp in the Iraqi village of Safwan. The springer spaniel's haul included AK-47 assault rifles, a pistol, grenades, ammunition and bomb-making equipment, Skynews reported. His handler, Sgt. Danny Morgan, 37, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps said, "The soldiers had found nothing so I unleashed Buster and sent him in." According to Morgan, the Iraqis had denied having any weapons, but Buster found the weapons hidden in a wall cavity, covered with a sheet of tin with a wardrobe pushed in front of it.
BLACK CAT TRAPPED
A black cat provided his own luck after being trapped for hours in a three-inch gap separating two garages in St. Albans, England. Ollie's cries for help went unheeded for hours until an officer from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was called, the St. Albans Observer reported. The cat was in shock and he needed urgent treatment from a veterinarian. RSPCA officer Kate Connell sedated the cat and gave him an IV. By that time, the cat's owner, Tina Winch, raced to the scene and called her father, a builder, to remove the wall that was Ollie. However, he required further medical attention after an examination revealed some of his organs had begun to fail. After treatment, Ollie made a full recovery.
CANADIAN COWBOY WANTS TO RIDE HORSE
A Canadian cowboy is ready to have a show-down over his being able to ride his horse into Grand Prairie, Alberta. Joe Gill said he should be able to ride his horse from his farm into town where he does errands, the Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune reported. The 22-year-old horse trainer was fined $50 for riding the horse into Grand Prairie, Alberta. Town officials said horses are prohibited because emergency vehicles could spook them or cause a traffic accident. Gill said his horse needs exercise and he should be able to ride a horse in a Canadian province built by cowboys and horses. He said he plans to start circulating a petition to change the law.
PLASTIC SURGERY
An investigation is underway to determine if the winner of one of Britain's best-loved dog shows has had a secret facelift. Danny, a Pekinese, beat out 22,000 rivals to become Best in Show at Crufts in March, is the subject of a Kennel Club inquiry, The London Times reported. It is a scandal that has raised hackles in the small and rivalrous world of Pekinese showdog owners. Was it a disgruntled contender for Danny's crown who gave the anonymous tip-off to the Kennel Club, the organizers of the competition? The club is now investigating whether Danny -- real name Dangerous Liaisons -- had cosmetic surgery, a claim fiercely contested by his owners, two of the leading breeders of Pekinese showdogs. Unlike the Miss America pageant, Crufts' rules prohibit plastic surgery, unless there are clear health benefits.
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