Gunther VI, a German shepherd, is selling his Biscayne Bay, Fla., Tuscan-style villa. Gunther inherited the mansion and a vast fortune. It all began when Gunther III came into a multimillion-dollar trust from his owner, German countess Karlotta Liebenstein. Since then, the Gunther dogs and their handlers have lived a lavish lifestyle, jetting around the world and eating out at fine restaurants. With the home listed at nearly $32 million, Gunther VI is hoping for a windfall.
No Special Duds For Smokey
In International Falls, Minn., the city council voted in late October to stop dressing up the 26-foot-tall statue of Smokey Bear that stands in the center of Smokey Bear Park. For decades, the residents of the city have adorned Smokey in seasonal attire, such as earmuffs, mittens and a 25-foot-long scarf during winter months. But when Mayor Harley Droba talked with other Minnesota towns with giant statues (Paul Bunyan in Bemidji; the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth), he learned that they “thought it was kind of crazy” that Smokey was getting dressed up. Council member Mike Holden said he would miss decorating Smokey, but “they don’t want the importance of Smokey the Bear to be degraded.”
Sir, There’s No Mountain On This Map
The U.S. Navy revealed that its $3-billion nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut managed to run into an undersea mountain in the South China Sea. The Connecticut was able to make it to Guam under its own power. The Navy said its nuclear reactor was unharmed. But 11 seamen suffered minor injuries. In response to the incident, Vice Adm. Karl Thomas determined that “sound judgment, prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution and risk management could have prevented the accident,” and released the sub’s top officers from their posts. But David Sandwell, a professor of geophysics, said less than half the sea floor is mapped in that area. “It’s not surprising that you could run into something.”
Dog TV
One out of six dogs suffers from obvious separation anxiety, scientists say. But pups in the United Kingdom are in for some psychological relief now that they have their own television network. DogTV will air shows designed to help canines “feel relaxed and comforted until their owners return home,” said professor Nicholas Dodman, the chief scientist who is doing consulting for DogTV. Colors, audio frequencies and camera alignment have all been adjusted to appeal to furry friends across the pond.
Smooth Move, Slick
A clever burglar in Coronado, Calif., devised a simple way to enter a home there. The 43-year-old woman just called a locksmith and asked him to change the locks on “her” home, then went inside, settled in, and turned on the music and fireplace. However, a neighbor noticed the activity and contacted the out-of-town homeowner, who alerted the police. When officers arrived, the spare key provided by the neighbor didn’t fit the locks, and police saw metal shavings and parts of a discarded lock near the front door. Police went around back, called out to the person inside, and, as she emerged, they arrested her on suspicion of burglary.
Hey, Not Our Problem
Suleman Shaikh, a physician in England, gave his parents a trip to Seville, Spain. Humaira and Farooq Shaikh boarded a Ryanair flight. But when they landed, they were in Greece. Their taxi driver told them where they were. So they returned to the airport. But Ryanair agents laughed at their predicament, and offered to cover only one night’s hotel stay, even though the next flight back to London wasn’t for four days. Suleman said he’s out 1,100 pounds and is “completely outraged and shocked that this has been allowed to happen. It has triggered severe strain and anxiety on my parents.” But Ryanair stuck to its position: “It is the responsibility of every passenger to ensure they follow the correct procedures and take note of the information available to them.”
Dateline: The Food Debris Case
As Braiden Lankford and her mother argued about the cleanliness of their house in Tampa Bay, Lankford struck her mother in the head with two tacos. Police said, “the victim had food debris all around her on the couch and on the back of her shirt.” Lankford was charged with domestic battery.
MAN GOES TO COURT TO KEEP HIS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PIG
Wyverne Flatt of Canajoharie, N.Y., is willing to go to the mat for his 100-pound emotional support pig, Ellie. But his village doesn’t believe Ellie should be allowed to live with Flatt, who has been fighting her exile for two years. “I have gotten shot records from the vet, notes from the doctor, and all the paperwork,” Flatt said. “I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to do, and we just keep going to court.” Flatt said after a divorce and losing family members, he is comforted by the pig: Ellie “jumps right up on the couch to watch TV, and she does all this stuff. Her going away from me would be just as detrimental for her as it would be for me.”
The Challenge Of Arresting The Dead
Johnny Masesa, 45, was due in court in Connecticut to face a first-degree larceny charge. He was charged with scamming an 82-year-old Milford, Conn., woman out of $83,000 by telling her that she was “in the running” for a Publisher’s Clearing House prize and she needed to send money to claim it. But Masesa didn’t turn up for his hearing because, as his lawyer, Douglas Rudolph, explained, he had died from complications of malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he had family. When Rudolph emailed the assistant state’s attorney, Howard Stein, to let him know of the death, the prosecutor asked for a death certificate. The document Stein received, however, was handwritten and showed several changes made with correction fluid. Rudolph said he has tried to reach the doctor who signed the death certificate, to no avail. Stein said he believes Rudolph is clear of any wrongdoing but asked for a re-arrest of Masesa in the case. “Obviously, if Masesa is in fact deceased, it would be difficult for the authorities to execute that warrant,” Stein said.
Anything For The Cause
In Fulford, York, England, pub owners Steve and Rebecca Eccles arranged it so that two of Santa’s reindeer would appear at their pub’s beer garden on the Saturday before Christmas. But Freedom for Animals, an animal rights group, rallied its supporters to contact the owners and ask for the event to be “animal-free.” One post that the Eccleses received threatened to burn down the pub, with the owners inside, if the event went ahead. When they contacted police, officers advised them to cancel the event, which they did. “After everything we have done to support the local community in the nearly two years we have been here, we now have to seriously consider … whether or not we feel safe enough to stay here at the pub,” the Eccleses wrote. “I hope you’re happy with what you have done.”
The Customer’s Always Right
A prison in Perry, Ga., called in an order at the local McDonald’s that stunned employee Brittani Curtis. The prison ordered 1,600 McChickens, 1,600 McDoubles and 3,200 cookies. Prison officials said they needed the food in four hours. “No lie, ya girl is TIRED,” Curtis posted on TikTok after she helped to fill the order, which cost $7,400. She said the prison often orders from the fast-food restaurant, but it’s “usually not such short notice.”
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