The Odd Truth, Oct. 25, 2002
The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Brian Bernbaum. A new collection of stories is published each weekday. On weekends, you can read a week's worth of The Odd Truth.
Dog Shoots Man
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Pheasant season took an ugly turn for Michael Murray when he was shot by Sonny, his year-old English setter pup.
The puppy knew something was very wrong when Murray dropped to the ground with blood spurting from his ankle. "Sonny just laid by my side," Murray said. "He knew something was bad."
Murray, 42, was hunting in western South Dakota on the first day of the season last Saturday. He said he was lining up a photo of the seven birds his hunting party shot in the first hour.
A loaded 12-gauge shotgun lay on the ground near the frisky dog.
"He stepped on the gun and it went off," Murray said. "At first I didn't know what happened. I got that blinding flash of pain and I sat down. Blood was pumping out of my ankle."
His brother-in-law, Chuck Knutson of Woodbury, quickly tied a tourniquet above Murray's right boot. The third member of the hunting party was Murray's father, also Michael, of New Richmond, Wis.
"My dad's 75," Murray said, "He was white as a ghost."
The three men climbed into their truck and drove to a relative's house. A half-hour later, an ambulance took Murray to a nearby hospital.
After 15 stitches and a night in the hospital, Murray is on course for a complete recovery.
"It was the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me," he said.
Murray admits there is a certain amount of notoriety that goes along with getting shot by your dog.
"That's the hard part, talking to people, because you feel like such a fool," he said.
It's Better Than Selling Blood
LONDON — University students have been offered the chance to earn extra money the fun way — by testing condoms.
Manufacturer Condomi on Friday placed commercials in university newspapers and on student radio stations across Britain and Ireland offering 100 pounds (U.S. $150) per semester to students who volunteer to take part in what it calls "rigor pleasure tests" of the contraceptives.
"We are always looking for ways to improve our condoms, so using the feedback from eager consumers seems an ideal opportunity of testing every aspect of our performance," said marketing manager Victoria Wells.
To be picked students must be in a relationship already — either straight or gay, Condomi says.
Wells said test results "will be fed back to our research and development department, and we hope that the students who participate will both enjoy the testing and the money, and give us a frank response which we can use for product development."
Man Fined Over Radioactive Cat Waste
WHITMAN, Mass. — A man who ignored a veterinarian's order to flush his cat's radioactive waste down the toilet was hit with a $2,800 bill.
And Bill Jenness said he's happy to pay it.
"I don't feel I was mistreated," Jenness told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy. "It's my cat, my responsibility and I did not abide by the directions I was given."
Jenness' cat, Mitzi, an 11-year-old shorthair, was treated with an injection of radioiodine after developing hyperthyroidism, which is common in cats her age.
The treatment makes the cat radioactive for weeks, so special care is required, including limiting snuggling time, keeping the cat away from children and pregnant women and using protective gloves when flushing the cat litter.
Jenness said he decided to throw the litter in the trash after the waste hardened into abnormally large clumps.
"I was afraid of my septic system being clogged," he said.
Mitzi's mess was discovered at an incinerator in Rochester when alarms detected radioactivity. Workers traced the waste to Jenness after finding mail with his name on it nearby.
Radiocat's Web site says the amount of radiation from a radioiodine shot is probably less than the amount a person receives on a long plane flight or a day at the beach.
Minor Candidate With Major Attitude
MADISON, Wis. - The Rasta Movement candidate may not get the most votes in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, but is he's taking up the most room on the ballot. Aneb Jah Rasta Sensas-Utcha Nefer I is one of the minor party candidates for governor. But running for him is just a formality. Nefer figures he's already governor -- and for life. He claims to have been elected governor before birth. As Nefer puts it -- quote -- "I'm the damn governor. I'm running the damn state." But the voters may disagree on November 5.
Supersoaker Saves The Day
WATSONVILLE, Calif. - When a nine-year-old California boy came to the rescue, it's a good thing he was armed -- with a Supersoaker water gun.
And now, he's going to be recognized as a hero -- by animal welfare officials.
Back in August, on a 90-degree day, Isiah Ayala of Watsonville saw two puppies in a parked car, with one window barely rolled down.
He stuck the muzzle of his high-powered water gun through the window, and squirted the two Lab mix puppies. He kept wetting them down to keep them cool until police and animal control officers arrived to rescue the dogs.
Animal control officers said that without the cooling water, the dogs would most likely have died.
Next week, Isiah will be honored by Santa Cruz County Animal Control and the Doris Day Foundation.
'Puffy-Cheek Bandit' Nabbed
NEWARK, New Jersey — The FBI arrested a postal worker believed to be the "Puffy-Cheek Bandit" responsible for 27 bank robberies in five states since 1998.
Cazzie Williams, 30, was taken into custody Wednesday at a restaurant where he had come to pick up an order.
The Puffy-Cheek Bandit got his nickname because he held air in his cheeks as he robbed banks, FBI Special Agent Carrie Brzezinski said. Williams' face appeared normal Thursday in his first court appearance, during which he was ordered held without bail.
The bandit, who was profiled on the television show "America's Most Wanted" last year, passed tellers notes threatening to shoot people.
Authorities allege Williams stole more than $100,000 in the robberies, which took place between September 1998 and June 2000, except for one in 2001.
Eighteen of the 27 robberies were in New Jersey. The others were in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Brzezinski, who once headed the FBI's bank robbery unit, said she could recall only a few robbers responsible for more holdups.
This Old House Of Ill Repute
LAS VEGAS - Here's a chance to make your home look like a house -- a house of ill repute. The Chicken Ranch brothel is putting its furniture up for sale. Pieces range from sofas to an end table with "carved naked ladies underneath." The furniture had been used in the legal brothel near Las Vegas since the late 70's. Each buyer also gets a letter of authenticity, brothel souvenirs and a photo showing the furniture in use.
Chicken Ranch manager Debbie Rivenburgh says it's a chance to buy a unique bit of Western history. No word, though, if any of the beds are for sale.