7 legged, freak of nature deer hit last month
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but found his most unusual one driving his truck.
One day last month, Lisko found a young buck with nub antlers — and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs.
‘‘It was definitely a freak of nature,’’ Lisko said. ‘‘I guess it’s a real rarity.’’
He said he slowed down as the buck and two does ran across his driveway Nov. 22, but the buck ran under the truck and was hit.
When he looked at the animal, he noticed 3- to 4-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.
‘‘It’s a pretty weird deer,’’ he said, describing the extra legs as resembling ‘‘crab pinchers.’’
‘‘It kind of gives you the creeps when you look at it,’’ he said.
Doug Bilgo of the state Department of Natural Resources came to Lisko’s property near Mud Lake in the town of Osceola to tag the deer.
‘‘I have never seen anything like that in all the years that I’ve been working as a game warden and being a hunter myself,’’ Bilgo said.
No matter how freaky, the deer was skinned and consumed.
‘‘And by the way, I did eat it,’’ Lisko said. ‘‘It was tasty.’’
Parolees ring Salvation Army bells this year
GREENWOOD, Ind. — Faced with a shortage of bell-ringers, the Salvation Army has turned to an unlikely source — parolees — to help bring in cash this holiday.
Major Richard Hartman said about half of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign bell-ringers in Johnson County are nonviolent offenders finishing up community service sentences.
‘‘When you’re out there ringing the bell and wishing people a Merry Christmas you’re giving back to the community,’’ Hartman said.
Greenwood City Court Judge Lewis Gregory had to approve the program because using individuals with misdemeanors like public intoxication or marijuana possession raised concerns about safety.
‘‘We did want to be sure that the donations went to the Salvation Army and that there wasn’t much of an opportunity for any of the money to disappear,’’ Gregory said.
To that end, the Salvation Army decided to have the collection buckets chained and locked ‘‘so they just can’t grab a bucket and walk away with it,’’ Hartman said.
He said that so far, the program has been problem-free.
World's smallest dog only 6 inches long
LARGO, Fla. — Brandy the Chihuahua is 6 inches long and weighs less that 2 pounds. She’s not allowed on the furniture because if she jumped off, she’d break.
She’s also, according the Guinness World Records book, officially the Smallest Dog in the World.
Brandy’s owner, Paulette Keller, carries her around in a sheepskin-lined purse. You don’t pet Brandy so much as rub her with a thumb and forefinger.
Brandy made the transformation from Keller’s lap ornament to the Smallest Dog in the World over a year ago. A breeder told Keller she thought Brandy was smaller than the smallest dog in the Guinness book.
Keller took Brandy to the vet, who signed papers listing her vital statistics. Bug-eyed Brandy made the Guinness’ 2006 edition, on the same page with the dog who can fit five tennis balls in its mouth.
‘‘I just love her,’’ Keller said. ‘‘It wouldn’t matter if she’s the smallest. She’s just a really sweet dog.’’
Middle school teacher in trouble after telling students to pee in a bottle
SALISBURY, Md. — A middle school teacher who didn’t have time to escort three students to the restroom is in trouble for allegedly telling them to answer nature’s call in a soda bottle.
The students did as they were told, said Thomas Field, interim superintendent of Wicomico County schools.
The alleged incident happened Friday at Salisbury Middle School, where restroom vandalism led to a policy that some students had to be escorted to the restroom.
Students said the eighth grade teacher — who wasn’t identified by the school pending a review — couldn’t find anyone to escort three students and told them to urinate into a soda bottle.
‘‘In my 39 years of working here, I’ve never heard of anything like this,’’ said Allen Brown, Wicomico County’s assistant superintendent for Student Services. ‘‘It was just a dumb thing to do.’’
Levi Willey Jr., president of the Wicomico County PTAs, called for a review of the matter.
‘‘That’s not even civilized,’’ Willey said. ‘‘You don’t ask anyone to do that in a public area.’’
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but found his most unusual one driving his truck.
One day last month, Lisko found a young buck with nub antlers — and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs.
‘‘It was definitely a freak of nature,’’ Lisko said. ‘‘I guess it’s a real rarity.’’
He said he slowed down as the buck and two does ran across his driveway Nov. 22, but the buck ran under the truck and was hit.
When he looked at the animal, he noticed 3- to 4-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.
‘‘It’s a pretty weird deer,’’ he said, describing the extra legs as resembling ‘‘crab pinchers.’’
‘‘It kind of gives you the creeps when you look at it,’’ he said.
Doug Bilgo of the state Department of Natural Resources came to Lisko’s property near Mud Lake in the town of Osceola to tag the deer.
‘‘I have never seen anything like that in all the years that I’ve been working as a game warden and being a hunter myself,’’ Bilgo said.
No matter how freaky, the deer was skinned and consumed.
‘‘And by the way, I did eat it,’’ Lisko said. ‘‘It was tasty.’’
Parolees ring Salvation Army bells this year
GREENWOOD, Ind. — Faced with a shortage of bell-ringers, the Salvation Army has turned to an unlikely source — parolees — to help bring in cash this holiday.
Major Richard Hartman said about half of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign bell-ringers in Johnson County are nonviolent offenders finishing up community service sentences.
‘‘When you’re out there ringing the bell and wishing people a Merry Christmas you’re giving back to the community,’’ Hartman said.
Greenwood City Court Judge Lewis Gregory had to approve the program because using individuals with misdemeanors like public intoxication or marijuana possession raised concerns about safety.
‘‘We did want to be sure that the donations went to the Salvation Army and that there wasn’t much of an opportunity for any of the money to disappear,’’ Gregory said.
To that end, the Salvation Army decided to have the collection buckets chained and locked ‘‘so they just can’t grab a bucket and walk away with it,’’ Hartman said.
He said that so far, the program has been problem-free.
World's smallest dog only 6 inches long
LARGO, Fla. — Brandy the Chihuahua is 6 inches long and weighs less that 2 pounds. She’s not allowed on the furniture because if she jumped off, she’d break.
She’s also, according the Guinness World Records book, officially the Smallest Dog in the World.
Brandy’s owner, Paulette Keller, carries her around in a sheepskin-lined purse. You don’t pet Brandy so much as rub her with a thumb and forefinger.
Brandy made the transformation from Keller’s lap ornament to the Smallest Dog in the World over a year ago. A breeder told Keller she thought Brandy was smaller than the smallest dog in the Guinness book.
Keller took Brandy to the vet, who signed papers listing her vital statistics. Bug-eyed Brandy made the Guinness’ 2006 edition, on the same page with the dog who can fit five tennis balls in its mouth.
‘‘I just love her,’’ Keller said. ‘‘It wouldn’t matter if she’s the smallest. She’s just a really sweet dog.’’
Middle school teacher in trouble after telling students to pee in a bottle
SALISBURY, Md. — A middle school teacher who didn’t have time to escort three students to the restroom is in trouble for allegedly telling them to answer nature’s call in a soda bottle.
The students did as they were told, said Thomas Field, interim superintendent of Wicomico County schools.
The alleged incident happened Friday at Salisbury Middle School, where restroom vandalism led to a policy that some students had to be escorted to the restroom.
Students said the eighth grade teacher — who wasn’t identified by the school pending a review — couldn’t find anyone to escort three students and told them to urinate into a soda bottle.
‘‘In my 39 years of working here, I’ve never heard of anything like this,’’ said Allen Brown, Wicomico County’s assistant superintendent for Student Services. ‘‘It was just a dumb thing to do.’’
Levi Willey Jr., president of the Wicomico County PTAs, called for a review of the matter.
‘‘That’s not even civilized,’’ Willey said. ‘‘You don’t ask anyone to do that in a public area.’’