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Escaped Dog's 17 Months on the Run Comes to an End

Valerie the miniature dachshund safely captured Friday on Kangaroo Island

(Newser) - After 529 days in the Australian wilderness, Valerie the miniature dachshund can finally get back to her cozy life. The "princess" dog who escaped from her owner while visiting a Kangaroo Island campsite in November 2023 was "safely rescued" Friday, the Kangala Wildlife Rescue says, per the BBC...

Harmonica Version of the National Anthem Goes Viral

LA Kings had a class of senior citizen musicians render 'The Star-Spangled Banner'—twice

(Newser) - Some senior citizen harmonica players are having a bit of a moment: In an era where the US national anthem is getting booed at various NHL games , the AP reports that the Los Angeles Kings brought out something that went on to become much more viral than ridiculed. On Monday...

$1M Lottery Winner: 'I'm Not Homeless Anymore!'
Homeless Man
Hits $1M Jackpot
Apr 17, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

Homeless Man Hits $1M Jackpot

'I'm not homeless anymore!': Un-IDed Californian needed money, deserved it, says store manager

(Newser) - A $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket went to a person who not only "deserved it," but "actually needed it," according to the manager of the California store where the ticket was sold. The unnamed winner, a regular customer at Sandy's Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo,...

Toddler Lost in Cougar Country Is Saved by Furry Friend

Buford, a rancher's pet, spotted accompanying the Arizona boy after 16 hours

(Newser) - A large search party involving multiple law-enforcement agencies couldn't locate a missing toddler who wandered away from his home in bear and cougar country on Monday. Thankfully, a rancher's dog did. On Tuesday morning, about 16 hours after the 2-year-old had disappeared from his home in Seligman, Arizona,...

Town Helps Bookstore Move, One Book at a Time

'Book brigade' passed books hand to hand in small Michigan town

(Newser) - Residents of all ages in a small Michigan community helped a local bookshop move each of its 9,100 books—one by one—to a new storefront about a block away. A "book brigade" of around 300 people stood in two lines on the sidewalk in downtown Chelsea on...

Dog Teaches Other Dogs to Save Avalanche Victims

In the Italian Dolomites, Zen and other pups are tasked with rescuing those buried on the slopes

(Newser) - Zen, a 5-year-old border collie, circled around a mound of snow as he picked up a scent, his quick movements signaling to his handler that someone was buried deep below. Zen has been a rescue dog for three years, and on this day he was helping train 20 other dogs...

Dying Man's Mission: Serve Others in All 50 States

Doug Ruch, 55, of Texas is using his final months to perform community service across US

(Newser) - Doug Ruch's story falls into the "uplifting yet bittersweet" category—meant to inspire, but with a looming ending. The 55-year-old Texan was told by doctors he likely has between a year and 18 months to live, after finding out earlier this year that his prostate cancer had metastasized....

Inmates Reunite With Pups They Helped Train

Prisoners at San Quentin who raised canines to be service dogs are reunited with their furry students

(Newser) - Hugs, tears, barking, and tail wagging abounded at San Quentin's prison when two black Labradors reunited with the incarcerated men who helped raise them to be service dogs. The emotional reunion brought together Chase Benoit, Jared Hansen, and the 2-year-old dogs they helped train: Wendel and Artemis. The encounter...

Eagle Who Tried to Hatch a Rock Gets His Dad Wish
Eagle Who Got His
Wish to Be a Dad Dies
UPDATED
Mar 24, 2025 4:00 AM CDT

Eagle Who Got His Wish to Be a Dad Dies

Murphy wanted to be a father so bad that Missouri sanctuary let him foster 2 eaglets

(Newser) - Murphy, the bald eagle who won hearts in 2023 when he tried to incubate a rock, has died at age 33. The Missouri sanctuary where the raptor lived ultimately allowed him to foster an eaglet, which was released into the wild, and he later fostered a second eaglet, which is...

Man Rescued After 94 Days Adrift: 'I Didn't Want to Die'

Peru's Maximo Napa survived on rainwater, roaches, birds, turtles, and thoughts of his family

(Newser) - He planned to be gone for two weeks. Instead, for 94 days, Maximo Napa floated on the Pacific Ocean, not a soul in sight. Ten days after setting out from southern Peru on Dec. 7, the fisherman was caught in a current and bad weather, which carried his boat—lacking...

He Heard Barking Under His Floor. Then, an 'Amazing' Find

Apparent stray was rescued from beneath Texas home, then found a family

(Newser) - After hearing a dog's distant barks and whimpering for several days, a renter of a duplex in Longview, Texas, placed a call to animal control that ended up saving the animal's life. The unidentified renter had started to sense the sounds weren't coming from a neighbor's...

Hiker Rescues Missing Dog Who Couldn't Escape Coal Pit

Freddy is back home after a week in Pottsville, Pennsylvania

(Newser) - A Pennsylvania hiker had followed his dog off a mountain trail this week when he glanced toward a deep coal pit below and saw a tail move near a pile of rocks. Collin Leiby, an avid hiker and wedding photographer, locked eyes with the animal and knew it was Freddy,...

Lost Dog Lands at Just the Right Shelter

5 months after disappearing, Emma was surrendered at shelter where her owner works

(Newser) - A Good Samaritan who picked up a stray dog and couldn't find her owner brought her to the local shelter—where she inadvertently found her owner. As the Centre Daily Times in Alabama reports, the story goes a little like this: Cheyenne Campbell let her rescue dog Emma out...

Eagles Player Keeps Promise to Injured Boy

He brings Vince Lombardi trophy to 10-year-old hurt while protecting sister after Philadelphia plane crash

(Newser) - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has kept his promise to a 10-year-old boy seriously injured during the Jan. 31 crash of a medical transport aircraft. Trey Howard was hit by debris in the family car as he shielded his little sister. After emergency brain surgery, the Eagles fan asked...

Egg Farm Makes Massive Donation to Wildfire Victims

California farm is working with food bank to give away hundreds of thousands of eggs

(Newser) - As consumers face skyrocketing egg prices and widespread shortages, a California farm is donating hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to people affected by last month's devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The 100-year-old family-owned Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said it's working with the Los Angeles...

Famous 'Fugitive Dog' Finally Found Safe

Scrim evaded capture for months

(Newser) - A scruffy New Orleans rescue dog famed for evading a monthslong effort to recapture him using nets and tranquilizer rifles was finally caught and returned to domestic life Tuesday, the AP reports. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt who has become a Louisiana folk hero, first escaped from his adopted family in...

She Rescued Dog That Fell Through Ice, Then Got Stuck

Police do a double rescue on frozen lake in Holts Summit, Missouri

(Newser) - A Missouri kayaker who saved a dog that had fallen through the ice on a frozen lake ended up needing rescue herself. Per UPI , police and animal rescue staff helped retrieve the woman on Wednesday from her icy trap in Holts Summit, after she'd plucked the poor pooch out...

It Took 7 Months, but the Arrow Has Been Removed

Canada goose 'Wilson' was not easy to capture

(Newser) - This was a wild goose chase with a positive outcome. A Canada goose first spotted with an arrow protruding from its body seven months ago was finally captured on a golf course in British Columbia last week. A veterinarian removed the arrow, and the bird is expected to make a...

Bills Fans Step Up to Support Ravens Player

They've raised more than $75K for diabetes charity backed by Mark Andrews

(Newser) - Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has received criticism—and death threats—after dropping what would have been a game-tying two-point conversion Sunday, but fans of the other team have offered some consolation. The Buffalo Bills beat the Ravens 27-25 in the divisional playoff game, and fans in the "...

Fake Humans Break Sunfish Out of Its Funk

Fish in Japan seemed depressed during aquarium closure, until staff put fake people outside tank

(Newser) - A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in southwestern Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fish tank, and appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations. As a last-ditch measure to save the popular fish, its keepers set up human cutouts outside the...

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