NEW: RI Pug That Ate & Pooped 100 Rocks Leads Online Contest
Friday, September 09, 2011
A pug from Rhode Island named Harley is rapidly becoming a media star for some pretty gross reasons. 100 of them, in fact.
Harley, who belongs to Lori Laverdiere of Manville, is making national news for pooping out 100 rocks.
One hundred rocks. In a row.
The story hit the Internet when it landed on the Web site of VPI Pet Insurance, where Laverdiere had filed a claim for her run to the pet ER to check on Harley's gastrointestinal meltdown. VIP hosts a Hambone Award (effectively the Darwin Awards for pets). Harley's bizarre tale became the Hambone of the month for June, and now stands in first place in online voting for Hambone of the Year.
Billed as "true stories of dog, cat and exotic pet mishaps," Hambone of the Year is in its third year. It was named for a dog who ate "an entire Thanksgiving ham while stuck in the refrigerator." Past winners include Ellie, a Labrador retriever who ate an entire beehive, and Lulu, a hungry bulldog who swallowed "15 pacificers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball."
VPI now has 12 nominees posted for online voting, here.
Harley's story
It all began when Laverdiere picked up Harley from boarding at his vet's office, where "he had frequently stayed since he was a puppy," she said. "When we got home, I took him for a walk and he started pooping out rocks. Nothing else, just rocks."
A confused and frightened Laverdiere called her vet to find out what had happened. She learned that boarding dogs spend 10-20-minute periods in individual runs, where Harley must have eaten all those rocks. Advised to watch her beloved pug, Laverdiere says she could feel some rocks still in his stomach, so she stayed outside with him in hopes that he'd pass more.
Then came the X-ray
Laverdiere took Harley to the pet ER, and was horrified when the X-ray was returned from the lab. He'd eaten, in fact, about a hundred rocks, total, and with a little medication, was able to pass the rest of them on his own.
VPI put Harley on the map in terms of dramatic pet events, and he currently is beating out a Chihuahua contender named Chico from Crystal Lake, IL, who was grabbed by a Great Horned Owl. In third place, a New Jersey Labrador retriever named Stella Artois who got her lower jaw stuck in a half-eaten can of green beans. Also in the running: a dachsund also named Harley who got in a blood fight with a seagull for foodscraps, and a Massachusetts cat named Eddy who chased a fly right onto a hot wood stove.
Will Harley maintain his lead? RIers can keep him on top of the (rock)pile by going online, here, and voting.
