News of the Weird: Little dog becomes a big hero

If you think this tale about a dog rescuing a stranded hiker on a glacier involves a St. Bernard, think again — and then again and again until you work your way all the way down the list of potential canine heroes to a Chihuahua, An unnamed man hiking on a glacier in Switzerland on July 4 broke through a snow bridge and fell 26 feet into a narrow crevasse, the Associated Press reported. He had a walkie-talkie and reached someone nearby, who alerted emergency responders, but his exact location was unknown. Luckily for him, his long-haired Chihuahua, which was accompanying him on his hike, waited patiently near the edge of the hole, where rescuers eventually saw him. They were able to rappel down the crevasse and bring the man out; he and his canine savior were flown to a hospital. “The dog is a four-legged hero who may have saved his master’s life in a life-threatening situation,” gushed a statement from Air Zermatt, the rescue company.

Changchun Xidu FC, a soccer club in China, was fined the equivalent of about $4,000 for an incident on June 28. The New York Times reported that the Chinese Professional Football League said the team had “placed a number of feudal superstitious items in the visiting team’s dressing room” before its match with Shanxi Chongde Ronghai. Evidently, it worked: Changchun Xidu won the match 2-0.

Looking to get a little more classical music in your life? Try driving in Fujairah in the UAE and listen to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, courtesy of the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy. The Associated Press reported on July 7 that when car tires hit the grooves in the road, it sounds like the best-known parts of the composition, especially at 60 miles per hour, when the tune is just right. Academy director Ali Obaid Al Hefaiti said the project is “focused on spreading the art culture.”

Here’s a tip from Jesse Laurence Hale, 46, of Hyrum, Utah: Don’t make a kiddie porn pic your phone’s lock screen. Hale was a patient at Logan Regional Hospital last week; when he checked out, he forgot his mobile phone, the Cache Valley Daily reported. On July 3, staff at the hospital contacted Logan City Police to say that they’d seen a pornographic photo of a young child on the screen. Hale was contacted by the police and told them that the photo had been sent to him and he hadn’t deleted it. He also asked the police not to tell his mother. Instead, they arrested him.

At U.S. Army bases, there’s a new tool in warding off problematic wildlife, such as birds, KPVI-TV reported on July 10. The Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center has created an unmanned ground system: large plastic coyotes mounted to wheeled bases. “It all comes down to scare tactics,” said ERDC.

On July 5, a family from Paris left on holiday, headed to Morocco, Oddity Central reported. But during a 4:30 a.m. stop at a gas station, the 62-year-old man drove off without his wife — and didn’t realize it until about three hours later. The unnamed Parisian called emergency services but couldn’t remember which gas station he had stopped at. The couple’s 22-year-old daughter couldn’t help because she’d been sleeping the whole time. By tracking the stranded woman’s phone, police were able to locate her still at the gas station. Turns out that she had figured her husband would come back for her once he realized she was missing.