3 Comments
When Harry met Sally this time, things didn't exactly have a Hollywood ending.

We're talking, of course, about the two pugs that police discovered trapped in a home in a suburb of Omaha after their unnamed owner shot himself. Left to fend for themselves, the so-named Harry and Sally apparently feasted on their deceased owner for survival.

Dr. Peter L. Borchelt, an animal behavior consultant and the attending staff behaviorist at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, helped us put the dogs' gruesome actions in perspective.

"Without the ability to see and perceive things the way we do," says Dr. Borchelt, "the dogs wouldn't have seen the owner as the owner anymore. And of course they were starved -- they can't get into the refrigerator and open cans, and they probably ate all the dog food. So they did what would be the normal behavior of a scavenger."

The Nebraska Humane Society is now faced with the daunting task of finding the pair of maneaters a new home. Dr. Borchelt, however, is optimistic. "There's no reason they couldn't be re-homed," he says. "They were just doing what any carnivore would do."

So any of you Nebraskans who are really into pugs/scavengers, consider giving yourself the gift of Harry and Sally this Christmas. Just be sure to stock up on dog food if you're contemplating suicide.