Elvis' Teddy Bear Chewed Up By Museum Guard Dog

Local 6 ^ | August 2, 2006 | Staff Writer

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LONDON -- Mabel, the teddy bear once cuddled by Elvis, is all chewed up.

A Doberman pinscher named Barney ripped Mabel's head off at the Wookey Hole Caves children's museum near Wells, England. Barney was supposed to be guarding hundreds of rare bears, but the museum's general manager Daniel Medley said "he just went berserk."

Barney chewed up all the bears, worth nearly $1 million.

Medley has spoken to the man who donated Elvis' bear to the collection and he said the man is "not very pleased at all." The bear was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff.

A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground.

[pepperdog]

We used to buy stuffed toys at the thrift store for our dogs, then we'd hand them out a few at a time. Once we bought a big sack full and just emptied the whole thing out on the kitchen floor. Our older Yorkie almost went crazy trying to gather all of them up and hide them from the others. It was hilarious. But now they mostly cuddle them as you described, altho every once in a while they want to play tug with them, so we have to be careful and determine if the toy is a baby or a tug toy today.

[potlatch]

You're welcome. I have over 6200 graphics saved, you could probably request most anything, lol.

[AnAmericanMother]

My dog is actually very gentle with most stuffed toys - she still has the mallard duck we got her as a puppy and it's still in pretty good shape (though very, very dirty!)

But she has a pet peeve. She hates hard plastic, hard plastic toys don't last long. She isn't allowed to play with bumpers (shouldn't let her anyway -- that's business) because she destroys them. And she will chew any plastic parts right off a stuffed toy. We have a now eyeless lizard who is otherwise intact -- she chewed off the bulging plastic eyes, then pulled all the stuffing out of the eyeholes, so I stuffed it all back in and sewed his poor eye sockets shut (I resisted the temptation to put two large Xs where his eyes used to be.) And we had the cutest little fuzzy stuffed hedgehog with four very realistic plastic tennis shoes on his feet. Now he is a legless hedgehog (but doesn't have a little platform to roll around on like the frogs in the French restaurant in Gahan Wilson's cartoon . . . )

[Kimmers]

I think it is that whole unconditional love thing.....

I must love my pup I just spent $600.00 at the vet today and that does not included the teeth cleaning he has to have in a few weeks. He is worth it....

[woofie]

Woof!!!!!!!!!

[I Drive Too Fast]

A Doberman pinscher named Barney reduced the teddy's to Rubble. Yabba dabba don't.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Is anyone curious why the Teddy is called "Mabel"....

...and why it was at least 30 years old when it came to little Elvis?

(Was it his mommy's? And she named it, so he couldn't pretend it was another character?)

[ntnychik]

This story was on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight. That's one expensive shredded teddy bear. (Cute gifs!)

[potlatch]

Yep, Elvis reappeared over that! LOL.