His house:
Posted on 08/02/2006 3:03:44 PM PDT by Rodney King
A £40,000 teddy bear formerly owned by Elvis Presley was destroyed when a guard dog which was supposed to protect it went on the rampage.
The rare Steiff bear, named Mabel, was due to form the centrepiece of an exhibition at Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, Somerset.
The bear was bought at auction in Memphis, Tennessee, by Somerset aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade for £40,000 and had been loaned to the collection, a Wookey Hole spokesman said.
The dog “went berserk” and ripped the head off the historic toy, the spokesman added.
Security guard Greg West, 36, was on duty last night when his Dobermann, Barney, savaged the bear, which was made in Germany in 1909.
Mr West, from Totterdown, Bristol, said: “Barney has been a model guard dog for over six years. I still can’t believe what happened.
“Either there was a rogue scent of some kind on Mabel which switched on Barney’s deepest instincts, or it could have been jealousy - I was just stroking Mabel and saying what a nice little bear she was.”
Wookey Hole general manager Daniel Medley said some of the bears were kept behind glass but Mabel was on a work surface because she had not yet gone on display.
As well as Mabel, bears worth around £20,000 were damaged as Barney ran amok in the Wookey Bear Collection.
Mr Medley said: “It’s a disaster. The scene is just a horrific mess, with bits of teddy bear everywhere.
“There are a good 100 bears scattered around all over the place.
“I’m not sure how we are going to explain this to the insurance company.
“Mabel was out on a counter but was due to be added to the collection. I’ve spoken to the bear’s owner, Sir Benjamin, and he is not very pleased at all.”
Mr Medley said Barney’s future at the attraction was “uncertain”.
He said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen to Barney. He is such a sweet dog normally. His owner is very shocked about the whole thing.”
Sir Benjamin was not available for comment at his Maunsel House mansion in North Newton, Somerset.
Doggie Ping!
His house:
ROTFLMAO
"“I’m not sure how we are going to explain this to the insurance company."
The dog ate it.
Bad, bad dog!
You ain't nuthin' but a hound dog.... cryin' all the time.
You aint nothin but a hound dog
Cryin all the time.
You aint nothin but a hound dog
Cryin all the time.
Well, you aint never caught a rabbit
And you aint no friend of mine.
When they said you was high classed,
Well, that was just a lie.
When they said you was high classed,
Well, that was just a lie.
You aint never caught a rabbit
And you aint no friend of mine.
Now that really deserves the song "You aint nothing but a hound dog" !!
In my house Prissy who weighs 17 pounds -- that is 6 Kg -- for our European friends. Will tear up anything that is stuffed in less than 45 seconds. She has toys made of fire-hose that only last one day. What are these Brits thinking dogs see these as practice dummys.
My mom's dogs actually beat them up and don't devour them, but my dad's dog will destroy them in minutes....
I don't want to be your tiger,
'Cuz tigers play too rough...
...Oh let me be!
Yo teddy bear. Ba-pa-da, ba-pa-da...
And You Aint No Friend of Mine!
I like the house and the horses. Prefer western saddles though.
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