Bits of News

Man clinging to boat: Save my dog first
Life jackets are made for people, not dogs. So, when Randy Earl's small boat capsized while he was fishing with his dog Lacy, a black spaniel mix, he stayed in the water with his life jacket while making sure Lacy was OK.
"When the boat flipped over, I put the dog on top of the boat," Earl told The Dominion Post of Morgantown.
While waiting for someone to rescue them on Mason Lake in northern West Virginia, Earl clung to the 12-foot boat's hull. The water temperature was about 50 degrees, said J.M. Crawley, a senior conservation officer for the Division of Natural Resources.
Another fisherman, Jan Thorn, watched from shore as a state trooper paddled out to rescue Earl and Lacy.
"He asked the state trooper to take the dog first," Thorn said. "It was very touching."
Earl, 53, said Lacy means a lot to him and his wife since they lost both of their children in a car accident 15 years ago.
"That dog is like a child to us," he said.
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Boy, 10, Escapes Mountain Lion Attack With Only Scratches
PHOENIX — A rabid mountain lion attacked a 10-year-old boy north of Phoenix, scratching the child on the back before being shot to death.
A biologist with the Arizona Department Game and Fish says the boy suffered scratches on his back but wasn't seriously injured during Saturday's attack.
But biologist Randy Babb said Monday that the boy will have to undergo a series of shots after being exposed to rabies.
Game officials have also recommended shots for other people who touched the lion. Someone who was with the boy shot the animal.
Babb says it's not common to find large animals like mountain lions infected with rabies.