ITN
Hound dog ruins Elvis's teddy
Hound dog ruins Elvis's teddy
A Doberman that was supposed to be guarding Elvis Presley's teddy bear is in the dog house after going 'berserk' and tearing the stuffing out of it. The £40,000 rare Steiff bear called Mabel was due to go on display with other teddies at an exhibition. But Barney the Doberman, who was brought in to keep Mabel safe, ripped its head off and 'left bits of teddy bear everywhere'. Barney's owner is stunned by 'the model guard dog's' behaviour and believes he may have become jealous of the bear. Greg West, from Totterdown, Bristol, said: '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.' The bear was loaned to the collection at Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset by aristocratic owner Sir Benjamin Slade who is said to be 'not very pleased at all' by the dog's antics. Daniel Medley from the Wookey Bear Collection described the scene as 'a horrific mess, with bits of teddy bear everywhere'. He added: 'I'm not sure how we are going to explain this to the insurance company.' Unsurprisingly, Barney's future at the Wookey Bear Collection is said to be 'uncertain'. According to reports he has been retired to a farm 'where he can chase chickens'.
ITN | August 3, 2006
