Now, I know that I really shouldn’t laugh at this, and I should say now that I firmly believe in animal rights and welfare and whatnot, however I just saw this story on the BBC News website and, I must say, I found myself giggling some what.

I sympathise with the owner, Mr Machin, and how upset he must be, but to me it sounds like he wasn’t keeping a proper eye on his pet during this unfortunate incident.

I think it’s mainly due to the bitchy/unsympathetic writing style of the story, along with the image that the story conjurs up and the almost Warner Brothers-esque-ness of it all… but most probably, I’m just a complete and utter bastard :oP

Street sweep truck sucks up dog

A street-sweeping truck has sucked a dog up through its bristles on a New York street, leaving its horrified owner holding nothing but the lead.

Robert Machin, 57, had just finished walking his two Boston terriers in the Bronx and was about to load them into his car when the truck appeared.

He recalls being whipped around, only to glimpse Ginger meeting her end in the sweeper’s round brushes.

“It happened so fast,” he told the New York Daily News.

“It spun me around, and as it spun me around, I caught a last glimpse of her.

“I was devastated. I was completely dumbfounded and shocked.I mean, I just witnessed my dog sucked up into a street sweeper.”

(it’s that last sentence that sets me off into fits of giggles – it just sounds so surreal!)