Rascal, the spaniel who got too close to a paper shredder

Curiosity may have killed the cat - but Rascal's story shows it doesn't do the dog much good either. The springer spaniel needed emergency surgery after peering into a paper shredder and setting it off.

The machine's metal jaws bit into the 11-month-old puppy's ear and dragged it in, shredding it like a sheet of paper.



Rascal's horrified owner Jackie Wells managed to switch off the power supply, but not before more than an inch of the dog's right ear had been chewed up. With the help of her son Robert, 25, Mrs Wells rushed the dog to the vet with the shredder still attached.

Rascal was given local anaesthetic and painkillers before the vet, Leonard Cooper, could untangle the shredder from his ear.



Mr Cooper, from the Cayton Veterinary Surgery in nearby Smallford, removed the teeth from the electric motor, which enabled him to manually reverse the blades. However, there was no choice but to amputate part of Rascal's ear. Mr Cooper said: 'It was hard to get the ear out, it was held tightly in place.'

Mrs Wells said yesterday that Rascal was bandaged but making a good recovery at home. She said: 'He really does live up to his name. He's a nutter, but an adorable dog with a lovely nature. He was in shock, but seems unfazed now.'

With more photos.