Beehive-eating dog wins insurance prize

An insurance company called the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co has recently announced the winner of its 2nd VPI Hambone award. People were invited to vote for the most unusual health insurance claim and this year it went to Ellie.

Ellie is a Labrador retriever who found herself feeling rather unwell after eating her way through a beehive and its 1000 occupants. The hive had recently been filled with poison and Ellie soon found herself on the way to the vets with a bad stomach. She's now in full health. Elle is no stranger to eating unlikely objects. She has also eaten her way through some wooden train tracks and some keys belonging to a laptop computer. The www.VPIHamboneAward.com website invited people to vote for the most unusual claim. Close to 3000 members of the public had to choose between Ellie and 11 other nominees to determine who would be this years worthy winner. Ellie belongs to Robert and Sandra Coe. They received a bronze, bone shaped trophy and a gift basket containing pet treats. The VPI Hambone Award was introduced after a dog insured by VPI managed to get itself confined inside a refrigerator. The dog was discovered later after it had ate its way through a hambone which was intended for a Thanksgiving dinner. It had also developed a mild case of hypothermia. Coming second in 2010's Hambone Awards was Aubie, a Border collie from Birmingham, Alabama. Such was his dislike for the mail man, he leaped through a shut window, just to get to him. He ended up with a cut paw and 40 stitches. Third was Darci, a West Highland Terrier. Darci tried to take a bite from a chainsaw and was soon to find out that wasn't the best of ideas. The dog needed five hours of surgery after two holes were cut into its muzzle. All of the dogs nominated for the award all recovered. To see the other nominees, you can visit www.VPIHamboneAward.com