Dog Ate Homework, Vet Confirms

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Texas high school student Reagan Hardin built a diorama of a farm scene for an assignment in AP history last week, but when she arrived to class empty-handed, she had no choice but to tell the teach that her dog, Roscoe, had eaten her homework.

The Dodo has confirmed this to be the truth.

As classically unbelievable as Hardin's excuse was, Roscoe's physician, Dr. Carl Southern of North Houston Veterinary Specialists, in Houston, Texas, said the dog had indeed eaten the homework.

"Yes, the dog did eat the homework," Southern told The Dodo by phone.

Among the casualties from the diorama were several plastic animals, including sheep, chickens, cows and horses.

"When he came in, he threw up what looked like a couple of pieces of a plastic horse body and other small animals," said the vet. "After the owner finished laughing, she confirmed that was from the homework."

Fortunately, Southern was able to extract the unfortunate figurines from Roscoe's stomach without surgery, instead using an endoscope to retrieve them - sparing them the long, unseemly journey through the dog's digestive system - and likely saving his life.

Roscoe's recovery was immediate, said Southern, but this tale of the dog's academic appetite won't soon be forgotten by him or his staff.

"We have seen some strange things, but that tops the list simply because it was the child's homework. That's a joke that always goes around, but this was a true case," he said. "This is the first time that I've been able to say that, indeed, a dog had eaten a child's homework and they were unable to turn it in because of that reason."

With this case of a dog actually eating a homework assignment, there's a lesson for other pet owners, says Southern:

"Don't put anything past your pet. We leave a lot of things out we think they'll never get into. Sure enough, what we think they won't get into, that's the thing they'll get into. Don't put anything past them - they'll prove you wrong every time."

The veterinarian says Hardin was excited that her dog was OK, and also that confirmation of her excuse bought her extra time to rebuild the assignment and hand it in late.

Visit the Animal Humane Society's website for more tips on keeping pets safe from dangers at home.