Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Welcome to October! And Friday!

We want to help you get this first weekend of October started off right, which for us means—you guessed it—"Snippets and Soundbites"!

We know you're excited to see our rundown of some of the strangest stories we found reported on reputable news sites this week. And remember: if today's edition of "Snippets and Soundbites" isn't enough random information for you, check out page 38 in this month's (and every month's) issue of ec.

Ready? Let's go!

If the shoe fits. . .

Shoes are great, right? And no one loves a good pair of shoes more than ec's editor, Mandy. But even she was a little surprised when she read the story of a stiletto relay race that took place in Australia this week.The race, which helped to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, took place on a section of street near the Sydney Opera House. About 100 women (and one man, reportedly) competed in the 100-meter relay race—all while wearing 3-inch stiletto heels. A team of four women from Canberra (Australia's capital) won the competition and nabbed the world record for the fastest relay race in stiletto heels. To read more about the race, go here. To see raw video of the race, click here. To learn more about National Breast Cancer month (October), go here.

A dog's life.

The downswing in the economy has been tough for everyone—and that includes Wando, a drug-sniffing dog in Western Pennsylvania. That's right, Wando, and his handler, Officer Justin Scalzo, were laid off from the Jeannette, Penn., police force during a city council meeting this week. The financial situation was so bad that the city of Jeannette is predicting a $440,000 budget shortfall this year. Therefore, they had to lay off some of the city's 47 workers. That included three police officers (and Wando), two meter maids, a secretary in the police department, some trash collectors and public works employees. The layoffs will take effect on October 5, but some of the workers could be called back if finances improve. We hope Wando is one of them! To learn more, go here.

Just breathe.

If Wando decided to leave Jeannette in search of other employment options, Boston might be the city for him—and most pet lovers. That's because the Boston Fire Department received a donation of small oxygen masks designed specifically for pets this week. City officials say the masks will become standard equipment on every fire truck in the city. The masks are designed to fit on small snouts of dogs and cats and were donated by a pet food company and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. The masks will help pets' lungs recover from smoke inhalation. To learn more, go here.