I know you won't believe me, but I really have been trying to keep my slightly unhealthy addiction to stories about disablet pets under some sort of control - despite the evidence scattered throughout this blog which suggests otherwise. Here, here and here, for instance.

But then I happened to click on the website for Wakefield Today and saw the headline Missing dog found trapped in a ditch. The report tells the heartwarming story of Eddie, a 15-year-old bearded collie-poodle cross breed, who spent a night trapped in a five foot-deep ditch after getting lost. Eddie is deaf and blind following a stroke, and despite his advancing years he obviously wanted to go off exploring. His owner said: "He used to be a bit of a Houdini, escaping all the time, but we thought those days were over and done with".

Crippled Monkey is getting quite emotional. This weblog ain't just all about cynical commentary, y'know. This monkey has a heart too, especially when it comes to fellow members of the animal kingdom. *Sniff*