WEIRD STUFF

'Sausage Dog' grows way bigger than expected

A couple adopted a 'sausage dog' but they weren't prepared for what it grew into.

The dog loving couple adopted dachshund Mochi from a rescue centre, and bought what they thought were an appropriately sized bed, collar and toys to make her more comfortable at their home.

However, the pair noticed something wasn't quite right as their dog continued to grow over the next few months.

"We knew we needed a small one and she just sat there sweet and quiet, and she looked just like a weenie dog puppy," they wrote on Instagram.

The animal, however, grew considerably larger than your average sausage dog.

The owners quipped: "Little did we know we got this gorgeous grown-up baby girl dog."

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Teacher caught peeing into container

A teacher has been placed on leave after being filmed urinating into a canister.

Educator Dan Champ, who worked in the Rocklin area of California, has been identified by students in phone footage unbuttoning his trousers and peeing into a container just off camera, before buttoning his pants and tucking in his shirt.

In the video, which was published by The Sacramento Bee newspaper, Champ could be heard saying "Gosh that's good", and then "love it, love it" as he walked across the room with the container and appeared to pour out the liquid.

Around a minute later, the school bell rang and students can be heard entering the classroom, while it doesn't appear there were any pupils in the room at the time he was urinating.

The eight grade history teacher has been teaching for over 25 years.

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Doomsday fears rising

A third of people believe the world will end in their lifetime, according to a new study.

Scientific research led by Dr Matthew Billet has found that one in three people are worried about an impending apocalypse, with over 3,400 people surveyed in the United States and Canada.

Of those surveyed, there were 1,409 people who admitted they think the world will end before they die.

As quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper, Dr Billet - the lead author of the study - said: "Belief in the end of the world is surprisingly common.

"It's significantly influencing how people interpret and respond to the most pressing threats facing humanity."

The findings have been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and reveal there are a few different ways people think about the end of the world.

These range from wondering when it could happen, who or what will cause it, and whether it's actually a good thing after all.

Billet and his team settled on five key dimensions, including "perceived closeness", "anthropogenic causality" (whether or not humans will be to blame), "theogenic causality" (divine or supernatural forces), "personal control" (whether people can influence the outcome), and "emotional valence", which refers to whether or not the end is good or bad.

Billet added: "Different narratives people believe about the end of the world can lead to very different responses to societal issues.

"Someone who believes humans are causing the apocalypse through climate change will respond very differently to environmental policy than someone who believes the end times are controlled by divine prophecy."