LONDON, United Kingdom: Dog owners are healthier than cat owners – but owning a cat is better for your wellbeing than nothing at all, according to a new study.

TARANAKI, New Zealand: A Jack Russell Terrier has heroically sacrificed itself to save five children from a savage attack by two pit bull terriers.

KUALA LUMPAR, Malaysia: A gang of DVD pirates became so scared of a pair of sniffer dogs that they hired bounty hunters to try and assassinate the canine law-enforcers.

LAKE HURON, Canada: An heroic dog has kept her unconscious owner afloat for more than 12 hours in icy waters after the pair capsized in their canoe during a freak storm.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, New Jersey: Hot on the tail of dog-only beer brands, lucky canines will be licking their lips at the idea of gobbling up the latest swathes of pet-only fast food products - including doggy ice cream.

From Memphis to Mumbai, canine-specific fast food is a fast-growing market.

TRIESTE, Italy: Dogs may be playing favorites with their owners when they wag their tails, according to new research.

Indeed, there may be more to the simple tail-wag than meets the eye.

A study undertaken by scientists in Italy now suggests that dogs show pleasure by wagging their tails more towards the right, while negative feelings get a left-swaying wag.

NORTHERN TERRITORY, Australia: A young dog has drowned after desperately treading water in a flooded trash can for two days, according to reports.

SAPPORO, Japan: Thousands of aspiring Japanese poodle owners who thought their newly-purchased dogs were actually sheep can breathe a sigh of relief.

A news story which swept the globe this week, alleging that the unsuspecting Japanese poodle lovers had been hoodwinked by swindlers who were selling the sheep for forty times their face value, has been revealed as a hoax.

TEL AVIV, Israel: A security system which uses a dog's barks to assess the level of threat to a property is reportedly close to being released for sale to the general public.

BELTSVILLE, Maryland: Afraid your Beagle may be a Bulldog? Suspect your guard dog is more Golden Retriever than German Shepherd?

A breakthrough DNA test means dog owners will never have to face an Anna-Nicole Smith-style situation and be left questioning the pedigree of their family pooch.