Wiener wonderland: hundreds of dachshunds chase record in Hungary

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hundreds of dachshunds and their owners have gathered in Budapest’s City Park in an attempt to set Hungary’s record for the largest single-breed dog walk. Thursday's event, observed by the Hungarian Records Association, drew about 500 dachshunds. That's enough for a national record but short of the Guinness World Record of 897 set in Germany. Dachshunds, known for their long bodies and short legs, were originally bred in Germany to hunt burrowing animals but have since become popular pets. Participants praised their pets’ loyalty and affection, with one calling her dachshund a “love bomb.” Organizers have vowed to try for a world record next year.

A woodpecker has invaded a Massachusetts neighborhood. Residents are taking it in stride

ROCKPORT, Mass. (AP) — During the War of 1812, residents of Rockport, Massachusetts, hurled rocks at British soldiers using their stockings as slings. Today, they’re slinging trash bags and towels over the side mirrors of their cars to protect them from a destructive and determined pileated woodpecker. Over the last few weeks, the bird has broken more than two dozen mirrors and at least one vehicle’s side window. But residents are taking the violence in stride. Resident Ben Favaloro says he and his neighbors are having a good laugh about it, and no one wants to harm the bird. Pamela Hunt, an avian biologist with New Hampshire Audubon, says lots of smaller birds will be aggressive against their own reflections, but pileated woodpeckers don't usually peck at opponents.

Runaway kangaroo on the loose named Sheila shuts down Alabama interstate

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — A runaway kangaroo shut down a stretch of interstate in Alabama on Tuesday. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the kangaroo was spotted hopping along Interstate 85 in Macon County, which is just east of Montgomery. Troopers shut down both sides of the interstate. They eventually captured the animal with the help of its owner. The animal’s owner, Patrick Starr, told The Associated Press that the animal’s name is Sheila. She was uninjured and is home safe.

NHL players are all about pregame routine, whether it's naps, walking the dog or eating same meal

Before games, Dallas forward Matt Duchene has an identical routine. He blocks out a two-hour window for a nap, eats the same meal of pasta and salmon and spends time reviewing notes he’s made in his journal. Like many NHL players and coaches, Duchene’s just a creature of habit. Little pregame rituals and routines that help them slip into the proper frame of mind for that big game. These familiar patterns can be sleep- or food-related. Or revolve around the way they warm up. Or how they tinker with their hockey sticks. Or be as simple as taking their dog for a walk. Be careful, though, to lump all of these in with superstitions.

Why a New York zoo is feeding a baby vulture with a hand puppet

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York zoo is hand-feeding a baby vulture with a realistic bird puppet to ensure it survives to maturity. Footage of a feeding session at the Bronx Zoo released Tuesday shows someone wearing a hand puppet that looks like a vulture’s face and beak and delivering morsels of food to the king vulture chick’s mouth. The zoo also houses a real king vulture in a nearby see-through enclosure, to make sure the chick gets socialized with its species. The zoo says it helped develop the technique when workers there used it to raise three Andean condor chicks more than four decades ago.

Speedboat that flipped midair in 200 mph crash wins race on Arizona lake

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (AP) — A speedboat went airborne and did a complete backward flip while racing at about 200 mph before crashing into Lake Havasu. Two racers inside the boat’s covered cabin survived Saturday's crash, which saw the boat go over 30 feet in the air. The boat took flight accidentally on a three quarter-mile course at an annual speedboat race. Speedboat Magazine's publisher says Monday that the flying boat still managed to cross the finish line and win the contest.

A man airlifted from Japan's Mount Fuji returns to the slope days later and is rescued again

TOKYO (AP) — Police in Japan say that climber who was airlifted with altitude sickness from near the peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji last week returned to the slope and was rescued for a second time just four days later. Officials are urging people to be aware of the harsh conditions at the country’s tallest peak during its off-season. The climber was identified only as a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan. He made an emergency call on April 22 and was airlifted after developing symptoms of altitude sickness. He returned to the mountain on Saturday to search for his cell phone, and apparently developed altitude sickness again.

A bear is spotted in Connecticut playing on family's backyard slide

SIMSBURY, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut family got a chance to see a bear have some fun on their backyard playset. Sarah Loving saw two bears in her backyard in Simsbury after returning home from lunch with her family on a recent Saturday. She began filming when one of them started walking up the wooden playset stairs to a platform before sliding down on the slide. Loving said the bear acted like it has done the routine before, but she had never seen it until now.

Mark Allen compiles rare 147 break at snooker worlds and earns lucky fan $33,000

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — A rare perfect break of 147 at the world snooker championship has earned a lucky fan $33,000. The experience for Brian Nicholls came with a twist in Sheffield, England. A random member of the audience gets picked each session of the championship to be the recipient of the cash prize should a player complete a maximum break. Nicholls was the chosen fan. He was sitting on one side of the Crucible Theatre watching a match between Mark Williams and Hossein Vafaei while Mark Allen was compiling his 147 on the other table. The two tables are separated by a partition. Nicholls had to watch on one of the TV screens inside the arena as Allen finished his maximum.