Offbeat News for the Weekend of June 9th

What does a lettuce thief, a duck rescue, and a missing dog have in common? Give up? They're all things that happened this weekend and will make you scratch your head and say, "Whaaat?"

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- Stop me if you've heard this one... A man walks into a grocery store and steals two heads of lettuce. Well, this isn't a joke, it really happened at a grocery store in Grand Chute, Wis., according to the Associated Press.

Police were called when an unnamed man walked into a grocery store and threatened employees. Workers say the man reached into his shirt and made a gesture, claiming he had a gun. The man then proceeded to steal 12 bottles of whiskey, a digital thermometer, and two heads of lettuce. Perhaps for the world's strangest stew?

The man was caught by police later that day.

WEST LAWN, Pa. -- On the way to work Liliana Gomez saw a duck peering down a storm drain. After arriving to work Liliana told a co-worker what she had saw and the two drove back to find the duck, according to the Associated Press.

What they found was a nervous mother duck pacing back and forth as her five baby ducklings tried to escape the storm drain. Quick thinking Liliana called the police, who responded quickly to the catastrophe.

Paramedics, the Fire Department, and volunteer rescue workers all responded to the call.

Paramedic Mike Roth lifted the drain gate, climbed down four feet and lifted the ducklings. "I handed them up and somebody put them in a box," Roth said.

The babies and their mother were reunited in a near by field and waddled off into the sunset.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Six months ago a basset hound named Fred ran away from home in search of big adventure. His owner thought he would never see Fred again... and then he got a call he would never forget, the Associated Press reported.

An employee of the Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff gave Fred's owner a call. Someone had found Fred roaming the streets and brought him in. A microchip implant in Fred showed that he was registered in Riverside County, CA... 430 miles away.

Fred's owner said he had no idea how he could have walked so far.