By Sarah Schwager
DAREDEVIL dog Giles attempted his first feat as a puppy when he swallowed a nine-inch knitting needle.
But he has not stopped there.
The King Charles cav-alier/Tibetan spaniel cross, affectionately known as the “trainee sword swallower” by vets, has taken to eating rubbish, and last week decided to crunch down on some glass.
Giles, now five-years-old, belongs to Pakenham couple Lyn and Keith Stephenson, who say he is a lovely dog, despite his “ratbag” behaviour.
“He’s still an adventurous dog. He swallows pins at times,” Mrs Stephenson said.
“I found him the other day in a mess. He had glass in his mouth.”
Giles was only two-months-old when he got into her knitting bag in May 2000 and swallowed the knitting needle, with the point in his oesophagus and the blunt end in his stomach.
He ended up with 12 stitches in his belly and, according to Mrs Stephenson, was lucky to survive.
“It is lucky he swallowed the blunt end first,” she said.
“He recovered very well. We are lucky to have him home.”
She said she now kept her knitting firmly locked away in a basket.
“I don’t want that to happen again.”
Mr and Mrs Stephenson now have three other animals, a one-year-old kitten, Tinkerbell, a four-year-old black King Charles cavalier/Tibetan spaniel cross, Baden, and a 15-year-old cat, Pippin.
Mrs Stephenson said the youngest three were very close and played together all the time, sleeping in the same bed.
“The kitten thinks he’s a dog,” she said.
She said Giles was also accomplished at other circus acts, performing well with the ball and had even learnt to catch balls with his paws.
Mrs Stephenson leaves the animals to their mischief when she plays the euphonium with the Cardinia Civic Concert Band, which is being kept busy this Christmas with numerous carols events.
