WEIRD STUFF: Dead frog found in chicken sandwich

Many people prefer pets to lovers

According to a new study, 21 per cent of people admit to being fonder of their furry friends than their significant other, with more than two-thirds claiming their pet is their closest companion.

The survey was carried out by McDonald's to mark the launch of the DC Super-Pets Happy Meal in restaurants. It also found that more than half of the respondents -- 58 per cent-- believe that pets are special as they are not judgemental. Three in 10 persons said they value their pet more than their best friend.

A fifth also claimed that their animal companion can understand them better than the love of their life ever could.

The research also suggests that pets have health benefits, as dog owners take an extra 5,427 steps a day, compared to those who do not own a pooch.

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Dead frog found in chicken sandwich

A horrified father claimed that he found a dead frog in his daughter's meal.

Willem Bezuidenhout said he visited a popular fast-food restaurant in the South African province of Mpumalanga with his daughter, but was angered when she got an unwanted slimy surprise in her sandwich.

Bezuidenhout compared the incident to something from a film and referred to the burger as a "McFroggie".

"I always thought things like this only happen in the movies, but now it happens to us tonight. Yes, you see right, it's a McFroggie."

McDonald's spokesperson Daniel Padiachy confirmed that an investigation would be carried out at the branch after the frog sandwich claims were met with an online backlash.

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Rat attacks woman in her sleep

A pensioner in England suffered horrific injuries after being attacked by a large rat while she slept.

Diana Kirk woke up covered in blood after the ferocious rodent clawed into her neck and chin while she was asleep at her home in Nottinghamshire last week.

Her husband, John, found her drenched in blood following the attack and recalled how he thought he had heard the rat moving around the house during the night.

He told 'Nottinghamshire Live ': "I've never seen anything like the injuries she had -- you can see how bad they were from the pictures. It was absolutely savage.

"There were scratches on her face, her neck, her hands -- it had tried to gnaw right through to the bone, from the looks of it. There was blood everywhere."

The rat was eventually caught and trapped in a cage following the vicious attack.