Black Lab Drives Owner's Car into Pend Oreille River

Chris Wellmen
When Mark Ewing walked home last Wednesday, he brought home a normal pizza, and was ready for a normal dinner.

But his dog Charlie, a black lab, had other plans. As Ewing watched on, Charlie jumped into his car and knocked the vehicle into gear.

Ewing resides in the small town of Sagle, Idaho, home of the Pend Oreille River. Unfortunately for him, his Chevy Impala was headed right for the river. He watched as his dog drove his car straight into the river. Charlie jumped out of the car as the car sailed down Ewing's driveway and was unharmed.

"There's nothing weirder than looking at your car cruising down your driveway when you're not in it and seeing your dog jump out and then watching your car go splash," Ewing said.

However, things only got weirder for him.

Before the tow truck driver went into the water to pull the Chevy out, he gave Mark Ewing his dentures.

"My car's in the drink, I've got dentures in my hand and this guy - Keith from Clyde's Towing - goes swimming," claims Ewing.

Luckily for Charlie, his owner isn't strict with him.

"He doesn't know what he did," said Mark Ewing. Known for his habit of chewing on furniture, Charlie's "accidents" have reached the thousand's milestone.

Bad dog, Charlie.

The Pend Oreille River is about 130 miles, or 209 kilometers, in length. Found in both Idaho and Washington, the Pend Oreille is a tributary of the large Columbia River. The river contains five large dams: the Waneta, Seven Mile, Boundary, Box Canyon, and Albeni Falls. The river drains approximately 25,820 square miles, or 66,874 square kilometers.

Sources:

"Dog drives owner's car into river." Associated Press. URL: (http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-06-23-dogdriver_N.htm)

Brodwater, Taryn. "Dog drives car into drink." SpokesmanReview.com. URL: (http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=10408)

"Pend Oreille River." Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pend_Oreille_River)

Published by Chris Wellmen

Chris Wellmen is a freelance media professional with years of research, editing, teaching, and writing experience.   View profile

7 Comments

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  • Margaret Christy 11/16/2007

    How do you write that up for insurance? Accident? Unauthorized driver? Was the dog licensed? to drive?

  • Sullivision 11/15/2007

    I'd be so mad if this happened with my lab

  • Erin Morris 11/15/2007

    great story! that would have been a sight to see!

  • Michelle Adams 7/1/2007

    Thank God I have a CHOCOLATE lab! Very funny story.

  • Randy Palker 6/26/2007

    What a funny story! Thanks Chris for sharing this with us.

  • Dr. R. Wolf Shipon 6/25/2007

    Hilarious!!!

  • Tiffany Bradford 6/25/2007

    Great article! Good reporting and very humorous!

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