A man and a dog were joined in matrimony last Sunday through a traditional Hindu ritual, as an attempt from the man to be cleansed of his sin of stoning two dogs to death. The marriage took place at a temple in Tamil Nadu, located south of India, upon the advice of an astrologer who revealed that doing so would be the only way for Selva Kumar, 33, to atone for his evil deed, which involved Kumar stoning and clubbing to death two dogs he found mating. Afterwards he strung the bodies up a tree.

A doberman in Australia that was rescued earlier from an animal shelter, repaid his new owners in time by saving their 17-month-old daughter from a deadly snake. Khan, as his new owners call him, picked up Charlotte Svillicic by his teeth and threw her over his shoulder.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals bestowed the Dog and Cat of the Year Award to Toby, a 2 1/2-year-old golden retriever and Winnie, a gray-eyed American shorthair, respectively, during ceremonies held Friday in Rockefeller Center in New York City. The two animals were cited for saving the lives of their masters during critical periods and weird circumstances.

A woman who admitted that she served her husband curry with dog excrement was reportedly let off with a warning. Jill Martin, 47, apparently decided to take drastic measures upon witnessing the disintegration of her marriage. She served her husband the tainted dish, and burst out laughing as soon as he started eating it.

An Australian sheepdog called Tess is fighting for his life after saving his owner from a deadly snake attack, local media reported Wednesday. Tallebudgera Valley retiree Fay Palethorpe, 68, was in the garden of her huge property on the Gold Coast when she came across the two-meter eastern brown snake.