After rescuing stranded people in mountains and hilly terrain and guiding the blind, dogs are now being used in German schools to boost performance in the classroom. Despite a grainy, gray September morning, the mood is upbeat in a class in Karlsruhe in Germany: and that's largely because Paula, a six year-old Golden Retriever, is here. Some parents were skeptical at the start, said teacher Bettina Brecht who has been bringing her dog to the classroom the past five years. Dogs are being brought into schools since the end of the 1990s and there are about 120 institutions welcoming canines.

Sandwich Misslies

Lawyers, reporters and visitors have been banned from taking sandwiches into a court building to prevent them being used as missiles.Bottles of water and crisps are also prohibited at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court, in England, because they pose a "health and safety hazard." 

Visitors to all courts around the country are searched by security staff for knives and weapons as they enter. 
But staff at the court in High Wycombe have also been told to seize packed lunches.
Grieving families attending inquests into the deaths of loved ones were even told they could not bring in bottled water.
An official at the court said: "The concern is that people are going to use their food as a missile and fling it down the stairs at people.
"Apparently there have been incidents of lunches being thrown around in the past - so we have had to introduce these rules for everyone regardless of who they are or why they are here."

Stop that Rodent

Alton Towers theme park in Britain has been forced to ban a squirrel from one of its rides, the Sonic Spinball, as its antics pose a health and safety risk. The rodent was said to be causing problems for operators at Alton Towers by getting in the way of improvement work on an attraction at the resort. Workers noticed it riding a revamped roller coaster as it was tested in the mornings and joining visitors who were offered an early go on it before the official opening. Alarms were installed that emit a warning noise inaudible to human ears but designed to ensure the squirrel, nicknamed Sonic, avoids the ride in future.
''Unfortunately Sonic's behavior is a danger both to our guests and himself and so we're doing all we can to ensure that he stays away from the ride," Alton Towers sales and marketing director Morwenna Angove was quoted as saying.