Cats and dogs can be surprisingly smart and perceptive creatures – and they can also do things like swallow an entire barbecue skewer in one sitting.
While responding to these crises can be stressful, oftentimes pet owners have no choice but to laugh at their furry friends’ silliness, once they’ve recovered.
As a result, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company issues a “Hambone Award” (and trophy!) to whichever little rascal boasted the most unusual or bizarre claim that year. The award itself is a tribute to a past insurance claim: one Nationwide policyholding dog ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while trapped in a refrigerator, and even managed to lick the bones clean!
Over 1.3 million claims were considered this year, and a Manchester terrier mix named Jackie is a top contender after some nosiness got her into a little bit of trouble.
“Jackie’s bizarre break-in gave her a huge bellyache after she figured out how to open the family’s junk drawer and ate all of its contents, including a medicine bottle, a bottle of fragrance and a pair of sunglasses,” Nationwide said in a statement. The pup “needed X-rays and laxatives, but eventually was able to pass all the items.”
Other nominees include:
- Sam, a pug who ingested magnets that ended up bonding inside of him
- Charm, a silver-shaded Persian cat who had to receive medication and laxatives after eating more than three feet (.91 meters) of packaging tape.
- Jacques, a Yorkshire terrier whose paws became entangled in an escalator
- Lola, a Labrador retriever who suffered an electrical shock after chewing on an electrical cord the day of her owners’ wedding
- Curtis, the previously mentioned boxer who ate a barbecue skewer that “disappeared” in his body and didn’t resurface until more than a year later
While lighthearted, Nationwide hopes that the contest helps encourage pet owners to obtain policies that protect their loved ones. It also donates $10,000 to whichever veterinary clinic treated the lucky Hambone recipient.
To vote for this year’s most su-purr-ior pet insurance claim, click
here.
