Elvis Presley may not want to be your teddy bear any more… especially not if you are Barney the Doberman pinscher.
Last week, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s precious teddy bear Mabel was disemboweled and beheaded by the dog, who has spent the last six years protecting Mabel and other famous stuffed animals at a museum in Somerset, England.
Barney’s handler, security guard Greg West, stuck up for the pup, saying that the Doberman had been a model partner for more than six years. He was willing to assume some of the blame for the attack, saying that he may have incited jealousy in Barney when he said Mabel was a nice bear. West also suggested that maybe there was some sort of new scent on the teddy bear that drove Barney into a frenzy. We may never know the cause behind the attack, but the results are devastating. Hundreds of stuffed toys in the collection were lost to Barney’s powerful jaws in a midnight massacre.
Poor Mabel was — if you’ll pardon the expression — all shook up by the attack. Her head was severed and her soft innards were violently spilled all over in the after-hours attack. Stuffed animal experts believe that the damage may be irreparable. Some dogs do find stuffed toys just too tempting to live; these power chewers can quickly turn a toy into shreds and fluff in minutes.
Mabel was made in 1909 by German manufacturer Steiff and was worth some $75,000. The bear was headed for a new collection, that of British aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade, who purchased her at an auction in Memphis, Tennessee. The bear was awaiting the construction of her new home — a glass case — when Barney attacked. Sir Benjamin is, needless to say, none too thrilled with Barney and the attack on Mabel the teddy bear.