A man has been left red faced after his dog accidentally ordered pay-per-view porn when he got hold of the TV remote. Thomas Barnes claims his bichon frise, named Marino, inadvertently ordered the Hustler channel, a semi-hardcore pornographic premium television channel, when he jumped on to his bed.
He believes the naughty pooch landed on the TV remote and pushed the wrong buttons when trying to make himself comfortable. After realising what had happened, Thomas contacted his satellite provider "within minutes" and tried to explain how it was all a misunderstanding. He was assured the problem would be sorted - but later realised he still had access to the X-rated channel.
When his bill came through, it was much higher than usual as the satellite provider had included a £70 charge for the Hustler channel.
Not wanting to pay for his dog's mistake, he subtracted the cost of Hustler and paid the rest. But this resulted in his entire service being cut off.
The story recently resurfaced and attracted attention again. Speaking to The News and Observer in 2019, in North Carolina, he said: "That 70 dollars, you're taking food out of my mouth. It’s like you're stealing it. They refused to see how that was pertinent."
Thomas, who relies on Social Security disability payments, contacted the Federal Communications Commission to make a complaint about the charge.
His satellite provider agreed to credit his next bill - but Thomas says he is still being made to pay for the mistake.
It comes after another naughty dog ate her owner's passport just weeks before she was due to jet off on her honeymoon.
Amanda Avila had just arrived back from a trip to Iceland on August 10 when she found 'seriously mad' mixed-breed dog Dillon surrounded by chewed-up pieces of her passport.
The two-year-old pooch had also decided to munch on his dog goggles and one of her favourite boots - apparently in protest of her going on holiday without him.
The mum-of-two was then forced to write to the National Passport Center to apply for new travel documents but jokes even Dillon's 'teeth marks' weren't enough evidence.
After being asked for further details, Amanda then wrote a hilarious letter and enclosed snaps of the 'grinning' naughty 'Covid puppy' chomping on her work - to prove he was the culprit.
The 47-year-old was then forced to apologise on Dillon's behalf and joked he 'promised never to do it again'.
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.