Surprisingly, that is a serious question, as a man who thought he bought a toy poodle at Argentina's largest bazaar found out that he had gotten a ferret instead:

Gullible bargain hunters at Argentina's largest bazaar are forking out hundreds of dollars for what they think are gorgeous toy poodles, only to discover that their cute pooch is in fact a ferret pumped up on steroids.

One retired man from Catamarca, duped by the knock-down price for a pedigree dog, became suspicious he had bought what Argentinians call a 'Brazilian rat' and when he returned home took the 'dogs' to a vet for their vaccinations.

Imagine his surprise when his suspicious were confirmed - he had in fact purchased two ferrets that had been given steroids at birth to increase their size and then had some extra grooming to make their coats resemble a fluffy toy poodle.

James Nye of The Daily Mail has more of this hard hitting news story: Link

Now I want a ferret.

(Image credit: Nicola Kastner)

(Image credit: Ali McNicol)

(Image credit: Nancy Dowling)

(Image credit: Graham McGeorge)

Aren't these great pictures? They are early submissions to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. If you have a great photograph, get your entry in for your shot at a 10-day expedition to the Galapagos Islands for two! There are plenty of other prizes, too. The contest is open for submissions until June 30. Even if you don't enter, you'll want to go see the pictures already entered at NatGeo Traveler. Link

This is a guaranteed way to get the grandkids to visit! Steve and Jeri Wakefield of Dallas, Texas, had the world's best treehouse built around the pecan in their backyard nine years ago, when their two grandsons were preschoolers. The tree grows through the house, but does not bear the weight. As the boys grew, they added play equipment to the structure. Now that the grandsons are grown, the neighborhood children use the treehouse. It has several furnished rooms (with air conditioning), which you need to see at Houzz. Link  -via Everlasting Blort

(Image credit: Sarah Greenman)

Fourteen-year-old Katelyn Norman of LaFollette, Tennessee, has terminal bone cancer. One of the items on her bucket list was to go to the prom. Campbell County High School had their prom early and arranged for her to go, but then Katelyn's declining health landed her in East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

In stable condition and in high spirits, Katelyn was able to have a make shift prom in her room.

The hospital staff decorated the room and her date gave her a corsage and a special sash. Family and friends gathered outside with candles.

Meanwhile, in Campbell County, the celebration of Katelyn was taking place.

The music was blaring, the decorations were hung, it was meant to be Katelyn's perfect night, and she wanted it to go on, even if she wasn't there.

"She contacted me and said prom must go on, that's her, and you can't help but feed off that energy, that life," said Sharon Shepard, an instructor at Katelyn's school and organizer of the prom.

The night was a celebration of Katelyn, featuring all her favorite things.  But most important, the people she loves most.

Link to story.

Link to pictures. -via reddit

(Image credit: Michael Dayah) 

Update: Katelyn passed away the day after this was posted. Link

(Video Link)

Joann Moser's 8-year old daughter insisted that her 2-year old brother was sneaking into her room at night to take her toys. "Just lock the door." That's not enough if you have a toddler who knows how to pick a lock and hide the evidence of his crime before escaping.

Link -Thanks, Wifey!

Charlie Haughey was not a trained photographer when he was drafted and sent to Vietnam in 1967. A couple of months into his tour, he was assigned to be a photographer, with these instructions:

“You are not a combat photographer. This is a morale operation. If I see pictures of my guys in papers, doing their jobs with honor, then you can do what you like in Vietnam.”

Haughey shot over 2,000 pictures, most of them unpublished for decades. Now they are being digitized and put online. See 46 of those photographs at The Big Picture. Link -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Charlie Haughey)