JACKSON, Mississippi- The annual Christmas pageant in Jackson has always gone off without a hitch. That is until this year. To highlight the plight of abandoned dogs and cats, pageant co-chairs and SPCA volunteers Arnie and Bertie Fielkow, insist they will carry a mutt named Digsby instead of a doll to represent the baby Jesus. Several church leaders and other groups have joined to file an injunction to stop the Fielkows from going through with their plan. "It will ruin my whole Christmas if I see Digsby in that manger," said long time pageant fan Sandra Jo Kefauver.

KEARNEY, Nebraska- A proud owner of over 286 different recipes for meals made with venison, James J. Morin, has never passed up a shot at taking home a deer. Until this year. Morin was bow hunting at his favorite spot when two deer wandered into range. Just as he raised knocked his arrow the deer noticed him but instead of running away, "They started doing the weirdest damn dance I have ever seen. For three, four minutes, they did this 60's hippie dance, but then it looked like a polka, too. I put my bow down to take a picture of it and that's when they ran off. These were either really smart deer or they just love to dance."

RAHWAY, New Jersey- A flying squirrel invaded the emergency room at New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Now an ordinary squirrel might just hide in a corner, then dash for the nearest exit. But this gifted flying rodent repeatedly launched itself from an 8-foot-high wall-mounted lamp, in order to avoid firefighters from the Rahway Fire Department."It would jump off and glide," said Capt. Ted Padavano. "It looked like a hell bent little square fuzzy glider." Even stranger, this was the second time in two weeks that a flying squirrel had taken over the hospital's 15-by-15-foot trauma room. Padavana is already anticipating a return visit from the small, airborne creatures, speculating that they may be a nest inside the hospital. "Either that, or there is a doctor here named Bullwinkle," he said.

FERGUS FALLS, Minnesota- A Fergus Falls man is a little stiff and sore, but thankful to be alive after a buck charged and threw him to the ground during a hunt near his farm. Don Stock and the rest of the hunting party stumbled upon what he thought was a dead deer. That is until "He charged me. I don't know why he chose me. I don't even know what happened, it happened so quick. He knocked me up in the air. But we got him before he could do anymore damage. Let me tell you that was some close quarters shooting." Don says he's had enough hunting for the fall.

BANFF, Canada- It may start with just a small group but it can end up as a movement. That's the approach a herd of elk may have taken in western Canada. They want their own freeway crossing and will camp out on their favorite overpass indefinitely until they get what they want. Or, until they get hungry, according to biologist Dudley Dubois. "I don't know why they chose that spot to occupy but once they realize there is nothing to eat out there they will move on." In the mean time drivers are urged to avoid the area and take alternate routes as the elk occupy that stretch of road.

SITKA, Alaska- Tom Satre had not gotten out on his boat all summer and fall but finally got a break in his schedule for one Saturday out fishing. Only one problem, four deer swam out to his boat before he got a line wet and demanded to come aboard. "Strangest thing I have ever seen. Four deer headed straight for me and banged on the swim platform till I let them on board. What do you do then? I headed in and got them off the boat and called the wife to tell her about it. She told me she just broke the garbage disposal, so I headed home. Those deer saved a bunch a fish from being caught," said the frustrated occasional fisherman.

KIPPERING, Alaska- A whale nearly ruined the teeth of everyone in the tiny village of Kippering. The only dentist working in a 50 mile radius, Dr. Peter Puudnaut, was out kayaking when a grey whale nearly swallowed him whole. Puudnaut said when he was in the giant maw of the whale "My only thought was, 'Row like like a mother, you stupid son of a %&@#!." He then added, "As I was dropping into the whales mouth for some reason I thought 'If I die who is going to fix Nanook Tibute's abscess at 4?' Then I said, 'Paddle, schmuck.'" Dr. Puudnaut escaped being a human herring by fractions of a second and the teeth of Kippering and the surrounding area will continue to be served.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah- A Utah hunter was shot in the buttocks after his dog stepped on his shotgun which he had just laid across the bow of a boat. Deputy Kevin Potter says the 46-year-old man climbed out of the boat to move decoys and seconds later his dog stepped on the gun, causing it to fire. It wasn't clear whether the safety on the gun was on at the time. Potter says the man was hit from about 10 feet away with 27 pellets of bird-shot but his waders saved him from more serious trauma. Potter said the man thought he saw his dog pawing at the safety out of the corner of his eye but hunting experts think the man was just making excuses to save himself from embarrassment.

WAYLAND, Michigan- An unwanted travel companion joined Ralph Long of Wayland and his fiancée as they were driving to the store. A 4-point buck was running north and leapt through the rear driver's side window and landed in the back of Long's Dodge Caravan, police said. Long looked in his rear view mirror and saw the animal trying to stand up. Fearing the deer would either attack or force him to drive somewhere he didn't want to go Long immediately stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road and he and his fiancée jumped out. When they opened the side sliding door the deer fell out onto the road after which the highway patrol arrived to dispatch the hitch hiker. "I was on my way to get my deer license but after this I figured I'd skip hunting this year," said Long.

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas- Some hunters follow the rules, some hunters bend the rules, but Jerry Kutchnik throws out the rules and says "My boy is going to bag a deer before the age of ten and I don't care what kind of weapon it takes to get him there. When he gets older, or if we get him that eye surgery deal, I'll make Junior use something a little more sportin' but right now I'm giving him something he just can't miss with." The local office of the ATF has been contacted by neighbors and is looking into the matter.