You should probably, despite the photographic evidence, take it with a grain of salt.

Kotaku reader Greg says that while he slept his year-old Lab/Hound mix, Oscar, attacked his Xbox 360 controller managing to both turn on the console and purchase 5,000 Microsoft Points as he gnawed the hard plastic controller.

"I realized it when I checked my phone to see what time it was (I had to be at work soon) and saw the e-mail from Microsoft confirming the purchase for $62.50," he told Kotaku via email. "At that point it was a little after 5 a.m.... not something you want to wake up to."

Greg's not mad about it, he's already spent the points on a slew of download games, just bemused.

Oscar has, in the past, chewed up pillows, boxes, flip flops, socks, slippers, underwear, candles, toiler paper, bottles, work IDs and the blinds in Greg's living room, but this is the first time he's made a purchase.

"Chances are this is the first time an animal has managed to purchase Microsoft points on an Xbox 360," Greg writes. "What are the odds that he chews on the right buttons, in the right order and moves the stick in the right directions to navigate and purchase points. 1 in a billion? More?"

"Now, I can't call Microsoft and say 'My dog chewed my controller'. That excuse never worked in school for homework, what makes me think that a multi-billion dollar corporation is going to believe it?"

Greg does have a roommate and girlfriend that lives with him, but everyone was asleep when the purchase was made.

"Unless either me, my girlfriend or my roommate "sleep shop", there's no other living creature besides the dog that could have done it."

Greg says he was initially annoyed about the late-night canine shopping spree, but he eventually got over it and spent the points.

"All in all, I'm not mad," he said. "A bunch of new games to keep me busy and a reason to finally go buy that black controller I've been wanting."

Did Oscar really pull off a one-in-a-billion, late-night gnawing shopping spree on Xbox Live? Dogs have done stranger things. What do you think?

Dog is the sort of robot that can appeal to both men and women. He's loveable, fiercely loyal, and downright cute at times, but he's also capable of tearing open a Strider and ripping out its brains with his bare hands. He's an amazing mix of cuddly puppy and unstoppable destructive force that just speaks to something inside all of us.

If dogs are man's best friend, then Dog is his best friend with benefits.

Wait...

In Fable II you can train your dog in four ways:

Mechanically: You can buy books to use to teach your dog to do things like fight. Molyneux's dog, for instance, will fight anything that is knocked to the ground.

Behavioral: By using your expressions you can train your dog how to react around people.

Attention: The amount of attention you pay to your dog affects how well he heels, how he behaves in town and how far he roams from you.

Finally you can augment your training with punishment and rewards.

Make the jump for parts 2 and 3. Flynn De Marco

A Shiba chewing on Slime from Dragon Quest. And not only does it nibble on a blue Slime, but an orange one. How cute! Brian Ashcraft

And it looks like the dog's owner is a Hanshin Tigers fan.

Dog Vs. Slime [Miya Blog]

Just when you thought the whole PS3 launch ugliness was behind us, comes this terrible piece of news from North Carolina.

Friday evening, a New Hanover County sheriff's deputy shot and killed 18 y.o. Peyton Strickland in the door of Strickland's home. Strickland was suspected in the Nov.17th armed robbery of a University of North Carolina Wilmington student for his PS3 and some games. There are not a lot of details in the case yet, but what is known is that officers arrived at the door to serve Strickland a search warrant in connection with the robbery case. Strickland answered the door and a loud fight ensued ending with not only the death of the young man, but his German shepherd, Blaze, as well. Strickland's roommate (pictured right), who was home at the time, said the man was unarmed when he answered the door.

A full investigation has already been launched by the New Hanover County District Attorney, Ben David who says he has made this his top priority and will show no favoritism towards the deputy.

"No one's above the law. If there's any criminal conduct that can be established, I'm not going to hesitate to treat them as any other defendant."

I'm still completely floored by the senseless deaths and violence surrounding something that is supposed to be an entertainment. How many more lives will the great PS3 gods require before they will finally be appeased? Flynn De Marco

Deputy kills teen while serving warrant [Wilmington Star | Photo by Paul Stephen]
[via YouNewb]

We didn't lie. This is not a booth babe photo. Rather, here's a shot of almost the exact same collar we put on my 16 year-old dog to keep him from biting himself. Brian Ashcraft

Computers and Video Games has slapped up a new God Hand trailer. The video has angry clowns, ass-kicking, mega-spanking, heavy drinking and of course lots of Gay Hard men. I really can't wait for this game. Brian Crecente

God Hand Fingers New Trailer [C&VG]

Half-Life 2: Episode One