hoaxed!

[Charles F. Bearden]

On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, Dennis VanArsdale wrote:

> Response to the test was:
> > Dear <web4lib>,
> > 
> > Thank you so much for your interest in our Canine Responders United 
> > Service to Puppies (CRUSh Puppy Abuse) program.  We are glad you support 
> > our efforts to rescue young dogs from undesireable circumstances. 
> <snip> 
> > Just last month there were reports from San Bernardino of a 3-month old 
> > Shihtzu whose owner put the leash on the wrong end of the body and had 
> > the dog run along (in reverse)while the owner rode his bike for at least 
> > 7-8 miles.  
> > 
> > This was in all likelihood unintentional, but the result is that the now 
> > 5-month old Shihtzu is still confused to the point that he always walks 
> > backwards, and when defecating, he squats backwards with his face to the 
> > ground and his rear in the air, only then to do his duty. Very messy.  
> <snip>
> > Thanks again,
> > Nestor Lipps
> >
> "Nestor Lipps"?  And the dog?  Ah, c'mon, people -- no matter what 
> the web site (and yes, I looked) says, this is a hoax.  I'll bet my 
> snipe-hunting rifle on it.   ;-)
> 
> 
> ###################################################
> Dennis G. Van Arsdale, Technical Services Librarian

It's quite possible that a clever parody points to a legitimate 
web site to boost its apparent credibility, just as a crackpot book 
can have a bibliography full of reputable publications.

I think Dennsis is right: I suspect that we have experienced an object 
lesson in the difficulty of evaluating the authority of electronic 
"publications".

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Chuck Bearden                                   cbearden at rice.edu
Electronic Resources Librarian    
Fondren Library--MS44                        713 / 527-8101 x3634
Rice University                              713 / 737-5859 (fax)
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
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