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Dog Needs Surgery After Eating Girl's 'Volcanic' Homework

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A family dog is recovering after emergency surgery after eating a girl's homework.

It's the oldest line in the classroom – "My dog ate my homework." But in this case it was painfully true.

"I made a volcano project out of candy and I pinned the candy to a foam base," Payton said.

Payton and her dog "Reggie" share a love of school science projects.

"It was Mt. Haleakala in Maui," Payton said.

Reggie is a well-educated canine, or at least one can assume he is from his recent exploration of the mock volcano.

"I woke up one morning and I came down to my desk and it was just all over the floor," Payton said.

He studies, or perhaps it's more accurate to say he has a voracious appetite for volcanoes.

"I was very scared," Payton said.

Reggie's hunger for knowledge landed him in surgery. Fifty straight pins showed up on his abdominal X-ray. Some were removed with an endoscope down Reggie's throat, but there were still more to get out.

"We went in surgically, pulled out the one large and four of the small straight pins," veterinarian Dr. Brian VanVechten said.

Reggie has already recovered.

"He's good; absolutely normal," Payton said.

The science assignment has been redone and handed in for credit.

"I completely redid the project with glue the second time."

Reggie and Payton received high praise for their first scientific endeavor.

"I got an 'A.' "

Payton says she'll be doing her next science project out in the garage far away from Reggie.

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