A Texas couple speeding their stricken dog to the vet were forced to watch the animal die as an uncompromising cop took his time writing them a ticket. Michael Gonzalez was clocked doing 100 mph as he rushed his poodle, Missy, to the doc. San Marcos cop Paul Stephens tut-tutted Gonzalez and his girlfriend for putting people at risk and told them, "It’s a dog. You can get another one. Relax." The couple begged him to at least let one of them continue on to the vet with the dog, who was choking, while the other could remain on the scene to be chastised, but the meanie officer wouldn’t hear of it. I’d guess that in this situation, time permitting, a lights-and-siren escort to the vet might’ve been an appropriate response—because it’s unrealistic to think that anyone would stick to the speed limit if their animal was in such distress. But for whatever reason, Officer Stephens chose to let the dog die a sad death at the side of the highway, just to make a point.

Stephens was found not guilty of misconduct following an internal investigation of the incident, though Police Chief Howard Williams agreed that his performance was less than stellar. See in-car police video of the traffic stop here, and also check out the petition to have Stephens fired (thanks, Evan).

It’s not clear how things ended up here, but hopefully both man and bear escaped unharmed. Check out five more photos of this uber-intense game of hide and seek after the jump.

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We all know that cops like to be super-intimidating, which makes it all the more hilarious when you catch them totally chickening out. Watch as a wild turkey, enamored of a cop’s Crown Vic, so unsettles the officer that he can’t even get out of his car. The most hysterical thing is that he blips the siren in an effort to dislodge his new friend—but since the siren kind of sounds like a turkey, the curious bird simply becomes all the more enchanted. Someone’s got a crush!

Source: Carscoop

On the way to work this morning, I passed a new Jaguar XKR, and wow, did it look sexy. Anyway, here’s the news:

• The General has explained its plan, and the good news is that most staff reduction will come without layoffs. The bad news? The second quarter will bring more bad news in the form of a burly loss. The Detroit has all the nuts and bolts of the plan. Detroit News
• A Koala that got nailed by a car going 60MPH is going to be fine, vets in Australia say. Not only was "Lucky" struck by the vehicle, he was dragged along for seven miles before the driver stopped. Reuters
• The future doesn’t look very good for Mercury. Ford hasn’t announced any updates for the brand past 2011, and with the current state of American automotive production, it makes sense that the Blue Oval would want to do some housecleaning. Motor Authority
• Would you allow your insurance company to keep track of your miles in exchange for lower premiums? Even though I’m a stickler for privacy, "Pay As You Drive" sounds like a good deal to me. LA Times

Sure, dogs love to loll their happy heads out the window when they ride, but that’s no reason to go strapping them to the outside of your vehicle—hey, just ask Mitt Romney’s Irish Setter. With the weather getting nicer as spring approaches, you’ll start seeing a lot more of those geniuses who roll around in pickup trucks with their pooches tottering in the back, one speed bump away from becoming road pizza (or hanged to death, if they’re leashed). So, although this vintage ad is more about what was weak this week in 1936, it’s a timely reminder that Paris Hilton didn’t exactly invent the strap-on-dog school of accessorizing—and that the smart, though goofy, way to secure your dog while driving is to the seat. Verdict: WEAK.