We've all had trouble returning rental cars at airports, so an elderly woman's mistake in Boise, Idaho, this week might be easy to understand.
The unidentified woman got to Boise Airport (search) at around 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, so early that no one was at the car-return counter to help her.
She drove around a bit more, looking for another rental-car return, when she apparently spotted a helpful sign — another car, this time right inside the passenger terminal.
So she drove her rented minivan up a sidewalk handicapped ramp, through a pair of sliding-glass doors, past the baggage-claim area and ended up at the most logical place — back at the walk-up rental-car counter.
"She sees this car that we have on display that was an advertisement and drove past the baggage-claim devices, past the car and right up to the front of the car-rental counter, and was there to drop her car off," Boise Airport Director John Anderson said to Boise's KTVB-TV.
Police and Transportation Safety Administration (search) personnel questioned the woman, but decided not to cite her.
"The lucky thing is she didn't hit anything," airport spokeswoman Larissa Stouffer told The Idaho Statesman.
Anderson admitted the airport still had some security issues to work out.
"It's a combination of something that we have corrected short term, and then we will correct long term, and we want to make sure nothing like this happens, and then again you have to look at the lighter side too," he told KTVB.
Stouffer told The Statesman that the airport had planned to put in safety barriers at the sliding door, but had not gotten around to it.
Later Tuesday, the door was blocked with a large trashcan as a temporary measure, Stouffer said.
The woman made her scheduled flight.
— Thanks to Out There readers Kim F., Steve R., Zeb P. and Kevin M.
Sad Tale Spurs Emergency Cigar Airlift
GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — A 108-year-old man has taken up smoking again, encouraged by gifts of cigars from as far away as London.
Retired railroad worker Walter Breuning spoke at his birthday party last Tuesday of how he reluctantly quit smoking cigars at the age of 99 because he couldn't afford them.
After his story was widely distributed, the Great Falls man heard from people like the English cigar fan who sent two Havanas.
"They were $12 cigars and they were good," Breuning said. "You can't get good Havana cigars (search) like that out here."
He also got a birthday note and a few more cigars from a former Great Falls resident now living in Oregon.
"They were pretty good cigars, too," Breuning said.
Fred Aimi, of Lolo, was reading newspaper stories to a group of blind neighbors when he came across an account of Breuning's birthday.
"That hurt," Aimi said. "I like a good cigar myself."
Aimi said he sent a box of two dozen cigars on Friday to Breuning.
"At 108, they can't do him much harm," he said.
West Virginia Argument Turns Into Family Feud
BLUEWELL, W.Va. (AP) — A family meal erupted into a gun battle after a father and son clashed over how to cook chicken.
The two men argued Sunday over the best way to prepare skinless chicken for dinner.
"It started out as a physical confrontation, but it escalated until both of them were shooting at each other," Detective Sgt. A.D. Beasley of the Mercer County Sheriff's Department said Monday.
Beasley said each man fired a .22-caliber handgun at the other.
Harley Shrader was struck by a bullet that went through the upper part of his right ear and lodged in the back of his head. He was treated at a hospital and released.
The elder Shrader was not injured.
Jackie Lee Shrader, 49, was charged with malicious wounding and wanton endangerment. Harley Lee Shrader, 24, was charged with wanton endangerment.
CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Lake County Animal Control officials are crediting a dog with warning them about dangerous smoke coming from an area that contained 10 other dogs.
April Godra, a shelter official, said she knew something wasn't right when Foxie, a normally quiet collie, would not stop barking as Godra made her rounds through the northwestern Indiana kennels two weeks ago.
Then she noticed Foxie looking at the door leading to the garage where the dogs were.
"I opened the door, and smoke started billowing in," Godra said. "I said, 'Oh my God, Foxie, you're just like Lassie. You saved us!"'
A burning motor on the washing machine caused the smoke.
Godra said if it weren't for Foxie, the dogs likely would have died.
"She saved us. She's our baby," Godra said.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A family escaped a fire that destroyed their home thanks to their toy poodle, Teddy.
A member of the family less than a year, Teddy started barking early Sunday.
"He does that occasionally, so I just hushed him," Michelle Singleton told WBIR-TV.
But Teddy wouldn't stop, and soon she smelled smoke.
She thought it was outdoors coming in through the air conditioner until her husband Randy Singleton noticed their closet was glowing.
"That's when he realized it was a fire," Michelle Singleton said.
They grabbed their three children and Teddy, and fled.
"We came outside and flames were going through the roof," Randy Singleton said.
Watching their home of eight years burn was numbing.
"You don't know what to do. You want to do something. You can't. I don't think you even realize what you're losing," Randy Singleton said.
They were able to salvage a few family pictures.
"It was pretty sobering. It was very sad. Just a lot of memories in there, and just all burnt up. But I know God's faithful, and there's going to be good coming out of this," Michelle Singleton said.
Like their little dog, Teddy.
"Yeah, he's going to get a big steak," Randy Singleton said.
Pet Passports Being Issued in Europe
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Residents of the European Union (search) who want to take their cat, dog or ferret to another EU nation will need special pet passports starting Friday.
The wallet-sized passports will verify that the pet has been vaccinated against rabies. It may also contain an animal's medical history or photo, though that is not mandatory.
The passports will be printed in English and one other EU language.
Veterinarians will issue the documents, which will be valid in every EU country except Ireland, Malta, Sweden and the United Kingdom, which require additional rabies testing.
Most EU countries now require pet owners to show a vaccination certificate or medical records.
"Traveling with pets will now be possible with a single document," said David Byrne, the EU public health commissioner. "I hope that member states have now done all that is necessary to fulfill citizens' expectations."
The pet passports will be temporary. Over the next eight years, EU countries will start requiring pet owners to have electronic microchips containing identification and vaccination information implanted in their animals.
Britain, Malta and Ireland already require the microchips.
Until the chips become mandatory, vets will put a visible tattoo on the pet.
The pet passports are valid for travel within the EU, but some neighboring countries — including Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland — will accept them as well.
The EU requires passports for cats, dogs and ferrets only as these animals are the most common pets and most likely rabies carriers.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Paul Wagenseil.
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