Yes, this really happened. Chauncey the dog took his master's 1997 Mercury four door for a short joyride the morning of Aug. 6. The car was parked (running and unoccupied by humans) at a Detroit Road gas station when the cruising canine knocked the shifter into reverse.

The vehicle backed out of the station southbound, missing the pumps and parked cars, maneuvered a u-turn in traffic, struck a street sign on the north side of the roadway, and came to rest on a stump.