(Newser) – One British man is poised to become $68,000 richer thanks to his dog's interest in stinky garbage—which, in this case, turned out to be a soccer ball-sized lump of whale vomit, reports the AP. Ken Wilman was walking his dog Madge along a beach in northern England when the canine started sniffing what Wilman thought was a rock. But when a piece broke off, he realized it was something else, and when he got home he did a bit of Googling.

Wilman soon realized his dog had actually discovered ambergris, the waxy and not-so-fragrant byproduct of sperm whale digestion. Used in perfumes, spices, and medicines, ambergris commands big bucks, so Wilman returned to the beach and took it home; he has since been offered $68,000 for it. His advice? "If your dog pays an interest in something, you pay an interest in something," he says. "Because you never know." (This actually isn't the first tale of whale vomit wealth we've covered...)

