If you're going to play a trick on your dog, make sure it's the best trick: Ranger the German Shepherd runs to fetch his favorite toy, only to find his best friend and owner, back from deployment, standing there when he returns.

They're calling Jack, a German Shepherd from Oregon, a "canine Houdini" for the amazing skill with which he broke out of the veterinary hospital where he was being treated for a severe and mysterious flu.