BENALLA (Australia) —  Here's a news item that reads like a twisted version of "Old MacDonald".

Noel Osborne had a farm (e-i-e-i-o).  And on that farm he had a cow (e-i-e-i-o).  On Oct. 8, the cow apparently knocked him into a pile of manure, breaking his hip and rendering him immobile.  He might have died if not for his faithful dog and pet goat who took care of him for five days until help arrived.

(e-i-e-i-o).

According to the Herald Sun, Mr. Osborne, 78, endured storms, cold nights and hot days as he lay incapacitated in the open field with severe injuries.  He was kept sheltered by huddling between his goat "Mandy" on one side and his dog (also named "Mandy") on the other.  For nourishment, he subsisted on milk from the goat.

(Too bad they weren't in a wheat field, or the dog could've fixed him some collie flour.)

Mr. Osborne describes his ordeal: after the cow had bumped him into "the poop," he called for help, but no one was around.

"Hey, 'Rin Tin Tin',  Hurry up with that quarter!"  A goat and a Border Collie kept an injured man alive last month.  They provided 78-year-old Noel Osborne with warmth, shelter and milk for five days.  The only thing they didn't do was call for an ambulance. (Photo: Corbis.com)