No, Seriously, The Dog Ate My Masters Tickets [Gallery]

Somewhere, perhaps long ago, a dog ate some poor school kid's homework and ever since, "The Dog Ate My Homework" has been a much-ridiculed excuse for not having your homework.  Well, what would you do if the dog ate your Masters tickets?

Keep in mind that there has been a waiting list for Masters tickets, the first major of the year for professional golfers, since the 70's.  No joke.  There is not a single ticket available EXCEPT for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday "Practice rounds" when the pros get to practice on-site at the exclusive Georgia Country Club. However, it is almost as difficult to get these tickets as the unavailable Thursday thru Sunday tickets.  Demand far outstrips supply.  So, the good folks at Augusta National hold a yearly raffle for the practice round tickets.  Your odds are not great.

Now, back to the dog....

Russ Berkman of Seattle, Washington had tickets to see the practice round for The Masters at Augusta National today.  He had a trip planned to Georgia, he was ready to go . . . and then, a few days ago, his dog ate his tickets!!!

When Russ realized his dog, Sierra, had eaten the tickets, he came up with a plan.  A really awful but successful plan. He made Sierra vomit by giving her hydrogen peroxide, which is allegedly safe for animals, then sifted through it and somehow pieced the tickets back together!

Then he took a photo of his ticket pieces, sent them to officials at Augusta . . . and they actually issued him replacement tickets. As for the dog... Sierra is doing fine.