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Chesney the kangaroo jumped an eight-foot fence to escape his petting zoo in Wisconsin, spending three days on the lam. The young marsupial was spooked by stray dogs and went on the run last week. Sleepless nights followed for his keeper, Debbie Marland, before Chesney quietly approached a group of searchers Saturday and was back home. Chesney and his kangaroo mate Kenny are among 25 animals — including alpacas, highland cows and a camel — at Sunshine Farm, a petting zoo in Necedah, Wisconsin, that's open in the warmer months. Chesney was tired and hungry but appeared healthy when recaptured. Marland says she'll install a mesh top on his enclosure to prevent more high-jumping hijinks.

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Scientists are tracing back the history of dogs using the oldest genes from the species ever studied. Scientists think dogs descended from an ancient population of gray wolves somewhere in Europe or Asia. But exactly when and where this happened remain a mystery. Researchers examined ancient genes from the remains of over 200 dogs and wolves and found that the oldest dated back to about 15,800 years ago. Ancient dogs' lives were closely tied to the movements of the humans they lived with. Scientists can’t paint a picture of exactly what the first dogs looked like, but think they resembled smaller wolves. The new studies were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

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Americans still dig French bulldogs, retrievers and German shepherds. But dachshunds are increasingly hot dogs. For the first time in over two decades, the sausage-shaped hounds were among the top five most prevalent dog breeds in American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The list covers 202 breeds. The standings are based on puppies and older purebreds that were added last year to the AKC’s registry. The rankings aren't a complete picture of the U.S. canine population. They don't include mixed-breed dogs and trendy hybrids such as goldendoodles. The annual list regularly sparks criticism from dog breeding opponents such as the animal rights group PETA.

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Duong Nguyen, known as Yo, died in a car crash near Bardstown Road. (Submitted photos)