It's common practice in England to ring a telephone by sending
 extra voltage across one side of the two wire circuit and ground
 (earth in England). When the subscriber answers the phone, it
 switches to the two wire circuit for the conversation. This method 
 allows two parties on the same line to be signaled without disturbing each
 other.
 
 
 Anyway, an elderly lady with several pets called to say that
 her telephone failed to ring when her friends called; and that on
 the
 
 few occasions when it did ring her dog always barked first. The
 telephone repairman proceeded to the scene, curious to see this
 psychic dog.
 
 He climbed a nearby telephone pole, hooked in his test set, and
 dialed the subscriber's house. The phone didn't ring. He tried
 again.
 
 The dog barked loudly, followed by a ringing telephone.
 
 Climbing down from the pole, the telephone repairman found
    a. The dog was tied to the telephone system's ground post via
      an iron chain and collar..
 
    b. The dog was receiving 90 volts of signaling current.
 
    c. After several such jolts, the dog would start barking and
      urinating on the ground..
 
    d. The wet ground now completed the circuit and the phone
     would ring..
 
 Which shows you that some problems can be fixed by just pissing
 on them. But only temporarily..
 
 
 From: Michelle 
 

Wil Stark, wstark04 (at) pobox _dot_com

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