News to celebrate: After suspecting that their basset hound had gulped down a wedding ring, a couple recovered it, thanks to a little dog-stomach surgery.

Tetra Images/Tetra Images/Corbis

OOD DAY FOR:

Unpredictable advertising
Target was praised for supporting the special needs community after featuring a 6-year-old boy with Down syndrome as a model in its latest catalog. [The Daily What]

Sharp-witted stoners
British researchers studying the effects of drug use on middle-aged brain function say 50-year-olds with a history of marijuana use scored higher on memory tests than non-users. [Newser]

Bad dogs
A New Mexico couple was delighted to find their missing $4,500 wedding ring — in the stomach of their 10-month-old basset hound. The vet informed them basset hounds have a tendency to eat rocks. [Huffington Post]

BAD DAY FOR:

Going under the knife
Next time you have surgery, you might want to watch your surgeon wash up. Two out of three medical students failed a hand hygiene test given by researchers from Germany's Hannover Medical School. [The Atlantic]

Pop-culture ignorance
Ohio Police arrested and charged a man with felonious assault after he allegedly stabbed another man for not knowing that Beyonce is married to rapper Jay-Z. [BuzzFeed]

Miniscule mistakes
Bank of America rejected a participant in a mortgage modification program after he was short by 80 cents on his second trial payment. The man was trying to pay by phone, and accidentally pressed the wrong button. [The Consumerist]

For more winners and losers see: Good day, bad day: January 4, 2012