What's your excuse_

[00:00.11] Have you ever taken a sickie?

[00:02.61] If so, what did you say to your boss? It seems many people in the UK like to blame their pets for their absence.

[00:10.12] One person said they couldn't come to work because their rabbit was missing.

[00:14.88] Perhaps that was a white lie; this next one though sounds more like a porky.

[00:19.14] A worker said that he couldn't come to work because he had to take his dog to the vet.

[00:24.65] This might seem reasonable - apart from the fact that the man told his boss his dog was dead as a previous excuse for skiving off.

[00:32.91] If you've ever worked as a teacher, you'll know that children can be very creative when it comes to excuses for not doing their homework.

[00:40.68] Once again, it's popular to blame pets.

[00:43.43] According to a BBC survey, almost 10 percent of excuses involve pets eating the assignment.

[00:49.44] "The dog ate my homework" is a legendary excuse - no one is sure if a student has ever really used it.

[00:56.45] But it's not just workplaces and schools which attract fibbers.

[01:00.71] People caught claiming welfare benefits illegally have also tried to con the authorities.

[01:06.22] A husband whose wife was working while also on the dole said that he didn't know she had a job because he was always in the garden shed during working hours.

[01:15.73] There are many more ridiculous excuses people have made for not doing the things they were supposed to do.

[01:20.99] But there isn't enough room on this page to fit them all. And besides, I can't carry on because… the cat's eaten my keyboard.

[01:29.76] And what about you: what's your excuse?