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Animated dog, oddly not anxious, started mauling radioactive stuff (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

plutonium

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'radioactive stuff' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both substances as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'animated dog oddly not anxious started mauling' is the wordplay.
'animated dog' becomes 'pluto' (I've seen this before).
'oddly not' indicates alternate letters (not the letters in odd-numbered positions).
'started' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'mauling' is 'm'.
The alternate letters of 'anxious' are 'niu'.
'pluto'+'niu'+'m'='PLUTONIUM'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for plutonium that I've seen before include "Fuel for nuclear reactors" , "Nuclear material" , "Radioactive element" , "sign of this bomb-making material" , "Radioactive material, Pu" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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