Owning a small rabbit takes a lot more effort than one would initially expect. You’d need to clean out it’s cage ever few days, feed it, water it and play with it on a daily basis. Plus, there’s the whole having to take it to the veterinarian when it gets sick thing. That’s a bill you may not feel up to for the health of a small animal. Certainly make sure you think about how much money you want to spend on a small animal before you buy one as pet. In addition, here are a few tips to make sure you keep a super healthy and happy rabbit as your pet from 8 in 1 Pets Products. http://www.eightinonepet.com/helpfultips_smanimal.htm

1. Social needs. Rabbits like company and interaction. If you have a busy lifestyle and may not be on hand to entertain them for long stretches, consider getting two rabbits instead of one. They can keep each other company.

2. Diet. Bunnies thrive on a healthy, diverse diet. High quality pellet food should be paired with a variety of fresh vegetables and some fruits. Mix in leafy green vegetables like kale and dark leaf lettuces with the occasional carrot, sweet potato and apple slice for variety. Rabbits should be fed a pile of greens roughly the size of the animal's body every day. A common mistake is leaving pellets out all day. This can only lead to a chubby bunny. It is better to feed your rabbit in two installments each day.

3. Cages. Rabbits need lots of exercise and should not be confined to a hutch or cage 24-hours a day. However, when no one is around to supervise them, they should be kept in as large a cage as possible.

4. Veterinary care. Your bunny will need an annual check up as well as emergency care if it becomes ill. Keep the phone number of a qualified veterinarian handy.

5. Spaying or neutering. Spaying or neutering your rabbit is not only the responsible thing to do, it makes your life better as well. Bucks no longer mark their territory with unpleasant odors and spayed does are spared a number of health problems including uterine cancer.

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There’s a lot going on in Iraq these days, especially in the form of reconstruction efforts.  One woman in particular is working mostly alone to save many stray cats and dogs living in the country.

Louise is a security consultant in Baghdad and she’s been working for three years to save various strays in Iraq.  Her first stray saved was a cat named Simba al-Tikriti.  She snuck him out of Iraq and sent him to his new home in Britain where he had to spend six months in quarantine before getting his new foster human but he’s doing well.

Since that first cat three years ago Louise has managed to send four more cats and two dogs back to England.  The costs per each animal that she has saved runs as much as $3,500.  Most of that money comes from donations made by sympathetic pet lovers and stuff that she sells on eBay.  

Louise says of her animals and her decision to sell stuff to help the animals, ‘"Some people buy flash cars, others flash clothes. But it's my animals that float my boat…Collectibles, Cabbage Patch Kids, toys, the lot."

A lot of soldiers and foreigners in Iraq now are saving strays.  It’s hard to tell just how many animals have been taken in, but it’s not uncommon to see all kinds of dogs and cats on military bases and many western companies have one or more pets living in their compounds.

This practice of keeping small pets around is quite the culture shock to Iraqis, who don’t normally keep small animals as pets.  Many of the Muslims in the country also avoid dogs feeling that they are unclean.  

There are thousands of stray cats and dogs in Baghdad’s Green Zone and on U.S Military Installations have actually been trapped and euthanized by US contractors working to keep diseases like rabies from spreading across the country.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g_bpaspbDysAPZmnvDQan3DKyj_wD90BLLOG0

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Everyone knows that dogs love chocolate, but they just aren’t allowed to have it!  Chocolate is poisonous to pets and can kill them so always keep the lid on the cookie jar.  As a great and tasty alternative for your pets I’ve tracked down a couple of pet treat recipes you can put together for your beloved friends.

These two recipes came from Scampering Paws.com

Homemade Doggie-licious Carob Treats

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup carob chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat eggs with peanut butter, then add milk and combine well.
In separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder.
Combine the dry mixture with the peanut butter mixture. Mix well.
Stir in carob chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving about 1" in between cookies.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits look just barely "dry" in the middle and are baked through. Do not overbake! The biscuits will naturally harden as they cool.
Let cool before removing from cookie sheet.
Call your dog over for a tasty homemade treat!


Peanut Butter Doggie Biscuits

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup fine cornmeal

Directions:

   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   2. Beat together peanut butter and eggs. Gradually beat in oil and water until well-mixed.
   3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine flour, oats, and cornmeal.
   4. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and blend well to form a dough.
   5. Roll out the dough to approx. 1/4" thickness and cut into shapes, or just slice them into squares if you don't have cookie cutters.
   6. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch between biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes until browned. Turn off oven, but leave the biscuits inside to "crisp". Once the biscuits have hardened, remove them and treat your dogs! Store the remaining biscuits in an airtight container.

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Ever drive with your pet in the car?  You know you have, I have, we all have.  Well, you’ll also know that it’s a major distraction, especially if your pet is sitting in the passenger seat beside you.  That pet can get all excited and start jumping around, possibly landing on vulnerable parts of your anatomy.  A situation which is more than enough to distract you from the road and even lead to a car accident.  

In fact I just read about a woman who got into a car accident in Modesto, California because of her cat.  It was a doozy too.  The woman apparently had her cat sitting in her lap.  Now, in my experience cats and cars don’t normally go well together.  I can remember a former pet cat that would get crazy in the car and usually had to be safely stowed in a pillowcase or cage for any short or long term trips.    Apparently that is true in this case too.  

The cat freaked, scratched the woman while she was driving and she drove into a pole.  The power line toppled spectacularly and the entire street was shut down for almost an hour.  All because the owner drove with her pet in her lap.  I guess it was a great bonding moment for the both of them.  

In a way this accident did have a positive effect.  The Assembly Appropriations Committee in Southern California approved a bill on Wednesday that makes it illegal to drive with your pet in your arms or your lap.  They did this based on evidence that having a pet in your car can be one of the biggest distractions, that’s on top of using a cell phone or eating.  One small leap for the cat, one giant leap for State Assembly.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g9ZU0rTi0QYjOVKcE3u5KSdMG4JwD909NJDO0

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Talk about gross negligence!  I’ve mentioned the recent appearance and popularity of pet friendly hotels on here before, but I guess with the appearance of new ideas also comes new hazards.

One such pet friendly hotel, the AKA Sutton Place Hotel is accused of nearly killing three cats.  The cats are owned by a novelist, Marisha Pessl and her husband Nicola Caiano.  They are suing the hotel which claims to be ‘pet friendly’ for gross negligence and hoping to get about $25,000 in damages.

How did the hotel nearly kill these cats?  It’s not that they purposely tried to, and it certainly didn’t involve the cats escaping the room.  So, how did these cats nearly die in their own hotel room?  The hotel cleaning staff left rat poison out in the room and it was eaten by the three cats.  

Rat poison!  Hard to believe isn’t it?  However the couple states that they returned to their room one evening to find their two Maine coon cats and one Ocicat on the floor and ‘practically dead’.  

This amazing fright comes after the couple had decided to stay in the hotel after their apartment was damaged by a fire.  Talk about bad luck.  First a fire, then cat illnesses and now a lawsuit.

Constantine Dimpoulous, the couple’s lawyer states that "The vets treated [the cats] and, thankfully, did everything they could to save their lives. [But] they've been treated on multiple, multiple occasions since and have been pretty much irreparably harmed…You don't leave rat poison lying around rooms in a pet-friendly hotel."  He also pointed out that the hotel refused to pay for the veterinarian bills.  

Luckily the cats survived; on the downside they are suffering permanent damage to their health.  Plus, the hotel is refusing to pay for costs.  The couple has taken tem to court to pay for their kitties’ health, but do you think they should win?  Is the damage worth $25,000?  

Source: http://gothamist.com/2008/04/26/when_petfriendl.php

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Anyone remember the purloined pooch named ‘Puddles’ from early February?  Well, for those of you who missed my last post about this pet dog and the uproar over him, Puddles is a shih tzu that had been dognapped by his pet sitter.

The pet sitter, one Grace Saenz-Lopez was a neighbor of Puddles original owners, Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavasos.  The couple went out of town for a vacation and left Puddles in the care of Grace.  When they returned from their trip, Grace told them that Puddles had died.  In reality, she had shuffled Puddles off to live at her sister’s home under an assumed name of, Panchito.  

Grace upon being discovered claimed that she had kidnapped the dog because she feared for it’s life in the hands of her neighbors.  Puddles was suffering from the aftereffects of a massive flea infestation which had left him low on blood when the family left him with Grace.  He had been treated for the flea infestation with chemicals, but was still recuperating from the blood loss.  

It was a simple matter for her to claim that the dog died and that she had buried him in the backyard of her new home while the neighbors were away.  

Well, Judge Terrell,  presiding over the civil case of dognapping recently ordered the dog returned to Gutierrez and Cavasos.  He also gave Grace Saenz-Lopez a chewing out stating, ‘“I think a lot of this is just plain ridiculous.”

He also said that Grace was a big hearted person, but it didn’t give her a right to take Puddles and he faulted both her and the neighbors for being unable to resolve this problem outside of court.  

There’s a lot more to this crazy story, like the fact that Grace was actually the Mayor of Alice, Texas when she dognapped the pooch.  Be sure to read more at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/us/25dog.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/us/13puddles.html?ref=us

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Anyone ever wondered how many different species of animals there are on the planet Earth?  By that I mean, the numbers of different species discovered and officially identified by people, since there are still many new species being discovered every day!  Isn’t that amazing?

 

So, I really couldn’t guess the actually number, of discovered, undiscovered or both types of animals on the planet Earth.  There are probably hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of species, especially so if we decide to include bacteria and viruses in the numbers.  But, who wants to do that?

 

I recently found that Yahoo.com has a complete directory of all the animals from A to Z on the web. 

 

Talk about fun!  If you ever wanted to name an animal for every letter of the alphabet, this is the place to get your cheat answers from.  Here are just a few of the many, many different animal species apparently available.

 

 

Wallabies, Walruses, Wasps, Water Dragons, Waterbucks, Weasels, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Whale Shark, Whales, White Pelican, White-Beaked Dolphins, Whitetip Reef Shark, Whooping Cranes, Widow Spiders, Wild and Feral Horses, Wild Canids, Wild Cats, Wildebeest, Wildlife, Wobbegong Shark, Wolf Spider, Wolverine, Wolves

 

I always thought coming up with ‘W’ animals was hard too!  Let’s take a look at ‘Z’ animals.

 

 

Zebra Finches, Zebrafish, Zebras

 

Hmm…only three animals that start with a ‘Z’ listed here.  Can anyone think of an animal that starts with a ‘Z’?  We could probably come up with a few to update Yahoo’s directory for them.

 

Each of the animals named on the directory has a URL link that takes you straight to a listing of the most popular websites featuring that animal.  It’s a great resource for anyone with a school project or just looking to learn a little bit about the different animals.

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The internet phenomena, I Can Has Cheezburger?, that has quickly gained the love and adoration of millions of websurfers over the past year is looking for help!  Apparently, they are swamped with photo submissions as their blog site is growing ever more popular. 

 

 

For those of you wondering just what the heck, I Can Has Cheezburger? is, well I’m not so good at explaining.  However, I’ll give it a go.  This site is basically a wordpress blog that makes use of the free submissions of other people’s cute pets!  Boy, I wish I had thought up that idea.  They receive up to 9,000 photo submissions a day from people hoping to get their pets or themselves posted on the website for all to see.

 

Every one of the 9,000 people who submit each day, upload their own cute or funny picture, type in their own cute or funny caption for the photo and then save and submit.  From there one of three moderators wades through all of the submissions to find some great photos suitable for their daily blog posts. 

 

Obviously they need more moderators, so the ever popular blog site has posted a link for a position at their Seattle Office in the Lower Queen Anne Area on their daily business blog called, ICHC News. 

 

If you are looking for something fun to do part time, then you may want to submit a fun and catchy resume.  The big boss cat, Ben Huh site founder and chief executive of Pet Holdings, inc. is looking for a workerhuman.  He’s received at least 250 applications since posting the link on April 21^st.  Looks like he’s going to get swamped fast, so you’d better hurry if you have ‘a great sense of humor, a deep understanding and love of the Internets and a strong work ethic.’

 

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCeMVpL4NaQ8RCOfa5FPFXoGCtWwD907QVEO0

  

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Here’s a reason to never, never, ever work alone with reptiles.  They might eat you!  This is the lesson learned quite recently by one, Teresa Rossiter, who is lucky to still be breathing after an incident with a 12 foot Burmese Python a few days ago.   She had removed the gigantic snake from its cage at the small pet shop she owned in Eugene, Oregon.  And was in the process of showing it to a potential customer when it suddenly attacked! The snake bit her right hand and coiled rapidly around her left arm, throwing her to the floor.  Within seconds she was in danger of being crushed to death or asphyxiated by the strong coils of the snake.   Lucky for her, she wasn’t alone in the pet shop.  The potential customer probably having fled the shop in horror at the sight wasn’t the only person in the store.  A friend of Rossiter’s also happened to be in the shop at the moment of the attack and was able to keep the snake from coiling around her chest or neck while the police were called to the shop. Despite being attacked by a 12 foot python Rossiter became afraid for its life when the police arrived.  Sergeant Ryan Nelson came to the pet shop to aid Rossiter in removing the snake forcibly with a knife.  Yet, she insisted he not harm the snake in the course of saving her.  I can so imagine this argument while the snake is still latched onto her arm.   Instead Sergeant Nelson put on a pair of gloves and pried the jaws of the snake open by hand and helped place it back into its cage.  Teresa Rossiter is still living and breathing, but has a few extra holes and a snake that probably isn’t safe to sell.  She’s hailing Nelson as a hero for saving her and the snake. Source: http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=70164

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A Cocker Spaniel spent several months as a shipwreck survivor on the tiny Fanning Island just 1000 miles south of Hawaii.  Not a bad place to enjoy one’s confinement.  The spaniel is an 8 month old dog named Snickers.  He first arrived on the island with his owners after their sailboat washed ashore.  Previous to that, the owner’s sailboat had been experiencing some mast problems and they were actually drifting on the open ocean for about 3 months prior in their 48 foot sailboat.  Then they became shipwreck survivors. 

The two owners, Jerry and Darla Merrow swam to shore with their dog and a pet parrot.  They spent several weeks living with local villagers on the island before they were able to bum a ride on an inter-island supply ship back home to California.  However, the captain of the ship wouldn’t let the two animals on board so the Merrows were forced to leave their dog in the care of local villagers.  

As a result Snickers spent the next several months running semi wild on the island.  Eventually the islanders left Snickers to fend for himself on an island where it’s eat or be dinner.  

A man named, Robby Coleman who owns a sail boat off of Fanning Island began noticing and watching for the dog and parrot.  He managed to raise the interest of others, including the Hawaiian Humane Society in the fate of Snickers.  The Humane Society then took the lead in the Cocker Spaniel’s rescue and organized for a ship to be sent to the island.  

Norwegian Cruise Lines took up the call to action and a cruise ship, The Pride of Aloha stopped off by the island and managed to scoop up Snickers to safety.  He rode the rest of the way to Honolulu in style, aboard the high class cruise ship.  Currently Snickers is in quarantine on Hawaii waiting to be cleared from customs.  Afterwards, he’ll be flown courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines to Las Vegas, Nevada where a new owner, retired residents Jack Joslin awaits his arrival eagerly.

"I love animals," Joslin stated, "I had two dogs up until the middle of March. Then I had to have my border collie euthanised. The day they called saying the ashes were back was when I read the story (about Snickers). It occurred to me I could do something."

There is no word on the fate of the parrot.  

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/spaniel-spent-three-months-adrift-on-a-15metre-boat/2008/04/19/1208025528461.html

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I’ve already given safety tips to prevent fires, keep pets safe over the holidays and keep you cat safe in the home.  I figured one more night of safety tips was in order in the form of tips for keeping your dog safe, happy and healthy.  These tips below and more come from the American Dog Trainers Network.

Corn Cobs Many dogs have suffered and, in some cases, died after eating corn-on-the-cob, when the corn cob caused partial or complete intestinal obstruction. Never allow your dog access to corn cobs.
Electrocution Christmas tree lights and electrical cords can be fatal if chewed on by a dog (or cat). Whenever possible, keep electrical cords out of reach.
Fireworks Never unnecessarily expose your pet to firecracker noise or fireworks displays, as they can cause companion animals tremendous fear, and in> many cases, long-term phobias. Make sure to keep dogs indoors, and keep walks (on a leash) very brief. Try masking loud firecracker noises with "white noise" (from the air conditioner or white noise machine), as well as with music or other familiar sounds (radio or television). Or if possible, take a brief vacation with your pet in a quiet rural area, until The Fourth of July fireworks are over.Plastic Food Wrap Plastic food wrap can cause choking or intestinal obstruction. Some dogs will eat the plastic wrapping when there are food remnants left coating its surface.
Tinsel and Other Christmas Tree Ornaments When ingested by a dog (or cat), tinsel may cause obstruction of the intestines, and the tinsel's sharp edges can even cut the intestines. Symptoms may include: decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, listlessness and weight loss. Treatment usually requires surgery.

Training Collars

Remove your dog's training collars whenever left unsupervised or crated. Never tie your dog by attaching a leash or tether to your dog's training collar. Always use a flat buckle collar when tying your dog, and then only when supervised. Never leave your dog tied unsupervised in front of stores, restaurants or supermarkets, as they can be harassed, poisoned or stolen.

For more tips on keeping your dog safe at home be sure to head over to: http://www.inch.com/~dogs/safety.html

 

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Tonight, I thought I’d continue with our safety theme by looking at a few tips to keep your pets safe during the holidays.  You’d be surprised how much trouble a pet can get into when there is a buffet full of food in the room.  Did I ever write about that time my former dog managed to swallow an entire cooking bag because it smelled of ham? I think maybe I did…

Below are a few holiday safety tips for your pet from Adoptapet.com. 

• While chocolate is a favorite holiday treat for people, please don't share it with your dog or cat - it can make them quite sick. Lean turkey meat is a delicacy which pets enjoy, but beware of sharp bones which can splinter and cause them serious health problems.
• Poinsettia plants are beautiful to look at, but a poisonous temptation to pets who can't resist nibbling on them.
• Christmas trees have many tempting and attractive features for a chewing pup or kitten - tinsel or ribbon in your pet's stomach can be deadly - as can biting on the wires attached to Christmas tree lights.
• If you keep your tree in a holder with water, please don't add chemicals which pets may drink.
• For the safety of all concerned, please resist the temptation to send your pet trick-or-treating with the kids.
• Cats have a particular danger attached to them on Halloween, especially black cats like our Tabitha but not excluding regular Tabbies. Pranksters can be deadly to our pets on this holiday.
• Seclude your pets in a quiet room away from Halloween activities. This will ensure that they won't panic and escape when bell-ringing trick-or-treaters arrive, nor will they become threatened or aggressive at the sight of ghosts and goblins.

Check out more pet safety tips for the holidays at: http://www.adoptapet.com/Holidays/Halloween.html

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Yesterday I found a few great tips for fire proofing your home against excited or silly pets.  I though I’d continue that thread with additional tips for cat proofing your home in general.  Cats and kittens in particular can get into a lot of trouble around the house.  You can’t always be there to safe guard them or pull them out of the toilet should they fall in either!  So, try making a few changes around the home based on these tips from KittenCare.com

Cords, Windows
Cats enjoy batting around cords from hanging blinds. The danger is that they get tangled up and choke. Be sure to either anchor the cords or tie them up out of reach.

Decorations / Jewelry
Do not leave fragile items (vases, glasses) or jewelry (earrings, chains) sitting on the coffee table or counters accessible to your feline friend. Best case you make a sacrifice to your new kitty's exploration. Worst Case, kitty swallows a sharp object and hurts himself badly.

Garage
Unless it is a living area, the garage should be a 'Cat-Free Zone'. Garages usually contain too many poisonous/hazardous materials. Anti-freeze is particularly deadly and is doubly dangerous because of its sweet taste. Clean up any spilled anti-freeze and the keep garage floor thoroughly washed if your cat has access to it.

Home Electronics
Electrical cords are a hazard to cats, as they love to chew and play with them. Consider buying cord management systems or instead tape cords together and then fasten them out of reach. The same goes for phone cords.

Home Office
Rubber bands, paper clips, thumb tacks, broken balloons, Christmas tree tinsel and other small articles irresistible to cats. Simba's rule is that you put away anything you would not want a toddler to get his hands on.

Kitchen / Bathroom
Kitchen cabinets are another danger zone. Be sure to place child-safety bands on cabinets where you keep bleach, detergent, cleaning supplies or personal hygene products including dental floss. Cats love comfy environment and cabinets provide that. Be sure they relax in safe places only!

Head over to KittenCare.com for more tips on safety proofing your home for cats.

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I recently read a story about a woman’s pet turtle managing to set fire to her house.  The turtle came out of hibernation early one year so she took it into the house.  After placing the turtle in it’s aquarium with fresh bedding under the heat lamp she left the house to work outside.  Next thing she knew the house was on fire!  Apparently the turtle managed to pile up its bedding directly under the heat lamp.  The bedding came too close to the lamp and it caught fire.   It was bizarre event that one would hardly expect, but it put me in mind to bring up the topic of fires, your household and pets. 

 

The Ottawa Humane Society site offers some tips to help prevent and deal with fires around pets.  Below are a few tips to keep in mind!

    

• Never leave a burning candle unsupervised! Even leaving the room for a minute is enough time for a curious cat or a tail-wagging dog to knock over a candle.
• Make sure that all cords are either inaccessible to your pets, or that you unplug the cords when the electrical device is not in use. Some dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents like to nibble on cords, which can result in serious burns and can cause a fire.
• Keep certain appliances, such as irons and hair dryers, out of pets' reach. These appliances can produce enough heat that, if knocked over by a pet, they could start a fire.
• Install a barrier in front of fireplaces, campfires, barbecues and portable heaters. It is a myth that pets are afraid of fire - in fact, many pets like to lay close to a source of heat to stay warm. Lying too close to a fire could result in your pet's fur catching fire; and it is possible for most pets to knock over a portable heater or a barbecue. Always ensure your pets cannot get near these items.

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This tail could be likened to a case of ‘Arsenic and Dog Collars’ for many pet owners in Calgary, Canada.  Several pet owners in the area suspect that their pets are being poisoned, and even right in their own back yard!

 

Police are investigating the possible poisonings of at least seven pets in a single Calgary neighborhood.  However the investigation is slow going.  Many of the pets have already been buried, cremated or otherwise placed for memorial.  There is also a lot of confusion concerning the time and places of these possible poisonings as Staff Sgt. Nancy Farmer with the police stated. 

 "We don't really know if there is a connection between any of them…We don't know, for instance, a simple thing (such) as time when these things have occurred. And unfortunately many of these animals have already been destroyed." 

The police do have some evidence that suggests some of the animals had been poisoned in their own backyards.  Most of the victims in this rash of poisonings have been dogs, but there are also a few cats that have died.  And at least one dog owner suspects that someone attempted to kill his pet with poison but didn’t succeed. 

 

Gilbert Palsson’s 10 year old Border Collie ‘Mazzie’ became ill for a brief period of time.  "Last Sunday he asked to go out three times during the night," Palsson said. "He never asks to go out unless he's sick, and he asked three times. And that's a first for him."

 

The Humane Society of Canada has offered a reward of $1,000 Canadian for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. 

 

Sgt. Nancy Farmer encourages all pet owners in the area to stay alert, ‘We continue to encourage anyone who suspects their animal of being poisoned to file a report with us we will look at each one, investigate each one, on a case by case basis."

  

Source:  http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080415/pet_poisoning_080415/20080415?hub=Canada

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The city of Chicago in windy Illinois was thrown into an uproar when people started reporting a large Cougar on the loose.  The cat weighing about 140 pounds was spotted sleeping on a woman’s front porch around 11am .  However, it left by the time police responded to the call.  

The Cougar proved to be a wily creature indeed, when it took animal welfare officers and local police nearly 6 hours to track him back down again.  In fact, when they got close to the cougar it managed to slip away behind the very backs of the police, as was caught on video.

One of the city’s police captains told FoxNews Chicago, ‘"Somebody spotted him on the move and called 911 and police were all over the area … police themselves then spotted [the cougar].  When police spotted him the first time they called it in, they were closing in (but) he went down a gangway."  

As they continued to search the normally busy streets for the loose Cougar squad cars patrolled the streets and broadcasted messages telling residents to stay indoors for their own protection.

They finally tracked the cat into a back alley and attempted to shoot it as it attempted to leap a fence, but the cat managed to run away from them.  Authorities were planning to capture the cat and remove it from the city.

Sadly, the police were forced to shoot the Cougar after it charged them when forced with an empty lot.  Authorities believe that this was the same Cougar that had been spotted in the greater North Chicago area over the past six months.  Animal Welfare officers made a match between paw prints found at both scenes.

This is the third Cougar shot in Illinois in the past decade.  There had been no urban sightings of a Cougar since 1864.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=447869 

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The Late Leona Helmsley’s pet dog has been moved to a safe house after receiving more than two dozen death threats.  Several months ago, the dog, a white Maltese named, ‘Trouble’ inherited about $6 million dollars from Leona Helmsley’s will.  The money has been placed in a trust fund to provide and care for the dog until its death, which may end up being sooner that the late Helmsley thought.

 

Leona Helmsley was called the Queen of Mean due to her rather politically incorrect viewpoint, conviction for tax evasion and most recently the discovery that she left two of her grandchildren entirely out of the will.  Yep, she dropped two of her grandkids and left a whopping $6 million to her dog.  Hey, I think I already know who’s been making the death threats.

 

John Codey, who is in charge of the dog’s trust fund, stated that it will cost an estimated $300,000 a year to keep Trouble in the standard of living to which she is accustomed.  That includes the cost of a rotating security team, medical care, and grooming.

 

The New York Post reported that Trouble’s guardians received two dozen death threats aimed at the dog.  It appears Leona Helmsley’s revenge has backfired on her poor pooch.

 

Codey told CBS television, ‘"We received any number of threats to kidnap the dog, so that was a major problem for us after Leona passed away…We've had problems keeping her identity confidential and we had to change her name even to take her on the aircraft. We called her Bauble instead of Trouble."

 

Codey is referring to 2 months ago when they decided to move Trouble to a safe house for protection.  The house is on another Helmsley estate in the Sarasota area of Florida.  Trouble used to live in a luxury flat on the 46^th floor sitting in the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York, where she ate foods prepared by hotel chefs.

 

Source: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2625230.html?menu=news.quirkies.animaltales

 

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You’ve got to love unusual pet stories and this is the best unusual pet story I’ve seen in a while.  A Chinese man claims to own a pet snail that has lived for a whopping 11 years and it was already an adult snail when he picked it up!  That’s about double the normal lifespan of a snail, for those of you who aren’t in the know…

 

 The Chinese man, Yang Jinsen, is a migrant worker in Dongwan City, China.  He claims to have picked up the snail by the roadside while he was walking home from school in 1997.  Yang was 14 years old and he’s been living with his trusty pet snail ever since.  

When he picked up the snail that fateful day so many years ago, it was merely the size of a small coin.  As you can see in the photo, the snail has grown considerably larger.  Yang and his slow and steady friend shared a special bond. 

 

‘I built a small home for it in the yard, and fed it water and soil.  On weekends, I would take it walking in the fields, and in the evenings I would put it on my desk, playing with it while doing my homework,’ said Yang of his attachment to the snail.

 

This is a bond that not even the ‘bonds’ of marriage could break.  Yang has recently gotten married and moved to Dongwan City with his new wife.  Yang says, ‘I got permission from my wife to bring the snail with me to the new city.’  Naturally one should confer with one’s spouse about such major decisions, but I doubt even her objections would have parted Yang form his snail.

 

Experts on hearing about the long lived snail say that this is an amazing case.  It’s quite unusual for a snail to live so long and state it could be the reason is because it is so well cared for.   

 

Source: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2807917.html?menu=

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The Russians unveiled a monument today honoring the first dog in space.  She was a 2 year old mixed breed stray dog that they named Laika.  Now a bronze statue of her rests atop a 6 foot sculpture of a rocket.  This monument was unveiled on the eve of Cosmonautics Day which honors the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin.

 

However, I find myself wondering if this is right.  Is it right to honor the painful, man made death of the first dog in space?  Laika rocketed into earth orbit on November 3^rd, 1957 on the Sputnik II, but she didn’t come back again.  The Russian scientists that sent that stray dog into space, didn’t have a plan to bring her back again.  They knew that dog would die in space and didn’t even have a plan for the Sputnik II to return safely from orbit. 

 

Way back then, the older Soviet authorities announced that Laika was humanly euthanized via an automatic process aboard the Sputnik II.  However, it was revealed in 2002 that Laika probably died an agonizing death from over heating and stress a mere five to seven hours after entering space.  

 

So, back to my original question.  Is it really right to build a memorial for such a death?  Sure, she’s the first dog in space, but it’s not exactly a good way to die.  I can’t imagine that would be good PR for the Russian Space Agency either.  

 

Unless they opted to use her memorial as a reminder of her tragic death.  It’s a point to remember about unnecessary animal deaths in the name of science.  Laika is just one of several animals that have been sent into space and died by space administrations in several countries.

 

We’ve reached a point where scientists are no longer leaving animals to die in space.  However, it’s something to remember for future space exploration missions, and to avoid.

 

Source: http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/04/top-dog-laika-h.html

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I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned sometime in the past few months that research has indicated pets can be good for those with social anxiety disorder.  There were a few specific pets in particular that helped people who suffered from social anxiety disorder the most.  They are the parrot, dog, horse, cat and even guinea pigs.  I think the world of guinea pigs as pets, although its never occurred to me that they are good for those suffering from anxiety.  It has occurred to me that certain people in my family can be allergic to them.  So if you decide to get a guinea pig make sure you aren’t allergic to it!

Pet Health Care Tips is a blog that shares my affections for the guinea pig.  They’ve also posted about the five pets that are good for those with social anxiety disorder.  They had this to say about the guinea pig;

Pet #5: Guinea Pig
The potential of a guinea pig as a pet is overlooked by many. If kept as an indoor companion and given attention daily, their true loving and funny nature will shine through. Guinea pigs communicate with their owners through various sounds, including purring, and many love to be cuddled and petted. A well socialised guinea pig is sure to brighten anyone's day.

Guinea Pig’s are certainly likely to brighten your day.  If anything is likely to ease someone’s social anxiety disorder.  The Pet Health Care Tips blog states that all of these five pet’s can be taken for a walk, including the guinea pig.  

I’m not so sure that walking a guinea pig is a great idea for anyone, let alone a person with social anxiety disorder.  For sure, a guinea pig wouldn’t last very long on a walk in my neighborhood.  We’re overrun with cats!

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Yesterday I wrote about options for burial after a pet’s death and ironically I came across a bit of news concerning pet hospice care so it seems fitting to include in today’s post.  Pet hospice care or ‘paw spice care’ as termed by some folks is all about making the final days for your pet as comfortable as possible.  This also means holding off on the use of euthanasia when a pet owner learns that a pet has a terminal condition.

Dr. Alice Villalobos is a veterinary oncologist and director of Pawspice in Hermosa Beach, California.  She states, ‘"Professionals know there is a cry out there for more home care and more instruction on pets that are treated more like family members than anything.  It's a natural next step."

Many of the hospice services available now for ailing pets are just as much about meeting the needs of the pet owner.  Owners want a long goodbye, so to speak, as they normally would with ailing members of their human family, instead of just putting their pet down.  

Hospice programs help pet owners come to terms with anticipatory grief and present them with options for managing pain in the last days of a beloved pet.  In addition, these program will provide useful information to the owner caring for that dying pet, such as how to determine if a pet is still in pain.

Veterinarians are really beginning to learn about the strength of the bond between pets and their owners.  Scott Darger, of the Power Road Veterinary Hospital in Mesa, Arizona related the story about a client whose dog needed surgery.  She sold her car and started taking the bus to work, just so she could have the $2,000 for her dog’s surgery.  Darger stated of the owners, ‘If they're hurting it's no big deal, but if their pet's hurting it's unacceptable."

Source: http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/health-care/article/pets-live-longer-hospice-care-helps-owners-say-goodbye_558088_10.html

 

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Just like in today’s funeral services for humans, services for pets are on the increase.  There are a wide number of ways you can honor and remember your pet after death.  Even just to place Fido or Fluffy at rest for eternity.

 When my dog died, I opted to have her cremated.  At the time I was very concerned about what we could do with her because it seemed like options were so limited.  I was distraught, living in an apartment without a private yard and I didn’t know if our town even had a pet cemetery where I could take my beloved pet.   

Lucky for me, the local veterinarian had connections with a pet funeral service company.  They were able to deliver her to the company where she was cremated and her ashes were scattered in a lovely little garden on site.  I also received a sympathy card from the veterinarian and another from the funeral services company.   Of course, now I’ve learned that there are a lot of other options too.  One of the most popular is to place the cremated remains of one’s pet in an urn and keep the urn in a place of honor in the home.   

Then for those more unusual pet owners there is freeze drying your pet after death.  One company at www.perpetualpet.net offers this service and according to Jill Tydor of Local6.com: 

 

This process keeps the entire body as is, which is different from taxidermy, where only the hide that is preserved. Freeze-drying is much more expensive than cremation, with prices ranging from $395 to over $2,000, depending on the size of the animal.

 

However, I find that option a little bit creepy.  Yet, for those pet owners who absolutely can’t let go of their beloved Fido or Fiffy there is also the option of turning your pet’s ashes into a diamond.  This is an expensive process, but it really does create a diamond. 

 

A company called, LifeGem offers this service.  They take the carbon from your pet’s ashes and apply heat and pressure to turn it into a diamond.  You can choose from a colorless diamond to a yellow, blue, red or green diamond as the final result.

 

 Source: http://www.local6.com/family/15722280/detail.html

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Animals are great for loving and petting on, but they are also great inspiration.  Tons of creative individuals have found the inspiration that they need for a great piece of artwork or song in an animal or beloved pet.  I’ve even been known to wax poetic about a pet now and then.

Animal poetry is indeed alive and well on the internet.  Poets are using inspiration from animals for their work, such as Nicholas Gordon.  Here is one of his poems from his website Poems for Free.com. 

 

 

Several days before I was to die
A white dove flew into my garden.
It had one black spot on its tail,
As if a drop of ink had soiled
Its purity. It looked at me
As birds do: head sideways,
Neck twisted, almost upside down;
Then went the other way, fluttered,