Pets Hunters

In Auburn, CA, A three-pound Chihuahua mix named Tink helped police put a fugitive in the clink.

The dog's Christmas Day adventure began when four suspects who were fleeing police crashed a stolen minivan into a hillside in this Sierra foothill town east of Sacramento, and one of them fled.

Tink, a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix, found him hiding under a neighbor's motor home and chased him into the woods.

Source: AP

New York city’s health code and state law forbid animals in places where food or beverages are sold for human consumption. Fines range from $300 for a first offense to $2,000 or higher for subsequent offenses.

But many deli and Bodega owners in New York City are defending their right to keep cats in their stores. The cats keep the rat and mice under control - city inspectors contend the cats pose a health hazard.

Many store owners keep cats despite the law, mainly because other options have failed and the fine for rodent feces is also $300.

“It’s hard for bodega owners because they’re not supposed to have a cat, but they’re also not supposed to have rats,” said José Fernández, the president of the Bodega Association of the United States.

Source: New York Times
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Had all of the 21 puppies in Great Dane Kenya's litter lived, she would have broken the existing record of 20 surviving puppies in a single litter.

Nineteen newborn puppies still make for a lot of feeding and care, so Kenya is receiving some assistance. Half the puppies nurse on Kenya and the rest feed on formula in baby bottles. Then they rotate.

Kenya's owner, Julie Nelson, plans to sell all of the pups, probably for $1,000 to $1,200 each, although she said a couple of them may be sold for more because their markings are so good.

Source: Mercury News
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Quagga mussels, an exotic species native to Ukraine that was first found in the Great Lakes 18 years ago, have been found in a fifth San Diego County reservoir.

Quaggas apparently were transported from Europe to Lake Erie in the United States in the ballast water of oceangoing ships, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The mussels grow virtually unmolested because they have no natural predators. They clog pipes and screens at power stations, water treatment plants and agricultural irrigation lines.

Photo: New York Sea Grant

Conde Nast Portfolio.com reports that the biggest trend in pets isn’t purebreds, but specially created hybrids.

For example, this puppy is a Kimola (American Eskimo dog and Lhasa apso.)


Isn't he cute?

We used to call these dogs "mutts" and get them at Animal Welfare for a minimal cost.

Times are changing.

Most modern-day groups of beetles have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and have been diversifying ever since, says new research.

There are approximately 350,000 species of beetles on Earth, and probably millions more yet to be discovered, accounting for about 25% of all known life forms on the planet. The reason for this large number of beetle species has been debated by scientists for many years, but never resolved.

Now a team of scientists has shown that large numbers of modern-day beetle lineages evolved very soon after the first beetles originated, and have persisted ever since. Many modern-day lineages first appeared during the Jurassic period, when the major groups of dinosaurs appeared too.

A tiger escaped its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo, killing one visitor and mauling two others on Christmas.

Zoo officials were still uncertain how long the Siberian tiger, the same one that mauled a zoo keeper almost one year earlier, had been loose before being killed by police.

The attack occurred just after the 5 p.m. closing time, on the east end of the 125-acre grounds.

The zoo's director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, could not explain how Tatiana escaped. The tiger's enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and 20-foot-high walls, and the approximately 300-pound female did not leave through an open door, he said.

"There was no way out through the door," Jenkins said. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure."

Merry Christmas!

Pray for peace.

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If your dog begs for chocolate, don't give in! Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in cocoa beans that can cause vomiting, heart problems, seizures, and even death for dogs.

How much chocolate is too much? It depends on the type of chocolate and the weight of the dog.

Find out how much of each kind of chocolate can harm your pet by consulting the National Geographic Magazine Chocolate Chart.

Scroll on the page to change the weight of the dog and the type of chocolate.

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From the Cavalcade of Bad Nativities

Mary Hartman, 91, slipped on a patch of ice as she was attempting to deliver cookies to a nearby neighbor.

Hartman called for help, but it was a cry that only neighbor Judy Sawatzki's Jack Russell terrier mix, Taz, could hear.

"He would run to the window and come back to me," Sawatzki said. "He would whine and bark, and then go back to the window again."

That's when Sawatzki let Taz outside, and the terrier mix shot down the driveway barking for her to follow. Taz led her to Hartman, who was crying for help on the icy driveway.

Dogs possess such an extraordinary sense of smell that they can distinguish among the feces of 18 species at once, making them ideal tracking aids for conservation biologists hoping to cover a lot of ground. Or water.

Beyond helping document grizzly and black bear behavior in Alberta’s vast Jasper National Park, the dogs have located floating feces from endangered North Atlantic right whales in Canada’s Bay of Fundy and from the Pacific Northwest’s declining orca population. Remarkably, some of the poop snoopers perched on the bows of research vessels have tracked down whale scat more than one nautical mile away.

Among the growing number of scat-detection dogs used to track wildlife by land or by sea, the canines employed by the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology are showing that no technology can yet outdo their know-how for doo-doo.

Samuel Wasser, the center’s director, said feces is the easiest part of an animal to collect and a “treasure trove” of vital information. Apart from diet, scat can reveal the species, sex and identity of an individual through DNA, while released hormones can record an animal’s nutritional state, reproductive status and stress levels.

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Recipe

Beginning at 2:00 am MTN on Christmas Eve, you can track Santa Live as he makes his historical journey around the world!

This is exciting, as Santa travels fast and NORAD Santa Cams take photos of Santa and his reindeer!

NORAD has been tracking Santa and that “nose so bright” for more than 50 years.

Just one night each year, nine tiny magic reindeer pull Santa and his toy-filled sleigh around the world. They are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph, and it’s said that these mythical animals are the only reindeer that can fly.

Dr. Perry Barboza is a physiologist at the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska at Fairbanks, who studies reindeer and their closest cousins, caribou.

He points to the fact that male reindeer shed their thick antlers at the end of mating season in early December. The females also have antlers, but their thinner version stays with them throughout the winter. This means that Rudolph and Santa's team are all females.

What about the non-magical reindeer, the ones which don't fly?

At the start of winter, females may be as much as 50% body fat. The fat, which can be a couple of inches thick on their rumps, insulates them from months of cold -- as low as minus 45° F.

Males go into winter with much lower fat stores than females, as low as 5%, because they use so much energy during the fall mating season. So, losing the weight of their antlers is probably an energy saver.

Reindeer have specially designed coats with hollow hairs that help maintain body heat.

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Vacuum cleaners kill fleas just as well as any poison, surprised U.S. researchers found.

They said a standard vacuum cleaner abuses the fleas so much it kills 96 percent of adult fleas and 100 percent of younger fleas.

Glen Needham, associate professor of entomology at Ohio State University, suggested that the vacuum brushes wear away a waxy outer layer on insects called the cuticle. Without it, the fleas, larvae and pupae probably dry up and die, he said.

The findings were so surprising that the researchers ran their experiment several times.

A mechanical cow that breaks wind on the hour has become Edinburgh's latest tourist attraction.

The bovine backside has been attached to the side of the Rowan Tree pub in the city's historic Old Town.

It lifts its tail and shoots out a cloud of white smoke at passers-by throughout the day.

On this season's deer opener, a Minnesota woman shot one of the rarest kinds around; an albino deer. Mary Rakotz of Avon got the 6-point buck on Saturday in Mille Lacs County.

She said it was thrilling to see the rare animal, but 100 times more exciting to be able to actually take it home.

"I had heard that it might be in the area, so I thought that here was my chance of a lifetime. So I had to creep a little bit, probably about 40 yards, to get a good place where I could steady myself a little bit. But then I did that and shot and it went right down," said Rakotz.

(Albino deer are so uncommon that it's actually illegal to hunt them in at least seven states.)

Is it any wonder that so many creatures have been hunted to extinction with idiots like this in the world?

An Indian man who believed he had been cursed for stoning to death two dogs has atoned for his sin by marrying another dog in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.

P. Selvakumar, a 33-year-old farm laborer from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, married the four-year-old stray bitch female dog after it was bathed and processed to his village temple dressed in an orange sari and garlanded with flowers.

Remember that cute video of the sweet little otters floating and holding hands?

"Awww," you said, "aren't they adorable!"

That's exactly what Susan Martin of Merrit Island, Florida, said about the otter in her yard. She noticed its cute little face and how innocent it seemed to be. Then while she was looking at it, it bit her - twice!

Yup, all that sweetness & innocence, it's all been an act.

Another otter attacked poor little Taz, the 10-year-old Westie who fought off the frothing otter to keep it away from the Linnett family.

The dog came out bloody, but Animal Control got the otter. "Took 'em a while. He was mean."

Environmental Graffiti follows up on a previous article on non-native species in the UK, with a list of the 5 worst non-native animal species worldwide.

So, who's number one?

The Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus, houses three of the world’s largest cockroaches: the Death Head (Blaberus cranifer), collected from a bat roost in Panama; Peppered or Peruvian Cockroach (Archimandrita tesselata) from Peru; and Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) from Madagascar.

Bohart Museum scientists have maintained terrariums of Madagascar hissing cockroaches for some 30 years. At any given time, the museum has hundreds of them. It’s the most popular display among the kids, because of three reasons: the hissing sound they make, their size and their appearance.

More about cockroaches from the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Photo: Kathy Keatley Garvey

The Greyhound Adoption Center is one of the only greyhound rescue groups that accepts all greyhounds, not just those from the racetrack. Greyhounds adopted directly from racetracks or from other adoption groups with a "no-return" policy frequently wind up at the pound or some other shelter. GAC accepts pound greyhounds and greyhounds with no racing tattoos, as well.

GAC's open-door policy includes ill or injured dogs. As long as they have space, no greyhound is ever turned away, regardless of its age or physical condition. They will keep any dog for as long as it takes to find just the right home.

A leading authority of Saudi Arabia's hardline school of Islam has condemned camel beauty contests as evil, saying those involved should seek repentance in God.

Camel pageants have become major events in the desert kingdom in recent years as tribes hold ever larger competitions, with bigger prizes and wider publicity.

Delicate females or strapping males which attract the right attention during a show can sell for more than a million riyals (127,000 pounds). Sponsors spent 10 million riyals on prizes for one competition this year.

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• Slipper Style Booties
• Features Suede Soles
• Made of 100% Leather
• Dyed
• Elastic Closure
• Appliqué

At Target!

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Jellybeanies is the only scented plush toy that comes with a unique alphanumeric code that unlocks your character on Jellybeanies.com! Go online, take care of your Jellyfriend, play games, deck them out, and chat safely with friends with pre-set (and kid-safe!) dialogue options!

There are 8 Jellybeanies available in Wave 1 this year, with more coming down the road!

Animal Ring Toss
Like a horseshoe toss for kids.

No! you don't toast frogs in it!

It's about time we let go of the boring conventions that confine us to mere function without beauty and joy. Loosen the ties of history, raise your toaster high and have friends over for pop tarts and waffles. This gem should be placed right in the center of the table.

According to Veterinary Pet Insurance, socks, underwear, and panty hose top the list of items that must be surgically removed after being ingested by household pets. In a release issued by VPI, the California based pet health insurance company lists the top 10 most common surgically removed items based on reports from its claims adjusters. They are:

1. Socks
2. Underwear
3. Panty Hose
4. Rocks
5. Balls
6. Chew Toys
7. Corn Cobs
8. Bones
9. Hair Ties/Ribbons

Traditional Kokeshi began to be made approximately two hundred years ago. The dolls emerged out of local life and culture and were first produced in the north east area of Japan known as the Tohoku region. The artisans of the area began to make small dolls in the winter to sell to the tourists who came to bathe in the many hot springs near their villages. The few people who could afford the luxury of such a pastime bought the Kokeshi dolls as a souvenir and took the dolls back to their own areas where they were often passed on to the children. This, they thought, would promise a good harvest, as it was believed that it would create a positive impression on the gods if children played with the dolls.

Are you a cat person, or would you like to be one? Welcome to the club. Thirty-four percent of American households include at least one cat, which adds up to 90 million pet kitties owned in the U.S. If you're thinking about getting a cat — or want to know more about the one you've got — the new book The Cat Bible: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know is an excellent place to start. Author Tracie Hotchner is one of the leading experts of the feline world.

TIME's Andrea Sachs (who has two cats herself) interviews Hotchner.

Another day, another bizarre world record for Jackie Bibby, the "Texas Snake Man." Bibby spent about 45 minutes in a see-through bathtub with 87 rattlesnakes Monday, fully clothed, shattering his own record by 12 snakes just in time for Guinness World Records Day, which is Thursday. A Guinness official certified the record.



I think last year's feat was better!

Last year he set a Guinness-certified record by holding 10 rattlesnakes by their tails in his mouth at once.

But wait, there's more!

The Texas Snake Man also claims to hold non-sanctioned records for climbing into a sleeping bag head first with 20 rattlesnakes and going in feet first with 112.

There aren't many people who lived through the 20th Century, including learned philosophers, scientists and thinkers, whose lives and work so forcefully altered the human intellectual landscape as did that of Washoe, a 42-year-old female chimpanzee who died October 30th in a research center in eastern Washington state.

Her life permanently changed the popular perception of animal intelligence, overturning long-held assumptions about differences between humans and other great apes, and presaging the genetic revolution that would reveal that humans and chimps biologically aren't separated by much.

Photo credit

MANSON, Wash. — Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object — a 600-pound cow.

The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized.

The year-old cow fell about 200 feet from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple's minivan, causing heavy damage.

Designed for pets, the $2,000 "JooZoo" bauble responds to pet behaviors by playing MP3s. So why the big price tag? Because it's covered in diamonds and gold.

According to the company, the play system enhances your pet’s physical health and relieves stress through automatic content responding to various pet behaviors.

Yeah, right.

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If you're expecting to see the usual crowds of blue tits in your garden this winter, you could be in for a disappointment.

Wildlife experts say millions of the young birds starved or drowned during the storms and floods of May, June and July.

Numbers of great tits, whitethroats and reed warblers are also dramatically down after their worst breeding season in a generation, it is claimed.

Pinnawela orphanage is situated northwest of the town Kegalla, halfways between the present capitol Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka. It was established 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife department. This 24 acres large elephant orphanage is a also breeding pace for elephants, twenty elephants were born since 1984, and it has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world.

Tippi is a tiny blonde girl who lives in Africa. She has a brother by the name of Abu who weighs five tons, and her cats are huge and much stronger than her daddy. This may sound like surrealistic fiction, but it is the true story of Tippi, daughter of two French filmmakers and wildlife photographers, working in southern Africa. Their life in the bush, dunes and swamps, and about Tippi's endearing kinship with wild animals, particularly Abu, a five-ton elephant...



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In a good year, David Hackenberg can make a $100,000 profit from beekeeping, but this past year has been a financial disaster. And it all began one afternoon last November when he checked on some of his hives in Florida.

"When I pulled into a bee yard in Florida, there was 400 hives of bees that three weeks before that looked great. And all of a sudden, here we got roughly 400 beehives that are totally empty," he recalls.

The bees were gone, and Hackenberg says he doesn’t know where they went. "I mean, I literally got down and crawled around. I mean, seriously, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled around. And there's no dead bees. There are no dead bees anywhere. I mean, you can't find any bees. They flew off someplace," he recalls.

The bees, Hackenberg says, never came back. It's something he says he'd never seen before . . .

Marjorie Bowley returned home to find a fox curled up and sleeping in her bed.

"I tried to shoo it off but it wouldn't budge. It was so bold. It just looked at me and moved up to the pillows."

The fox had entered through a cat flap at the rear of the house.

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A dog named Laika lies within the Sputnik 2 spacecraft during preparations for her 1957 launch. Laika was the first living creature sent into space, but lived for only a few hours after launch due to the failure of the satellite's thermal control system.

November 3 marked the 50th anniversary of a milestone mission — the Russian Sputnik 2 launch that put a dog named Laika into orbit.

Laika's flight marked the beginning of a pilgrimage that has brought terrestrial life forms to the moon and very likely far beyond. That pilgrimage will only expand in the coming decades, and will surely have far wider significance than it has to date.

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72 hour sale!

Buy 1 adorable humidifier, get 1 free !

Select from frog, cow, penguin, pig and cat.

A simple sign can go a long way toward giving people - utility workers, delivery men, meter readers, repairmen, surveyors, you name it – a heads up to your dog’s presence.

Sounds like a great idea, until you try and find a sign at your local hardware, pet or garden store – there’s nothing there but plastic BEWARE of DOG signs. Don’t label your dog a dangerous dog with one of these plastic signs. Buy one of Pet Postings signs and have an elegant, and durable pet sign for your dog and your property.