On Sunday, January 22, a bear named Jewel gave birth to cubs while an internet audience watched it happen live. The birth took place at the Wildlife Research Institute, home to the North American Bear Center, in Ely, Minnesota. And you can watch it happen – and hear the little cub squeals! – in this video! I’m personally a technophobe – I use the barest technology necessary in order to do my job. But thank God – literally! – for technology... Read more
Football fans found out last night which two NFL teams will vie for the title of Super Bowl Champ (in case you care, it’s the NY Giants and the New England Patriots; I only know because I just googled it). But for animal lovers, even more fun news made headlines today: PUPPY BOWL! For the eighth year in a row, Animal Planet will air their Puppy Bowl at 3 PM on February 5th. Adorable pups from shelters across the country... Read more
No matter how many scientific advances we make and how much knowledge we amass, there will always be stories that remind us that we still have so much more to learn about creation. Case in point: the annual stranding of dolphins along the coast of Cape Cod. Along with Australia and New Zealand, Cape Cod is on the of the top three stranding sites in the world for these ocean mammals. For reasons not even the best scientists can explain, mass strandings... Read more
Last night I attended the Rochester, NY appearance of America’s most famous dog trainer, Cesar Millan, in town for his “The Pack Leader” tour. In the interest of full disclosure, until that point my exposure to Millan was limited. I’d never seen his show, never seen him train a dog or talk about training a dog, never read his book (although I do have a copy of “Cesar’s Way”, picked up at the used bookstore, in my to-read pile). I had... Read more
If you’ve ever wondered how the folks at the zoo take care of the animals, Busch Gardens is giving park visitors a behind the scenes look at large animal veterinary care when their new $5 million Animal Care Center opens January 23. You’ll get to see routine animal care, surgery, x-rays, nutrition, dental care – anything that goes into take care of the health of the park’s 2,000 animals. In a press release, the park announces that the treatment center will... Read more
Mark Buehrle and his wife in a 2010 PSA for AdoptAPet.com This week comes news that Miami Marlins’ pitcher Mark Buehrle was willing to pass up a deal with the South Florida baseball team because Miami-Dade county has a ban on pit bull ownership. In December, Buehrle signed a $58 million, four-year contract with the club. But he reportedly wasn’t willing to make the move unless he and his wife Jamie could find a house in a community that would accept their adopted pit... Read more
Writing about animals is going to be a little difficult this week. On Friday, our dog Scout shed his earthly dog self and put on his heavenly dog self and caught the angel train to God’s Farm in the Sky. Last May, Scout was diagnosed with an aggressive form of canine lymphona, in his lymph nodes, his spleen and very likely in his digestive tract. At the time, the canine oncologist told us that without chemo Scout had at best... Read more
Bella, Bailey, Max or Charlie – chances are if you have a cat, dog or bird, that’s what you call your pet. At least that’s what Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, found when it went through its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine the top pet names of 2011. The list shows a trend towards names that double as human names, from Max and Charlie to the “Twilight”-themed... Read more
If your resolution for 2012 is to get in shape, here’s a little something to get you started! Happy new year, and may your 2012 be a healthy, happy adventure! Read more
I posted today’s Friday quote, about rescuing kitties who are simply out for a walk, and then coincidentally came across this story about an animal rescue group in Canada who have taken concern for pets to a whole new level. Police in British Columbia have arrested 58-year-old Janet Olson and 59-year-old Louise Reid, both directors of A Better Life Dog Rescue, and charged them with breaking and entering and stealing a family pet. According to a press release issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police... Read more
Heavenly Creatures
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