For her series “Shake“, pet photographer Carli Davidson photographed curious portraits of dogs shaking off water. Use a fast shutter speed and you can capture all kinds of strange expressions on your dog’s face.
Tanner is a blind golden retriever whose life almost ended when his owner died. Blair is a black mutt who got shot and used to live in fear. Then they found each other, became best buddies and solved their problems together.
Their story defies belief. If it doesn't make your heart melt into a mass of bubbly love, you clearly are a psychopath.
Tanner is a golden retriever who was blind with cataracts from birth. He had a slight seizure problem, but his owner took care of him and everything was good. He was a happy dog.
Then, his owner died.
His world was turned upside down. Without his human buddy, Tanner didn't know what to do. He was in a permanent state of stress. The panic he felt from not having him, his help, his presence, by his side made the seizure problem really bad. A golden retriever rescue group in Oklahoma—the Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue—put him in a home with a woman named Jill, but Tanner still had serious problems after that.
The seizures were becoming truly horrible. As his vet says: "he would defecate, urinate, seize in it... it was bad, there's no question about it." In fact, the vet recommended to put him to sleep quite a few times.
And then everything changed. One day, Tanner went to the rescue's playground and, by chance, he met Blair—a black mutt who was shot when he was younger, becoming timid and fearful.
They instantly bonded. They became best friends forever, on the spot.
In fact, Blair became Tanner's service dog. You see, Blair knew something was wrong with Tanner. According to the veterinary, he clearly knew Tanner was blind. "Oh yeah, I don't think there is a doubt," he says "I've never seen anything like this... ever."
The link was established and they became inseparable. Blair walked Tanner around, carrying his leash in the mouth. And Tanner calmed down: since the moment they met, he didn't have a seizure ever again. And the same happened with Blair: he became happy and friendlier. A "remarkable synergy between both of them," says the vet. This story shows how little we know about how animals' brains work, both individually and in their relation to each other. [The Dogs]
As much as you'd like to, you can't spend every waking minute playing with your dog. So this Mazee ball will fill in as the perfect petsitter, challenging your dog to free a delicious treat by solving the simple maze inside.
In fact the $17 Mazee is exactly like those spherical Perplexus puzzles designed for humans. The only difference is that dogs are lacking the dextrous limbs and digits of their owners, requiring them to frustratingly bat this thing around with their paws or snout until the treat is randomly released.
Which in turn is only going to serve to fuel the fire of resentment inside them that was sparked when you forced them to wear fake reindeer antlers at Christmas. And you wonder why they shred the toilet paper while you're away. The Mazee certainly isn't the first dog toy that makes your pup work for a treat, but this one is particularly neat since it looks like it gives their brains as much of a workout as their bodies. [Mazee Puzzle Ball]
This person doesn't like to obey Phoenix Cesar Chavez Park Rules & Regulations — "Dogs must be on a leash" ..
I can't walk/rollerblade/bicycle with two of my clients dogs (whom are NOT friendly with other dogs) when this woman walks her dog with out a leash on her dog.
It is difficult to rollerblade peacefully without my dogs having a big ferocious/barking moment .. and that's not counting that I can lose control of my rollerblades and hurt myself ☹
Please always follow your local Public City Park Regulations.
To help you think better read the following:
"your unleashed Chihuahua is cute and friendly but my two Rottweilers are NOT"
LOGANVILLE — Everyone knows that dog is man’s best friend. For 2-year-old Alida Knobloch, her dog Mr. Gibbs is more than just a friend, he’s a true life-saver.
Knobloch has a rare disease called neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy, a disorder which occurs in children. People with NEHI have a condition in which diseased portions of the lung filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it harder for the afflicted to breathe properly and get enough oxygen into the lungs.
Due to that, Alida is attached to an oxygen tank almost constantly, taking time off the tank only for tasks such as bathing. And that means any jaunt to the park or trip to the playground requires the little girl to drag around an oxygen tank, either in a small backpack or attached to a cart built by her father.
Alida’s parents, Aaron and Debbie Knobloch, wanted to do something to help their older daughter navigate life despite having a tube trailing her at all times.
“We’re trying to provide some independence for her,” said Aaron Knobloch, who works as a pilot for the Georgia Forest Service. “And then, after we saw this program on TV, we thought, ‘What about a service animal?’”
So Aaron and Debbie, a nurse at Gwinnett Medical Center, began to look into acquiring a dog which could carry the tank for Alida and follow her in her everyday activities.
It wasn’t the easiest task. Most service animal groups work based on need, meaning Alida could sit on a waiting list for years, and the Knobloch’s felt uncomfortable trying to take a fully-trained animal that could otherwise go to people with more serious conditions.
So the family looked into private trainers, finally settling with Loganville trainer Ashleigh Kinsley, who was able to provide them with 1-year-old Mr. Gibbs, who had been trained since a puppy.
“He’s still learning, as we just got him a couple of weeks ago,” Knobloch said. “He’s very much a puppy in some ways, playful and gangly. But when he wears the vest, he’s all business and does really well, even in public.”
When Mr. Gibbs is put in the red service animal vest, which has pockets on either side for small oxygen tanks, he follows Alida everywhere, providing a lifeline between her and the supply of air she needs to breathe properly.
Of course, even a playful dog can struggle to keep up with an active 2-year-old, but the Knoblochs say it’s going well so far. Mr. Gibbs is trained to follow her in any situation, climbing up playground equipment and going down slides with her, and he follows orders well, though the challenge is to ensure Mr. Gibbs takes Alida as his primary person.
“We have to train him to follow Alida’s directions,” Knobloch said. “He follows our instructions, but getting him to listen to a 2-year-old is harder. But he’s getting used to her.”
Every order the family gives, Alida has been taught to echo, and the dog is starting to accept her as his charge. The family plans to really put Mr. Gibbs to the test soon on a family vacation to Disney World.
And things are looking up for Alida. While she will always have NEHI, her lungs are developing normally, so eventually she will have more healthy lung tissue than diseased and could wean off the oxygen tanks occasionally. The move to Georgia in her infancy helped as well.
“When we lived in Utah, the altitude made it harder for her to breathe,” said Debbie Knobloch. “She was falling behind on milestones because she had to compensate to breathe all the time. But since we came here, she’s just caught right up and is actually ahead in some things.”
Debbie Knobloch said having Mr. Gibbs should help greatly.
“We’re trying to make life easier for her,” Knobloch said. “She’s just now starting to realize she’s different, but as the bond between her and Gibbs gets stronger, we think things will get better.”
The family is currently raising funds for research into NEHI and are already halfway to their goal of $1,000. To donate to the cause, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sweetalida/nehi.
Alida is simply happy to have Mr. Gibbs around, running happily around her canine helper and tugging him along on her adventures.
This is how I ended up on the Ellen show yesterday.
When I was 12, I was bullied so much that I didn't even want to go to school anymore. It got so bad that one day, four boys came up behind me, called me awful names, slammed my hand in my locker and broke my finger. The worst part is that I was too afraid to even tell my parents the truth about what happened -- the bullies terrified me.
So when I saw the new documentary Bully, which was produced to stop bullying, it felt so good to know that the filmmakers were telling the stories of kids like me. I think that every kid should see Bully, so I was shocked to learn that it was given an "R" rating because some of the bullies in the film use bad words.
The past ten days have been incredible. My petition has been covered by CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, the AP, Reuters, the LA Times and more, and yesterday, Ellen DeGeneres even said on her show that she signed my petition, too. Here's some of what Ellen said:
“It's an important movie for everyone to see, especially kids. … You can't show R rated movies in schools, and that's exactly where it needs to be shown. … So far, over 200,000 people have signed [Katy's] petition, I have signed it, and I hope you will, too." (Click here to watch Ellen talk about the petition and wave to me in the audience!)
But even after all that, the MPAA hasn't budged. I got to meet with one of their executives yesterday, and she told me that they have to keep things "consistent." Maybe she thought that I would give up, or that I'm just 17, so how much can I really change anyway? But I know that if we keep up the pressure, the MPAA will have no choice but to admit that being "consistent" isn't as important as letting kids see a movie that could literally save lives.
The deadline to enter the Spay Day Pet Photo Contest is only five days away. Enter by 5 p.m. EST on February 29, and then go get votes for your pet!
Thanks for entering the contest last year. Thanks to you, and pet lovers worldwide, more than 300 participating organizations received funding for local spay/neuter efforts.
Enter the contest now -- you can even upload a photo using our Facebook app! When you enter, you'll help end the euthanasia of millions of pets each year. You’ll also have a chance to win awesome prizes, awarded by our panel of judges, professional photographers Amanda Jones, Robin Layton, and Stacey P. Morgan.
We are committed to protecting your privacy, so your email address will NEVER be sold, rented, or exchanged. This message was sent to rexcota1@gmail.com. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from the Spay Day Pet Photo Contest, click here (or reply via email with "remove" in the subject line).
For the company that manufactures Tootsie Rolls, see Tootsie Roll Industries. For the 1994 hip-hop single by the 69 Boyz, see Tootsee Roll. A patriotic advertisement for Tootsie Rolls during World War I Tootsie Roll is a brand of chewy candy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1896. The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Industries, is based in Chicago, Illinois. It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped.
Tootsie Fact: 105 year old Minnie Larson of Muskegon, MI says the secret to long life is "peace and quiet, a single life, and an endless supply of Tootsie Rolls."
David Phillip Vetter (September 21, 1971 – February 22, 1984) was a boy from Shenandoah, Texas, United States who had a rare genetic disease, severe combined immune deficiency syndrome (SCID), and lived almost his entire life in a specially-constructed bubble-shaped sterile environment at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. He died in 1984, at the age of 12, after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant from his sister. He became popular with the media as the boy in the plastic bubble.
Idaho officials want to recklessly gun down wolves from aircraft -- and they want you to pay for it.
State officials want the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services to track down and kill up to two thirds of wolves in northeast Idaho. It's an unscientific plan aimed at artificially boosting big game populations.
Already, nearly 62,000 Defenders' supporters have urged President Obama not to use federal resources to carry out Idaho's misguided wolf cull.
A lone wolf from eastern Oregon (known as OR-7) has traveled hundreds of miles to become the first of his kind seen in California since 1924. His motivation? Finding love.
But OR-7's journey is bringing strong emotions from those who welcome wolves as well as those who are wary.
Defenders is working closely with federal, local and state officials as well as with people living in wolf habitat to ensure the lasting future of these amazing animals in the West.
Safer Shore in Cape Hatteras Sea turtles, shorebirds and sunbathers don’t mix well with off-road vehicles. And thanks to Defenders and our conservation partners’ successful lawsuit, the National Park Service’s stricter rules of the road for driving on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore means they won’t have to anymore. >> Learn More
New Refuge for Florida Wildlife Last month, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the creation of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. Thanks in part to more than 46,000 Defenders supporters who spoke out in favor of the refuge, Florida panthers, whooping cranes, alligators and other amazing animals will have a safer place to call home. >>Learn More
Defending Wildlife
Not Your Ordinary Trip to the Zoo
www.joelsartore.com)" width="240" />When Defenders board member Joel Sartore goes to the zoo, he doesn't come back with your run-of-the-mill photos.
Instead, the renowned National Geographic photographer captures stunning images of some of the rarest -- and most interesting-looking -- wildlife you'll ever see.
Last month, Joel traveled to several zoos across the nation to capture the latest material for his Biodiversity Project and shared some behind-the-scenes stories on his blog.
*For information about the rates, fees, other costs and benefits associated with the use of this card, click on the link above. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A.
Enter your pet in the photo contest -- then help save animals' lives by sharing your pet's photo and story with your friends and family and asking them to vote for your pet (each vote is just a $1 donation). Every vote your pet receives will help spay and neuter animals around the world and in your own neighborhood -- AND increase your chances of winning some great prizes!
Thanks for entering last year and supporting The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, and nearly 300 participating local organizations in our mission to end pet homelessness.
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You know when you were a kid and your dad told you that owning a dog would teach you responsibility? Walk him, feed him, clean up after him, keep him on a leash. One California dog walker found out last Sunday that the penalty for non-compliance is a good stun gunning.
A park ranger allegedly stun gunned a man who was illegally and insidiously walking his dogs without a leash. (The park had apparently been a leash-free zone until last December.) According to witnesses, the ranger detained Gary Hesterberg and his "two small dogs" without telling him why, even after he asked her repeatedly what was going on. So he did what any lawbreaking but even-tempered citizen might do: he gave the ranger a fake name and tried to just walk away. Wrong move, perp.
The rest went about as you'd expect: Ambulances were called, hands were wrung, witnesses were as confused as the rest of us, and Hesterberg didn't comment to local newspapers. But a spokesman for the local park service did leave us with this gem of an explanation: "The ranger was trying to educate residents of the rule." [SF Gate]
This is Doc, "The Master of Scape Artists" and is always outside waiting for me when I arrive every day to go for a hike, walk or rollerblading .. He is definitely an "outdoorsy dog".
mmm let me dirge math .. the one in the left is 12.75oz for $4.64 and the right is 27oz for 3.49? I pick the one on the right with almost double the amount for the very same brad and kind. In fact I'll take two please. Thnx.
When you go to the park (or race track) to exercise/walk your dog and "feel" that every time you go you encounter every unfriendly dog that is walking in the same park is PROBABLY because you are walking in the WRONG DIRECTION. TIP: If you go the same direction as everybody is going you won't see yourself fighting with other dogs, cyclists, rollerbladers and other distractions with your dog(s). Have a good walk.. RexTheDogWalker Phoenix, AZ
This morning when my client dogs went for our daily hike, we encountered this rare natural rock formation seen by just a few in the world near the South Mountain Trails in Arizona. I'm sure it's been here for millions and millions and millions of trillion of centuries. With this picture I might as well ensure a high level position to work for The National Geographic Magazine or something. I ain't taking less u_U
On this day in 1851, Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville about the voyage of the whaling ship Pequod, is published by Harper & Brothers in New York. Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American literature and contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: "Call me Ishmael." Initially, though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest for a giant white whale was a flop.
Herman Melville was born in New York City in 1819 and as a young man spent time in the merchant marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling ship in the South Seas. In 1846, he published his first novel, Typee, a romantic adventure based on his experiences in Polynesia. The book was a success and a sequel, Omoo, was published in 1847. Three more novels followed, with mixed critical and commercial results. Melville's sixth book, Moby-Dick, was first published in October 1851 in London, in three volumes titled The Whale, and then in the U.S. a month later. Melville had promised his publisher an adventure story similar to his popular earlier works, but instead, Moby-Dick was a tragic epic, influenced in part by Melville's friend and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, neighbor, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose novels include The Scarlet Letter.
After Moby-Dick's disappointing reception, Melville continued to produce novels, short stories (Bartleby) and poetry, but writing wasn't paying the bills so in 1865 he returned to New York to work as a customs inspector, a job he held for 20 years.
Melville died in 1891, largely forgotten by the literary world. By the 1920s, scholars had rediscovered his work, particularly Moby-Dick, which would eventually become a staple of high school reading lists across the United States. Billy Budd, Melville's final novel, was published in 1924, 33 years after his death.
I just signed the petition "Petland USA: Stop Selling Pets - Fire Puppy Mills - Petland Canada Has!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. Our goal is to reach 50,000 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/petland-usa-stop-selling-pets-fire-puppy-mill... Thanks! RexTheDogWalker
I just signed the petition "Texas Stop Killing Wild Burros!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. Our goal is to reach 35,000 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/texas-stop-killing-wild-burros Thanks! Rex
http://bit.ly/5Vqdua Harper, a pit bull, was born with swimmer puppy syndrome, a rare disorder that causes dogs to lie on their chests with their legs splayed out, unable to walk. She was tossed into a plastic trash bag and left there while her owner tried to sell other puppies on a Sanford, Fla., street corner for $50 each.
A concerned passerby noticed movement and sound coming from the bag and took it from the man on the sidewalk. Once she saw the 9-week-old puppy’s condition, however, she realized she needed help and took the dog to a nearby shelter. The shelter then called Erica Daniel of Dolly’s Foundation, which rescues and rehabilitates pit bulls, especially difficult cases.
Date: Wednesday Sep. 21, 2011 9:26 PM ET
Puppies and kittens sold in Toronto pet stores must come from shelters, humane societies or rescue groups, city council decided on Wednesday.
Council voted unanimously to institute the changes that aim to keep stores from selling animals from puppy or kitten mills.
The motion, put forward by Coun. Glenn De Baeremaker, originally went to council at the end of May but was postponed.
De Baeremaker told CTV Toronto on May 31 that the approval of this motion would mean pet owners would know exactly where their pet is coming from, "and that it's been treated humanely and with love."
De Baermaeker said on Wednesday that he was pleased with the vote.
"It really slams the door closed on people who mass produce animals for profit," De Baeremaeker told The Globe and Mail.
The motion is designed to combat the illegal sale of dogs and cats from some breeders who raise the animals in unsanitary and overcrowded enclosures.
Council also directed city officials to work with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals and encourages residents to report any knowledge of operating puppy or kitten mills in the city.
In August, a national pet store chain, PJ's Pets, announced that the store will no longer sell puppies and instead focus on supporting pet adoption services.
REPORTING FROM BEIJING -- A 6-century-old tradition of dog eating collided this week with modern concepts about animal rights, and this time, modernity won.
Local authorities canceled a three-day festival that had been planned for Oct. 18 in Jinhua City, Zhejiang province, after tens of thousands of people who organized over the Internet complained.
The festival was part of a local tradition dating back to 1389, when legend has it that a Ming dynasty military hero who was trying to capture Jinhua decided to kill all the dogs so they wouldn't bark at night and disrupt his invasion.
"True, it was part of our cultural history, but not all culture should be inherited," said Chen Manhong, director of the Small Animal Protection Society Rescue in nearby Hangzhou. "Women used to have their feet bound but we don't do that anymore."
Activists said 5,000 to 10,000 dogs would be butchered for the festival without regard to their suffering. Photographs and graphic accounts of the slaughter have circulated for the last few weeks over the Internet, with tens of thousands of people expressing outrage.
"Dogs would be stabbed, strangled and even beaten into comas and thrown into boiling water. Some dogs woke up in the extremely hot water and they struggled, but the vendors kept pushing them, plucking their fur," wrote one activist, Wang Lingyi, in a micro-blog posting.
Bowing to public pressure, the municipal government decided Monday night to cancel the festival. An official who gave his name as Zhang was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency saying,"Some villagers argued that they had emotional attachments to the festival, as it had been passed from generation to generation, while some said it should be listed as the city's cultural heritage."
Wang, the activist, said the decision showed not only changing attitudes in China toward animals but the power of the Internet. "I think the government canceled the festival mainly because they are under so much pressure of the netizens," he said.
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