Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Easter Eggs Dog Sweater
Your Poochy will be the Best in Show this Easter wearing this confection. Hand-knitted yellow sweater with green fluffy fringe. Pastel Easter Eggs are separately hand-crocheted, then beaded with small pearl beads. An amazing work of art, sure to please!
The killer frogs of Lily Pond
It's like something out of an animal horror movie -- killer frogs take over peaceful pond, then after terrorizing and eating everything alive, start eating each other.
Only it's no movie. It's really happening in Golden Gate Park's Lily Pond, near the California Academy of Sciences. And after watching the frogs chew through everything in sight over the past several years, the city finally wants to do something about it.
No one knows for sure when the African clawed frogs got into the pond or who put them there. But there they are, and the Toad Warriors have pretty much taken care of the native turtles, frogs and fish.
"They've eaten everything they can get their mouths around, and now they're eating each other," said Eric Mills of the animal rights group Action for Animals.
Mills worries that the fiendish amphibians -- which grow to 5 inches in length and have claws on the toes of their oversize hind feet -- may jump the pond and spread their reign of terror across other Bay Area waterways, although so far, none has popped up elsewhere.
"The fear is they will get out,'' said Richard Schulke, president of the city's Animal Control and Welfare Commission.
Only it's no movie. It's really happening in Golden Gate Park's Lily Pond, near the California Academy of Sciences. And after watching the frogs chew through everything in sight over the past several years, the city finally wants to do something about it.
No one knows for sure when the African clawed frogs got into the pond or who put them there. But there they are, and the Toad Warriors have pretty much taken care of the native turtles, frogs and fish.
"They've eaten everything they can get their mouths around, and now they're eating each other," said Eric Mills of the animal rights group Action for Animals.
Mills worries that the fiendish amphibians -- which grow to 5 inches in length and have claws on the toes of their oversize hind feet -- may jump the pond and spread their reign of terror across other Bay Area waterways, although so far, none has popped up elsewhere.
"The fear is they will get out,'' said Richard Schulke, president of the city's Animal Control and Welfare Commission.
Xylitol sweetener is toxic for dogs
A sugar substitute found in a variety of sugar-free and dietetic cookies, mints and chewing gum is proving highly toxic, even fatal, to snack-snatching dogs.
Xylitol, popular in Europe for decades but a relative newcomer to the U.S. alternative-sweeteners market, can be "very, very serious" to dogs when ingested, says Dana Farbman, spokeswoman for the Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"It doesn't take a whole lot (of xylitol), and the effects are so rapid that the window of opportunity to treat the dog is extremely small," Farbman says.
The ASPCA sent an advisory to veterinarians last August warning them about the potential for serious harm or death. Veterinarians have used a variety of means to get the word out, including posting signs in their offices and making copies of the bulletin for clients to augment the caution the ASPCA has posted on its website.
Xylitol, popular in Europe for decades but a relative newcomer to the U.S. alternative-sweeteners market, can be "very, very serious" to dogs when ingested, says Dana Farbman, spokeswoman for the Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"It doesn't take a whole lot (of xylitol), and the effects are so rapid that the window of opportunity to treat the dog is extremely small," Farbman says.
The ASPCA sent an advisory to veterinarians last August warning them about the potential for serious harm or death. Veterinarians have used a variety of means to get the word out, including posting signs in their offices and making copies of the bulletin for clients to augment the caution the ASPCA has posted on its website.
Iditarod musher disqualified for whipping his dogs
Witnesses in Golovin provided information to race officials detailing abusive actions by Brooks to his dog team. Brooks acknowledged "spanking" the dogs in his team with trail marking lathe. The judges voted unanimously to disqualify Brooks from the 2007 Iditarod.
Symptoms To Look Out For In Pets Following Food Recall
There is still plenty of concern for pet owners following the dog and cat food recall by Menu Foods.
The company says a number of cats and dogs have suffered kidney failure after eating its products. And about ten of them have died. So, how do you know if your pet is sick? Pitt County veterinarian Dennis Johnson says dogs or cats that have eaten the tainted food will show symptoms like tiredness, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea.
For more information on product codes, descriptions and production dates,GO here. --> http://www.menufoods.com/recall
The company says a number of cats and dogs have suffered kidney failure after eating its products. And about ten of them have died. So, how do you know if your pet is sick? Pitt County veterinarian Dennis Johnson says dogs or cats that have eaten the tainted food will show symptoms like tiredness, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea.
For more information on product codes, descriptions and production dates,GO here. --> http://www.menufoods.com/recall
Ancient lizard glided on stretched skin
Dubbed Xianglong zhaoi, the gliding lizard lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 150 million years ago. The specimen, detailed Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is about 6 inches (15.5 centimeters) long, and its immature features suggest it died at a young age.
The fossil, described by Xing Xu of Shenyang Normal University in China and his colleagues, was discovered in northeastern China's Liaoning Province, a site that has yielded a treasure trove of feathered dinosaurs and early bird remains in recent years.
What's in a Can of Dog Food?
A pet-food manufacturer recalled 60 million units over the weekend after at least nine cats and a dog died of kidney failure. No one has identified the source of the contamination, but the company said the recalled products included a suspect batch of wheat gluten.
What else goes into pet food?
Thanks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—which oversees the pet-food industry with the advice of the Association of American Feed Control Officials—the list of ingredients on a tin of dog chow gives you a general sense of what's inside. But pet-food companies manipulate the order of the list such that meat (and meat byproducts) appear first, even when other ingredients are used in larger quantities.
What else goes into pet food?
Thanks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—which oversees the pet-food industry with the advice of the Association of American Feed Control Officials—the list of ingredients on a tin of dog chow gives you a general sense of what's inside. But pet-food companies manipulate the order of the list such that meat (and meat byproducts) appear first, even when other ingredients are used in larger quantities.
Nuthatches Seem to Understand Chickadee
It's not unusual for one animal to react to the alarm call of another, but nuthatches seem to go beyond that _ interpreting the type of alarm and what sort of predator poses a threat. When a chickadee sees a predator, it issues warning call _ a soft "seet" for a flying hawk, owl or falcon, or a loud "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" for a perched predator.
The "chick-a-dee" call can have 10 to 15 "dees" at the end and varies in sound to encode information on the type of predator. It also calls in other small birds to mob the predator, Christopher Templeton of the University of Washington said in a telephone interview.
"In this case the nuthatch is able to discriminate the information in this call," said Templeton, a doctoral candidate.
The findings by Templeton and Erick Green, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Montana, are reported in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
American croc no longer listed as endangered
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declassified the American crocodile as an endangered species, saying the animal has rebounded from the edge of extinction. The species has rebounded in the United States from just 300 in 1976 to an estimated 2,000 today.
The reptile remains protected under the federal Endangered Species Act even though it was downgraded to a "threatened" species, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill the reptiles.
"It's just one step closer to recovery, but it still has many, many threats," Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom MacKenzie said in announcing the move Tuesday. "It's still protected with the full force of federal law."
The reptile remains protected under the federal Endangered Species Act even though it was downgraded to a "threatened" species, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill the reptiles.
"It's just one step closer to recovery, but it still has many, many threats," Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom MacKenzie said in announcing the move Tuesday. "It's still protected with the full force of federal law."
White lion kits
Two 45-day-old white lion cubs play inside a zoo in China'sHeilongjiang Province March 8, 2007.
The cubs will be released back into the wild.
Savannah Cats & Safari Cats
Savannah Cats
A cross resulting from the breeding of an African Serval and a domestic cat has recently resulted in the replication of the striking coat pattern and body structure of the Serval.Savannahs are smaller (up to 32 pounds) and more manageable than Servals, but are the largest hybrid feline available today. Savannahs are the newest breed of cat available.
Prices for pets are as follows:
- F1 (75% Serval) $6,000 - $7,000
- F1 (50% Serval) $6,000 - $7,000
- F2 (25% Serval) $2,500 - $4,000
- F3 (12.5% Serval) $1,500 - $3,000
- F4 & F5 $2,000 - $5,000
Safari Cats
The Safari cat is a hybrid of the South American Geoffroys cat. The Safari is an unusual animal that provides the look of the wild with the affection rarely found in the sweetest domestic.Some of the first Safaris were bred in the early 1970’s. A limited number were produced for pets and a few were produced for use in Leukemia research by Washington State University.
Average prices for Safaris are as follows:
- F1 (50%) $6,000 - $8,500
- Males are sold as pets only due to sterility
"Toygers" Breed Conservation Awareness, Animal-Rescue Concerns
Jenifer Santee always dreamed of owning a tiger.
But knowing that wild creatures should not be kept as house pets, she did the next best thing: She joined a small group of cat breeders working to create a fully domesticated look-a-like of the largest member of the feline family.
"It's a designer cat that was bred specifically to preserve the beauty of an exotic animal," said Santee, of the SanteePride Cattery in Manteno, Illinois.
Dubbed toygers, for toy tigers, these playful, black-striped felines have been registered as a breed with the International Cat Association (TICA) since 1993. (see photos of toygers vs. tigers --> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/photogalleries/cats-toygers/index.html)
Santee is among 25 breeders worldwide working on perfecting the pedigreed cat. So far, 360 toygers—each valued at upward of $3,000 (U.S.)—have been registered with TICA.
And starting this May toygers will join more familiar breeds—including Abyssinians, Persians, and Russian blues—that can be judged as championship cats at TICA-sponsored cat shows.
Public demand for the tiny tiger replica is "overwhelming," Santee said, and has likely been fueled by recent national media attention on the breed's progress.
But knowing that wild creatures should not be kept as house pets, she did the next best thing: She joined a small group of cat breeders working to create a fully domesticated look-a-like of the largest member of the feline family.
"It's a designer cat that was bred specifically to preserve the beauty of an exotic animal," said Santee, of the SanteePride Cattery in Manteno, Illinois.
Dubbed toygers, for toy tigers, these playful, black-striped felines have been registered as a breed with the International Cat Association (TICA) since 1993. (see photos of toygers vs. tigers --> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/photogalleries/cats-toygers/index.html)
Santee is among 25 breeders worldwide working on perfecting the pedigreed cat. So far, 360 toygers—each valued at upward of $3,000 (U.S.)—have been registered with TICA.
And starting this May toygers will join more familiar breeds—including Abyssinians, Persians, and Russian blues—that can be judged as championship cats at TICA-sponsored cat shows.
Public demand for the tiny tiger replica is "overwhelming," Santee said, and has likely been fueled by recent national media attention on the breed's progress.
Hippity Hoppity (bunny parade)
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way
Got your bunny ears on?
Let's start the bunny hop ...
found here --> http://www.theeagle.com/community/032105pawrade.php
from flickr, by basykes --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes
found here --> http://fogcity.blogs.com/photos/haute_dogs/index.html
from flickr, by Doxieone --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/doxieone
found here --> http://inwiththenew.typepad.com/weblog/dog/index.html
from flickr, by msmaria --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/msmaria
found here --> http://www.liberalconspiracy.com/BArchives/2004_04_04_barchive.html
found here --> http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/funny-pet-stuff-pet-wallpapers-2.htm
found here --> http://threetimeloser.typepad.com/three_time_loser
from flickr, by Cynr --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/cynr
found here --> http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/0408ar-parade0408Z14.html
from flickr, by Happy.Phantom --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwehler
found here --> http://dess4brats.blogspot.com
found here --> http://www.xanga.com/weezpops
found here --> http://www.lazydoginn.com/Photo_Contest_2005.htm
found here --> http://beardie.net/hobo/media/media2.htm
from flickr, by kentkb --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentkb
from flickr, by Tigole Bitties --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/21206761@N00
found here --> http://www.straydog.org/Month200404/20040413DogLog.html
found here --> http://www.aphids.com/stan/index.php
fround here --> http://www.drinkatwork.com
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Visitor waddles in and makes itself at home
A fairy penguin popped into the Clark family's Tasmanian home for a visit on Wednesday and spent the day in the bathtub.
Sometime before Wednesday morning, the little penguin had waddled about 100 metres up the beach, crossing a railway track and a road in the process and wandered into the Clark's front yard in West Ulverstone about three hours northwest of Hobart in Tasmania.
Garry Clark said when the front door was opened to let the dog out to the toilet, the penguin entered.
"The dog went out and a penguin came in," Mr Clark said.
"I was in getting ready for work and my son came in and said `Dad, there's a penguin in the lounge room'.
"I thought, `that can't be right'."
But a penguin in the lounge room there was, and a friendly one at that.
Mr Clark said the animal appeared quite comfortable and made no problem when it was picked up.
The penguin was popped in the bathtub with a little water for the day.
"We sat him in there and he splashed about in the water every now and again."
A bit of thawed salmon from the freezer did not tempt the penguin.
On advice from the Parks and Wildlife Service, the penguin remained in the tub until Wednesday evening.
Sometime before Wednesday morning, the little penguin had waddled about 100 metres up the beach, crossing a railway track and a road in the process and wandered into the Clark's front yard in West Ulverstone about three hours northwest of Hobart in Tasmania.
Garry Clark said when the front door was opened to let the dog out to the toilet, the penguin entered.
"The dog went out and a penguin came in," Mr Clark said.
"I was in getting ready for work and my son came in and said `Dad, there's a penguin in the lounge room'.
"I thought, `that can't be right'."
But a penguin in the lounge room there was, and a friendly one at that.
Mr Clark said the animal appeared quite comfortable and made no problem when it was picked up.
The penguin was popped in the bathtub with a little water for the day.
"We sat him in there and he splashed about in the water every now and again."
A bit of thawed salmon from the freezer did not tempt the penguin.
On advice from the Parks and Wildlife Service, the penguin remained in the tub until Wednesday evening.
Mouse Taunts Man, Steals Dentures
Bill Exner, 68, has his dentures back, but his wife said the mouse that stole them is now taunting him.
The resident of Waterville, Maine, said he's caught the mouse three times, but each time it escaped.
Exner told the Morning Sentinel he trapped the field mouse and placed in a gallon-sized pickle jar three times. He said each time the mouse escaped.
"The first time, I left the top off the pickle jar -- I figured there's no way this guy can get out," Exner told the paper. "But he escaped, so the next time I caught him, I put the cover on loosely so he could breathe, and he got out again."
After the third time, Exner discovered his lower dentures were missing.
In the subsequent search, he and his wife found a small opening in a wall. With the help of their daughter's fiance, they tore a larger hole and retrieved the dentures.
"The dentures were inside the wall, lying right there. They were not damaged. The mouse didn't bite them or anything. It's like he was saying, 'I'm going to get even with you for putting me in that jar,'" Exner said.
The resident of Waterville, Maine, said he's caught the mouse three times, but each time it escaped.
Exner told the Morning Sentinel he trapped the field mouse and placed in a gallon-sized pickle jar three times. He said each time the mouse escaped.
"The first time, I left the top off the pickle jar -- I figured there's no way this guy can get out," Exner told the paper. "But he escaped, so the next time I caught him, I put the cover on loosely so he could breathe, and he got out again."
After the third time, Exner discovered his lower dentures were missing.
In the subsequent search, he and his wife found a small opening in a wall. With the help of their daughter's fiance, they tore a larger hole and retrieved the dentures.
"The dentures were inside the wall, lying right there. They were not damaged. The mouse didn't bite them or anything. It's like he was saying, 'I'm going to get even with you for putting me in that jar,'" Exner said.
Barking Not Part Of Free Speech, Court Rules
Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, but what about the freedom to bark?
The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected a claim that an anti-barking ordinance is unconstitutional.
Fred Kilkenny got a ticket for his barking dogs in Belfield, N.D., even though he was in Mississippi at the time helping Hurricane Katrina victims. His lawyer argued that Belfield's anti-barking law is too vague to be fairly enforced.
But the judges on the state's high court saw no reason to muzzle local officials. The ruling noted that similar dog-barking ordinances have constitutional teeth.
Kilkenny may take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected a claim that an anti-barking ordinance is unconstitutional.
Fred Kilkenny got a ticket for his barking dogs in Belfield, N.D., even though he was in Mississippi at the time helping Hurricane Katrina victims. His lawyer argued that Belfield's anti-barking law is too vague to be fairly enforced.
But the judges on the state's high court saw no reason to muzzle local officials. The ruling noted that similar dog-barking ordinances have constitutional teeth.
Kilkenny may take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Pavlov's Dog
Pavlov's Dog
In this game, you will find out if you can train a dog to drool on command! Ivan Pavlov's description on how animals (and humans) can be trained to respond in a certain way to a particular stimulus, has drawn a tremendous amount of interest ever since he first presented his findings. His work paved the way for a new and objective method of studying animal and human behavior.
What Happens When You Tickle a Lab Rat?
Aristotle declared that humans are the only animal to laugh, but then, he never saw this video of Jaak Panksepp tickling rats.
When you play it, you’ll hear the tickled rats chirping — an ultrasonic noise that’s audible thanks to the special equipment that enabled Dr. Panksepp and his colleagues to discover this phenomenon. Young rats make the same chirp when they chase and play with one another, and they like to hang out with other rats who chirp at this frequency (50 kHz). It seems to be a happy sound: rats will run mazes and press levers in order to be tickled, and they’ll emit the same chirp when the dopamine reward circuits in the brain are stimulated.
Some researchers still aren’t sure these sounds qualify as animal laughter, but Dr. Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Washington State University, has been systematically gathering evidence of the parallels to human laughter.
When you play it, you’ll hear the tickled rats chirping — an ultrasonic noise that’s audible thanks to the special equipment that enabled Dr. Panksepp and his colleagues to discover this phenomenon. Young rats make the same chirp when they chase and play with one another, and they like to hang out with other rats who chirp at this frequency (50 kHz). It seems to be a happy sound: rats will run mazes and press levers in order to be tickled, and they’ll emit the same chirp when the dopamine reward circuits in the brain are stimulated.
Some researchers still aren’t sure these sounds qualify as animal laughter, but Dr. Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Washington State University, has been systematically gathering evidence of the parallels to human laughter.
"Monster" Toad Caught Down Under
With a body the size of a football and weighing nearly 2 pounds, the toad is among the largest specimens ever captured in Australia, according to Frogwatch coordinator Graeme Sawyer.
"It's huge, to put it mildly," he said. "The biggest toads are usually females but this one was a rampant male ... I would hate to meet his big sister."
Frogwatch, which is dedicated to wiping out a toxic toad species that has killed countless Australian animals, picked up the 15-inch-long cane toad during a raid on a pond outside the northern city of Darwin late Monday.
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