Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt like you were being followed? It can be pretty unsettling, especially if you're by yourself. You look back and there's nobody there, and then that unsettling feeling gets even stronger for some reason. Well, it might not be so bad if you turned around and found out you were being followed by this adorable miniature horse. That's the situation Sterling Bartow found himself in when he was walking through a barn. He turned around and realized that his stalker was this cute little baby horse. Just wait until you see how small it is in comparison to the dog.
Leonardo Da Vinci changed his mind twice while painting one of his best-known works, Scientists claim that after he left out the animal which has made it famous. The Italian master's 1490 work The Lady with an Ermine features Milanese mistress Cecilia Gallerani cradling a stoat in its white winter coat, a powerful symbol of purity. But a three-year study has shown the artist initially painted the woman without an animal at all, then added only a spindly gray creature, before settling on the final version. The discovery was made by French optical engineer, Pascal Cotte, who has previously analysed the original colours of the now-faded Mona Lisa, Da Vinci's best-known portrait. He invented a technology called the Layer Amplification Method (LAM) to analyse each addition to the oil painting, from the wood on which the canvas was mounted to the visible pigments on top. He and his team projected intense lights onto the painting, which normally hangs in Krakow, Poland, and analyzed the way in which they were reflected. By taking these microscopic measurements they were able to decode how the painting had been built up over time. Mr. Cotte told the BBC: “The LAM technique gives us the capability to peel the painting like an onion, removing the surface to see what's happening inside and behind the different layers of paint. We've discovered that Leonardo is always changing his mind. This is someone who hesitates - he erases things, he adds things, he changes his mind again and again.” His findings have now been published in a 300-page book about the painting and how its secrets were uncovered. The Lady with an Ermine was one of only four paintings of women by Da Vinci, but historians had found it odd that a 1493 poem about it did not mention the animal for which it is famous. Mr. Cotte believes the work began as a far more conventional portrait of Miss Gallerani, who was a mistress of his patron, the Duke of Milan. He said his findings suggest the Duke - who was nicknamed the 'white ermine' - may have suggested the animal's inclusion in order to reference himself in the painting. Or his mistress, who was thought to be just 16 when Da Vinci painted her, could have requested the animal in order to make her relationship with the Duke public. The ermine, which is another name for a stoat in its brilliant winter coat, was also a long-standing symbol of purity. Da Vinci wrote a catalogue of animals in which he said, “The ermine out of moderation never eats but once a day. It would rather let itself be captured by hunters than take refuge in a dirty lair, in order not to stain its purity.” Its soft, unblemished coat was also prized for use in ceremonial robes, making the animal a sought-after statement of luxury and courtly wealth. The painting was the star turn in a Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery in London in 2011, which attracted hundreds of thousands of art lovers. It was one of the first to use oil paint, a technique which had been introduced to Italy just a few years earlier. Mr. Cotte co-founded the Multispectral Institute (LTMI), an expert body on scientifically analyzing paintings, and has used his technology to digitize The Lady with an Ermine and the Mona Lisa. He has already digitized more than 2,000 masterpieces, allowing them to be studied in great depth without being removed from gallery walls.
Changing his mind: A study has shown Leonardo Da Vinci painted now-obscured versions of his masterpiece The Lady with an Ermine - first leaving out the animal (left) before including only a thin gray creature (right).
Finished work: The final painting, pictured, includes the white ermine as a powerful symbol of the lady's purity.
Painstakng: French optical engineer Pascal Cotte, who has also studied the Mona Lisa (left), said Da Vinci (right) was “always changing his mind. This is someone who hesitates, erases things, then adds things”.
Admired: The work was the star turn in a major Leonardo exhibition at London's National Gallery in 2011
While many people look at shelter websites only when they’re looking to get a companion animal for themselves, there are others who will look at these sites frequently to lend a hand as a foster parent. These foster homes become a place for pups to escape euthanasia on their quest to find forever homes. A woman by the name of Stephanie is one of these people. After successfully finding a family for her first foster dog, Kane, Stephanie decided to try the endeavor again. As she was scrolling through the Secondhand Hounds shelter website, one particular dog caught her eye: a Pit Bull with incredibly expressive and bold, black eyebrows. This goofy-looking pup was so uniquely adorable, Stephanie and her friend Kristy decided to co-foster him. They went and picked him up, ushering him into a new chapter of life. Considering all of the wrongful stereotypes against Pit Bulls and the fact that they sadly have a 93 percent euthanasia rate at shelters, this kind act was the difference between life and death for this pup. This is Simon, likely one of the most unique Pitties you have ever seen. Simon is a very lucky pup who was a part of a litter of 13 that escaped euthanasia in the nick of time when he was picked up by Secondhand Hounds, along with the rest of his family. Stephanie and Kristy aren’t Simon’s first parents. This adorable pup was returned by his former adopted family because of housing complications. Since his parents spoke a different language, Simon arrived at Stephanie’s home unable to understand basic commands or his name in English. However, slowly but surely, Simon was able to pick up some of these commands and started getting along swimmingly with Stephanie’s other dogs. Unfortunately, when Simon arrived at Stephanie’s house, he began coughing. After the sickness was diagnosed as kennel cough, Stephanie knew that getting him adopted would take a little longer than she anticipated. He would have to stay in quarantine for a few weeks. Since all Simon had learned about life was from within a kennel, he didn’t have many house manners. He’d jump onto tables, steal food from counters, and barked at anything he saw outside. A few applications were submitted to adopt Simon, but none of them were a right fit. Eventually, Stephanie decided to adopt Simon herself! Now, Simon is getting better at behaving and even participates in dock diving, a sport where dogs get to jump, swim, and play in water and then are scored based on their jumps. Simon loves this activity immensely and spectators always recognize the “dog with the eyebrows.” Stephanie knew that handling and training Simon would be a big project but after fostering him for several weeks, her love for him outweighed all of the work that lay ahead of her. It can be extremely easy to see a difficult-to-manage dog and deem them as “too big of a burden” to welcome into your home. However, dogs are just like children. Just like it would be wrong to go into an adoption agency and try to pick and choose the perfect human child, it is wrong to go through a kennel and completely ignore all of the dogs with behavioral imperfections. Simon may have started off as a somewhat unruly dog who did not know how to follow commands and did not know any manners. However, as Stephanie proves, with a little patience and a whole lot of love, any dog can be turned into a wonderful companion animal. Not to mention, Simon has become an unofficial ambassador for Pit Bulls and illustrates that this breed of dog is just as loving and playful as any other dog. Simon’s adorable face allows people to see past all of the negative stereotypes this breed has and see Simon for who he really is, just another dog who wants love and has tons of it to give in return.
A massive 14-pound lobster was caught during a fishing trip in Bermuda following a powerful category 4 hurricane that barreled through the region recently. The lobster was caught “by accident” with a hook a line while the Sanctuary Marine Bermuda charter boat was out fishing for snapper. After taking photos of the mammoth crustacean, the lobster was released safely back into the ocean. While appearing massive in size, the lobster is far from the bigger one ever caught; the Guinness Book of World Records lists a lobster weighing more than 44 pounds that was caught off of Nova Scotia, Canada, as the largest ever recorded, according to multiple reports. Lobsters typically grow to be about 3 feet or longer in length, according to the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute. And while there is no way to determine the exact age of a lobster, experts say they can live to be up to 100 years. Hurricane Nicole passed over Bermuda on Thursday and moved out to sea. The storm hit Bermuda with plenty of wind and rain but never officially made landfall. “Bermuda did get into the eye,” he explained, “but when it involves an island, the center of the eye must go over the island.” Nicole attained Category 4 status Wednesday night on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the center said, but lost wind strength Thursday. A storm surge was expected to raise water levels by 6 to 8 feet above normal tides, and 5 to 8 inches of rain are expected to fall over the island through Thursday evening, the hurricane center said. Nick Warren of Boston and his wife, Nicole, told CNN they were spending the week at Tucker’s Point 5 resort when the storm hit. He said the weather changed from fierce storm to calm in a matter of about 15 minutes, apparently when the eye of the storm passed over, then picked up again. To see the live interview with fisherman that caught 14lbs lobster, click HERE.
There is nothing more tempting than the big-eyed face of a puppy. Seeing one through a pet shop window must be the human equivalent of kryptonite because all it takes is one shot of their tiny paw pads pressed against the glass to make our knees go out. But what if we told you that life for these perfect little puppies wasn’t always so cute and that by purchasing one of those irresistible little ones, you would be condemning hundreds of other dogs to a life of abuse and suffering. Well, tragically, thanks to the puppy mill industry, this is exactly what happens. Puppy mills are large-scale dog breeding facilities where puppies are churned out like a machine. In the video below, you can see the horrific reality of what a puppy mill looks like. Breeding dogs never get to leave the mill but spend their entire lives in tiny wire cages, deprived of basic medical care, food, and water. Many dogs are covered with their own filth and suffer from severe dental and other medical issues. These pups know nothing but exploitation and abuse at the hands of humans and have to endure the pain of giving birth and having their puppies taken away far too soon. The most disheartening part of this industry is the fact that the sale of those puppies only enables mills to continue breeding and abusing their parents. With millions of healthy dogs waiting to be adopted in U.S. shelters, the idea that there is an entire industry dedicated to mass-breeding new puppies is not only disgusting but downright irresponsible. The good news in all of this is that there are many organizations working to rescue dogs from mills and raise awareness for the plight of these animals. Here we see the Humane Society of the United States save over 140 dogs from a terrible mill in North Carolina. Don’t support the puppy mill industry, always adopt and don’t shop! Share this video and encourage others to learn the truth behind the puppies in the window.
Alexandria, Va. — The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria took in six animals on Saturday from North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew swept through. Earlier in the week, the group took in three other dogs from South Carolina. “It really does give you chills, the gravity of the situation really hits when you see such a large truck come in, the doors open, and so many beautiful faces,” said Abbie Hubbard, Deputy Director of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. 86 animals in total filled a truck from North Carolina, the AWLA opened their doors to a half dozen of them. “It’s hard to watch it from afar and not know quite what we can do,” Hubbard said. “So, then to be able to help in this situation, it means a lot.” To read more on this story, click here: Animal Welfare League of Alexandria Gives Dogs Second Chance After Hurricane Matthew: This Week Adoption Fees Have Been WAIVED ALSO: Your adoption of a dog today will be saving THREE lives in our #stormsurge event. The dog which you take today will finally have a home, which will make space for the transfers we receive from Carolina shelters, who then can turn around and save more displaced dogs in need of being rescued after #HurricaneMatthew. This week adoption fees have been WAIVED (excluding holding fees). Come by today to meet some of our fantastic friends!
Washington, DC - Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League to Operate Under New Name for The First Time in More Than 145 Years: Named to be Revealed, Monday, October 24th at 11:00 AM For the first time in a major urban area, Washington, DC’s two iconic, combined animal welfare organizations operate every aspect of animal protection programs and services in one unified organization
WHAT: Historic announcement of new name for the combined Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 24th TIME: 11:00 a.m. WHO: Lisa LaFontaine, President and CEO, Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League,WHS-WARL staff and adoptable animals
WHERE: Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 NOTES:
Washington Humane Society and the Washington Animal Rescue League, the two iconic animal welfare organizations in our Nation’s Capital will have a new name for the first time in more than 145 years.
The two organizations merged in February to form the driving force in animal welfare, caring for more than 60,000 animals each year.
With the merger of the Washington Humane Society and Washington Animal Rescue League, Washington, DC became the only major urban area in the country with all of its animal protection programs and services unified under one organization.
Over the past six months, the organization has worked through the process of determining a new name and brand, both of which will be presented at the event on Monday, Oct. 24th.
Friesians are beautiful and strong horses known for their agility. Frédéric Pignon, a French horse trainer proves this sentiment to be true in a remarkable performance with not one, but three Frisian stallions. Pignon takes command of the horses as they follow his lead with impeccable grace. When the performance first starts, we see a captivating stallion galloping alongside the trainer. The horse follows each command including picking up a riding crop and posing. When the second horse comes out, there is not a moment of hesitation as they gallop in unison and take individual commands. But, wait! There's even a third horse! What's even more amazing is that the horses work together to continue a remarkable performance. The animals continue to alternate working together and also performing solo acts. Breathtaking! Pignon is considered among the best trainers in the world. His attentiveness and depth of understanding horses it a top reason that he is so successful with training them to do performances such as this. He understands that there is much more to the horse than regular methods. In an interview with Horse Collaborative, Pignon said, "What I observe most of the time is that people use methods like horses are bicycles. They’re horses. A horse is a big adventure when you start to be with one." He commits himself to learning about the horse and training each individual horse in the way that is most effective. This type of performance is not uncommon among Friesian horses. According to Pet Breeds, the breed is versatile and can be used for anything from riding to dressage. They are intelligent animals that can complete various tasks and take direction very well.
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