Yes, People Should Clean Up Their Dogs' Poop, But Does This Poster in England Go Too Far?

A few years ago a borouh's campaign poster  included a picture of a boy eating dog poop, and it went viral on the Internet. Is it too much in the war on poop?

Some people take dog poop really seriously. If you work here at Dogster, it's kind of hard not to notice. Recently, Michael Leaverton wrote about the neighborhood in Brooklyn (my old neighborhood, actually), that was fighting dog poop via webcams, and activists in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Boulder, Colorado, have advocated using DNA testing to catch owners who don't clean up. And in a moment of true hipster weirdness, two Brooklyn artists had a turf war over painting dog poop gold.

These examples aren't much, though, when compared with the anti-poop campaign unleashed by the borough council of Spelthorne in Southeast England. These people really hate dog poop, and they've grossed out about half the planet in the process.

A poster in the council's "No Messin'" campaign features a picture of an adorable ginger-haired toddler looking at the camera. The child is holding two lumps of what looks like dog poop in his hands, and it's smeared around his mouth and cheeks. The caption reads "Children will touch anything. Dog feces can be harmful to human health and can cause blindness. An infection called Toxocara canis can be caught if the waste is not removed immediately."

The campaign was launched last year but recently exploded across international borders when it was posted to Imgur.com. Since it went up Sunday, the poster has gotten 1 million hits on Imgur and been reposted to scores of other sites.

Some people have declared the poster to be "vile," but the Spelthorne Borough Council continues to stand behind its approach. In a statement, one council member said that the campaign was effective precisely because it was "hard-hitting." The statement further reads:

"The council takes the view that these kinds of messages and imagery are necessary to have the required effect. It is using a number of different images and messages to deal with this problem which, it hopes, will persuade people to act more responsibly."

Spelthorne isn't the first government body in England to use this tactic, either. Last year, officials in Bristol put up a billboard as part of its war on poop showing a little girl eating fake (we hope) poo. Our man Leaverton wrote a hysterical take on this one, Why Is This Little Girl Eating Dog Poop on This Billboard?

It's certainly the responsibility of every dog owner to clean up after his or her pet, but -- does this go too far? I have to admit that my inner 12-year-old is giggling up a storm, but grown-up me is kind of squirming. I'm all for confrontation and making people uncomfortable in the name of a good cause. A good part of my urge to write is driven by the old maxim to "Comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable."

But this is dog poop. Is the situation really this out of control?

What do you think? Is the ad a good way to draw people's attention to a serious problem, or a bunch of people blowing things out of proportion with shock tactics?

                          Clean up after your pets by Shutterstock.

The poster that's gained so much international infamy for Spelthorne.

Another poster from the same "hard-hitting" campaign. This one kind of looks like the dog poops money. Isn't that a good thing?

                              Piece of poop on the beach by Shutterstock.


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The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger

Andrew Orchard lives near the northeastern coast of Tasmania, in the same ramshackle farmhouse that his great-grandparents, the first generation of his English family to be born on the Australian island, built in 1906. When I visited Orchard there, in March, he led me past stacks of cardboard boxes filled with bones, skulls, and scat, and then rooted around for a photo album, the kind you’d expect to hold family snapshots. Instead, it contained pictures of the bloody carcasses of Tasmania’s native animals: a wombat with its intestines pulled out, a kangaroo missing its face. “A tiger will always eat the jowls and eyes,” Orchard explained. “All the good organs.” The photos were part of Orchard’s arsenal of evidence against a skeptical world—proof of his fervent belief, shared with many in Tasmania, that the island’s apex predator, an animal most famous for being extinct, is still alive.

The Tasmanian tiger, known to science as the thylacine, was the only member of its genus of marsupial carnivores to live to modern times. It could grow to six feet long, if you counted its tail, which was stiff and thick at the base, a bit like a kangaroo’s, and it raised its young in a pouch. When Orchard was growing up, his father would tell him stories of having snared one, on his property, many years after the last confirmed animal died, in the nineteen-thirties. Orchard says that he saw his first tiger when he was eighteen, while duck hunting, and since then so many that he’s lost count. Long before the invention of digital trail cameras, Orchard was out in the bush rigging film cameras to motion sensors, hoping to get a picture of a tiger. He showed me some of the most striking images he’d collected over the decades, sometimes describing teeth and tails and stripes while pointing at what, to my eye, could very well have been shadows or stems. (Another thylacine searcher told me that finding tigers hidden in the grass in camera-trap photos is “a bit like seeing the Virgin Mary in burnt toast.”) Orchard estimates that he spends five thousand dollars a year just on batteries for his trail cams. The larger costs of his fascination are harder to calculate. “That’s why my wife left me,” he offered at one point, while discussing the habitats tigers like best.

To read more on this story, click here: The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger 

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Beautiful Cats With Mesmerizing Eyes

When we’re growing up, we learn that not everyone is the same. What’s more, we learn how important it is that we all come into this world with various attributes that make us unique.

This is particularly apparent with our eye color, especially since not everyone has the same color eyes. You might be born with bright blue eyes, for instance, but your best friend could have brown eyes, and these small differences are what make us so interesting! In the animal kingdom, there’s an incredibly rare condition in cats that not only affects their eye color, but everything about their physical appearance. Once you get a glimpse, you won’t be able to look away…

Heterochromia is rare condition in cats in which each of their eyes is a different color. You’ve probably seen that condition before in other animals—or in famous celebrities, like the late David Bowie, for example.

Sectoral heterochromia, however, is a little bit different from what you’ve seen before. With this type of heterochromia, both of the cat’s eyes are two different colors! It’s truly an awesome sight to behold…

Cats with heterochromia are mostly white, though no one knows why. Maybe it’s because Mother Nature knew that a white coat would make it really easy for these cats to show off their striking eye colors? Each kitty that sports this look is as stunning as the last.

Although most of these cats have a solid white coat, others have white spots or different patches of color. This doesn’t make them any less cute, though! Check out this frisky fellow eagerly showing off his good looks.

Some of these cats’ eye colors are a bit… intense. With a face like this one, you can hardly blame the little guy. It’s almost as if gazing into his eyes will send you into a hypnotic state… that will encourage you to feed him all of the cat food, of course.

Some of them look like real life cartoon characters, like this little guy for example. Can’t you just imagine the hijinks he could get himself into? Well, if by hijinks, you mean malevolent plans to take over the world…

Evil or not, these cats are all positively captivating. This hairless cat already looks so unique, but when you add his differently colored eyes to the equation, that really pushes his unique factor up to another level!

This kitty looks like a living work of art, and you can tell that he’s wild about getting to spend all the time he can in the arms of his owner. These cats might look a little bit different than others, but that doesn’t mean that they are any less lovable!

This cat has eyes that kind of look like a planet. Maybe the fine folks at NASA could learn something from her! You don’t need to spend years preparing to travel in a spacecraft when you can just adopt one of these special kitties!

This kitty is positively hypnotizing! Look at the way his eyes seem to completely match the colors behind him. He couldn’t have planned it any better if he tried. This pretty kitty is definitely ready for his closeup!

This cat seems to be using her special eyes to focus on something exciting. Sure, it’s probably the family dog’s wagging tail, but something about her unique appearance makes her intense hunting stance even more impressive than usual! Watch out, Fido!

With those eyes and that nose, this cat wins the award for most unique-looking. He might also win the award for “most likely to be scooped up and cuddled and petted and kissed,” because he is so darn cute!

You won’t be able to look away from this beautiful cat’s gaze! Some ancient cultures actually believed that cats were gods; while that’s gone out of fashion today, it’s easy to see why they thought so when you come across photos like this one.

Looking at this cat could absolutely pass as your moment of zen for the day. Have you ever gazed into a more peaceful pair of eyes? Probably not! It’s like this cat is sending you positive vibrations through his purrs! So, who’s ready to adopt their very own cat just like these?

The colored area around the pupil of the eye is called the iris. The iris has two layers, the stroma and the epithelium. Both of these layers contain pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. In the stroma, those melanocytes are loosely arranged, and in the epithelium, they are more tightly packed.

The amount of melanin — the pigment that turns our own skin darker when we get a suntan — determines eye color in both humans and cats. The white or white-spotted gene found in some cats is normally the cause of heterochromia in them.

All kittens are born with blue eyes. As the kitten grows, melanin moves into the iris of the eyes. When the kitty reaches 7 to 12 weeks old, her eyes will become the color they will remain.

Because purebred cats are bred to meet a specific breed standard, which often includes eye color, breeders select for cats that have more intense colors or particular colors. For example, the Bombay cat breed standard requires copper-colored eyes; and the Tonkinese has aqua-colored eyes.

Cause for concern surfaces when an older cat develops heterochromia. This could be caused by a buildup of blood or iron within the chamber nearest to the front of the eye.

Having eyes of different colors will not interfere with your kitty’s natural instincts of looking, leaping, lazing and lunging. Her “eye-catching” eyes can see things as clearly as you can… maybe even better.

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A Woman Who Contracted an Extremely Rare Bacterial Infection Has Died Just Days After She Was Nipped by Her Puppy

A woman who contracted an extremely rare bacterial infection has died just days after she was nipped by her puppy.

Sharon Larson, 58, started experiencing flu like symptoms on June 20, the day after she received a minor cut to her hand from her puppy, Bo. The next day, she felt so weak that she couldn’t even hold a glass of water.

The Wisconsin grandmother was rushed to the emergency room where doctors told her husband, Daniel Larson, that her kidneys were failing.

Two days later, Ms Larson’s blood tested positive for capnocytophaga canimorsus, common bacteria found in the mouths of dogs and cats. Though the bacteria are common, it’s extremely rare for them to cause serious illness.

Doctors treated her with antibiotics, but she died the next afternoon.

Ms. Larson’s heartbroken family remember her as “amazingly kind” and caring.

“Her smile will live on through her five grandkids and a sixth on the way,” her adult daughter, Stacy Larson-Hruzek, told NBC.

Her death comes just weeks after another Wisconsin resident, Greg Manteufel contracted the same infection, ultimately leading to the amputation of parts of his arms and legs .

Despite their close proximity, experts have insisted their cases are not linked.

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Justice, An 8-Year-Old American Quarter Horse, Is Suing His Owners For Neglect

Group files suit in name of animal; experts say ruling would be revolutionary

Estacada, Oregon - Justice is an 8-year-old American quarter horse who used to be named Shadow. And when he was named Shadow, he suffered. At a veterinarian’s exam last year, he was 300 pounds underweight, his black coat lice-ridden, his skin scabbed and his genitals so frostbitten that they might still require amputation.

The horse had been left outside and underfed by his previous owner, who last summer pleaded guilty to criminal neglect. And now Justice, who today resides with other rescued equines on a quiet wooded farm within view of Oregon’s Cascade mountains, is suing his former owner for negligence. In a lawsuit filed in his new name in a county court, the horse seeks at least $100,000 for veterinary care, as well as damages “for pain and suffering,” to fund a trust that would stay with him no matter who is his caretaker.

The complaint is the latest bid in a quixotic quest to get courts to recognize animals as plaintiffs, something supporters and critics alike say would be revolutionary. The few previous attempts — including a recent high-profile case over whether a monkey can own a copyright — have failed, with judges ruling in various ways that the nonhumans lacked legal standing to sue. But Justice’s case, the animal rights lawyers behind it contend, is built on court decisions and statutes that give it a stronger chance, particularly in a state with some of the nation’s most progressive animal protection laws.

“There have been a lot of efforts to try to get animals not only to be protected but to have the right to go to court when their rights are violated,” said Matthew Liebman, director of litigation at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, which filed the suit in Justice’s name. Those “haven’t found the right key to the courthouse door. And we’re hopeful that this is the key.”

These efforts have been made amid broad growth in legal protections and advocacy for animals. Three decades ago, few law schools offered courses in animal law; now, more than 150 do, and some states have created animal law prosecutorial units. All 50 states have enacted felony penalties for animal abuse. Connecticut last year became the first state to allow courts to appoint lawyers or law students as advocates in animal cruelty cases, in part because overburdened prosecutors were dismissing a majority of such cases.

These developments count as progress, animal rights lawyers say, in persuading lawmakers and courts to expand the traditional legal view of animals — as property — to reflect their role in a society in which dog-sitting is big business and divorces can involve cat custody battles.

“Our legislature acknowledged that people care a lot about animals, and that’s something that’s evolving and increasing,” said Jessica Rubin, a University of Connecticut law professor who serves as an advocate in that state’s cruelty cases. “The law, hopefully, is catching up to where our morals are.”

But expanding the protections for animals is quite different from granting them legal standing, which courts have not been willing to do. In 2004, a federal appeals court shot down a suit in the name of the world’s cetaceans, in which President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were sued over the U.S. Navy’s use of sonar. In 2012, a U.S. District Court dismissed a suit filed on behalf of five SeaWorld orcas, which argued that their captivity was a violation of the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on slavery. This spring, a federal appeals court ruled that a crested macaque that took its own photo could not sue for copyright protection, saying “this monkey — and all animals, since they are not human — lacks statutory standing under the Copyright Act.”

In New York courts, a group called the Nonhuman Rights Project has for several years sought writs of habeas corpus for captive chimpanzees, arguing that they are “legal persons” — a term that can apply to corporations and ships — and have a right to freedom. While judges have occasionally praised the effort, they have ultimately rejected it, saying chimpanzees cannot bear the duties and responsibilities required of legal persons.

Against that backdrop, Liebman says Justice’s case is “more reasonable” than the others. It does not involve the Constitution or historically weighted concepts such as slavery or a writ of habeas corpus. It’s not so, well, silly-sounding as copyright for a monkey.

Instead, he and colleagues say, it is a logical next step. Their argument goes like this: While some state cruelty laws were written to protect animal owners or public morals, Oregon’s anti-cruelty law makes plain it is intended to protect animals, which it calls “sentient beings.” What’s more, state courts have ruled that animals can be considered individual victims. And because victims have the right to sue their abusers, the lawsuit says, Justice should be able to sue his former owner.

Justice, of course, has no idea he is suing. Sarah Hanneken, an Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney in Portland, says that Justice’s ignorance of the lawsuit is irrelevant.

“This whole idea of somebody who has been injured by the acts of another and not being able to speak for themselves in court, so having an adult human do it for them, this is not new,” Hanneken said. “Children are allowed to bring lawsuits, because we recognize that children have interests that laws protect.”

According to court filings, Justice’s former owner, Gwendolyn Vercher, surrendered the horse to a rescue organization in March 2017 at the urging of a neighbor in Cornelius, west of Portland. In a letter to law enforcement, an equine veterinarian who examined the horse at the time said he was “severely emaciated,” lethargic and weak. That poor condition probably contributed to a lasting problem — the animal’s penis had prolapsed, and his inability to retract it led to frostbite, trauma and infection.

“When I got him, he was a lot worse than I anticipated,” said Kim Mosiman, executive director of Sound Equine Options, which takes in and finds homes for about 100 horses each year.

Justice, whom Mosiman fondly describes as “like a grumpy old man,” has gained weight and become more social. On a sun-soaked afternoon at the dusty farm in Estacada, he nibbled grass alongside a retired racehorse named Flick and used his nose to nudge the notebook of a visiting reporter. But the lawsuit says his penis may require partial amputation and that his medical conditions will demand long-term care.

“I’m trying to find someone who wants to adopt him,” Mosiman said. “But if they find out they’re going to have to be financially responsible for him, he’s never going anywhere.”

Some animal law experts warn that Justice’s lawsuit is extreme, even dangerous. Richard Cupp, a Pepperdine University law professor who has been critical of the chimpanzee personhood cases, said he thinks the horse case has even more radical implications.

Allowing Justice to sue could mean any animal protected under Oregon’s anti-cruelty statute — a class that includes thousands of pets, zoo animals and even wildlife — could do the same, he said. (Livestock, lab animals, hunting targets, rodeo animals and invertebrates are exempted.) If this approach were adopted elsewhere, Cupp said, a stampede of animal litigation could overrun courts.

“Any case that could lead to billions of animals having the potential to file lawsuits is a shocker in the biggest way,” Cupp said. “Once you say a horse or dog or cat can personally sue over being abused, it’s not too big a jump to say, ‘Well, we’re kind of establishing that they’re legal persons with that. And legal persons can’t be eaten.’ ”

Cupp emphasized that he supports Oregon’s progressive animal cruelty laws and rulings. But legislation is a more reasonable way of expanding animal protections, he said. Justice’s case, for example, could be addressed through a law requiring an abuser to cover an animal’s future care. “This would not be bad for society,” Cupp said. “We do need to evolve. We’re not doing enough to protect animals.”

Cupp points to a Connecticut law as one that maintains an important distinction between animals and people. It focuses on “the interests of justice,” not the animals’ interests.

Geordie Duckler, a Portland animal law attorney who represents Vercher, said he views the horse lawsuit as a publicity stunt, one he does not expect Oregon courts to take very seriously.
“There’s a massive chasm between saying a thing is a victim and saying now it must have rights, and the rights are apparently the full panoply of rights, and must include a right to sue,” Duckler said. “There’s no such thing as a right in a vacuum. … As soon as you have animal rights, then you’d better have animal jails and prosecutions against animals.”

The slippery-slope arguments are familiar to Mosiman, who calls her group an animal welfare, not animal rights, organization. When she considered Justice’s long-term needs, though, she had no qualms about signing him up as a plaintiff, she said.

“It was pretty clear-cut: If he wasn’t starved, this wouldn’t have happened,” Mosiman said as Justice languidly scratched his neck and head against a towering pine tree. “It’s about him.”

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How to Raise Butterflies

Look out your window and see a beautiful butterfly flutter past you. Amazingly, such beauty originated from an inch long, garden dwelling caterpillar that probably feasted on your prized roses. As you stare longingly at the butterfly, you think to yourself, "If only there were another way." And then it hits you – "Raise them myself!"

Catching a Caterpillar

1 - Prepare a well-ventilated container. Containers for caterpillars can be found in hobby and pet shops, on the Internet, or you can fashion one from items around the home. Preferably this should be one made from wire mesh, to give the caterpillar something to cling to. An aquarium or a one-gallon jar can work, too, provided it's lined with a screen or cheesecloth tightened with a rubber band at the top.

• Don't use jar lids with holes in them, however, as these don't provide adequate ventilation and can also cut the delicate caterpillars with sharp edges around the holes.

• Put a two inch layer of dirt and grass on the bottom of every container if you think your caterpillar may pupate below ground. If not, a layer of paper towels or newspaper will do fine.

2 - Look out for caterpillars on your plants. Instead of spraying or squishing the caterpillar, identify it (see Warnings) and capture it to grow into a butterfly. Butterfly season is from late spring to summer, depending on your region. If you don't know of a spot that caterpillars like to frequent, consult a local field guide to determine which plants are preferred "host" plants for butterflies, like the Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests, or on the Internet. Make sure you're not capturing an endangered species, which could be illegal. Different types of butterflies prefer different hosts. Some common host plants include:

• Milkweed - Monarch Butterfly
• Spice bush - Spice bush Swallowtail
• Paw-Paw - Tiger Swallowtail
• Thistle - Painted Lady
• Parsley, dill and fennel - Black Swallowtail
• Cherry - Cecropia Moth, Viceroy, Red-Spotted Purple

If it's not caterpillar season, or you simply don't have time to go caterpillar searching, consider buying them from a caterpillar supplier. We'll discuss that in the last section.

To read more on this story, click here: How to Raise Butterflies


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Poodle Cats: The New Rage for Feline Fans

In 1987, a mutant kitten was born in Montana with hair like a poodle. Named Miss DePesto, this kitten grew up and birthed curly kittens of her own. As the curly cat family tree grew, Miss DePesto's descendants eventually became recognized as a new breed: the Selkirk Rex.

Now, 25 years and about nine kitty generations later, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Austria, have confirmed that these felines are genetically distinct from previously known breeds, making Selkirk Rex the fourth curly-haired cat breed known.

The genetic quirk that makes a Selkirk Rex's hair kink is a dominant trait. This makes the trait easy for breeders to retain even while crossing breeding to maintain genetic diversity. Selkirk Rex is usually crossed with Persians or British Shorthairs, making it a particularly laid back cat.

And while the Selkirk Rex is one of four curly-haired cat breeds, it easily has the best hair. Devon Rex and Cornish Rex are breeds with curly, downy, super-short hair, prone to balding, while the unimaginatively named LaPerm breed has curly hair of average length hair -- but not nearly as plush and thick as Selkirk Rex. Miss DePesto would be proud.

Check out some of these good looking mutant kitties below.

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A Shoe Designer, from Berlin, Germany, Collects Carcasses from Her Local butcher, and Makes Shoes

This bizarre range of shoes may make the owner feel like they have one foot in the grave.

Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to £3,900 ($5,051.94 U.S. dollars), and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga.

Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves.

The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages.

She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation.

The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining.

She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy.

'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street.

'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.'

The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel.

While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail.

Describing her inspiration Ms. Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect.

'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.'

The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna.

Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable.

Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.'

Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.

 Extreme dressing: A pair of shoes featuring cream horse fur with a front zip and bone heel

   Suffer for your art: The heels can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable

 Macabre: This pair of snakeskin heels show a snake seemingly eating its own tail

Some of Iris Schieferstein's most controversial designs include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves

Sculptor and artist Iris Schieferstein has been using dead animals for her works, here she models a hat made from a dead bird

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A Woman Who Lost Everything in the Valley Fire Three Years Ago: Opening her Property to Animals Displaced by the Mendocino Complex Fire

She lost everything in the Valley Fire three years ago -- and was able to rebuild. Now, Helen Owen is opening her property to animals displaced by the Mendocino Complex Fire.

You can think of it as Noah's Ark -- with dozens of animals being cared for.

FOX40 photojournalist Rachelle Riley met up with Owen at her ranch.

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The Bold Effort to Prove the Tasmanian Tiger is Still Out There

THE Cuban solenodon is one of the most curious animals on the planet. The small, shrewd-like creature is a mammal, but a highly venomous one — resembling the kinds of creatures that lived around the time after the dinosaurs died.

Between 1890 and 1970 there wasn’t a single specimen found and it was thought to be lost forever. Then, unexpectedly three were caught just a few years later. The “extinct” species marched on.

The story of animals seemingly coming back from the dead in this fashion is not that uncommon. Forrest Galante is a wildlife biologist who’s made it his life mission to search for animals that have wrongly been deemed extinct — and among the species on his list is the Tasmanian tiger.

“Animals are often declared extinct wrongly and without the proper investigation,” he told news.com.au. “The process in which a species is declared extinct is very vague. It’s almost impossible to say something isn’t there … that difficulty of proof leads to an ease of declaring something extinct.”

He has been travelling around the world searching for evidence that species like the Tasmanian tiger, pachylemur and the Newfoundland white wolf still exist.

To read more on this story, click here: The Bold Effort to Prove the Tasmanian Tiger is Still Out There

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Fawn Walks Up To Little Girl, And Begins To Follow Her Around: What Are Your Thoughts?

Right as Brad Herring and his family were unpacking their car after going on a canoeing trip, a fawn walked right across their yard. Even more incredibly, the baby deer wandered right into the arms of Maya, Brad's daughter.

Maya was aware that the fawn was in need of his mother. However, the mother was most likely trying to get some nourishment and rest after giving birth to her baby. So, Maya did the best thing she knew she could do and led the baby back into the woods.

Later, the family spotted fawns on two occurrences. One day, there were two fawns with two doe in a neighboring yard. Another day, there was a doe with her fawn in their yard. So, the family is very relieved that the baby was most likely safely found.




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How to Feed Your Turtle if It is Refusing to Eat

Concern may arise if you see that your turtle is refusing to eat. Not only does it increase the possibility of starving, but it also could have fallen ill. This article will show you how to get your turtle to eat and what to do if it still refuses to chew. Many turtle owners have trouble getting their pets to eat. Your turtle is most likely not eating due to environmental issues. However, your turtle may also be suffering from some sort of illness. By adjusting your turtle's environment, recognizing signs of illness, and being creative during feedings, you can get your turtle to eat.

Determining Why Your Turtle Won't Eat

Check the temperature.
Turtles are cold blooded reptiles and will not eat if the temperature is too cold.[1] If you have an indoor box turtle, provide a warm area and a cool area. The cool area should be between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit and the warm area should be 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. At night, the temperature can drop to between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.[2]

For aquatic turtles, the water temperature should be about 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The basking area should be between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

If your box turtle lives outside, the turtle will become too cold if the outside temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You may need to add a ceramic heater to your turtle's environment to get it to reach an adequate temperature.

Check the temperature of your turtle environment using a thermometer and make adjustments if necessary.

To read more on this story, click here: How to Feed Your Turtle if It is Refusing to Eat





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According to Hungarian Scientists, Fat Dogs Have a Lot in Common with Overweight People

According to Hungarian scientists, fat dogs have a lot in common with overweight people. The two traits they seem to have in common is the preference for top quality food and the unwillingness to settle for second best.

Dogs And Humans Are Alike 
Researchers from the study suggest that dogs could be used as a model for future research into the causes or the psychological impacts of human obesity. The researchers of the study conducted the experiment by placing two bowls in front of a series of dogs. One bowl contained a good meal and the other held less appealing food or was empty.

The study showed that the dogs that were of a normal weight obeyed instructions and would continue to check the second pot for more food but the dogs that were overweight refused after the first round.

The leader of the study, Orsolya Torda, stated that the researchers expected the overweight dogs to do anything to get the food but discovered in the test they saw the complete opposite. Instead, the dogs that were overweight took a negative a view to the test.

"If a situation is uncertain and they cannot find food, the obese dogs are unwilling to invest energy to search for food - for them, the main thing is to find the right food with least energy involved," Torda stated.

The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The scientists continued that these findings may be similar to how people who are obese view food as a reward. 

Obesity Rates
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2015-2016 obesity affected at least 93.3 million Americans. Obesity can lead to other severe health conditions, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

The CDC states that Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks had the highest-age-adjusted obesity rates in America, with non-Hispanic whites and Asian closely behind. For young adults between the age of 20-39, at least 35.7 percent are obese and for adults who are between the ages of 40-59 years old, there at 42.8 percent are considered to be overweight or obese.

The CDC states that the levels of obesity decreased if a person has a higher level of education. For American that did not have a high school degree, they had the highest self-reported obesity rates. 

Tips that have been given to help prevent obesity include healthy eating, maintaining a healthy weight, and engaging in physical activity 

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Has Issued A Warning Against Certain Types of Dog Food That Are Linked to Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy or DCM

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against certain types of dog food that are linked to canine dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM.

On July 12, FDA released a statement making all dog owners aware about a possible link between the dog heart disease and specific dog foods that contain peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as the main ingredient.

The cases were observed in Golden and Labrador Retrievers, a Whippet, a Shih Tzu, a Bulldog, and Miniature Schnauzers and other mixed breeds. The cases were particularly worrisome as these breeds are not genetically prone to DCM. The heart condition is also less common in small and medium breed dogs, except American and English Cocker Spaniels.

FDA Warns Pet Owners
In its announcement, FDA said they received reports from the veterinary cardiology community about the growing cases of dog breeds that developed DCM even when they were supposed to be not at risk for the condition. The dogs observed were found to have relied on the said types of dog food as their main source of nutrients from months to years. 

"The FDA is investigating the potential link between DCM and these foods. We encourage pet owners and veterinarians to report DCM cases in dogs who are not predisposed to the disease," said Martine Hartogensis, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine's Office of Surveillance and Compliance.

The FDA advised pet owners to still consult with licensed veterinarians if they decide to change their dogs' diet.

The board said it is now working with pet food manufacturers and the veterinary community with the investigations. For the meantime, anyone who suspected DCM in their dogs and a possible link to their pet food are encouraged to report to the FDA.

Canine DCM
The condition mostly results in congestive heart failure. However, cases in dogs that are not genetically at risk with the disease may improve given the timely medical intervention.

The major symptoms of DCM include lethargy, anorexia, rapid and excessive breathing, shortness of breath, coughing, abdominal distension, and transient loss of consciousness. The dogs affected with the disease may also have muffled or crackling breathing sounds due to the accumulation of water in the lungs.

The cause of DCM is largely unknown. In certain breeds, causes are found to be nutritional deficiencies of taurine or carnitine.

As for susceptibility, male dog breeds are more likely to be vulnerable to the disease.

DCM is characterized by an enlarged heart that does not function properly. Specifically, both the upper and lower chambers of the heart become enlarged. The one side can be more affected than the other. When the lower chamber becomes enlarged, it cannot pump blood out into the lungs. When this happens, fluid builds up in the dogs' lungs. Soon, the heart becomes overloaded and congestive heart failure follows.


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