Dog houses used to be fixtures in the American suburban landscape. That doesn't seem to be the case today. I couldn't find any statistics regarding dog houses' possible demise, but I did note that no less a source than the American Pet Product Association recently acknowledged that dogs are "moving from the dog house into our houses." Dogs are pack animals that thrive on companionship. Much like their wolf ancestors, dogs are very social. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog's pack and he wants to be with his pack. Forcing a dog to live outside with little or no human companionship is one of the most psychological damaging things a pet owner can do to a dog. I think dogs tend to sleep inside now in a crate or on a dog bed, as opposed to being put out for the night to sleep in a doghouse. It was once rare to have the family dog spend the night inside. Take a look at dog houses of the past...
...and present!
Doggy Doors With more people keeping their dogs indoors, they still want them to have access to the backyard. For several years people have started installing doggy doors in their homes to give their pets access to the yard when they are not home. Do you have a doggy door? Would you consider having a doggy door? Take a look at this doggy door:
As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to ravage the country, pet owners in China are putting on makeshift masks on their furry friends. Photos on the Chinese social media app Weibo show pets – namely cats – wearing the makeshift masks, many of them made from traditional surgical masks. Owners are cutting holes in the material to accommodate the animal’s eyes while the rest of their face remains covered. To read more on this story, click here: Cats Are Wearing Coronavirus Masks In China
What's cuter than babies and pets? Babies and pets together! Take a look at these adorable babies and their cute pets sleeping. WARNING: Extreme cuteness below!
What is pet dander? Cats and dogs have pet dander. It is tiny flakes of dead skin that slough off the pet continuously. Breathing in pet dander is the number one reason that people have an allergic reaction to animals. The dander is hard to see on some animals, and on others it looks like a bad case of dandruff, and the animal smells even after a bath. When the dander combines with oil and dirt, it becomes a glue-like substance trapping the undercoat and causing the hair to turn into large wadded mats. What are the most common causes for pet allergies? Cat and dog Dander, or skin flakes, as well as their saliva and urine, can cause an allergic reaction such as: sneezing, wheezing, and running eyes and nose. Both feathers and the droppings from birds, another common kind of pets, can increase the allergen exposure. Bird droppings can also be a source of bacteria, dust, fungi and mold. This also applies to the droppings of other caged pets, such as gerbils, hamsters and mice. Animal hair is not considered to be a very significant allergen, however, the hair or fur can collect pollen, dust, mold, and other allergens. Although individual pets may produce more or less allergen, there is no relationship between the pet's hair length and allergen production. There is also no such thing as a non-allergenic breed. Animal allergens are found mostly in homes where pets are present. What is surprising, however, is that these allergens are also found (in lesser amounts) in places where pets have never been present, such as schools, workplaces, and other public spaces. Since dander allergens are sticky, they can be brought to these places on the clothing of pet owners. Also, while dander on a smooth surface (such as a wall) can be easily wiped off, in soft materials, such as carpets, mattresses, upholstered furniture, and clothing, it can persist for long periods of time. That is why, unless special steps are taken, pet dander can remain in a home for up to six months after the pet has been removed. Rabbit Allergy Many people gets surprised when they first hear about rabbit allergy, it is something that they don’t even consider before buying a rabbit as a pet, however it is a type of allergy found in some homes. Just like other types of animal allergies its origin is in the proteins found in the saliva and blood of the animal and not in the fur. When the immune system is weak to fight these allergens, it enters into a defense mode, producing the infamous allergic reactions. Watery eyes and nose dripping are used by the body to wash away the allergens. This means that the body reacts to an attack, this attack by itself is not dangerous but it could be if the symptoms complicate.
With climate change and habitat destruction extirpating so many species from our planet, it’s rare that we see the needle move in the opposite direction. But, give a cat and a fox a few years to work on it, and they’ll find a solution. A new species, possibly a cross-breed between a cat and a fox, has recently been spotted on the island of Corsica. According to CNN, wildlife rangers from France’s National Hunting and Wildlife Office have identified 16 of the animals prowling the island. To read more on this story, click here:The Cat-Fox Is Real, And Here Are The Pictures To Prove It
Rescuing a stray puppy may not be a police officer‘s job, but some kind-hearted officers don’t do it for the job. Some genuinely want to help the little ones who can’t help themselves. Officer Kareem Garibaldi of the Lakeland Police Department in Florida is one of those wonderful people. Officer Garibaldi worked an early morning shift one Saturday in May, 2016. As he drove his patrol car, he nearly ran into a small Pit/Boxer mix puppy. The 8 to 10 week old pup had no identification tags or collar and was just running around loose. To read more on this story, click here:Police Officer Stays At Shelter Overnight With Stray He Rescued
ERIE, Penn. (WJET) – A recent study by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania shows that beagles are capable of identifying lung cancer in humans with near-perfect precision. The research, published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, indicates that three beagles were 97 percent accurate in distinguishing blood serum samples of patients with malignant lung cancer from healthy control samples. The study was conducted by a team from LECOM’s Bradenton, Florida, campus in collaboration with BioScentDX, which is a canine training and research firm in nearby Myakka City.
Some pictures of what hides under an owl’s majestic feathers have gone viral and are changing the way most people see these birds. For those who have ever wondered what is hidden beneath an owl’s feathers, wonder no more. The pictures have already gone viral, and as it turns out, it’s not what you may think. To read more on this story, click here:It Turns Out That Owls Have Long Skinny Legs Under All Their Feathers
He sat down in the cold, and wasn’t seen again for 18,000 years. Now, Russian scientists have uncovered the intact remains of the world’s oldest puppy, found in the Asian permafrost. Nearly every part of the dog was preserved in frozen mud, including the hair, whiskers, eyelashes, and teeth. “This puppy has all its limbs, pelage – fur, even whiskers. The nose is visible. There are teeth. We can determine due to some data that it is a male,” said Nikolai Androsov, director of the Northern World private museum. To read more on this story, click here:18,000-Year-Old Puppy Found Fully Preserved In Ice
Bottle caps, pieces of cutlery, garbage, Zip-lock bags and large plastic shards were found. BOCA RATON, Fla. — Editor's Note: The photo above is a file image. Scroll down for photos of the plastic. A South Florida nature center made a sad discovery while a turtle in its care was recovering from surgery. The turtle came into the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for hook removal surgery and began passing large pieces of plastic debris. To read more on this story, click here:Turtle Passes 100 Pieces of Plastic While Recovering From Surgery
In 50 years, Billie Eilish will be turning 69 years old, technology will likely be unrecognizable, and the world may have lost ⅓ of all its plant and animal species. A new study has found that warming temperatures will likely cause hundreds of species to go extinct. Researchers at the University of Arizona analyzed 538 plant and animal species from around the world, 44% of which already faced local extinctions in at least one area in the world. What they discovered is that the areas that suffered from species extinctions had "larger and faster changes in hottest yearly temperatures than those without." To read more on this story, click here:⅓ Of Animal And Plant Species Might Go Extinct Due To Climate Change
Eating one’s own stool, a behavior also known as coprophagia, is common in dogs but very rare in cats. Dogs are notorious for eating things that humans find extremely distasteful, stool included. However cats do not normally eat their own stool, and when they do this type of behavior could be a sign of an underlying mental problem. Cats that have been severely abused or kept in extremely unsanitary conditions with little food or water may have picked up the practice of coprophagia as a survival mechanism. Even though the cat is now in a safe place, it may still feel like it is necessary to eat its own stool. Young cats and kittens may also develop coprophagia from a type of mental disorder. Cats are prone to developing mental disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, and coprophagia in cats could be a manifestation of some type of mental disorder. Kittens may also confuse their own stool with food, and it may take them awhile to realize that their stool is not food. If our cat is eating its own stool, have your cat examined by a veterinarian to ensure first that no medical conditions are causing the behavior. Keeping the litter boxes clean, and making sure that your cat feels safe and secure in its environment, may help to reduce further incidences of coprophagia. Did you know that mother cats eat kittens feces while kittens are suckling on the mother? It's perfectly normal and quite safe in that a mother cat licks her kittens' bottoms while and just after a kitten has nursed on her. They do this to stimulate the kitten to wee and poop as kittens don't have an automatic nerve self stimulus to do so until they are about 3 - 4 weeks old. If the mother cat does not do this the kitten will stop feeding, get very poorly, get blood poisoning and die. The mother cat swallows her kittens' defecation at this time to keep her nursing nest clean. The kittens' wee and poop at this age are so small that it's almost undetectable.
Mexico City, Mexico - The Chapultepec zoo in Mexico City says that Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan are the only giant pandas in the world not owned by China. They were born in captivity in Mexico and although they have Chinese names, "they belong to Mexico," said Rafael Tinajero, a manager at the zoo. They are the main attractions at the Chapultepec zoo in Mexico City, and what makes them unique is that they are not owned by China. Many young pandas born abroad in captivity are later repatriated to China, where the species originates. But Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan, with their plump bodies and tender expressions, will be staying put. They are the last in the line of a panda couple -- Ying Ying and Pe Pe -- loaned to Mexico by the Chinese government in 1975. Since 1980, China has operated a different policy in which it only lends pandas for a short time and in return for a payment towards wild panda conservation efforts. The panda is considered a vulnerable species. As Ying Ying and Pe Pe arrived in Mexico before China changed its policy, Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan will stay in Mexico. "With that, Mexico became the first country outside of China to have had a successful natural reproduction of pandas outside their natural habitat, in captivity conditions," said Tinajero. He said eight more pandas were born in Mexico between 1980 and 1990 but only four of those survived. Giant pandas typically live until about 20 in the wild and 30 in captivity. They average around 100-115 kilograms (220-250 pounds) and adults stand between 1.2 to 1.9 meters (4-6 feet) tall. Males can weigh as much as 160 kilograms.
WAUCHULA, Fla. (AP) — A orangutan named Sandra, who was granted legal personhood by a judge in Argentina and later found a new home in Florida, celebrated her 34th birthday on Valentine's Day with a special new primate friend. Patti Ragan, director of the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, says Sandra “has adjusted beautifully to her life at the sanctuary” and has befriended Jethro, a 31-year-old male orangutan. Prior to coming to Florida, Sandra had lived alone in a Buenos Aires zoo. Sandra was a bit shy when she arrived at the Florida center, which is home to 22 orangutans. To read more on this story, click here:Orangutan Granted 'Personhood' Turns 34, Makes New Friend
