San Francisco International Airport introduced “Lilou” the therapy pig this week as the newest member of the airport’s Wag Brigade. And, not surprisingly, she's the first airport therapy pig in the United States, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said, adding that he's sure she'll be a "big hit" with travelers. Lilou happily let passengers pet her pink snout and her back (all the while wearing a pilot’s cap and a blue tutu) while walking through the busy terminals. At one point on Monday, Lilou did circles and ate treats to entertain the crowds. Lilou wasn't immediately available to snort and oink for an interview, but of course, she has an Instagram page, where she touted her new gig: "City pig & the 1st pig in SF SPCA AAT program." One traveler tweeted that she was more excited to meet Lilou than any celebrity. SFO launched the Wag Brigade in 2013 and Lilou is the first pig to join the ranks of friendly dogs, named Bailey and Biggie, to make “passenger travel more enjoyable.” The dogs — and now, one pig — are trained through the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and certified through their Animal Assisted Therapy Program. SFSPCA spokeswoman Krista Maloney said the idea for the pig came straight from the swine's owner, Tatyana Danilova. "She was very interested in having Lilou become certified as a therapy animal," Maloney said. So except for the "sit" and "down" commands, Lilou jumped through the same training hoops that dogs do, and passed with flying colors, Maloney said. "She's friendly and she's pretty well trained," Maloney said, adding that Lilou also visits hospitals and senior homes to give comfort there as well. "She's also housebroken, which is pretty important in an airport."
There is a long and storied history of presidential pets and the roles that they play in an administration. Checkers, a cocker spaniel, helped (briefly) save Richard Nixon’s career. The Clintons’ chocolate Lab, Buddy, and cat, Socks, provided ample, family-friendly distractions from less pleasant matters. Not content to live a life of leisure, President George H.W. Bush’s springer spaniel, Millie, “wrote” a best-seller called Millie’s Book that offered insights into the life of the first family. Martin Van Buren had tiger cubs. Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt had bears, and Calvin Coolidge had a pygmy hippopotamus! Presidents have frequently cottoned on to the pleasure of pet ownership, not least for their warm and fuzzy public relations opportunities. (After listening to Nixon’s “Checkers” speech, a tearful Mamie Eisenhower reportedly told her husband that any man who loves dogs has to be honest.) And perhaps the Trumps will be no different. A Palm Beach–based philanthropist named Lois Pope told the Washington Post that she has been training a 9-week-old Goldendoodle to become the Trump family’s First Dog. Pope, who has named the puppy Patton, after General George Patton, the World War II general whom Trump often publicly admires (most recently in the installment of his “victory tour” in Cincinnati), said that she has known the family for the past 20 years. She even showed the president-elect a picture of the dog at Mar-A-Lago, she said, in the hopes that the family will take him on as a companion for their 10-year-old son, Barron, who will likely face a tough adjustment ahead. “It’s going to be hard for me to let him go,” Pope told the Post of Patton, who is to receive what she calls “hero dog training,” and who, at the time of their interview, was gnawing on a basket. “But I will do it. Because [Barron] is more important than I am.” Trump’s camp has not issued any public decisions about Patton, but it may be worth noting that his family has a history of preferring to hunt animals rather than care for them. And while a Goldendoodle (a historically clever, friendly breed favored by young families who abhor shedding) is certainly on brand for a president-elect with a predilection for that particular metal, one has to wonder: Would a Trump endorsed ’doodle help that breed or hurt it? Back in 2009, pet owners fretted that an Obama-provoked spike in Portuguese water dog popularity would incite “101 Dalmatians syndrome.” At a dog park in lower Manhattan, one Goldendoodle owner wrinkled her nose at the suggestion that Trump would soon be synonymous with her pet. “God,” she said, “I hope not.”
British-trained racehorse Actinpieces only wants to be powered by a girl and refuses to be ridden by a male jockey. "She's not too keen on men," her trainer Pamela Sly explains to CNN. "I've never had a horse who's been like this before." Actinpieces is exclusively ridden by Gina Andrews or, if she's not available, then her little sister Bridget climbs into the saddle. When 18-year-old Jack tried to step in for his sisters, it didn't end well. "She tried to buck him off as soon as he got on," Sly reveals, followed by a devilish laugh. "When he went to get on her she tried to bite him," explains jockey Gina. "It's quite funny because she doesn't normally do it when I get on. She's only had women riders." Jack shouldn't take it personally, Actinpieces is clearly a woman-only horse.
"If a man went up to her in the yard she'll put her ears back," she explains. "It's a bit weird. "There is an old boy, Bryan Drabner, who grooms and looks after her every day. She's all right with him but I think she's confused because he's got long hair! "I also had Speciosa, who won the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and she did not like people in her box at all whether it was male or female.
"She would turn her backside on you and have a go but that was how she was and we managed." Cambridgeshire-based Sly did initially ask a male jockey to try out Actinpieces when she made her debut over hurdles last season. "The boys didn't want to rider her," Sly explains. "They said she was lethal. She wasn't very easy to break in. "Gina has been riding for me since she was 16 and I asked her if she wanted to ride her and she said 'course I will.' "When Gina goes out to get on her she always puts out her hand to let her have a sniff before she gets on. She's fine." Jockeys are riders for hire and many dash up and down the UK for as many as 10 rides a day. This peripatetic lifestyle means it is hard to build relationships with horses -- let alone any humans -- but Andrews says Actinpiece's unique gender preference means they have built up an unusual rapport. "I ride her at home and do some schooling with her as well as racing," the 24-year-old explains. "I've got to know her and it tends to work better. "Different riders get on with some horses better than others but it depends on the way you ride and adapt to the horse. "I enjoy riding her. I'm not a professional jockey so I don't ride that much. Pam has been very loyal to me and not taken me off her which she could quite easily have when she realized she was quite good." Actinpieces was first past the post three times over the hurdles last season and is showing promise over jumps this winter. "We really want to try and win a chase with her," says Sly who also owns the five-year-old. "She ran really well over fences at Wetherby but jumped the last, slipped and unshipped Gina." Winning Return Actinpieces resumed her racing career at Wetherby on Wednesday. And, beating the odds-on favorite ZeroShadesofGrey at the Yorkshire racecourse, Gina guided her singular steed across the line first to take the win. "She won't be running in races like the Grand National or the Cheltenham Gold Cup but she's progressing," Andrews adds. "She's still one of the best I've ever ridden. "She is temperamental. She only gives you one chance. You have to get it right the first time or that's it. "You could say she's a bit of a woman -- she likes things her way!" The feisty gray filly may be tricky to ride but she is also exacting and that just may be why a woman's touch works best.
Why spend Black Friday in long, boring lines at retail stores when you can visit the Humane Rescue Alliance and add a new furry friend to your family! Adoption Fees Waived Nov. 25 – 27 - Courtesy of Zappos’ “Home for the Pawlidayz” Program Beginning Friday, November 25h through Sunday, November 27th, the Humane Rescue Alliance will be waiving adoption fees for all available animals at our two adoptions centers and through our foster program. All available animals can be seen at our website: www.humanerescuealliance.org/adopt. (Washington, DC dog licenses fees still apply and normal adoption procedures will be in place). The Humane Rescue Alliance is teaming up with Zappos and Best Friends Animal Society to help 9,000 pets nationwide find forever homes this holiday season. Adoption fees during this promotion are being covered by Zappos at all participating adoptions facilities across the country. Animals adopted from the Humane Rescue Alliance have been spayed/neutered and micro chipped. DOGS To take a look at some of the dogs currently available for adoption click HERE. Then click on: Search for a dog by location, then click search. CATS To take a look at some of the cats currently available for adoption click HERE. Then click on: Search for a cat by location, then click search.
OTHER ANIMALS They also have a variety of small animals available for adoption. To take a look at some of these animals, click HERE. Then click on: Search for a small animal by location, then click search. Humane Rescue Alliance Adoptions Centers:
71 Oglethorpe Street, NW Washington, DC Adoption hours: Noon – 7 p.m. 1201 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC Adoption hours: Noon – 7 p.m. About the Humane Rescue Alliance: The Humane Rescue Alliance (formerly the Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League) has protected and served the animals of the community for more than 145 years and serves more than 60,000 animals annually. The broad range of programs offered include: rescue and adoption, humane law enforcement, low-cost veterinary services, animal care and control, behavior and training, spay-neuter services, humane education, and many others. The organization is dedicated to ensuring the safety and welfare of all animals, bringing people and animals together, and working with all communities to support these relationships. HRA is based in Washington, DC, the only major urban area in the country that has all of its animal protection programs and services unified in one organization, making the Humane Rescue Alliance a model for the nation.
“We already love him!” George W. Bush, his wife Laura adopt a puppy named Freddy! George W. Bush made a very important announcement on Facebook Monday — he adopted a puppy. The 43rd President posted on Facebook that he and his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, adopted a dog from the SPCA of Texas and named him Freddy Bush. “We already love him, and even our cats Bob and Bernadette are finding Freddy’s charm futile to resist,” Bush wrote on his Facebook. It’s no secret that the Bush family adores their dogs. Barney Bush was the famous Scottish Terrier who was at the White House during Bush’s administration. The pup even had his own White House website and was often referred to as “First Dog” while Bush was in office. Barney died at age 12 in 2013, after Bush left the White House. Miss Beazley, the Bush’s other Scottish Terrier, died in 2014 at age nine. In the Facebook post, Bush advocated for adopting or rescuing dogs from shelters. “If you could use a little extra joy in your life, consider adopting a pet from an animal shelter or rescue group,” he wrote.
Frederick, Maryland - A bear was shot and killed Thursday morning after a woman in Frederick, Maryland was attacked the evening before, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed.
According to officials, around 9:30 p.m. 63-year-old Karen Osborne was walking to her son-in-law's house next door to check on their dog that was barking when she was attacked by the bear on Irongate Lane, in between Baltimore National Pike and Shookstown Road. It appears the woman got in between the bear her cubs. The bear weighed 200 pounds. "It was not a bear that was sort of laying in wait for the homeowner. The best we can tell is she went down a dark driveway with a dog. There was another dog in the driveway off leash and the sow had her cubs there and she reacted to what she believed was a threat."
Police reported, Osborne suffered a broken arm, cuts to her head, and puncture wounds to both arms.
