Sharing from, Dr. Karen Becker, DVM Dr. Becker's Comments: Today I want to give you my skunk rinse recipe, and here's hoping you never have to use it! If, heaven forbid, your dog or cat is ever sprayed by a skunk, you should have this recipe on hand. The sooner you apply the solution to your pet's fur, the sooner he'll get relief and smell better. Skunk Rinse Recipe Tomato juice isn't nearly as effective as this recipe, and it's easy to follow. In a pail mix: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide (the 3 percent hydrogen peroxide variety) ¼ cup baking soda 2 teaspoons dishwashing liquid If you have a large breed dog, you may need to double, triple or even quadruple the mixture. Wear dishwashing or other household gloves if you like during the whole de-skunking process. Don't wet down your pet. Apply the mixture to your pet's dry coat from the collar back toward the tail. Don't pour it near the eyes because the hydrogen peroxide solution can burn them. Lather the mixture into your pet's coat and skin. Rub the solution around for about five minutes or until the skunk smell starts to dissipate. If the front of your pet is as stinky as the back, use a sponge to apply the solution to your pet's chin, cheeks, forehead and ears, being very careful not to go near the eyes. When you rinse the head area, tilt your pet's chin upward so the solution does not run down into the eyes, instead allow the water to run back off his neck. Do a complete rinse once the smell starts to decrease, then repeat the entire process again. You may need to repeat the lather and rinse process up to three times, but it's a very effective method for removing the skunk smell from your pet. Make sure to completely rinse the solution off your pet. Your final rinse should be very thorough. You can't prepare this solution ahead of time and store it – it won't be effective when you need it. It must be made fresh, right before you apply it to your pet. So it pays to make sure you have all the ingredients ahead of time! Good luck … and I hope you never have to use my skunk rinse recipe! In this short video, Dr. Karen Becker shares the very effective method she uses to get rid of skunk smell on pets.
As tragic as it may be to watch Bubbles roam around the tank with nothing but a plastic treasure chest for entertainment, the truth is he wasn't meant to be in a bigger pond. According to researchers at Australia's Murdoch University, giving in to your temptation to set him free in a local lake won't just leave you without a pet — it'll kick start some serious ecological sabotage. As revealed in a study published by their Freshwater Fish Group & Fish Health Unit, "introduced freshwater fishes are one of the major global threats to aquatic biodiversity." And this isn't just some fish story. When dumped into a larger environment, those innocent little koi or goldfish grow at an exponential rate, introduce parasites that harm other species, and have the potential to decimate an ecosystem. "They are eating up the food resources and using up the habitat that our native fish would otherwise be using,"research fellow Jeff Cosgrove told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Even worse? They can be "extremely difficult to eradicate," says Cosgrove. In other words, they're not going belly-up anytime soon.
It’s adorable, that’s for sure. But is it healthy to smooch on your dog or let your dog lick you? Differing Views Medical literature shows mixed opinions, says Dr. Glenn Wortmann, section chief of Infectious Diseases at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Though, for the vast majority of people, it’s probably safe. Wortmann isn’t a dog owner, but says of people kissing their dogs, “I think most people do it. It’s certainly a mixed bag.” Dr. Shelley Rankin, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, recommends against it. “It’s my belief, professionally and personally, that you should not let your dog lick your face,” says Rankin, who studies disease transmission between pets and people. Rankin doesn’t have dogs — she’s a cat person. She has two, one of which is a licker, but she says she doesn’t let him lick her face. Some of the Risks It’s a myth that dog saliva is cleaner than human saliva. There are hundreds of different types of bacteria in a dog’s mouth and, though it’s small, there’s a risk for disease transmission when a dog gives you kisses on your face or mouth, Rankin says. Pasteurella, a bacterium that lives in the mouths of some dogs and cats, is one of the more common pathogens people can contract from a dog lick or bite. It can cause an infection if it comes into contact with an open sore or wound, Wortmann says. It’s an infection that can progress very quickly in some people; however, it can be treated with antibiotics. Dr. Thomas Nolan, adjunct professor of parasitology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, notes that transferring parasites is also possible, but unlikely. Parasites like giardia and cryptosporidium are infectious as they leave a dog in its stool. So, if an infected dog licks himself and then offers up kisses, it would be possible to transmit the parasites. But, according to Nolan, the number of parasitic cysts passed on from a lick is probably not high enough to cause you to get ill. When You Should Take Extra Care The experts agree there’s no way to tell how many people actually get sick from smooching their dog. However, there are some people who are more at risk for becoming ill. Take babies, for instance, Rankin says. While it may be cute to see a pup lavishing an infant with kisses, it’s not healthy. That’s because babies’ immune systems aren’t fully developed. Other people more at risk for getting sick from kissing their dog include those with compromised immune systems — for instance, a diabetic or someone receiving chemotherapy, Wortmann says. Additionally, pregnant women, the elderly and people with open sores on their faces — such as teenagers with pimples — are at greater risk. Rankin explains, “Anywhere the skin is broken, there’s potentially a risk.” Wortmann agrees. If a patient has an open wound and is exhibiting certain symptoms, he’ll ask if that person is a pet owner. For instance, he’s had cases in which a pet licked the open wound of a diabetic and that person became ill. Responsible pet ownership reduces the risk of disease transmission. Rankin says, “Obviously, some zoonotic diseases are preventable.” In addition to regular veterinary care, it’s important to deworm your dog and keep him from scavenging, she advises. Another concern is around dog bites, which happen to 4.5 million Americans each year. You may think your sweet pooch would never hurt you, but the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists notes, "Any dog, including the floppy-eared family pet you share your bed with, may bite." As trainer Mikkel Becker explains, when you are face to face with a dog, you can be intruding on your pet's personal space, which may be threatening to the dog, and particularly risky for children. According to The American Humane Association, 66 percent of bites among children occur to the head and neck. So, abstaining from kissing and licking is the best tactic — if you can help yourself, Rankin says. “Is there a risk? Absolutely. Should you do it? No. Will you do it? Probably,” Rankin says.
Julie Franceschini was heartsick when she had to return her new Yorkshire terrier to the pet store, unable to afford the pricey medical care a veterinarian said it would need. But the teacher and Town of Poughkeepsie resident was furious, she said, when she learned the tiny black and brown puppy, though ill, had been put back in the store window. So she called the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Franceschini's misbegotten purchase, in March 2011, kicked off a probe, SPCA officials confirmed, that led to the seizure of 10 dogs from the newly opened Puppies & Kittens store in Wappingers Falls, the arrest of owner Richard Doyle and his guilty plea to one count of selling a diseased animal under the state's animal cruelty statute. While Doyle met the terms of an agreement to do better by his live animals, seven other store customers nonetheless told the Poughkeepsie Journal of newly purchased puppies that soon became sick, some incurring vet bills in the thousands. That includes three puppies sold in March — a figure Doyle said was very low considering he sold 231 dogs in that time. "My problem ratio is less than 2 percent," said Doyle, who has three stores operating under the name American Breeders. Puppy seller blames humane group: ASPCA says better care needed Contending the dogs were "not that sick," he said, "It drives me nuts that a vet can sit and charge even $1,000 for a dog with pneumonia and kennel cough." The "worst case" of pneumonia, he said, should cost no more than $50 to treat. Indeed, some of the bills, provided by owners to the Journal, are far higher. One owner spent $3,500 to hospitalize an Australian shepherd named Jack for pneumonia. A 20-year-old student carrying college loans has so far spent $3,400 to treat a Jack Russell terrier mix, Muffin, for life-threatening parvovirus, which killed another puppy among the seven cases. And Karen Kessler of Hopewell Junction has racked up $7,000 in veterinary fees for an English bulldog named Petunia. "She was a sick, sick, very sick little dog," said Kessler, adding she deferred paying her mortgage to care for Petunia, 15 weeks old. "It really wiped us out." Gaps in law Inspections by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets show the Dutchess store has been deemed "compliant" in 12 inspections since January 2011, including one in December after a customer returned a sick dog. But the problems encountered by these customers, undoubtedly a minority of buyers at Puppies & Kittens, demonstrates what animal-welfare experts say are glaring gaps in statutes governing the sale of these pets. Under the state law, animal welfare officers cannot take action if puppies get sick after purchase, they said, even though the pets may be incubating serious illness, like kennel cough, pneumonia and even deadly parvovirus, before. And the law requires reimbursement only up to the price of the dog, though vet costs can go much higher. "Despite the search warrants, resulting animal seizures, criminal charges and complaints from consumers," said SPCA Senior Humane Law Officer Kim McNamee, "these stores still remain in business." She called state law "antiquated" and inadequate to address pet-store issues. While the SPCA enforces animal-protection laws, only the state can revoke licenses. Figures show it has pulled store licenses five times in the last five years; three of the revocations were for a chain with one shop in Yonkers. Currently, there are 274 licensed pet dealers, including stores and breeders. In response to questions about the Puppies & Kittens store, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, which oversees pet sellers, said in a statement for this article: "We are investigating the owner's cruelty convictions and will take appropriate action once this investigation is complete." Doyle declined comment on the statement and ended a phone interview, maintaining the Journal had spurred the investigation and was on a "witch hunt." In addition to the revoked licenses, the department handed out $13,500 in pet-retailer fines in the latest fiscal year, including to dog breeders. Some animal-welfare advocates see such figures as anemic — or "absurd," said Deborah Howard, president of the Massachusetts-based Companion Animal Protection Society, who contended the agency seldom cites violations. Moreover, the enforcement efforts — defended as robust by state officials — do little to curb what the SPCA and others see as the underlying problem: a profitable and harmful trade in puppies that begin life in factory-like breeding facilities in states like Iowa, Kansas or Missouri, as reported in the Journal March 29. There, adult dogs — considered livestock under federal law — are confined to cages, while their vulnerable offspring are birthed, weaned and transported in ways that can make them sick. And while such conditions are legal, the Journal's report showed two local puppy stores, Puppies & Kittens in particular, at times used breeders with violations involving lack of veterinary care, dirty water and vermin infestations. "They are aware these animals do not come from the best of conditions, are exposed to many illnesses, overcrowding and are under a lot of stress from transporting," SCPA's McNamee said, referring to puppy stores. "They should be exemplary in their care standards but seem to fall short." She suggested the store should alert recent puppy buyers to the parvovirus case, while testing dogs that came in contact with the puppy. Agriculture department officials said Wednesday they would visit the store to see if proper follow-up was done. Meantime, the dog's owners, Meghan and Geniene Arnold, 19 and 20 years old, have struggled to fund hospital care as the dog teetered between life and death. The terrier had been transported from Missouri by a broker cited for overcrowded vans in 2013 and other violations, records show. Wrenching choice Puppies & Kittens is not the only local seller to have puppies get sick after purchase. Two customers of The Pet Zone in the Town of Poughkeepsie Galleria also told of buying puppies that soon began coughing and became lethargic, even unresponsive. As vet bills mounted, they, and the other puppy buyers interviewed, faced a traumatic choice under the state's pet "lemon" law that to most was no choice at all. They could trade the pet in for cash or a new dog. Or they could be compensated for costs, but only up to the price of the dog, generally from about $1,000 to $3,000. Most kept the animals, over which they had become fiercely protective. "The dog stays in my hands," insisted Lena DiSiena of the Town of Poughkeepsie, when offered an exchange at The Pet Zone for her daughter's $1,600 Shih-poo, Chase, sick with Bordatella or kennel cough. "I will nurture it." In another Pet Zone case, a Town of Poughkeepsie man, Scott Sweeney, bought a 1.8-pound Havanese, Charlie, in February 2014 that soon turned critically ill. Pet Zone officials acknowledged that refunds were given for the two dogs. DiSiena was paid $855 for medical care. Sweeney was refunded nearly three times the cost of the dog, store owner Ted Bell said, the outcome of a small claims lawsuit. Sweeney won his case for veterinary bills — and circumvented the lemon law limit — by relying on a 2009 Appellate Division case. In that case, a judge ruled a sick dog was a defective product under the state commercial code, entitling its owner "to recover the resulting veterinary expenses." "It was a couple long nights, a lot of anger, a lot of emotions," Sweeney said of the experience. "I think that that (lemon) law needs to be re-examined." Last August, the Pet Zone store was cited for two "critical" violations of state animal-welfare regulations when a Cavalier/Cocker and a Pomeranian puppy were "in the sales room ... coughing and sneezing," an inspection report states. Bell said, "the puppies were immediately taken to the veterinarian ... (and) found to be healthy." Another inspection a week later found the store in compliance. Warning issued While Puppies & Kittens was found not to have violations, records show eight of 12 inspections were marked "special" — usually those prompted, officials said, by complaints or concerns; one report in December referred to a returned puppy that had been reported sick. It isn't known how often pet-store pups turn ill; no state figures are kept on dogs declared by vets to be "unfit for purchase," the legal term that allows owner refunds. But the Dutchess SPCA warned, after the 2011 seizure of seven ill puppies from a Galleria pet store that has since closed, of buying at pet stores or online because of where puppies originate. Pet-store purchases, said Matt Bershadker, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in a statement to the Journal, "are feeding the profit-making machine that keeps these cruel puppy mills in business." Among pet-store puppy buyers, pneumonia was the most common problem of sick dogs. It can be caused by exposure to many pathogens but most commonly to kennel cough, a highly contagious canine disease, according to Dr. Justin Nowowiejski, a critical care clinician at VCA Animal Specialty and Emergency Center in Wappingers Falls, a 24-hour care center to which vets refer seriously ill animals. The vet said in the last few months he had seen three puppies with pneumonia that had been bought at Puppies & Kittens and none from Pet Zone. Bethany Wise, 20, of the Town of Poughkeepsie bought a tiny white Maltese puppy last Sept. 30 at Puppies & Kittens; Rosie was declared unfit last Oct. 4, four days after her purchase for $1,400, medical and sale documents show. "Pet is emaciated and ill" with digestive and respiratory issues, wrote Dr. Bette Meyer-Davis of Dutchess Animal Clinic, Wappingers Falls. "I cannot predict future costs of treatment." $25,000 spent That assessment sums up a quandary faced by owners of sick puppies: How much to treat. In one pneumonia case, Nowowiejski, the VCA vet, said $25,000 was spent on a dog that did not survive; it was not known if it was purchased at a pet store. Elena Reitberger of Wappingers Falls has paid nearly $5,000 in hospital and outpatient care for her daughter's Australian shepherd, Jack, bought March 11 and declared unfit on March 29. A silky black and brown pup with a white blaze between the eyes, Jack waged a battle for his life that involved nebulization, oxygen and intravenous medications, records show. Reitberger's daughter, Lisa Querrazzi of Clintondale, took him home April 1, hoping she and her fiancé Jane DiDonato could maintain his health there. The pup was so fragile that, like Karen Kessler and her bulldog, she felt it could jeopardize the dog's health to have a photographer shoot a picture. Doyle, the Puppies & Kittens owner, had a simple solution to the thousands in bills racked up by these customers: let one of his four vets treat the dogs. "They didn't have to pay that money. They chose to," he said. Care would have been free, he said, "if they pulled the dog ... They could bring the dog to the vet and there would be no bill — they just don't believe in that system." Reitberger said when Jack got sick, she was told by the store manager only to bring him back for nebulization — "never that a vet would take care of him for free." But "he was beyond a vet; he had to go to a hospital." And when the terrier with parvovirus turned critically ill, Arnold and her family did seek care through the store, they said. But it was the Saturday night before Easter, and the vet's office was closed, they were told. One owner, Maureen Feltman of Cold Spring, said she was reimbursed by the store for veterinary care of her Shih Tzu-Bichon mix, Jingles; the puppy died about a week after purchase last October of parvovirus, leaving Feltman, 71, bereft. She was one of six owners to get money back from the store on the dog's cost (one did not pursue a refund). A veterinarian who provides services to Doyle's local store, Dr. Jay Weiss, said he sees all store pups after arrival and rules few unfit. "In my experience, they do as well as they can with the 8-week-old puppies that they have," he said of the store. The Yorkie, meantime, named Sawyer by her former owner, Franceschini, was nursed back to health and adopted from the SPCA, officials said. "The vet said this is going to be a long process ... with multiple vet visits, multiple medications," Franceschini said. "I thought bringing him back would get the care that he needed, and that wasn't the case." Doyle was ordered as part of his guilty plea to pay Franceschini $922, among $2,140 in restitution to three customers. (The store manager, Elizabeth Mesquita, denied it was being offered for sale when seized.) Jessica Segal, a Dutchess County senior assistant district attorney who prosecuted the pet-store case, said Doyle met the terms of his plea deal. "He took it seriously, he did have a vet on staff, and he didn't have any more complaints," she said. To avoid such cases, animal-welfare advocates are pushing for stronger local laws. New York City recently enacted an ordinance that would ban puppy stores from buying from breeders with high-level violations or through intermediary brokers that sometimes shield where puppies are from. Howard, the protection society president who helped pass the city law, said sale of "puppy mill" pups should be banned completely — a provision state law forbids, or preempts, localities from enacting. "Preemption must be completely overturned," she said, "so that municipalities can mandate that pet shops not sell puppies, kittens unless they are from rescue organizations or shelters."
Holly, a Labrador retriever, was purchased at Puppies & Kittens Jan. 4 and hospitalized Jan. 6 for pneumonia, veterinary records show. This photo was taken during hospital treatment. The dog’s $1,400 cost was refunded. Holly is now five months old and doing well. (Photo: Christina Antolino/courtesy photo)
Holly, a Labrador retriever purchased Jan. 4, was hospitalized Jan. 6 for pneumonia, veterinary records show. The $1,400 cost of the dog was refunded. Shown here in February, Holly is now five months old and doing well. (Photo: Christina Antolino/courtesy photo)
This sick Yorkshire terrier was seized in 2011 by the SPCA from the Puppies & Kittens store in Wappingers Falls, SPCA officials said. The store owner, Richard Doyle, pleaded guilty to one count of selling a diseased animal and met conditions to provide better care, officials said. (Photo: SPCA/courtesy photo)
Lisa Querrazzi and her fiancé Jane DiDonato of Clintondale were joyful when they brought home a two-month-old Australian shepherd they named Jack on March 15. The dog was declared “unfit for purchase” on March 29 due to pneumonia; its cost was refunded but vet bills have run into the thousands. (Photo: Lisa Querrazzi/courtesy photo)
An Australian shepherd, Jack, purchased in March from Puppies & Kittens, is nebulized by his owner Lisa Querrazzi of Clintondale a day after release from a veterinary hospital. She preferred taking her own photo rather than allowing a photographer near the dog, whose condition was “guarded,” she said. (Photo: Lisa Querrazzi/courtesy photo)
Chase, a 14-month-old Shi Tzu-poodle mix, gets his belly scratched by owner Lena DiSiena of LaGrangeville. The puppy was diagnosed with kennel cough soon after purchase from The Pet Zone in the Town of Poughkeepsie, where officials refunded $855 for care. The store is currently in compliance with state regulations, records show. (Photo: Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal)
Lena DiSiena of LaGrangeville poses with Chase, a 14-month-old Shi Tzu-poodle mix. The puppy was diagnosed with kennel cough soon after purchase from The Pet Zone in the Town of Poughkeepsie, where officials refunded $855 for care. The store is currently in compliance with state regulations, inspection records show. (Photo: Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal)
Rosie, an eight-month-old Maltese, was diagnosed with digestive and respiratory problems shortly after purchase last September from Puppies & Kittens in Wappingers Falls and declared “unfit for purchase.” She poses with her owner, Bethany Wise, 20, of the Town of Poughkeepsie. The store is currently in compliance with state regulations, inspection records show. (Photo: Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal)
Rosie, an eight-month-old Maltese puppy, chews on a small piece of wood in her owner's home in Poughkeepsie. She has recovered from a digestive issue just after purchase. (Photo: Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal)
Sara Mazzella, 20, of New Paltz, and J.T. Ferraro, 21, of Highland, check out a French bulldog, priced at $2,499 at the Puppies & Kittens pet store in Wappingers Falls. They later adopted a rescue dog. (Photo: Mary Beth Pfeiffer/Poughkeepsie Journal)
Muffin, a 14-week-old terrier mix, was purchased March 25; she is shown here before she became ill and was hospitalized with parvovirus, her records show. The Puppies & Kittens store, which is violation-free, refunded her $899 purchase price, her owner said. (Photo: Geniene Arnold/courtesy photo)
Muffin, a 14-week-old terrier mix, is shown at a veterinary hospital last week, where she was being treated for life-threatening parvovirus, according to medical records. The Puppies & Kittens store refunded her $899 purchase price, her owner said. (Photo: Geniene Arnold/courtesy photo)
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There is nothing better than waking up to a warm, sunny morning and hearing the sound of baby birds happily tweeting away in their nests. During the first few weeks of spring, these baby birds will spend the majority of their time safely huddled in their nests until they learn to fly. Unfortunately, however, the time when baby birds are most reliant on their nests often coincides with spring landscaping season for humans. This can spell disaster for a new family of birds if the tree or bush where their nest is hidden is recklessly trimmed or pruned. For WildCare, a California-based animal rescue organization, springtime means an influx of orphaned baby songbirds who have sadly become the victims of irresponsible landscaping. Successfully rescuing and rehabilitating these little birds until they can be released requires an incredible amount of expertise and experience. These newborn birds require a highly specific diet and environment to thrive. To care for the hundreds of birds who end up at the sanctuary, WildCare started making tiny, knit nests to house the newborns.
As you can see in the photo below, most baby birds are no bigger than the size of a paperclip and need the nests to help keep them warm.
Depending on the species, these babies need to be fed every 25-45 minutes.
While they do require a lot of intensive care, these little guys can fledge over the course of one to three weeks and be released back into the wild shortly thereafter.
If you have a knack for knitting, you can help WildCare rescue orphaned songbirds by making one of these precious nests. For the instructions on how to do so, CLICK HERE
And remember, if you’re doing some yard work this spring, be sure to check your trees and shrubs for hidden birds’ nests before you start trimming! If you come across any orphaned or injured fledglings, be sure to contact a professional before trying to move or help the birds in any way. WildCare runs a 24-hour “Living with Wildlife” hotline that can help instruct you on the appropriate steps to take. If you are not located in California, you can also check out one of these hotlines for help. For more information on songbirds, visit the website below: Songbirds A Colorful Chorus
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St. Paul, Minn. - There's an adorable little teacup poodle, name Nala that loves all of the residents at the Lyngblomsten Care Center. "She's an angel," 90-year-old Ruth New says, as Nala climbs up on her bed and nuzzles in beside her. "I love her and she loves me," says New softly. Nala has never had any formal training in either pet therapy, or elevator operations, but manages to make her rounds daily from room-to-room, in the four story nursing home. "There's something about her," says Nala's owner Doug Dawson, a trained medications assistant at Lyngblomsten. He brings Nala to work each morning and puts her on the elevator. He goes his way, and off goes Nala to visit the residents. "She'd rather ride it alone than with people, because she knows where she's going," Dawson smiles. "If she could, she would push the button herself." Nala sets her own agenda, visiting residents who return her kindness by holding her in their laps and gently praising her. "Grandma loves her little girl," Carmen Flaherty tells Nala, as the poodle tucks in with her in bed. "I just love her," she says. "She knows where to come." Ironically, Nala washed out doing therapy work at another nursing home where Dawson used to work. "They said, 'You can have her,'" Dawson says. He blames Nala's previous failure on youth, and too much time spent in a kennel, that left her "whiny and neurotic." Now five-years-old and kennel-free, Nala has more than redeemed herself at Lyngblomsten. "If you put her down she'll pick out the person with Alzheimer's," says Dawson. She has a way of picking the sick." Nala also seems to sense when people are at life's end. Several people mentioned Izez Gugisberg's recent passing and the way Nala remained by her side. "She had died earlier in the morning, but Nala knew and went and sat with her," said Sandy Glomski, a Lyngblomsten staffer. "It was wonderful and we were all in tears." Dawson says he's constantly amazed, by both Nala's compassion and her ability to navigate the nursing home's floors on her own. "Where did this little being come from," he asks rhetorically. "She's here for a purpose. She really is doing God's work."
Auckland, New Zealand - If you've ever stopped by an octopus habitat at an aquarium, you'll often see objects such as jars or balls at the bottom of their tanks, partially to keep the cephalopods from getting bored and attempting a an escape. One octopus has been given a new toy that turns her into the world's first professional octophotographer: a waterproof Sony Cyber-shot DSC TX30. The octopus, named Rambo, has been trained to use the camera to take photos of visitors who stop by to see her at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand. "When we first tried to get her to take a photo, it only took three attempts for her to understand the process. That's faster than a dog," Rambo's trainer, Mark Vette, told Cult of Mac. "Actually, it's faster than a human in some instances." The camera is placed in a special casing in Rambo's tank, with a red plunger over the camera's shutter button. When Rambo wants to take a photo, she makes her way over to the casing, and pushes the plunger with her tentacle. Visitors can line up against a backdrop placed opposite the camera. What makes Rambo a professional photographer is that she -- or at least the aquarium -- gets paid for the photos, at NZ$2 a shot. A rotation of toys is necessary to keep octopuses stimulated -- it's only a matter of time before Rambo grows bored with her camera and seeks something new to play with. Perhaps she'd be interested in an underwater video camera to document her ennui?
The scene was Creve Coeur Lake outside of St. Louis, and the Washington University of rowing team, were out practicing on the lake. As the boat got near the dock, the splashing started, and suddenly a swarm of Asian Carp emerged from the water and went on the attack, some even got into the boat. One member Devin Patel, described the moment of terror: "The fish was flopping on my legs. They were so slippery that I couldn't get a grip on them." He screamed to a teammate, Yoni David, "get them off me!" Fortunately, no one was hurt during the ordeal, but the strong smell of fish lingered afterward.
