These adorable chinchillas come from a breeder called Cameron, based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. He specializes mainly in breeding show quality violet chinchillas that, as a feature, have these perfectly round butts. Don’t worry, they’re not being overfed or groomed everyday to look that round, it’s just how their fur naturally looks like. On Cameron’s website http://camchinchillas.webs.com/ many people state that the chinchillas are being taken care of extremely well, they have lots of toys, are being played with daily and are as happy as any chinchilla could be. Don’t forget to follow Cameron on Facebook/Instagram for more pics of this round fluffy goodness!
From Cameron's Chinchillas Facebook Page: Indie my beige carrying violet female took Best Young Mutation and Reserve Best Mutation at the Southern Region Chieveley show yesterday! FYI: Incase anyone is wondering Indie does not live in this cage - it is for exhibition only so the chinchilla can be individually graded by a professionally trained judge by the National Chinchilla Society's show criteria - whilst some stress is in life is unavoidable, care is taken to ensure the chinchillas are kept in a cool, quiet hall. Most of the chinchillas spend the majority of the day asleep in their show cages and are only briefly disturbed during judging (although many aren't phased by this and may even stay asleep). Breeders ensure a sufficient rest period has been provided after each show, otherwise the chinchilla will lose condition and subsequently not place as well. Generally it's advised to take one chinchilla to no more than three or four shows to get a range of expert opinions from judges. If anyone has any questions about showing please feel free to ask.
A new law in San Francisco has made it illegal to sell dogs and cats obtained from mills within the city. The bill targets puppy mills and kitten factories that put animals in horrible conditions in order to crank out cute puppies and kittens that can be sold for a profit. Under the new law, only rescue animals can be sold in pet stores. The law does not extend to licensed breeders who give their animals proper care, but it does also ban the sale of animals under eight weeks old. While there currently aren’t any pet stores in San Francisco that sell animals obtained from mills, the bill will discourage new businesses that don’t obtain their pets ethically. San Francisco isn’t the first city in the United States to enact such a law. Austin, Boston, Chicago, Piladelphia, Los Angeles, and Sand Diego have all passed similar laws. Hopefully more cities will follow the example and make sure that puppy mills and kitten factories are brought to an end. Every rescue animal deserves a chance, and laws like this help make sure they find the forever homes they need.
Temperatures in the Chicago area have plunged below freezing, and with months of winter still ahead, officials in Harwood Heights have taken new steps to protect animals from extremely cold weather. Harwood Heights trustees, at the Dec. 8 village board meeting, approved revisions to an existing animal cruelty ordinance that make it illegal to confine an animal in a way that denies it access to shelter. The revised ordinance makes it an act of cruelty to improperly care for animals by not protecting them from the weather. It also adds to the definition of "abuse and neglect" by including animal owners who leave pets exposed to prolonged periods of unsheltered exposure to extreme cold or heat. The village already had an ordinance in the books to address the treatment of animals, but Trustee Therese Schuepfer said it lacked clear definitions of several important terms when determining the state of animal care. "The amendment added new definitions to reduce any ambiguity," Schuepfer said. "There were not precipitating events that prompted this change, rather the amendment of this ordinance is a reflection of our ongoing attempt to provide clear statements of village ordinances." In Harwood Heights, the updated anti-cruelty ordinance gives the village more authority to enforce measures to protect pets. Pet owners who get caught leaving what the village defines as a "companion animal" — a cat, dog or horse — outside in the cold, for a period of time long enough to cause the animal to suffer, could face penalties, including fines and losing custody of their pet. Police officers, under the updated ordinance, can now enter private property to investigate complaints of animal cruelty. If a pet owner refuses entry, authorities can get a search warrant to enter, according to the ordinance. Mistreated animals can be confiscated by the village, and pet owners who violate the animal cruelty law can face a fine of between $500 and $5,000 for each violation. The fines would be decided by an administrative hearing officer. The action was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda. Determining a pet's threshold for cold weather is simple, according to Dr. Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago. She said if it's too cold for a human, then it's too cold for an animal. Different dog breeds are able to handle cold weather better than others, such as a husky, which is protected by the winter chill by its dense fur designed for cold climates, Barbiers said. But many dogs with thinner hair, like pit bulls and greyhounds, for example, get cold faster. "What many people sometimes don't realize is that pets get frostbite on their extremities like ears and feet, just like humans," Barbiers said. Frostbite, in part caused by the cold slowing a pet's blood flow, is just one of the dangers cold conditions pose to pets. Road salt and ice can become lodged in the paws of cats and dogs, causing discomfort and sometimes cuts if the ice is sharp enough, according to Barbiers. She said cats need protection from the cold, too. Barbiers advises people to call their local animal control if they see a cat roaming outdoors in the cold and to try to contain the animal in a garage or porch until help arrives. "If it's a free-roaming cat, it has to be picked up," Barbiers said. "A lot of stray cats can be adopted, or if they're feral, they can be placed into colonies." She said extremely cold conditions, which the Chicago area has been experiencing in December, can be especially dangerous for dogs, cats and other animals whose owners leave them in a yard with no shelter from the wind and snow. "Unfortunately, some pet owners view animals as property and not as part of the family," Barbiers said. "Any pets left outside need adequate shelter, and that doesn't mean a simple wooden dog house, but one with proper bedding that's raised off the ground and protects from the wind and wet weather." Other tips on helping pets survive the winter offered by Barbiers include honking the horn of a car before starting the engine (a small animal could have crawled inside for warmth) and cleaning up any antifreeze spills to protect pets and wildlife from poisoning.
Recreating the wild wild west out of discarded farm equipment, South Dakota-based artist John Lopez’s amazing metal sculptures will blow your mind! Check them out below: Eco-friendly and full of personality, these welded figures perfectly capture the iconography of the American West — a bison, a horse with a plow, a Texas Longhorn — a past reconfigured out of recycled materials. Lopez began his career as a bronze sculptor, but realized the versatility of scrap metal when he forged a family grave for his deceased aunt. It creates a unique aesthetic, a kind of mishmash punk sensibility in his beautiful and imposing artwork. It pays respect to the past while also playing with the idea of renewing and reconfiguring familiar imagery into something completely different. Where have you seen a cowboy riding a dinosaur before? “My favorite part about these pieces is the texture,” explains Lopez. “I just start grabbin’ stuff from the pile and welding it, in and if you weld enough of the same thing on over and over it creates this really cool texture that I’ve never seen in these kinds of pieces before. And I think that’s what draws people in.” Blurring the line between organic, artificial, and symbol, Lopez’s art is sure to leave an impact! It’s striking how well they blend into the Midwestern scenery.
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.
