Indianapolis, IN - Second lady Karen Pence paid tribute to the cat Saturday on Twitter, saying Oreo "touched a lot of hearts in your little life." Oreo along with the family's other cat, Pickle, and rabbit, Marlon Bundo became famous in January, when the family moved to Washington, D.C. Oreo made his national debut in a photo of the U.S. Air Force flight, which Vice President Mike Pence tweeted. Since then, Marlon Bundo, better known as BOTUS (Bunny of the United States), has remained in the spotlight with an Instagram page. The black-and-white rabbit even has made White House appearances, recently stealing the show at an event for Military Appreciation Month. At the time, Karen Pence said he was "kind of famous," as the first bunny to ride on Air Force Two. CNN reported Oreo was 13 years old, according to an aide to the vice president.
Lakeland, Florida – A Lakeland couple is making sure their 17-year-old rescued Chihuahua’s golden years are his best, experiencing the love every dog should, the love he missed out on during years of abuse and neglect. Tiffany and Billy Hutto rescued Coffee Bean after he was left abandoned and abused on a street in Miami. The Huttos have now created a bucket list for Coffee Bean and are determined to check off as many items as possible. Coffee Bean has met Miss Florida, walked on the beach at sunset, and had a massage, complete with a manicure and pedicure. “I wanted him to know what it felt like to have unconditional love. So I decided, why not do ia bucket list,” his new mom Tiffany Hutto told WFLA. Tiffany contacted the city hoping to fulfill a few more items. Coffee Bean met City Manager Tony Delgado and was presented a “Bone to the City”. A trip to the Lakeland Fire Department made this little dog’s day when he got to sit in a big fire truck. Coffee Bean was also made an honorary K-9 for the day, with a badge placed around his neck by Lakeland Police Chief Larry Giddens. “I would say perseverance. Leading that kind of life and still have the will to get up and go and live out 17 years is pretty Extraordinary,” Lakeland Police Officer and K-9 Handler Chad Whitaker said. “We picked things around here that wouldn’t be so difficult to do, and wouldn’t tire him out. I think it’s helped him perk up because when we got him he was severely depressed,” Hutto said. They found Coffee Bean two months ago at Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue in Pinellas County. The organization rescues dying, critically ill and old dogs. According to the owner of the nonprofit rescue, Jaime Mcknight, Coffee Bean was a critical case. When he was rescued, she spent weeks at a vet clinic trying to save him when he originally arrived. His new family has several dogs with special needs. Hutto said she hopes to encourage other people to adopt animals with special conditions. As for Coffee Bean, he still has more items to cross off his list. You can follow Coffee Bean at his Facebook page.
Eighty ducks have allegedly died in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool within a matter of two days, the National Park Service reports. From May 20th to May 21st, approximately 80 ducks were found deceased in the Reflecting Pool, a press release reads. National Park Service (NPS) says a necropsy performed on the ducks revealed their death was caused by "high levels of parasites that developed and grew in snails that live in the pool." Chemicals alone are not sufficient enough to fully reduce the parasite and snail population, so the pool must be drained and cleaned, NPS says. NPS says humans who come into contact with the parasite could develop a "swimmer's itch:" an allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash. They say it is not contagious and rarely requires medical attention. It will take around two days for the pool to be fully drained, NPS says. Crews are set to clean the pool on Tuesday, June 13 and the pool is expected to begin refilling on Friday, June 16.
Vice President, Mike Pence owns an adorable black-and-white rabbit named Marlon Bundo. Bundo, along with his cat half-siblings, Oreo and Pickle, now are residents of Washington, D.C. Oreo and Pickle were carried off the U.S. Air Force passenger jet in the arms of then Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's wife, Karen, and daughter, Charlotte, but it took two men to transport Marlon Bundo's cage down the plane stairs to a waiting SUV. Pence tweeted a photo of the family with the pets mid-air, thanking the U.S. Air Force for the ride. Bundo's eyes seemed wide with excitement about his future home. The bunny isn't the first elected pet with a unique name: Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy had a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Herbert Hoover had a dog named Weejie. Benjamin Harrison had two opposums: Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. No word on whether Bundo has a plot to get fancier carrots in his food dish once he's in D.C., but it seems likely he made the Pence family an offer they couldn't refuse.
You’re about to meet an amazing woman who gave up her spacious home, complete with a pool and a view, just to care for her beloved cats. Lynea Lattanzio, 68, now lives in a small mobile home so she can better care for more than 1,000 felines. Over the course of her life, Lynea says she has taken in and lived with 28,000 cats! The self-proclaimed “ultimate crazy cat lady” loves their beauty, independence, and grace. Out of her own pocket, she began adopting and re-homing cats in the early ’90s. Once she became a vet technician, she was able to grow her mission and find the funds needed for food, litter, maintenance, staffing, and vets. Lynea’s trailer is situated on her six-acre property in California, known as Cat House on the Kings. It’s the state’s largest no-cage, no-kill sanctuary for feral and abandoned cats. She and her team of volunteers care for about 800 adult cats and 300 kittens. In the video below, courtesy of Barcroft TV, you’ll get a glimpse into the incredible Cat House, where feisty felines roam freely throughout a five-bedroom house. I guarantee that you’ve never seen anything like this before.
An Alabama man has found internet fame for his hat-making skills — not suited for humans, but for a toad that keeps frequenting his home. So, he decided to put a hat on it. “I have a background in art and design, but I’ve never made hats,” Newsome said. “I just sort of winged it, and used scissors to figure it out." He said he folded together some foam paper, and placed his design on the amphibian’s head. “It just sat there,” Newsome said. “[The toad] did not seem to mind, and I didn’t keep the hat on him for longer than the time it took to take a picture.” He explained toads often come out to play in his area over the summer, but this one, which he named Mr. Toad, would keep showing up on his porch, and even made friends with his cat and dog. Newsome said he eventually revisited the photos, and uploaded them to Imgur last week, where fans have now started commissioning him to make foam hats for their own pets. "I’m sure I can make a few more," Newsome joked.
When she was just 3 weeks old, Luna’s family found her wandering along the side of the road — and decided to adopt her. They have spoiled her with endless love and attention ever since, and when her 15th birthday was approaching, they decided to throw her a very special party. A quinceañera is a cultural tradition and rite of passage where a girl’s 15th birthday is marked with a big celebration. Since they love and cherish her so much, Luna’s family decided that she needed one, too. “Luna is an absolute sweetheart, loves curling up with people and loves laying on her back on the floor,” Angel Olavarria, Luna’s brother, told The Dodo. “We have spoiled her with abundant love and she has outlived all of our pets. On her 15th birthday we decided to give our little cheese ball a surprise quinceañera.” Olavarria’s mom came up with the idea to throw Luna a quinceañera almost a year before, and began working on plans for the party a week in advance. There would be lots of food, a cake, decorations, a guest list — and of course, a dress for the birthday girl. “My mom found the dress on Amazon,” Olavarria said. “I totally thought my mom was joking when she said she was going to order a dress for her, but my mom never jokes about our pets.” The party room was decked out with a pink tablecloth, balloons and even flowers. The family went all out, so that Luna would know just how special she is to them. When the big day arrived, Luna’s family put her in her fancy pink dress, sat her at the head of the table, and began celebrating the wonderful 15 years they’ve spent with her. There were 12 family members and friends in attendance, and they partied for three hours, enjoying good company and lots of food, including a traditional tres leches cake. Even Luna had fun — especially when she got her own special treat. “She was such a good sport through the whole thing that we think she actually knew we were celebrating her,” Olavarria said “She loved it even more when we opened up a nice can of tuna for her.” You can follow Luna and all of her adventures on her Instagram account.
This is Pam Pam, the kitty with the most mesmerizing eyes ever. See for yourself below, but don’t look at them for too long or you might never be able to look away again. The reason Pam Pam’s eyes look like this is because of a condition called heterochromia iridis. It’s characterized by abnormalities in the iris, and those affected by the condition have one eye with a different color than the other. Another type of the condition, called segmental heterochromia, causes different colors in the same eye. Heterochromia can be caused by inbreeding, genetic inheritance, or mutation, and in some breeds of cats, like the Turkish Angora, heterochromia is a desirable trait that breeders try to maintain. Inherited heterochromia iridis is harmless, and it can be found in both animals and humans. Click HERE to see animals with different variations of this condition.
The Spanish town of Trigueros del Valle only has about 330 people, but they’re people who love their animals. The town council voted unanimously to define dogs and cats as “non-human residents,” which gives them similar rights to humans in their municipality. The new act is largely targeted at bullfighting and bans any action that causes the mutilation or death of non-human residents. Whether or not this extends to putting a pet to sleep as an act of compassion is unclear, as there is no precedent for it. The town’s mayor, Pedro Perez Espinosa, says that his duty is to represent not just the human residents, but the residents of the whole town. Dogs and Cats included. Animal rights groups couldn’t be happier about the verdict. We’re in favor of those who recognize how important our furry family members are, too.
Given the importance we affix to looking someone (or something) else in the eyes, it's no wonder that heterochromic creatures, or creatures with two different eye colors, are so striking. Though heterochromia is fairly rare in humans, its occurrence is far higher among animals, especially cats. Heterochromia is a genetic trait that, depending on the creature it happens in, can be due to inbreeding, genetic inheritance or mutation. In some breeds of cats, like the Turkish Angora, heterochromia is a desirable trait that breeders try to maintain. One cat in this list – Venus – is heterochromic due to chimerism, a different genetic trait that causes her body to express different pigmentation genes for each half of her body.
Shortly before reporting to spring training with the Nationals after signing his record $210 million contract last January, Max Scherzer and his wife, Erica, adopted two dogs — Bo and Rafi — from a local animal shelter. Bo, who has one blue eye and one brown eye just like his no-hitter-tossing owner, and Rafi appeared with Scherzer in the Nationals’ 2015 pet calendar. During the season, the shepherd mixes learned to swim and how to be good dogs when off-leash. To read more on this story, click here:Max Scherzer and His Two Adorable Dogs Give Sarah McLachlan a Run for Her Money
“Every Rescue Animal Has a Story” PSA Campaign Debuts Washington, DC - The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) has enlisted the assistance of an All-Star to encourage the public to adopt rescue animals. Washington Nationals All-Star and two-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer and adoptable dog “Glee” star in the public service announcement, which will debut thiWas week. The public service announcement was recorded at HRA’s Oglethorpe Street Adoption Center this spring. During the video, Scherzer explains to viewers that every rescue animal has a story and describes Glee’s journey from the streets of Birmingham to an overcrowded Alabama shelter and finally to the Humane Rescue Alliance. Scherzer explains that rescue animals are often simply the victims of bad luck, but they have “lots of love to give” and he encourages the public to be a part of a rescue animal’s story. “Max –and Glee – did an outstanding job in this PSA and we’re thrilled that Max has volunteered his time to help us tell one of the many great stories we have here at HRA,” said Lisa LaFontaine, President and CEO of HRA. “Professional athletes have a unique public platform, and when they are willing to speak up for the less fortunate– in our case, homeless animals – it can be very powerful.” Animal welfare and pet adoption are important issues for Scherzer and his wife, who currently have four adopted dogs. Erica Scherzer currently serves on HRA’s board of directors. “Animals – and especially rescue animals – are an important part of our lives,” said Scherzer. “My wife Erica and I are proud to work with the Humane Rescue Alliance to help find homes for the dogs and cats that so desperately need them. Taping this PSA with Glee was a lot of fun, and we’re especially ecstatic that Glee has since found her forever home here in the city.” Shortly after the taping of the PSA, Glee, who was five months old at the time, was adopted by her forever family in Washington, DC. The PSA is being distributed to all local television outlets and can also be seen on the Humane Rescue Alliance website by visiting www.humanerescuealliance.org/maxscherzerpsa. The Scherzer-HRA PSA will be the first in a series featuring professional athletes from Washington, DC telling the stories of HRA adoptable pets.
About the Humane Rescue Alliance: The Humane Rescue Alliance 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.
