If you fancy taking your dog out for a lengthy walk in the countryside, rather than your local park or surrounding area, then having a car with a big boot can be hugely beneficial. This includes 4x4s, which offer lots of room for your pooch, while also being able to cross tricky rural terrain. But veterinary experts are warning dog owners who use such vehicles to not let their pet jump down from the boot as it may cause injury, a new study reveals. The scientists behind the experiment, from Hartpury University Centre in Gloucester, concluded that a ramp should be set up from the boot to the ground instead. Dogs should walk down the ramp so as not to damage their legs from the impact of a jump.
What happens if you die before your cat or dog? It’s a question being addressed increasingly as more people are including pets in their estate planning. PETS ARE PROPERTY In the eyes of the law pets are property. But ask any pet guardian – otherwise known as a pet owner – if Fido or Fluffy is on equal footing with their other possessions and most will say ‘no.’ Increasingly, dogs, cats and other companion animals are the subject of bitter custody fights when couples divorce, and are gaining the upper paw when it comes to estate planning. While the law classifies pets as property, it does recognize that they’re qualitatively different than, say, a sofa or nightstand or the ’69 Camaro you painstakingly restored. In fact, it’s a crime in all 50 states to abandon an animal, an issue brought into sharp and painful relief during the ongoing home foreclosure crisis. Many animals die when once-responsible owners feel they have no choice but to abandon their pets, falsely assuming that someone from the bank will quickly come to their animals’ rescue. Rarely is this the case and a once-beloved family member is literally left to die. To read more on this story, click here:Pets and Estate Planning
This bizarre range of shoes may make the owner feel like they have one foot in the grave. Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to £3,900 ($5,051.94 U.S. dollars), and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga. Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves. The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages. She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation. The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining. She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy. 'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street. 'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.' The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel. While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail. Describing her inspiration Ms. Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect. 'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.' The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna. Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable. Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.' Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.
Extreme dressing: A pair of shoes featuring cream horse fur with a front zip and bone heel
Suffer for your art: The heels can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable
Macabre: This pair of snakeskin heels show a snake seemingly eating its own tail
Some of Iris Schieferstein's most controversial designs include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves
Sculptor and artist Iris Schieferstein has been using dead animals for her works, here she models a hat made from a dead bird
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What is our society thinking?...or are they! I hope these pictures are photoshopped. Apparently, a new trend is getting tattoos put on your pets, particularly any pet that is hairless. In Russia, the hairless Sphinx is the most frequent tattoo victim. Yes, I said victim. In the 1980s before the microchip was invented for identifying pets, it wasn’t uncommon to tattoo pets with an identification number, often on their inner ear or bellies while they were under anesthesia for another procedure such as spaying or neutering. I think animals should never, ever be put under just for a tattoo. Note: some of the images may be photoshopped. Very hard to verify.
Body Modified Dog - Thank GOD this one is totally photoshopped. I hope.
Cosmetic Tattoos - This poor Dalmatian had a pink nose, which is a failure in the breed standard. So his owner got his nose tattooed.
In the ear tattoos - Dogs are often tattooed in their ears, usually with an ID number to help find them if they get lost. But this whole image thing is new.
Sphinx Cat with Ink - By far the most common pet that gets tattooed appears to be the hairless breeds, such as the Sphinx cat pictured here. This could be fake/photoshopped, but it looks pretty much like human tattoos do.
Jack Russel Belly Tattoo - So this poor dog got a Hello Kitty tattoo on it's belly.
Cat immediately post-tattoo - In this photo, the cat is still anesthetized following it's tattoo. I found several shots of this cat being tattooed while under, so I do think it's real. It's a beautiful tattoo. Just wish it was on someone that could give consent.
It's likely these are fake...I hope.
Yes, another hairless Sphinx sporting what looks like real ink. That's a lot of ink for a little cat. I'd say it took 3 hours at least.
Daschund Belly Ink - This little guy has a tiny tattoo on his belly. Likely done when it was spayed/neutered and didn't take too much time.
Louis Vutton Pigs - Apparently, tattooing pigs is a HUGE thing. Seriously,
Koko, the gorilla who mastered sign language and became a pop-culture phenomenon, will be laid to rest Saturday in a ceremony at an animal sanctuary in Northern California where she lived for decades. The western lowland gorilla died in her sleep Tuesday morning at the age of 46, according to the Gorilla Foundation, which is headed by animal psychologist Francine "Penny" Patterson, who worked with and cared for Koko since the primate was a year old. Koko was renowned as one of the most intellectual apes in history, beloved by millions of people around the world. Under Patterson's tutelage, she learned more than 1,000 words in sign language and came to understand over 2,000 words spoken to her in English. "She taught me more than I taught her, for sure," Patterson, 71, told ABC News in a telephone interview Thursday. "She had opportunities to show her brilliance and that’s what we saw. We saw a person, really. She had all the attributes of a person and then some." To read more on this story, click here:Koko, The Famous Gorilla Who Learned Sign Language, to Be Laid to Rest at Animal Sanctuary
After two years of dating, it was time for Arran and me to take the next step in our relationship. Arran was attractive, successful, funny and kind. He was, above all, loyal — and I was thrilled we'd be moving in together. I was less happy, however, that our living together meant living with his cat. I'm a dog person, and own a pit bull named Spud. Although I am not particularly a cat person, I particularly disliked Chloe. She was overweight and tattered looking, smelly and unfriendly — except at three in the morning, when she'd sit on your face, demanding pets. But Arran loved her, and so I kept my criticisms to myself. Seeing that I have a rent-controlled, one-bedroom apartment in a prime neighborhood in Manhattan, it was decided we'd all be moving into my place. In the beginning, the biggest question was where we'd put the litter box. I approached the challenge cheerfully. I googled "small space litter box solutions" and researched clever ways to disguise the smell. To read more on this story, click here:It Was Either Me or the Cat — And I Won
Sugar gliders are popular exotic pets. They're small, cute, and unique little animals. But just as you would with any other exotic pet, a potential sugar glider owner should be aware of the care requirements and personality traits of a sugar glider before getting one. Sugar gliders are a long term commitment, living up to 14 years in captivity, and require a special diet, lots of attention, and space. Sugar Gliders in the Wild Baby sugar gliders start life off in their mother’s pouch and are referred to as joeys, just like kangaroos. Because of this unique start to life, sugar gliders are classified as marsupials, not rodents like the similarly looking flying squirrel. All wild sugar gliders are from Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea where they live in tree tops. They get their sweet and airborne name from the food they eat and their characteristic mode of transportation. Their namesake diet includes nectar and sap from trees and they are often seen gliding between branches using unique flaps of skin called patagium. Sugar gliders are omnivorous, so in addition to the nectar and sap, they will also eat both plant material and meat including fruit, insects, and even small birds or rodents. To read more on this story, click here:Are Sugar Gliders Good Pets?
This tiny patient at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital weighs just one gram and is their smallest visitor. She fell out of her mother's pouch and now needs careful care. Boop is a baby feathertail glider and has amassed many fans on social media. A spokesperson for the hospital said Boop will one day return for the wild - but for now she needs careful care. To read more on this story, click here:This Baby Feathertail Glider Weighs Just 1 Gram - and is Going to Get Even Cuter
