The Benefits of Keeping Praying Mantis as Pets Firstly, praying mantis are absolutely fascinating to watch. While they may lie motionless for hours on end, this is all part of a ruse; quite simply this is how mantis hunt. In nature, they hide in flowers and bushes, waiting for an unsuspecting insect to wander past unawares. At this point the mantis lashes out, grabbing the prey item with their spiky front legs. Their dinner is then secure. In the home, feeding your praying mantis can be a thoroughly absorbing, if somewhat nerve-wracking, experience. For such an aggressive hunter, mantis can be strangely docile with their owners. A further benefit of praying mantis as pets therefore is that they can generally be handled quite safely. In general, a praying mantis will happily walk from hand to hand. Incase you’re wondering right now they’re also highly unlikely to try and take a chunk out of your finger. The only proviso here is that the adults develop wings so they are capable of flying away if you annoy them. In other words, while you can safely handle youngsters, when it comes to holding the adults, try to ensure your windows are closed to avoid escapees. Lastly, keeping praying mantis as pets gives you an opportunity to enter another world. Keeping a praying mantis can be rather like having your own zoo; you get to watch your pet growing up, hunting, changing its skin, and reaching maturity. If you’re lucky, you’ll even have an opportunity to breed these fascinating insects and watch the whole circle of life completed. For those who enjoy watching all the activity and life in a fish tank, praying mantis can be equally fascinating. Luckily, with a few simple bits of equipment and a little practise, praying mantis are also quite easy to keep as pets. This can make them even more tempting captives. To read more on this story, click here:Keeping Praying Mantis as Pets: The Beginners Guide
The Shih Tzu (pronounced Shid Zoo in singular and plural), is undoubtedly one of the world’s oldest dog breeds. The Shih Tzu is often referred to as a "small lion." They originated in Tibet, but are most associated with China where they were highly revered as a palace pet and prized companion. The Shih Tzu is an active, happy, and affectionate breed. A compact and solid dog, the Shih Tzu’s long, flowing double coat is its most distinctive feature. The word Shih Tzu means "lion" and although this dog is sweet and playful, they are not afraid to stand up for themselves! Temperament: Shih Tzu love to strut around the house with their head held high and tail wagging! They strut like they own the place! Most have an outgoing, happy, friendly personality! Shih Tzu tend to get a little bossy as they reach the adult age, and quiet down when they get to be seniors. They love to be spoiled at all ages! Human Companions: The ideal companion for the Shih Tzu would be singles, seniors, families with older children. Though good family dogs, Shih Tzu are not especially good with very young children. They cannot be handled roughly or awkwardly and tend to get snappish when their patience wears thin. Size: Shih Tzu usually weigh between 9 and 16 pounds full grown, and measure between 10 – 11 inches in height. Colors: Shih Tzu come in a rainbow of colors. They are Liver and white, cream, black, brindle and white, solid blue (rare), solid brindle, gold and white, black and white, solid white, solid red, red and white, solid silver, silver and white. The Body: The Shih Tzu body is slightly longer than tall, its legs straight and muscular, and its feet firm and well-padded.The head is round, broad, and wide between the eyes, and in balance with the rest of the dog. The dark eyes are large and round; the ears are natural and heavily feathered; the muzzle is square, short and unwrinkled, and flat; lips and chin should neither protrude nor recede. The jaw is undershot, the incisors of the lower jaw overlap the incisors of the upper jaw. The Coat: The coat is long and flowing and generally grows in an upward direction from his nose, which is why you’ll often see him with his fur tied on top of his head. The growth of his fur in all directions from his face has earned him the nickname “chrysanthemum-faced dog.” Most show dogs have the long flowing coat, however, most pet owners like to keep the hair cut short. Health: Basically healthy, the Shih Tzu is subject to a kidney disease called renal dysplasia, and to slipped stifles or kneecaps. His slightly protruding eyes are prone to injury, and his short muzzle often produces slight wheezing problems.
You can live harmoniously alongside your cat with claws and still maintain nice furniture by understanding a bit more about your cat’s natural behaviors, and enriching your home with items your cat can scratch. Let’s learn more about your cat’s amazing body. Why Do Cats Have Claws? Your domestic cat has maintained their instincts of their wild ancestors. Cats’ claws are physically unique and serve several functions. The forelimb claws are retractable and allow her to expose or retract her nails as needed. To read more on this story, click here:Living with a Clawed Cat
The world was struck with grief once again when the beloved gorilla, Koko, passed away at the age of 46. Koko's ability to use sign language to communicate with people warmed the hearts of millions worldwide. She even became best friends with Robin Williams, and felt tremendous grief after learning about his tragic death in 2014. It wasn't just Koko's ability to learn American Sign Language that stunned the world, it was her empathetic personality and worldview that everyone found to be so fascinating. As Koko got better at communicating, thanks to the efforts of animal psychologist Francine "Penny" Patterson, many people wondered, "What could ape say to mankind?" The former San Francisco Zoo resident actually had a lot of important things to say. Gorillas may not be smarter than humans, but we sure could learn a lot from them. A few years before Koko passed away, she shared an important message to humankind that needs to be heard now more than ever. For the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Koko had an important message for world leaders. "I am gorilla. I am flowers, animals. I am nature," she began signing in front of a dark background. "Man Koko love. Earth Koko love," she continued. "But man stupid, stupid! Koko sorry. Koko cry. Time hurry." Then she looked down in deep thought, before finishing off her message. "Fix Earth. Help Earth. Hurry! Protect Earth. Nature see you. Thank you." As much as many people would like to deny the existence of climate change, it's only doing a disservice to the world by thinking that the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the environment is not making a negative impact on the world. As Koko said, she's part of nature, and so are we. It's humankind that has a powerful impact on this world, and it's up to us to change the world for the better. You may be interested in reading: Heartbreaking Tributes Pour in After Famous Gorilla who 'Captivated the World' Dies at 46. Koko, The Famous Gorilla Who Learned Sign Language, to Be Laid to Rest at Animal Sanctuary.
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A Chicago Police dog led investigators to more than $10 million worth of pot after a traffic stop Thursday evening in south suburban Midlothian. The CPD Bureau of Organized Crime stopped a pickup truck pulling a trailer at 6:57 p.m. Thursday in the 14200 block of Menard Avenue in Midlothian, police said. During the stop, a police dog detected the scent of pot. A search of the truck and trailer turned up more than 1,500 pounds of marijuana and other THC products with an estimated street value of more than $10 million, police said. The driver, 42-year-old Jason Z. Tanner of Lakehead, California, was arrested and charged with a felony count of possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis. The stop was part of an investigation into drug trafficking, and the drugs were thought to be on their way to Chicago from California, police said. Tanner appeared in bond court on Friday and his bail amount was set at $50,000, according to police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He is being held at the Cook County Jail and his next court date was scheduled for July 10.
We’ve all heard the story of a cat who was sick or old and one day just vanished. This has lead many people to believe that cats will go away to die on their own. But is this true? Not all cats will hide when they are dying. We have sadly had enough cats who have died to see this ourselves. They have tended to stick close by when they are dying, spending large amounts of time sleeping. Cats are individuals and may have different preferences when it comes to how they handle being sick. Some will seek out the company of their human companions or pets, others prefer to be alone in a quiet place. Do cats know they are dying? According to Desmond Morris in his book Cat World – A Feline Encyclopedia, cats have an advantage over humans in regards to death, they don’t actually know what death is. They go away and hide because they are sick and feeling vulnerable. This makes perfect sense from an evolutionary point of view. It’s a cruel world out there and cats have larger predators who seek out the weak and the vulnerable as they are easier targets. This also explains why cats can be quite seriously ill before obvious signs appear. They are hardwired to hide signs of sickness and weakness making them vulnerable to predators. It is for this reason that pregnant cats will seek a quiet and often out of the way spot to give birth and care for her young kittens. She, as well as her babies, are vulnerable at this stage in their lives and want to remain hidden from any potential dangers. And finally, cats hide when they are dying is that they simply want to be alone. A sick cat isn’t feeling well and prefers to be somewhere quiet and dark so they can sleep in peace. I know when I’m sick I just want to be left on my own to wallow! To read more on this story, click here:Why Do Cats Go Away to Die?
Over the weekend, Dallas Police found itself dealing with one of its stranger cases in recent memory, when a 47-year-old woman fatally shot her husband in defense of the family cat. The scene unfolded on Saturday morning, but confessed-shooter-and-sole-survivor, Mary Harrison, says that incident stems from her deceased husband’s repeated abuse of a beloved family pet. The victim, Dexter Harrison, allegedly beat the poor animal repeatedly, so much so that it finally ran away. Worried sick, Mary plastered their Dallas neighborhood with “missing pet” pictures, and a well-meaning neighbor ultimately located the animal. Unfortunately, Dexter resumed his abuse as soon as the cat was returned home, which led his frustrated wife to finally shoot him in an effort to stop the abuse. Nor is this the first cat-related shooting that’s happened in Texas. In 2013, a different woman shot her husband for threatening to throw her cat over the fence. Unfortunately, Dexter died of his injuries on the way to the hospital and Mary is currently being held at Dallas County Jail on charges of murder. Meanwhile, social media remains typically divided. Many people, including a neighbor, are accusing Mary of overreacting by prioritizing the animal’s life over that of her husband’s. Others, including advocates who have set up a Gofundme page to cover Mary’s legal expenses, concur that she was acting valiantly on behalf of an animal in need.
Eight-year-old Maisy, had not been feeling well. After she underwent a CT scan that showed a mass on her spleen, her veterinarians and owners feared the worst. They thought Maisy might have had cancer, but surgery revealed something entirely different. The surgeon discovered four teddy bears in the dog’s stomach. “It’s fair to say this was not something we were expecting to find!” Nick Blackburn, a veterinarian surgeon at Paragon Veterinary Referrals who carried out the operation, said in a press release. “We all know certain dogs enjoy chewing things they shouldn’t, but managing to devour four full teddy bears is quite a feat.” Maisy’s owners, James and Jane Dickinson, were shocked, as they had never known their beloved pet to even chew on, let alone eat, stuffed toys. “When Maisy went in, I did think ‘is she coming out?’ but she is loving life now — it’s like she’s got her youth back,” Jane said. “The toys weren’t even hers! She will steal the chihuahuas’ toys and play with them but I’ve never seen her trying to chew them. Her eating habits had been completely normal.” Luckily, Maisy has made a full recovery, shows no sign of cancer and is back to her old self. Hopefully the chihuahuas, Mabel and Guinness, whose toys she snacked on, have since forgiven her. Here are a few of the soft toys found in Maisy’s stomach:
If you believe your dog has ingested a foreign object like a toy, it’s important to take her to the vet or 24-hour emergency animal clinic as soon as possible. Some symptoms to watch out for include signs of intestinal or digestive discomfort such as vomiting or diarrhea, lethargy and changes in behavior. This is definitely a situation that you should leave to the authorities. “Owners should not wait to see if the object will pass on its own. Do not try to induce vomiting without a veterinarian’s okay, as there are some foreign bodies that can cause just as much harm coming back out,” veterinarian Sharin Brown told Cesar’s Way.
Tick season is upon us, and these bloodsucking pests are showing up all over the place. Tick prevention should be taken seriously, and not just because these arachnids make many people squeamish — ticks actually carry quite a few deadly diseases. Some of these diseases are lifelong, with no cure, so being diligent in checking for and removing ticks is important. As always, talk with your veterinarian before using any medication geared toward preventing ticks. But if you’re going to do some searching for ticks on your dog yourself, here are some places you may forget to look. 1. Inside of Ears Ticks sit themselves on tall grasses and shrubs, waiting for your dog to walk by, so they can attach themselves to him. Dogs are often curious creatures, sticking their heads into everything, so it’s not uncommon for ticks to find their way into a dog's ears. Since most ticks start out very small, it can be difficult to spot them when they first climb onto your dog. With so many crevices and hiding places, the ears make a perfect home for a hungry tick. When checking your dog, make sure to look deep into the ear, because the ticks can get attached and go unnoticed for a long time. If your dog is shaking and scratching at his ear, it’s a sure sign that something is off, and you’ll want to take a look. To read more on this story, click here:6 Places to Look for Ticks on Your Dog
Cats can get sick all the time with many of the same ailments as pet parents. However, symptoms for cats can be much different than they are for humans. Our cat symptom checker is a great way to figure out what may be wrong with your feline friend. When cats become sick, they can’t tell us with words. Instead, cat parents need to be vigilant, keeping an eye out for any symptoms that could point to illness. It also helps to stay ahead of the curve by giving them preventative medication like Advantage Multi for cats. This useful chart breaks down cat symptoms by area of the body, then tells you what each symptom could mean. Our cat symptom checker is a good place to get started identifying what could be wrong with your cat, but always contact your veterinarian for final diagnosis and treatment solutions. To read more on this story, click here:Cat Symptom Checker: Match Your Cat’s Symptoms to Health Conditions
A family planning on spending a leisurely hot day in their swimming pool encountered a surprise before ever hitting the water. When the family in Buckeye, Ariz., grabbed their pool noodles, an adult rattlesnake popped out of one of the recreational floatation devices, according to City of Buckeye Fire Department. "The snake did not attack, but was concerned about the pool noodles," the fire department posted on its Facebook page, "as there were a couple of young rattlesnakes who were still inside." To read more on this story, click here:A family Going for a Swim Grabs a Pool Noodle - Rattlesnakes Were Living Inside, Fire Dept. Says
Bail was set at $100,000 Sunday for a 25-year-old suburban man whom Chicago police arrested after he was seen on a police camera punching and whipping a dog in the city’s West Englewood neighborhood. The city-issued camera in the 6100 block of South Ashland Avenue captured the man, Isaac Goodlow, punching, kicking and choking the dog around 3:40 a.m. Saturday, prosecutors said. Officers in Chicago police’s Strategic Decisions Support Center alerted district officers who arrived in time to see Goodlow whipping the dog with an extension cord, which he also used to drag the animal down the sidewalk, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Knight told the court at the Leighton Criminal Court Building during a brief hearing. The dog’s breed wasn’t discussed during the hearing, but Goodlow’s arrest report indicates the dog was a pit bull terrier. Goodlow, of the 4000 block of Bonhill Drive in Arlington Heights, was arrested and later charged with aggravated animal cruelty, while police reached out to a veterinarian to assess the dog. Officers observed the dog to be “scared, shaking, injured, emaciated and dehydrated,” Knight told the court. In fact, after one of the officers gave the dog water, the animal vomited it up, authorities said. A veterinarian examined the dog and determined that it had signs of prior abuse/torture based on numerous earlier injuries, authorities said. Prosecutors didn’t state whether they suspected the dog of participating in dogfighting, but Goodlow’s arrest report stated that after his arrest, he threatened to kill the dog and admitted to being in a street gang. Judge John F. Lyke Jr. ordered Goodlow to pay $10,000 for release and to undergo electronic home monitoring if he was able to post bail.
Imagine the quandary a Central Florida restaurant manager faced when a woman walked in with a miniature horse. Table for two? This wasn't just any horse, after all. This one is a service horse with its own Facebook page: Honey the Mini Service Horse. In a world in which people have tried to pass off squirrels, peacocks, hamsters and ducks as service animals or "emotional support animals" in fights with landlords and airlines, the manager of an Ocala First Watch restaurant wasn't sure what to do about Honey. Or the woman who was hungry as a, well, you get the idea. So he called the breakfast restaurant's corporate office in University Park, Florida, for some guidance, the Orlando Sentinel reported. He found out Honey and her owner could be welcomed. (Is oatmeal on the menu?) There's a regulation that says so, the restaurant chain learned. "On Friday, June 15, a woman came into First Watch in Ocala with her miniature horse. When asked if it was a service animal, the woman confirmed that it was. "We brought her to a table, where the horse could stand against the wall next to her. Of course our team was a bit surprised, as we’ve never had anyone bring a service miniature horse into one of our restaurants. But we always to do our best to accommodate customers who have legitimate service animals," First Watch spokeswoman Eleni Kouvatsos said in an email to the Miami Herald. The Americans with Disabilities Act has specific regulations concerning service animals, which the ADA describes as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." But the ADA's revised regulations from 2010 also contain a specific provision covering miniature horses, like Honey the Mini Service Horse. Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds, according to ADA guidelines. In other words, the Triple Crown winner isn't going to be seated next to you as you graze on your Açai Bowl at First Watch. In part, the ADA regulation states: "Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. "The assessment factors are whether the miniature horse is housebroken; whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility." Turns out Honey was a fine fit for this particular First Watch, Kouvatsos said. "The horse seemed to be in the owner’s control, to be housebroken, and not to propose any safety concerns for our other customers or staff in the restaurant, so while unusual, we were happy to accommodate." Honey lets her Facebook page speak for her. On Friday, her owner posted on her behalf: "Had a great meal ... or at least watched my handler have a great meal. Everyone was so awesome."
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You won’t see the Chinese mitten crab’s mugshot on a milk carton, but researchers want you to keep an eye out for it anyway. The mitten crab (Eriorcheir sinensis) gets its name from claws that appear to be clothed in algae. Like dozens of other species that have made their way into the Chesapeake Bay via ballast water or other methods of human introduction, the mitten crab is considered an invasive species earmarked for eradication. But a renewed campaign to report sightings of the crab this summer isn’t geared at counting their abundance. Instead, scientists are asking the public to help confirm what they are beginning to suspect: that this species has disappeared from the Bay altogether — and possibly from the East and West coasts, too. From Maryland to Connecticut, more than 150 sightings of Chinese mitten crabs were reported after a fisherman caught the first specimen in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay in 2005. But no one has reported catching or seeing a Chinese mitten crab on the East Coast since 2014. The species is known to have boom-and-bust population cycles, but scientists say that four years is a long time for such a prolific invader to hide its beady-eyed face. “This is the mystery we’re trying to solve,” said Gregory Ruiz, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, where he runs a marine invasions lab. “It would be very unusual to have a crab or marine invader that was so abundant go extinct.” Unlike the Bay’s native blue crab, young mitten crabs prefer low-salinity water, so experts say the animals could lurk in riverbanks up to 50 miles inland from the Bay. Mitten crabs are also catadromous, meaning they migrate from brackish portions of rivers into saltwater environments to reproduce — the opposite direction of anadromous fish species such as striped bass and American shad. The mitten crab’s cute name belies its disturbing potential impact on local ecosystems and economies. They are voracious eaters of aquatic plants, algae and fish eggs that can displace local species. Native to the East Coast of China and Korea, the mitten crab made the leap to Europe decades ago and has been spreading its territory there since the 1970s. The palm-sized crab features long legs for walking sideways across land or along the riverbanks where it creates a home by burrowing holes. During its population booms in Britain, high concentrations of these holes have made the banks less stable in some areas and resulted in flooding. On the West Coast, where the crab was first spotted in 1992, an outbreak of the local population by the end of the decade saw mitten crabs clogging water intake pipes along the coast as they made makeshift homes in infrastructure. The crab was abundant in the San Francisco Bay by the late 1990s, boring as many as 30 holes per square meter in some places, according to a study in 2000 by University of California researchers. “Our findings suggest that the mitten crab is here to stay as yet another member of San Francisco’s evolving non-indigenous communities,” the study stated. But, a decade later, the crab was nowhere to be found on the West Coast, with the last reported sighting in 2010. Ruiz, who runs a lab and research group in the San Francisco Bay as well, said having a species once so abundant on both coasts fly under the radar for years — or go extinct — could be a first. On the Delmarva Peninsula, a South American aquatic rodent that destroys wetlands, the nutria, has been virtually eradicated through a hunting program that began in 2002 and will complete its verification phase in 2019. There have also been nonnative species brought to the United States in the past that never got established and faded away, such as clams imported for aquaculture. Efforts to control invasive fish, such as the blue catfish and snakehead, have hinged on their edibility, encouraging fishermen and consumers to catch-and-eat as many as possible. But they are not disappearing. “The mitten crab is unusual because it was so abundant on both coasts, and it has a strong record of being an invader in many other parts of the world,” Ruiz said. “In the San Francisco Bay, there were hundreds of thousands caught in some years. So we’re really interested in trying to find out if people are seeing any of these crabs on both coasts.” To that end, SERC’s invasions lab has been spreading the word. “Have you seen me?” reads one of the flyers circulating on social media with a photo and description of the crab. Others will be posted at fishing docks along the Chesapeake Bay with instructions for what to do if one is found: freeze the crab rather than throw it back, note the exact location where it was found and take as many photos as possible. Photos and other information can be submitted to SERC’s Mitten Crab Watch website. The website was established soon after the first Chesapeake Bay sighting in 2005, and is still a good place to click through mugshots of the furry-clawed creature that members of the public have sent in over the years. Researchers say that the mitten crab is easy to spot. The creature’s claws, covered with algae-like hairs, set it apart from the Bay’s other crabs. Other distinguishing features include four small spines along the front of a brownish-green carapace, which measures 3–4 inches across. The crabs can be eaten and are grown on aquaculture farms in Asia for that purpose, but their small frames make them a lot of work for a small amount of meat. It once seemed inevitable that the mitten crab would go the way of the blue catfish, the zebra mussel or the emerald ash borer, slowly but surely taking over an ecosystem to the potential detriment of native species, fisheries and infrastructure. But that doesn’t seem to be happening — and it could change researchers’ assumptions about invasive species. “We tend to think about what the impact will be when it arrives, but population dynamics are unpredictable,” Ruiz said. “It doesn’t change our approach, but it broadens our perspective about what’s possible with how a species will play out in a location.” Ruiz said another lesson from the mitten crab case is the importance of engaging the public. When an invasive species has just been introduced or possibly eradicated, research can benefit from a wide swath of people keeping their eyes peeled for it. Almost all of the records of the mitten crab in the Chesapeake Bay were reported by the public, not scientists collecting samples. Now, researchers hope that crowdsourcing will help them close the case of the missing mitten crab, for good. If you find a mitten crab, fill out a report on the Mitten Crab Watch website. If you think you have a Chinese mitten crab, but aren’t sure, contact the Mitten Crab Hotline at 443-482-2222 or email SERCMittenCrab@si.edu.
