Training your dog with toys vs. treats
Not all dogs are food-motivated, which can make treat training ineffective. Here’s how to use toys as training rewards instead. This may be hard to believe, but not all dogs are motivated by food — and that’s okay. Food is not the only reward in the world. This article is aimed at dogs who are unmotivated by treat-free training, but the tips that follow can be a good change of routine for any dog – including those that find food too exciting and can’t focus on learning when there’s the slightest possibility...
Rescue Pit Bull Becomes BFFs With Adopted Donkey
When Jennifer adopted a donkey who was described as being “wary of people and dogs,” she wasn’t sure how he’d do at her home. She wanted to give him a chance anyway, but she thought it’d be challenging since the donkey would have to be around both people and her dog, Oakley. She never would’ve guessed that in just a few months’ time, the donkey, who they named Wendell, would become best friends with Oakley the dog. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Speaking with The Dodo, Jennifer explained that her pit bull,...
Mom Fights Off Attacker Who Was Trying To Steal Her Puppy At The Park
23-year-old Leah Walker was enjoying a walk with her Irish Bullterrier puppy and her 18-month-old baby when she was attacked by a woman who was trying to steal her puppy. According to the YorkshireLive, the incident happened at the Oakwell Hall Country Park. The young mom was walking her 12-week-old puppy with her baby in tow when a woman approached them at the Birstall, West Yorkshire park. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Speaking with the YorkshireLive, Leah explained that the woman told her her dog was “nice looking” and she replied,...
Research Shows Dog Coat Patterns Date Back 2 Million Years
A new study has found dog coat patterns date back as far as 2 million years, much further than previously believed. According to the study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine determined that there are five distinguished coat patterns: dominant yellow, shaded yellow, agouti, black saddle, and black back. The patterns were produced by structural variants, or mutations, of a specific protein found in dogs. Hundreds of breeds share the five...
Beaches In Italy Employ Lifeguard Dogs To Patrol The Waters
Dogs have been known to work alongside humans for years. We employ them as service dogs, search and rescue aids, and military troopers. In Italy, there’s a new way that dogs finding a place in society and that’s at the beach. Thanks to the Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs, dogs are being trained as lifeguards and can patrol the waters along the coast. Photo: Max Pixel The school has trained 350 dogs to work as lifeguards. Each dog has a trainer and the teams are tasked with watching 30 of the country’s most popular...
Cat’s Strange Morning Routine Baffles Redditor
It’s always interesting to catch glimpses of our neighbors’ lives as we go about our own. For one redditor in the UK, this glimpse has turned into something of a staring match, with a neighbor’s black-and-white cat keeping eyes on him every morning! Logging on to the r/Cats subreddit, where users share “Pictures, videos, articles, and questions featuring and about cats,” Radu Cristian (u/Mafeotul on reddit) shared a photo from his porch of a neighborhood cat perched on a strange vehicle. PHOTO: REDDIT / MAFEOTUL...
Pet Thefts Are On The Rise In UK And US
Many of us had a difficult year in 2020, thanks to any combination of personal and professional challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. But, the silver lining was that many of us also found a canine companion to help us through those challenging times. That rise in popularity has had a positive impact on the lives of animal lovers everywhere, but it’s also been accompanied by a rise in pet theft as well. Authorities in the UK are cautioning dog owners to be on the lookout for thieves luring dogs from front porches, gardens,...
Hairballs and cat gut health: what you need to know
A look at the connection between hairballs and gut health in cats, and what you can do to prevent these regurgitated clumps of fur! Cat’s tongues are covered in hundreds of tiny scoop-shaped spines, called papillae, that function like a built-in comb when they groom themselves. It’s normal for cats to ingest their fur while cleaning themselves. The fur typically passes through their digestive system and is eliminated in their stool. Sometimes, however, ingested fur accumulates in the stomach and is regurgitated as one big clump...
6,000 Additional Wild Horses Will Be Rounded Up As Officials Blame Drought Conditions
America’s wild horses are not only struggling to find food and water across the drought-stricken western plains, but are now running for their lives. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), one of the agencies responsible for protecting and managing the wild horses, announced they are conducting “emergency roundups” and plan to remove an additional 6,000 wild horses due to severe drought conditions in the West. A total of 18,000 horses and burros will be captured across 10 western states, which is a 50% increase over last year....
Family Abandons Cat in the Middle of Colorado Winter
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog! Angel Eyes was brought into the shelter in Colorado. A kindly neighbor had trapped her when her people had left her outside in the February snow and moved away. They took her in and she had her babies adopted out, but nobody wanted her. That May, I went to look at the cats on a whim (had one already). On my third visit to her, I took her home. She was such a handful that it was tempting...
