Threatened Swan Pete Suddenly Dies, Dealing Another Blow To His Species
The Trumpeter Swan is one of North America’s largest flying birds, but sheer size didn’t save this waterfowl from a near brush with extinction. Fortunately, the swan’s numbers have rebounded in recent years, following wildlife breeding programs and concerted efforts to conserve the bird’s rapidly disappearing wetlands habitat. The Trumpeter Swan remains threatened, but the success these efforts has helped populations rebound across Alaska, Canada, and many Western/Midwestern states. Now an estimated 16,000 Trumpeter...
Giant Pandas Frolic In The Snow At Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Do you love playing in the snow? Well, probably not as much as two giant pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Snow covered the Washington D.C. area this past weekend to the delight of children and two giant pandas, Mei Xiang, age 22, and Tian Tian, age 23. Screenshot: Facebook/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute The mama and papa bear embraced the change and were seen somersaulting through the white fluff. One of the pandas slid down a hill head-first with all of its limbs spread out in the shape of a...
Ruby, The Puppy Mill Rescue
My husband and I have volunteered with a shiba inu rescue for a few years now. We were asked by the rescue if we could make some room in our home for another shiba inu – coming from a puppy mill in Wisconsin. PHOTO: Janel Scott She was a breeder mama who most likely lived her whole existence in a cage. She was about 5 years old and knew no kind touch from a human hand. When we met her at the rescue’s transport location, we found a little red hair ball in the back of a crate, shaking in fear. She had no name at the mill, she had...
Drugs To Hugs
My amazing sister is a pediatric critical care nurse who works nights at her client’s home. The family of the little girl she was taking care of often talked about the group of guys living next door and their brindle, Rhodesian Ridgeback mix dog. The neighbors were drug addicts who would inject their dog with heroin to see how it would behave. PHOTO: Anonymous On top of that, the dog was often beaten and kicked as well as given whatever drugs the group of guys were on as a way to entertain themselves. After listening to these stories...
Dogs Were Woman’s Best Friend Before Man’s Best Friend, Study Finds
Dogs are commonly called man’s best friend, but a new study reveals they were woman’s best friend first. Anthropologists at Washington State University noticed a lack of research on the coevolutionary relationship between dogs and humans and performed an in-depth study to find some answers. They found that dog-human coevolution was ‘disproportionately’ influenced by dogs’ relationships with women. “We found that dogs’ relationships with women might have had a greater impact on the dog-human bond than...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Safety net fostering, CARE webcast series and more!
Below is a brief round-up of new blog posts and resources we’ve added over the past week. 5 tips for recruiting safety net fostersAs we move toward community-centric animal services practices, many shelters and rescue organizations are considering creating safety net fostering programs. These programs provide temporary care for pets whose owners are in crisis, but who would like to keep their pets in the long term. “I think there’s been a growing interest for programs like this… Learn More Check out these Return...
Deaf Dog Tries Her Best To Bark Based On What She Has Seen Other Dogs Do
When the Kelly home decided that they wanted to adopt a dog, they opened their hearts wide and brought a deaf pup into the family. Reggie may have been deaf since she was born so, more than likely, she had never had the chance to hear a bark. That doesn’t mean, however, that she has never seen one and she wanted to show her mom she knew what to do. Photo: TikTok / Lindsay Kelly At first, Lindsay Kelly thought that Reggie was either coughing or sneezing but then the truth began to dawn on her. She was trying to get her attention and...
Dog Outsmarts His Owner To Get Two Treats Instead Of One
If there is one thing that dogs seem to love across the board, it’s getting a treat. The only thing that they like better than one treat, is getting two treats! That fact is clearly seen with Morty, a four-year-old Australian Shepherd. Photo: Instagram / flobeck92 In the video that is shown below, he loves the treat that he gets. However, it isn’t long before he is back for more. Article continues below Our Featured Programs See how we’re making a difference for People, Pets, and the Planet and how you can get involved!...
How Do You Know If It’s Too Cold For Your Dog To Be Outside?
Many dogs love being outside, regardless of whether it is rain or shine. They get the opportunity to run around, use up some energy, and have a little fun. The problem is, as humans, we need to make sure that our dogs are not put in harm’s way, especially when the winter arrives. Dogs may be wearing a fur coat all of the time but that doesn’t mean they don’t get cold. Of course, if you are talking about a Siberian husky or Alaskan malamute, then the same principles may not apply at all times. Other dogs are acclimated to...
Owners Find Their Dog Laying In A Pool Of ‘Blood’ Only To Discover It Was Red Syrup
Dogs are wonderful pets and companions. But every so often they will give us quite the scare. When I was younger, my dog ended up getting herself locked inside the garage, and my mother and I had quite the fright thinking that she’d somehow gotten out of the yard. But perhaps the medal for best fright goes to the little corgi that led his owners to believe that he’d met a brutal end after getting into some red syrup. The arable little pooch named Cartier lives in Ayutthaya, Thailand with his owners who own BLABLA-boo cafe. They...
Cat Tries To Save Owner From ‘Drowning’ In Her Bathtub
Cats will often get stereotyped as being very aloof and self-involved beings. But anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that they can actually be quite loving and caring towards their humans. The best example of this is perhaps the adorable little feline who mistook her owner’s bath time ritual as a dangerous situation. As one cat owner shared online, her precious little four-year-old American Shorthair has a habit of growing increasingly worried every time she goes into the bathroom in order to take a bath. Photo: Unsplash Sarah Kelly...
Cowboy Cat Attempts To Ride On The Back Of A Horse
Yeehaw! One very bold cat was caught on camera taking a big risk with one of his nine lives after he decided to take a wild ride on the back of a horse. The little black and white cat was strolling across the polls of a fence up in Alberta, Canada, when he came across a beautiful palomino horse inside the enclosure. That is when the daring feline decided to take a joy ride and climbed aboard. However, what the cat didn’t realize was the horse had absolutely no idea that the cat was there until he jumped onto his back. Photo: YouTube /...
Rescue Dog Discovers His Hidden Talent For Playing Flute
Have you ever discovered that you had a secret talent by accident? Well, for one adorable little beagle puppy, it turns out that she has a bit of a musical side to her. And we can’t help but smile watching this puppy play a hilarious nasally tune on an improvised flute. Princess Leia is the little beagle who plays a type of nose flute. The musical instrument is actually the remains of a torn apart squeaky toy that she destroyed and then repurposed. She even seemed to be very entertained by her own creation – something that her...
Box Of Newborn Puppies Found In A Box On The Beach In New Zealand
There is something that I will never understand for as long as I live – and that is how people can abandon animals as though they’re garbage. Authorities in New Zealand are currently asking for public cooperation in finding out who was responsible for discarding a box of newborn puppies at a beach in Whanganui. The Whanganui SPCA shared that the tiny little puppies were found abandoned on the 26th of January at a place called North Mole by someone who was taking their lunch break at the beach. The SPCA area manager, Danny Auger,...
Mom Walks Into Daughter’s Bedroom And Finds Dozens Of Spiders Crawling On Her Ceiling
Just a forewarning, if you hate spiders then you’re really going to hate what is to come because it’s every arachnophobe’s worst nightmare. It’s literally a burst of spiders wandering across the wall of a home – the scariest thing that you could potentially see when walking into a room. One mom happened to stumble upon such a terrifying scene when she walked into her daughter’s bedroom. Talk about a big hell no moment. The unwanted house guests were captured on camera and then uploaded to Twitter. The scary...
Dog Leaps From The Couch And Destroys Owner’s Puzzle
Fostering a dog is a wonderful thing to do. It gives rescue dogs a safe and loving space where they can be themselves and come out of their shells while they wait for their forever homes. It also gives foster pet parents a chance to enjoy their quirky little antics because – as we all know – no two dogs are ever the same. They all have their own unique little personalities. For one foster mom, she uploaded an adorable video that showcased her foster pooch’s disdain for puzzles! Of all the things not to like, Lily Munster...
Dog ‘Blesses’ People As They Walk Out Of A Temple
Dogs are just too pure for this world. And there is no better example of this, than the videos of the temple dog handing out blessings. In a now-viral video, we see a dog who is sitting outside the Siddhivinayak Temple, which is located in Mumbai, India. As people walk out of the temple, the dog greets each one of the devotees and administers his own version of a “blessing.” Photo: Wikimedia Commons These doggie blessings are simple little high fives or handshakes as each person greets the pup. A bystander standing outside the...
Pianist Plays Classical Music For Senior Rescue Elephant
We often forget that animals can have certain interests just like us. That is why they are known to enjoy listening to music. Music is a universal language that is understood by more than just us humans – it’s also enjoyed by all kinds of animals. In Thailand, there is an artist and musician who enjoys performing for a four-legged audience. Paul Barton is known for playing piano for a variety of rescued animals such as elephants or even wild macaque monkeys. He will often serenade them with the tunes of Beethoven, Schumann, and...
Owner Catches Dog Practicing Mean Faces At Himself In The Mirror
This pet parent had a hilarious moment recently when they caught their pet having a good time with their mirror. If you have a dog at home, you know just how funny it can be when they catch a glimpse of their own reflection. When this woman noticed her dog staring into her bedroom mirror, she never could have expected what she was going to see next. At first, she thought that the golden retriever was staring at her. After a few moments passed, she realized the truth. The dog was actually far more interested in his own reflection. To be fair,...
Cat’s Out of the Bag and the Shelter As Bunches of Kitties Find New Homes
These stories were originally shared in the Clear the Shelters Adoption Story Challenge on ShelterChallenge.com. Create your own free Shelter Challenge account and vote for your favorite shelter or rescue group to win cash and prizes. Every time you vote we’ll give an extra donation to shelters! Two Kittens Team Up At Shelter and Get Adopted Together Kitty Kitty Bang Bang was found under the hood of a good Samaritan’s car at just about a month old. She was cared for by a foster parent until she was old enough to be adopted, at...
