Category Archives: Pets

Mobile butchers mistakenly kill family’s pet pigs in Washington state

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Porcine pals Patty and Betty were shot by butchers who said their GPS ‘screwed up’ when it pointed them to the wrong house

A family in Washington state says a mobile butcher mistakenly slaughtered their pet pigs recently after showing up to the wrong address.

Security camera footage showed an unknown truck pulling up to the home of the family in question when they were not there on 1 May. One of the employees of the family’s farm, who was sent to check on their home, informed them that someone had shot the pigs.

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Sphynx has lowest life expectancy of domestic cat breeds, research finds

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The hairless cats live on average for just 6.8 years, while a Burmese could survive to be 14, according to research

They may sound ancient but you should avoid a sphynx cat if you want a pet to grow old with, research suggests.

Experts have revealed how many years on average domestic cats in the UK have left to live based on their current age.

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Licence to trill: Molly the magpie returned to Queensland carers after special wildlife permit granted

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Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen are allowed to keep the bird, which had become Instagram famous with their staffy, Peggy, but are forbidden from monetising it

Molly the magpie has been returned to its Gold Coast carers – but they are no longer allowed to make money from its 837,000 Instagram followers.

The department of environment, science and innovation approved a special licence for Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, who have cared for it since it fell from the nest in 2020.

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Fox bones at ancient burial site suggest animal may have been kept as pet

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Clues at Argentina site raise possibility mammal was buried with human owners about 1,500 years ago

The remains of a fox unearthed at a human burial site in Argentina dating back 1,500 years has raised the possibility the animal may have been kept as a pet, research suggests.

Experts say the remains predate the arrival of domestic dogs in Patagonia, which occurred about 700–900 years ago, with a number of clues suggesting the fox was seen as valuable, and may even have been a companion to the hunter-gatherers it lived with.

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Molly the magpie: Queensland premier backs return of Instagram-hit bird to couple after being seized

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Steven Miles urges authorities to enable magpie to be reunited with ‘devastated’ Gold Coast carers and its ‘best friend’, their Staffy dog Peggy

Queensland’s premier has thrown his support for a campaign to return an Instagram-famous magpie to its former carers and its dog best friend, after it was seized by the environment department.

Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen adopted Molly the magpie in 2020 after it fell from the nest.

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Charity steps in to rehome 300 cats from ‘overwhelmed’ man in Canada

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Man says he ended up in ‘a crazy situation’ after he began taking in cats abandoned during Covid pandemic

An animal welfare charity in western Canada is scrambling to secure the resources needed to care for about 300 cats – all of them seemingly in good condition – after a call came in from a man who described himself as being “overwhelmed” by the sheer number of cats and kittens in his home.

Bruce Robinson told the British Columbia SPCA that he had taken in cats that had been abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic but that the cost of caring for them had become a herculean task after he lost his job.

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Australian shepherds: the dog breed that’s not really Australian, but is winning titles and hearts alike

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An Australian shepherd named Viking won best in show at Crufts, and the ‘extremely smart’ breed is increasingly popular for its temperament and beauty

On a property out of Tamworth in country New South Wales, the uncle of the Australian shepherd Viking – winner of the most prestigious title at the 2024 Crufts dog competition in the UK – is a champion in his own right.

Bradley, who was born in Russia to the same litter as Viking’s mother, is nine years old and a semi-retired multi-champion of dog shows overseas and in Australia.

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Pet perils: injuries from animals are on the rise after Australia’s surge in dog and cat ownership

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Animal-related hospitalisations have been increasing for years but have surged since the start of the pandemic, AIHW study finds

In the north-west New South Wales town of Gunnedah, there are much deadlier things than a puppy. They are used to deadly brown and red-bellied snakes.

So Sarah Carter was surprised when her corgi Maxi landed her in hospital.

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California community comes together to find beloved cat: ‘It is so appreciated’

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Dundee the cat, survivor of 2018 Camp fire, was taken in a car theft – but he was reunited with his owner after locals rallied round

Susie Heffernan was just returning from the vet with her beloved cat, Dundee, last Wednesday when she stopped to pick up pet food at a Tractor Supply in Paradise, California. She covered Dundee’s carrier on the passenger seat, locked her truck and ran inside.

When she returned, the truck was gone, as was the eight-year-old Snowshoe Siamese. Video footage from a nearby store revealed someone had broken into her vehicle and driven off with Dundee still inside.

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Guinea pig abandoned at London tube station with note asking for new owner

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RSPCA take in young rodent after Canning Town staff discover cage in alleyway

A guinea pig has been found abandoned outside an east London tube station, with a note reading: “I need a new owner.”

Staff at Canning Town station discovered the animal, which has been named DiscoPig, alone inside a cage with the piece of paper taped to it.

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‘To me it’s a fad, a fashion’: rising demand for dog-friendly UK holidays divides opinion

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The Covid boom in pet ownership has led to operators offering plenty of pet-friendly accommodation. But is it really such a good idea?

Go on holiday without your best friend? For growing numbers of dog owners, it’s unthinkable.

Holiday operators have seen a big jump in guests booking accommodation that accepts dogs in recent months, and the trend is set to accelerate this year.

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Vets urged to stop giving pesticide flea treatments after river pollution study

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Exclusive: Pet owners risk contaminating their hands with neurotoxins for at least 28 days after application, scientists find

Vets should limit the use of flea treatments containing pesticides on dogs and cats, scientists have said, after a study revealed the vast amount of toxic substances in them that end up in rivers.

Pet owners using these flea treatments risk contaminating their hands with fipronil and imidacloprid, two insecticides, for at least 28 days after the treatment has been applied, according to research by the University of Sussex and Imperial College London.

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Jack Russell terrier who loves to surf makes a splash on beaches of Peru

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Four-year-old dog named Efruz ‘loves the sea’, according to his owner, and often perches on a surfboard to ride waves

Clad in a yellow vest, little Efruz balances himself on the front of the surfboard as waves foam around him and his companion as they skim over the Pacific waters off Peru.

Efruz is a four-year-old Jack Russell terrier and he is a common sight these hot days of the southern hemisphere summer.

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Scotland to ban unlicensed XL bullies, says Humza Yousaf

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SNP leader to replicate new restrictions in England and Wales that have resulted in apparent influx to Scotland of breed

Unlicensed XL bully dogs will be banned in Scotland, Humza Yousaf has said, as the Scottish government moves to replicate the new restrictions in England and Wales that have resulted in an apparent influx to the country of the breed.

Speaking at first minister’s questions on Thursday, the SNP leader told MSPs: “What has become clear, I’m afraid, in the last few weeks is we have seen a flow of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland.”

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Mystery of actor’s missing cat leads to claims of defamation in Italian town

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Nino Frassica is under investigation after local people said they were accused of involvement in the disappearance of his pet Hiro

An Italian actor is being investigated by prosecutors for defamation, stalking and incitement to criminal activity after allegedly implicating his neighbours in the disappearance of his cat, amid a widespread search for the feline which has caused “turbulence” among the people of a small hilltop town.

The curious case of the missing cat began in September, when Nino Frassica, who lives in the Umbrian town of Spoleto when filming Don Matteo, a Rai TV series, announced the disappearance of Hiro in a post on Instagram.

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Judicial review hearing granted over XL bully ban

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From Sunday it is illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of the dogs in England and Wales

A judicial review hearing has been granted for campaigners seeking to overturn the UK government’s ban on XL bully dogs, with owners of the animals now subject to tight restrictions as the legislation comes into force.

From Sunday, it is illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of XL bully dogs in England and Wales, and they must be muzzled and kept on a leash when in public, with animal rescue centres fearing they could be forced to euthanise hundreds of dogs.

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‘It just grabbed her’: Izzy, a beloved terrier-spaniel cross, killed by XL bully

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Lee Parkin intervened in vain in 20-minute attack as he walked his dog near his home in Doncaster

Lee Parkin had been the proud owner of his terrier-spaniel cross Izzy for nearly 10 years when he stepped out for what would be his last walk with his beloved pet.

He was walking Izzy near his home in Doncaster when an XL bully pounced on her, mounting a 20-minute attack and ultimately killing the dog in front of Parkin, who desperately intervened in vain.

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‘Miracle dog’ returned to family after staying with owner who died hiking

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Finney the jack russell terrier had survived after spending more than 10 weeks by her owner when he died on a mountain hike

A faithful dog who survived after spending more than 10 weeks by her owner when he died on a mountain hike is safely back with the rest of her human loved ones – and back on the trails – the family has said.

Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, died of hypothermia while hiking in the San Juan mountains in the south of the state in August.

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‘Dogs should eat as well as humans’: high-end canine cucina opens in Rome

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Fiuto restaurant offers poké-style bowls to attract Italy’s growing number of dog owners

In the kitchen of a restaurant in the north of Rome, chef Luca Grammatico delicately blends nuggets of chicken and courgette with pureed potato.

He then reaches for a fancy bowl, positions the mix inside and uses a shaper to fashion a food tower before garnishing it with courgette sauce. Grammatico’s next task is to create a biscuit, shaped like a bear, for a guest celebrating her birthday.

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Claims about genuine age of Bobi, world’s oldest dog, to be investigated

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Guiness World Records to look into claims after scepticism over whether the Portuguese mastiff really lived to be 31

The death of Bobi the Portuguese mastiff at 31 was history-making – no dog before had ever reached such a grand old age.

But awe soon turned into scepticism, as vets wondered whether it was biologically possible for a dog to live for the equivalent of 200 human years.

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