Mohammad Aljaleel looked after homeless cats during the aerial bombardment of Aleppo. He has since set up a dedicated sanctuary and veterinary clinic for stray felines
Continue reading...Category Archives: Pets
Do our pets ever really love us – or do they just stick around for the food?
We dote on our cats and dogs, but is it a one-way relationship? Here’s what science tells us about how to decode their emotions, whether they are avoiding us or getting a little too amorous with our legs
It is almost a year to the day since Dustin, our milky-eyed nervebag of a cat, died and we still miss him a great deal, although he was not a great giver of emotion. We miss his refusing to look our way immensely. And his not wanting to be stroked there, there or there. But it wasn’t Dustin’s fault he was like this. Unknown trauma in kittenhood (he was left in a shoebox at the front door of a vet’s surgery) meant that he lived his entire 11 years in terror of being mauled to death by some unseen enemy. Understandably, this constant fear made Dustin very, very nervous.
Through many years of care and affection, we almost managed to rescue him from this anxiety until – almost as if to prove a point – Dustin was mauled to death by two pet dogs off the lead. When we pulled his frozen body out of the freezer before his funeral, Dustin had a withering expression – “I told you so” it seemed to say. This was the only time we really got to stroke him properly. Frozen solid.
Continue reading...Jacinda Ardern’s neighbour reportedly admits to killing Paddles, first cat of New Zealand
Man going by the name of Chris says he wrote condolence card for Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford
The man who killed New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s cat has reportedly broken his silence, a year after he ran over the first cat of New Zealand.
Shortly after Ardern became the prime minister-elect in October 2017, her polydactyl cat named Paddles shot to fame, and even had her own Twitter account.
Continue reading...Scamp the Tramp wins World’s Ugliest Dog contest – video
A bug-eyed, dreadlocked pooch called Scamp the Tramp took top honours on Friday at the 31st annual World's Ugliest Dog contest. Scamp beat 18 other contestants at the event, held in Northern California. Organisers say the contest is about bringing attention to the needs of rescue dogs.
Continue reading...Scamp the Tramp is champ at World’s Ugliest Dog Contest
- California competition highlights plight of rescue dogs
- Owner: ‘I think the audience saw his beautiful spirit’
Scamp the Tramp, a bug-eyed, dreadlocked pooch, took top honours on Friday at the 31st annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.
Owner Yvonne Morones won an appearance with Scamp on the Today show, $1,500 in cash, $1,500 to donate to an animal shelter and a trophy the size of a rottweiler.
Continue reading...Firefighters haul ass after pet donkey found trapped in septic tank
‘Other than being a bit cold and a bit smelly he still had a full appetite,’ rescuer says
A miniature donkey has caused a stink after falling into a large septic tank, sparking a challenging rescue north of Brisbane.
Firefighters were called to a Morayfield property on Thursday night after its panicked owners called to say their donkey had tumbled into the concrete tank and was wedged firmly inside.
Continue reading...Dogs, a horse and a goat go to the polls – in pictures
Pets accompany their owners across the UK as the nation votes in the European elections
• This article was amended on 23 May 2019 to remove an image taken at the local elections in the UK in May
Continue reading...They look cute, but should we rescue Romania’s street dogs?
Well-meaning Britons are saving abused dogs from hellish public pounds and death by cannibalism. So why are they making some experts anxious?
On a dank, dreary winter afternoon, I have come to a farmyard in Essex, just outside the M25, to meet – among others – Karine, Anna, Tommy Lee and Eskimo Joe. Tommy Lee and Eskimo Joe are from Romania, and are dogs. Rescue animals, hoping (if dogs can hope) to be adopted. Tommy Lee is missing a front leg – most probably from a traffic accident in Brasov, Transylvania – but is cheerful, inquisitive and friendly. Eskimo Joe is older, a little overweight, obstinate, camera-shy, resigned. I worry that potential adopters might not fall in love with Eskimo Joe.
Karine and Anna Hauser are Swiss-Finnish sisters (human) and run the charity Love Underdogs. Animal lovers, they were originally visiting a sanctuary in Romania for abused bears from all over the world. But they couldn’t ignore the dogs, and started to work with a shelter in Brasov, 100 miles north of Bucharest, and to bring to the UK for rehoming some of the most unwanted, abused and neglected ones. Love Underdogs is just one of dozens of charities in Britain importing rescue dogs from abroad – from Greece, Cyprus, Bosnia, and particularly from Romania, which has one of the biggest street-dog problems in Europe.
Continue reading...PETA’s Clever Campaign Entices Donald Trump to ‘Grab a Puppy’
"Grab a Puppy Before It's Too Late," the animal welfare group's latest campaign created by cross-cultural agency The Community, looks to entice the president into adopting a dog by playing on what may be his most infamous quote. Several media outlets have reported on Trump's decision to break from a longstanding tradition of owning a pet in the White House.
Commenter Lizzie Has A Question About Dogs and Cats Living Together
As we wait for 3:00 PM EDT to roll around and begin the Friday afternoon news breakening, we could use a new thread. And since commenter Lizzie's question deserves some broader exposure than the few folks who've seen it buried in the comments to the previous thread , here it is: Since it's an open threada .sorry in advance for the long post, especially by a lurker who rarely posts! But there are a lot of knowledgeable animal lovers here and I'd love some advice about whether to pursue adopting two dogs.
Trump needs a pet in the White House
I'm referring, of course, to the lack of a White House pet for the first time in more than 150 years. Even Vice President Mike "Bonecrusher" Pence has famously installed two cats, a rabbit and a snake in the official residence on the U.S. Naval Observatory grounds.
A vacant White House job: first pet
This Aug. 24, 1992 file photo shows President Bush, right, and first lady Barbara Bush walking with their dog Millie across the South Lawn as they return to the White House. The job of first pet - an enviable White House gig with luxurious live-in privileges, after-hours access to the president and guaranteed positive press coverage - is not currently available.
Fed inspectors find sick, dead animals at pet dealer ranch
Federal inspectors found sick and dead animals, inadequate sanitation, untrained employees performing euthanasia and other deficiencies at a Pennsylvania small-animal dealer that supplied major pet retailers like Petco and PetSmart. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report on its January inspection of Holmes Chinchilla Ranch that said inspectors found dozens of animals in need of veterinary treatment for symptoms ranging from hair loss to eye abnormalities to lethargy.