Hampster + Tiny Burritos = Smile on My Face

Enough said. Watch this vid.

Pun Husky makes me laugh

I love me some puns. Everyone knows that about me.

But Pun Husky really makes me chortle.

Which one is your favorite? For me, it the dog magician pun.

I get confused by magic, too

Dogs wondering where the treat went. Damn magicians!

Feline facts Friday

How about a few cat-behavior facts for the first Friday of spring?

Here's the link to Ultrafacts.tumblr.com.

Regarding the last one — about cats hiding — I can attest to that. I once was asked to cat-sit for a weekend. I was warned that the feline was not the friendliest.

True that, because, except for one time the first night when I reached under the bed to pet her and received an extremely painful scratch, I never saw her again.

The food, however, did disappear.

Watch this video; you'll lap it up

A documentary called The Secret Life of Dogs has a fascinating slow-motion video of how dogs drink water.

Whoa, it's amazing!

Here's the source.

A boy and his dog

Peanuts makes its 3D debut next year.

Snoopy has fur?

Dose of funny: dog vs. bed

What is it about dogs and getting up on their human's beds?

I once caught Kate doing the same thing and I was in the next room at the time.

Pets Alive animals relocated; building condemned and close

The good people at Pets Alive Westchester and their volunteers worked the weekend to get everything out of their Elmsford, N.Y., facility. They report that the building has been condemned.

Here's is an update from their Facebook page:

Our shelter facility in Elmsford is now CLOSED indefinitely due to the structural condition of the building. There are no animals there and the building is empty and locked. We do not need volunteers there at this time. Thank you all so much for your help in getting all of our animals to safety!!

We now have a way for you to see a list of our dogs available for foster or adoption! Please go to:
http://www.adoptapet.com/shelter71703-dogs.html

To apply to adopt or foster a dog our application is on-line at:
http://petsalivewest.org/dogapp.htm

PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING OR FOSTERING A DOG! WE NEED YOUR HELP! We do not currently have a place where dogs can be seen in person but we're working on it and we'll let you know!

If you are interested in one of our cats, most have gone toPets Alive in Middletown and Mid Hudson Animal Aid in Beacon, New York. Please contact them for information on fostering and adopting. Anything you can do would be gratefully appreciated. Tell 'em we sent you.

All of our bunnies have been adopted or fostered.

Pets Alive Westchester, a no-kill shelter in Elmsford, N.Y., has determined their building is not structurally sound, and they are in the process of evacuating all their animals.

They posted the following on their Facebook page:

This is a very difficult thing to say to all of you, but our building may potentially be in serious jeopardy. It has been determined that Pets Alive Westchester is structurally not sound and needs to evacuate as soon as possible. There is no way around these horrible words. Our plan is to set up trailers on the property to house all of the animals, and we are in desperate need of foster families and adopters for our dogs, cats and rabbits. Although this is going to be a difficult time, we know we shall get through this. We will set up shop right on the property, trailers will be brought in as soon as possible. Dog runs will be there. Some of our cats thankfully will go to the rescues of our sister location in Middletown as well as Mid Hudson Animal Aid & Pibbles and Kits, such amazing people who have done so much to help us through this - but we would much rather see them in foster homes or adopted. All of our dogs, however, are in need of foster or adoptive homes and we are pleading to all of you to consider taking one of them in. All adoptions are free and are desperately needed, immediately. Please come to the shelter this weekend and adopt. If you're interested in adopting or fostering a cat, dog or rabbit, contact adoptions@petsalivewest.org to find out who will be the best fit for your home during this time. Please use email to contact us right now as we are not sure how long we will have access to our phones. We will keep you updated as the days progress. One thing you can be certain of is that Pets Alive Westchester is a survivor of all that it has endured and been though. We will get through this and together we will celebrate a new page. Thank you for all your support and help us to spread the word. We need adopters, we need fosters, and we need them now. We need YOU now. We need your help.

They are also in need of pet carriers for transporting the animals.

For contact information, click on the link at the top of the post.

Is your dog indestructible? Of course not. 

The Center for Pet Safety in Reston, Va., wanted to be sure that any products used in the transportation of dogs in people's cars actually did what they were designed to do.

An Associated Press article published in the Alamagordo, N.M., Daily News tells how the center designed crash-test dog dummies and put them through their paces and studied what happens in accidents.

"The rare study of travel products marketed to animal owners was released earlier this month and will be followed by tests of car crates, carriers and barriers. Lifejackets are on the short list of product to be tested as soon as funding is found."

The dummy the center designed is an anatomically correct, 55-pound boxer with the same center of gravity as a real pooch. It's been stuffed with computer equipment to collect data.

You can read the entire story here.

My Kate was a terrible car traveler. She had severe motion sickness so I never entertained the idea of "strapping her in" with a harness. I just drove as carefully as a could and hoped for the best.

The cat was so big ...

Here's a strange story out of Portland, Ore., about a cat that trapped a family in a bedroom and the father had to call 9-1-1.

Watch this KOIN-TV report.

Shepherd-mix pups available at New Rochelle shelter

From the New Rochelle Humane Society:

They recently got a litter of five Shepherd mix puppies from a local home. The five males and one female are 10 weeks old. 

When fully grown, they will be medium- to large-size at about 50 to 60 pounds.

They were raised with children.

Think about adopting one — or more.

New Rochelle Humane Society is located at 70 Portman Rd. in New Rochelle, N.Y. They are open seven days a week. The phone number is 914-632-2925.

Photo credit: New Rochelle Humane Society.

Cat on a hot tin library roof?

Does your local library have a cat?

Take a look at this MentalFloss article about ones that do.

Is this the lost director's cut of 'Jurassic Park'?

Truly frightening.

Shaken or stirred? Gin or vodka?

Source: cierammartin.tumblr.com

Wolf-Coyote mix spotted in Connecticut

What happens when you combine a coyote and a wolf?

Well, if you live in or near New Canaan, Conn., you should lock up your pets.

Read the story and see an amazing photo of the "coywolf" in the NewCanaanite.com, published by my former boss Michael Dinan.

Tips for running with your pooch

With the weather getting warmer — hopefully sooner rather than later — thoughts of outdoor exercise will be going through people's heads.

And if you have a dog, why not consider taking it along, too.

Of course, all this depends on whether your dog can take a long run — or even a short one. (And whether or not you can, as well.)

Why not take a look at some tips for running with your dog, compiled by Fitdog Sports Club.

A lot of it's common sense, like making sure both you and your dog have enough water and resting when you think the dog is getting fatigued.

But one you might not have thought about: the length of the leash.

Read the whole article here.

Where does your state stand on pet insurance?

When I was working for AOL, one of the many benefits they offered was pet insurance. Sadly, I wasn't able to take advantage of that because where I am living does not allow pets. And that is a topic for another posting.

Pets Best Insurance Services just released a ranking of the 10 most popular states for pet insurance.

New York was listed as No. 3 for dog insurance and No. 2 for cat insurance.

California and Texas beat New York as first and second, respectively, in the dog category; California bested New York when it comes to cats.

See the Digital Journal article with the press release here.

And ... we're done!

Olympics stray dog comes to U.S., getting healthier

Sochi, a stray dog adopted during the recent Winter Olympics by a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, has had its health problems but, according to an Associated Press article in the Washington Post, is making progress.

It could be many more weeks before the pooch can be taken to Amanda Bird’s Tennessee home.

Sochi has beaten a gastrointestinal virus but now is being treated for distemper in Los Angeles.

Read the entire story here.

'I gave it to the cat.'

This video makes me laugh every time. It never gets old.

Roger that

 Here's a cute pooch that is a featured adoptable pet at the New Rochelle Humane Society.


Roger is a senior and, according to the Humane Society, appears to be housetrained and makes a wonderful walking companion.

Well? What's stopping you?

The New Rochelle Humane Society is open seven days a week: Fridays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

They are located at 70 Portman Rd. in New Rochelle. The phone number is 914-632-2925.

This is a pet policy I can get behind

Amazingly, there is an apartment complex in North Hollywood that requires you to have a pet. Read about it here.