There's nothing more FUN than a dog with a ball!
PORTLAND, Maine -- Nearly 10,000 years ago, man's best friend provided protection and companionship - and an occasional meal.
That's what researchers are saying after finding a bone fragment from what they are calling the earliest confirmed domesticated dog in the Americas.
University of Maine graduate student Samuel Belknap III came across the fragment while analyzing a dried-out sample of human waste unearthed in southwest Texas in the 1970s. A carbon-dating test put the age of the bone at 9,400 years, and a DNA analysis confirmed it came from a dog - not a wolf, coyote or fox, Belknap said.
Because it was found deep inside a pile of human excrement and was the characteristic orange-brown color that bone turns when it has passed through the digestive tract, the fragment provides the earliest direct evidence that dogs - besides being used for company, security and hunting - were eaten by humans and may even have been bred as a food source, he said.
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CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- An Illinois man credited his Chihuahua's winter jacket with saving the small canine from a great horned owl attack.
George Kalomiris said he was walking the 4-pound dog, Chico, in the early hours Wednesday in Crystal Lake when the owl swooped out of the darkness and tried to grab the canine.
Kalomiris said the owl could not get a good grip on Chico because of the dog's puffy winter jacket. He said the dog suffered scratches to his head and a puncture wound, but quickly recovered from the injuries.
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Boston resident Sal Esposito recently got called in for jury duty. He might have some problems performing this required task, though, as Sal is a cat.
The problem arose after owners Anna and Guy Esposito listed him on the last U.S. Census under "pet."
Anna filed for his disqualification of service. He was not "too old," "ill," or a "convicted felon," so she filed that he "cannot speak English."
The jury commissioner denied this request.
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Note: cat in photo is NOT Sal Esposito.
From cute to curmudgeonly, sappy to scary, tame to thrilling, and more, here's Gawker's compilation of the 2010's best feline-focused video offerings.
OK, so their video will only take 90 seconds of your time.
If you have lots of time:
In a small, grassy meadow, deep in the rich, thick wilderness of Freedom Hills, Key Underwood sadly buried his faithful coondog, Troop. They had hunted together for more than 15 years. They had been close friends.
The burial spot was a popular hunting camp where coon hunters from miles around gathered.
Out of one hunter's devotion to his faithful coonhound was born the "Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard," which has became a popular tourist attraction and is the only cemetery of its kind in the world.
Other hunters started doing the same when their favorite coon dogs died. Today more than 185 coon dogs from all across the United States are buried in this spot in Northwest Alabama.
A witness and a member of a local coon hunters' organization must verify the deceased was a coon dog before burial is allowed.
"We have stipulations on this thing," says Janice Williams, the secretary/treasurer of the Friends of the Coondog Cemetery, and caretaker of the Coon Dog Cemetery. "A dog can't run no deer, possum -- nothing like that. He's got to be a straight coon dog, and he's got to be full hound. Couldn't be a mixed up breed dog, a house dog."
website
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An AP-Petside.com Poll, conducted October 13-20, 2010, by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications, found that 53 percent of pet owners plan to get their animals a present this holiday season. Of these, fifty-six percent of the dog owners say they'll buy their pets a gift this Christmas, but only 48 percent of the cat owners plan a gift.
Also interesting: women (56 percent) are somewhat more likely than men (49 percent) to buy their animals a gift. The poll also showed that renters (66 percent) are more apt to pamper their pets than homeowners (49 percent). And while fewer than half of those who attend religious services weekly or more often say they plan to buy their pets a gift, 60 percent of those who never attend services do.
And while we're talking about Christmas gifts for pets, don't forget to get yours, at i-pets.com.
What a great idea!
Morton® Safe-T-Pet™ Ice Melt was developed with veterinarians to be safer for your furry friends. It's completely salt and chloride free - so it won't irritate pets' paws or stomachs. Morton® Safe-T-PetT Ice Melt is also non-toxic, and it won't irritate skin, so it's better for people and plants, as well as paved surfaces.
Pet and people friendly: Veterinarian approved, chloride-free, non-toxic
Safer for environment: Better for plants and concrete than regular salt
Easy to see: Colored pellets provide clear visibility
***
To celebrate Morton Salt’s new Facebook Fan Page, they have launched a contest, “What’s Your Morton Salt Secret?” They’re looking for readers to share a photo of their best nifty tip, trick or use of Morton Salt.
The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 AMEX gift card and a Morton Salt prize pack. Morton Salt will also be awarding four Runner-up winners and six Sweepstakes winners with prize packs!
You can enter the contest here
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Ashley Olsen touched down at Los Angeles airport with her adorable traveling companion.
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In the early 1940s, a woman in Washington, DC, adopted a squirrel after she found the critter orphaned in a tree. The squirrel, dubbed Tommy Tucker by the family -- of which he soon became a part -- accompanied the lady of the house on shopping trips, visits to the local children's hospital, and the like. She also, it turned out, enjoyed dressing him up in specially made outfits. 
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via The Pet Museum
Wouldn't it be great if more wealthy celebrities would do this?
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This holiday season, Ray is donating 100 percent of proceeds from her Nutrish and Just 6 pet food and treat lines to animal shelters nationwide, giving away a total of $775,000 before Dec. 31.
Currently on the road to promote her newest cookbook, Look + Cook, Ray is also sponsoring pop-up adoption events for the shelters she's supporting in the hopes of raising awareness for her cause. "We only give to no-kill shelters," she says. "But we give to small and large; no one's excluded. We want to keep as many animals alive as possible."
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Russian PM Vladimir Putin hugs and kisses the Bulgarian Shepherd puppy that his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov presented to him in Sofia on Saturday, Nov 13.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister has a passion for canine pets and the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog is his favorite breed. He states that politicians should be like these dogs, explaining that a Bulgarian Shepherd is "faithful, strong, fights predators and bad people, and is a very good guard."
Another male puppy of Borisov's is reportedly being secretly trained as a gift for present US President Barack Obama.
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Clutch Blog has gathered info on celebrity cat owners. Some might surprise you. For example, that Martha Stewart owns 6 of them!
via The Daily What
