Spot Me One

It Was REALLY Dark in the Alley...

Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later.

- Mary Bly

Dalmation kittens

Honey, please! Just calm down and let me explain...

Source: The web

Rare Dog / Teddy Bear Cross

Source: www.thesun.co.uk sent to them by David Rowe

Best Friends

Bestiality?

Shepherd and flock

Paws for Thought

A German shepherd called Pepper, holds court with two endangered Bengal tiger cubs and a cougar cub (on the right), yesterday at the home of Sydney veterinary surgeon Rob Zammit. Zammit took in the orphaned cubs after their mothers rejected them when recent heavy rains forced them to focus on their own survival. Pepper is supervising toilet training and their cleaning. Picture - Reuters

Source: The Evening Post Tuesday 3 April 2001

Woman Who Nursed Puppies Has No Regrets

by Nina Berglund

Kine Skiaker, her son Emil, and 8 puppies are celebrating
Christmas at the Skiaker home west of Oslo

A young Norwegian mother who took a litter of puppies to her own breast when her dog died giving birth remains proud of her unusual move. Now, six weeks later, both her infant son and 8 of the puppies that survived are crawling around the family's Christmas tree in Siggerud, west of Oslo.

"I've had lots of reaction, mostly positive," Kine Skiaker tells newspaper Aftenposten. But Skiaker also had to tolerate some less-than-flattering remarks. "No one has complained to me directly, but I've heard from others that some people thought it was disgusting that I would nurse Emil (her son) and the puppies at the same time," she said. "I just have to tolerate that, and can only say that I washed myself thoroughly after I'd nursed the puppies."

Skiaker says she's also been told by experts that she helped save the puppies' lives. "That makes me feel good," she said. "Then I can accept that some think what I did was nauseating."

The drama began Friday 8 November when Skiaker's Canarian Warren Hound, named Aida, started giving birth to a litter of 14 puppies. Suddenly the puppies stopped coming and the next stop was the vet's office. In the end, both Aida and three of the puppies died, while another three died later. Those that survived were in desperate need of nourishment, and that's when Skiaker impulsively took them to her breast. She fed them over that first weekend, until surrogate mother dogs could be found to take over.

Today, the 8 surviving puppies (four males and four females) are back in the Skiaker's home and in good health. So is baby Emil, now five months old and happy to play with his canine comrades in the Skiakers' living room. One of the puppies will be soon be delivered to new owners in Kongsberg. She's the only one with a name, so far, and it's Aida, after her late mother.

Source: www.aftenposten.no Aftenposten English web desk Tuesday 24 December 2002; photo credit Olav Olsen

Woman Breastfeeds Abandoned Puppy

A Bolivian woman has saved an abandoned one-week-old puppy by breastfeeding it. She found the dog in a rubbish dump in the town of Cochabamba, reports the Los Tiempos newspaper. The woman, who has a 14-month-old daughter, is calling the puppy Manchitas. She said: "I will give the dog my milk while I can. When it sucks, the puppy behaves like a human baby, no difference at all. I think it's pretty natural."

Source: www.ananova.com Tuesday 25 February 2003

Pigeons and Dogs Make Strange Bedfellows

Zoe the dog and Pretty Bird the pigeon are inseparable

Timaru, NZ — Hikers traveling along Gleniti Road are often bemused and bewildered at the sight of a black and white sheepdog wandering out on the range accompanied by a small, white pigeon. The dog, Zoe, and the bird, Pretty Bird, have been inseparable for about a year.

When Dorothy and Brian Richardson bought the property several years ago, they happened to inherit a pair of pigeons. Last year, one of the birds died, leaving its mate, Pretty Bird, forlorn and broken-hearted. But Pretty Brd was soon on the rebound, looking for love and making advances toward the Richardsons' puppy Zoe. Contrary to the natural instincts of both bird and dog, the relationship flourished, and now the two have made their "nest" together in Zoe's kennel. Ms Richardson says that wherever the dog goes, the bird goes; it sits on the edge of her dish when she's eating, and when Zoe is out working the sheep, Pretty Bird lands in the paddock and then flies back to the house with her when she's done.

Some lazy afternoons, Zoe can be seen resting her paw on Pretty Bird while the bird snoozes comfortably underneath. And on several occasions the two lovebirds have even been heard conversing with each other in strange grunts and chirps. Imagine how the cross-cultural exchange of ideas could benefit both animals. Zoe could teach Pretty Bird the canine qualities of loyalty, service and sociability. The pigeon could teach the dog how to leave droppings on the hoods of freshly-washed cars. Well, maybe that's a bad example...

Source: The Timaru Herald Monday, 29 October 2001 photo by Ron Lindsay

Balancing Dog

Click to Play

Source: www.boreme.com