Oliver (Surrey Branch) Animal Courage Award

This dog has shown such courage, in comparison, the medical problems of my own dogs seem like nothing. He has given me to courage to face the challenges with my dogs.

Each year the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA), of Canada, honours an animal in its care who has exemplified the courage and resilience shown by the thousands of abused and neglected animals rescued by the SPCA each year. Oliver was struck by a truck on a busy street in Surrey earlier this year and has been unable to walk because of a crushed pelvis.

After four months of extensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, this courageous dog has made miraculous progress and veterinarians predict he will make a full recovery.

Source: HERE

CutyBoy, a Cat Like No Other

Have you heard of CutyBoy, the Persian cat who lives in Dubai?

CutyBoy is no ordinary cat. He can count, do Math better than I, and understand eight languages. He has been tested by experts and all have acknowledged his intelligence.

CutyBoy has also been featured in many websites and magazines on cats and animals.

Visit CutyBoy's Palace and drop him a line.

The Relationship Between Man & Dog

I find this so true but keeping dogs (and pets in general) can be heartbreaking too.

Dogs and humans have lived together for fourteen thousand years. Domesticated in the Middle East from the Asian wolf and first used for tracking game, dogs came into our caves, tents, and homes to share our daily lives. Perhaps this explains their perfect wordless communication with human companions.

Dogs have left paw prints all over the English language. We have hot dogs and doggy bags; dog eat dog and top dog; dog days and dog paddle; dog eared and dog leg; but probably not dogma.

For those of us smitten with dogs, their sweet silliness reminds us of the truly important things in life: living in the moment, giving unconditional love, being loyal, spending lots of time playing and sleeping, being yourself no matter what or where you are, and enjoying the ride with your head out the window.

Among their many fine qualities, dogs are great fun.

Source: HERE

A Doberman Thanks Her Rescuer

Oh my God, this is so touching it brought tears to my eyes.

This photograph shows a red Doberman kissing an exhausted fireman. He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire. She is pregnant. The firefighter was afraid of her at first, because he had never been around a Doberman before. When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest.

A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, "The Observer," noticed this red Doberman in the distance looking at the fireman. He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do. As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies, and kissed him, when the photographer snapped this photograph.

Source: HERE

Where do dogs go after death?

I read this article that questions where do dogs (or other animals for that matter) go after death?

My personal belief is that dogs go to heaven, where they can run free. They are free at last from the confines of gardens & leashes, pain and suffering. God created all life. When his creatures have served their time on earth, they will return to God's spiritual realm.

What if your dog gets into heaven and you don't?
The real question is not, "Do all dogs go to heaven?" The real question is, "Do all dog-owners go to heaven?"

I believe all pets will go to heaven - they will have no say in the matter. The only creature that has a say in it, is man. Man has been given a choice. People who choose to get to know their Heavenly Father by reading the Bible daily, praying and spending time with other believers, will find that "narrow gate" which the Bible talks of, and will enter their Father's house in heaven.

Do all dog-owners get into heaven?
No. Those people who shut God out of their lives, will still meet God after death, but He will say to them, "Get lost! I never knew you!"

Those people will endure unending torment and regret.

Source: HERE

Dolphins Save Lives!

Although we have heard of dolphins saving lives when people get into trouble in the ocean, it still never fails to amaze.

In 1989, an Australian teenager, Adam, and his two friends were surfing in the Pacific Ocean with a school of dolphins. They were all enjoying themselves until suddenly the dolphins started zooming around and under the boys, then surfacing and splashing violently. Something was wrong and the boys were worried.

Just then, Adam saw a fin coming toward him, but it wasn't a dolphin; it was a tiger shark! The shark attacked, taking a huge chunk out of Adam's surfboard and knocking him into the water. Adam was wounded. The shark saw Adam in the water, turned and attacked again. The dolphins went after the shark, and, worked together to chase him away. Adam's human friends helped him to shore. He had cuts on his hip, thigh, and stomach. But thanks to the dolphins, Adam lived.

Source: HERE

Why Bat Has No Friends

This story tells us why bats sleep in the day when other animals are out hunting and why they fly at night when other animals are alseep.

Oban's Myths & Legends
Based on a Native American Indian Legend - retold by Agor

Many years ago there was a great war between the birds and the animals.

No-one knows why. It just happened.

The creatures with wings flew to the battle site and made their camp. Those who had legs, walked there.

Bat joined the birds. "Hey, I've got wings. So I must be a bird. And there are more of us, so we should win!"

The first battle was long and hard, but gradually slashing claws and tearing teeth began to win over beaks and wings.

Bat could see that the birds were losing so he hid behind a bush.
When the battle was over the animals walked back towards their camp.

"Man, did we kick those birds' butts or what?" said Buffalo, spitting out a few feathers.

"Yeah! We kicked their butts" cried Bat in his high pitched voice

The animals stopped. "What are you doing with us?" shouted Beaver, slapping the ground hard with his big, flat tail. "You've got wings. You're with the other side." "Yeah, that's right" growled Bear. "And I'm going to eat you!"

"Guys! Guys! Get Real!" said Bat, pointing into his mouth. "When have you ever seen a bird with teeth? Of course I'm one of you!"

"I suppose so," grumbled Bear.

The next day there was to be another battle and Bat walked to the site with the animals. "Let's rip their beaks off!" he yelled.

This time the birds flew as an army with the sun behind them, its bright light blinding the animals. Tearing talons and flapping wings tore into furry bodies. The birds were winning. Again Bat hid behind a bush.

When it was all over and the birds started to fly back to their camp, Bat silently joined them.

"That was a good victory today", said Eagle. "Yeah! We kicked their butts" shouted Bat. "Hold on" said Crow. "You were with the other side."

"Guys! Guys! Get Real" said Bat. "When have you ever seen an animal with wings like mine? Of course I'm one of you." He flapped his wings vigorously.

"I suppose so", said Eagle.

And that's how it was in each battle.

When Bat saw that the side he was on was going to lose, he pretended he was on the other side.

Eventually the birds and animals got tired of fighting each other. They all came together while their Chiefs held a council of truce to decide how things would be settled.

It was very difficult for Bat to pretend that he belonged to both sides. The Chiefs knew what he had done.

"Friends should always help each other and not pretend to be one thing when they are another" they said.

"Bat has wings, but he is not a bird. He has teeth, but he is not an animal. From now on, Bat will only fly at night when other birds are asleep and the animals are hunting."

All the creatures nodded in agreement.

"You will always be alone, Bat. You will never have a friend among the creatures that fly or from those that walk!"

And that's why Bat always flies at night and doesn't have any friends.

Source: HERE

Cat Thwarts a Cat Burgler

I was up late (1:00 a.m.) and decided to cover my geraniums, since a hard frost was predicted for that night.

When I came in, I didn't lock the door (big mistake). A few minutes later I thought I maybe heard something outside, but didn't think much of it.

Frankie Joe, my cat, came running over to me, and looked up at me. He was running in place as he nervously looked back and forth between me and the back storm door.

"What is it Frankie Joe? What's wrong?" I asked him. I ran to look out the back door. When I got there, a man with a stocking cap pulled down low was right at my back step. Once he saw me, he took off running. There is no doubt in my mind that given a minute more, that man would have entered my home. Frankie Joe saved my life and ever since that day, his official name became Frankie Joe, the Hero Cat.

-- Submitted by Sandi Arnold, Normal, Illinois

Source: HERE

Playing Dead

I personally know of pig farmers, before JE struck, who told me pigs are as intelligent as humans, sometimes even better!

"When her daughter was called out of town on business, JoAnn offered to watch her pet, Lulu, a potbellied pig. While home alone, JoAnn had a major heart attack. She called for help, but no one heard her cries.

Lulu sensed JoAnn's danger and ran out of the house through a small dog door. The pig lay down in the street in an attempt to stop traffic.

Periodically, Lulu would return to the house to check on JoAnn, and then return to the street in search of assistance. Finally someone stopped and followed Lulu to the door. The good samaritan called 911, and JoAnn was rushed to the hospital.

Without Lulu's help, she might not be here today."

Source: HERE

Ducklings in Danger ~ Mother Duck Calls Police

Ducks are as intelligent as any other animal. Read the following story to believe.

It started with a tug on officer Ray Peterson's trousers. While on routine foot patrol in downtown Vancouver, a female duck approached the officer and grabbed his pant leg until he followed her to a sewer grate.

Through the opening, the officer could see her eight small ducklings that had fallen into the water below.

July 13 -- When a family of ducklings fell down a Vancouver sewer grate their mother did what any parent would do. She got help from a passing police officer.

Vancouver police officer Ray Peterson admitted he was not sure what to make of the duck that grabbed him by the pant leg while he was on foot patrol on Wednesday evening in a neighborhood near the city's downtown.

"I though it was a bit goofy, so I shoved it away," Peterson told the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

The mother duck persisted, grabbing Peterson's leg again when he tried to leave, and then waddling to a nearby sewer grate where she sat down and waited for him to follow and investigate.

"I went up to where the duck was lying and saw eight little babies in the water below," he said.

Police said they removed the heavy metal grate with the help of a tow truck and used a vegetable strainer to lift the ducklings to safety.

Mother and offspring then departed for a nearby pond.

Source: HERE

The Talking Mule

This is a funny folktale as retold by S. E. Schlosser

A farmer owned a mule which he used for work all week. But being a Church-going man, he let the mule rest on Sunday.

One Sunday, the farmer had to go to a funeral. So he sent his son to saddle the mule.

"Since when do I have to work on Sunday?" asked the mule.

The boy dropped the saddle and ran to the house.

"Paw, the mule talked!" he shouted.

"Can't you even saddle the mule?" asked the farmer.

"But Paw, the mule don't want to work on Sunday," the boy protested.

The farmer sent the boy to his room for talking crazy and went out to saddle the mule.

"Move over," he said to the mule.

"Where's my supper?" asked the mule.

The farmer dropped the saddle in the same spot as his boy and ran out of the barn, followed by the dog.

"I ain't never heard a mule talk before," he gasped.

"Me neither," said the dog.

The man bolted for the house and slammed the door.

"The mule talked!" he told his wife.

"What!" said his wife.

"And when I exclaimed: 'I ain't never heard a mule talk before', the dog said: 'Me neither'."

"That's crazy," said his wife.

"What's so crazy about that?" asked the cat. "Haven't you ever heard of a talking mule?"

Source: HERE

The True Story of Prince

Image courtesy of PETA's Animal Times

This story is so touching, it is the reason why we must champion for better animal (health) care.

The old black-and-white dog died peacefully in the arms of people who loved him. He had lived well and brought great joy to his family. Toward the end, when his whiskers turned snow-white and his legs got wobbly, he sometimes lost his way about the house, but he never forgot to show his gratitude for the smallest kindness. He was buried with his favorite toy, a green rubber mallet, and a bush of red roses was planted on his grave.

Continue reading this hero's story HERE.

Climbing the Mountain

A true animal story....

A hiking party was preparing to climb the Matterhorn.

One climber in the party had a kitten. The man rose early to keep his appointment with the massive peak, leaving the kitten behind in his hotel room.

He and his party dressed in their hiking gear and began the ascent. They carried food, water, rope, mountaineering equipment, and emergency supplies.

But something unexpected happened when they reached the peak of the mountain.

Read this inspiring true story HERE.

Adapted from Animal Angels, by Stephanie Leland (Conari Press, 1998)

Weird and Amazing Animal Facts

Although I like to read up on aminals, it's a never ending discovery process. I came across this list of amazing facts and thought it'd be a good idea to share it.

Penguins can jump 6 feet in the air.

A group of Kangaroos is called a mob.

A young Kangaroo is called a Joey.

Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards.

Beavers can hold their breathe for 45 minutes under water.

The smallest bird in the world is the Humming Bird. It weighs less than 1 oz (or 1g).

A bear can run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).

Elephants are the only animal that can't jump.

Polar bears are left handed.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

Tigers have striped skin not just striped fur.

Reindeer eat moss because it contains a chemical that stops their body from freezing.

The coyote's scientific name (Canis Latrans) means 'barking dog'.

Snakes can see through their eyelids.

A Woodpecker can peck 20 times per second.

Woodpeckers don't get headaches from all that pecking. Their skulls have air pockets to cushion the brain.

The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees.

Butterflies taste sensors are in their feet. They taste their food by standing on it.

Katydids have ears in their front legs.

The strongest animal in the world is the rhinoceros beetle. It can lift 850 times its own weight.

Flamingos are pink because shrimp is one of their main sources of food.

The flying frog uses flaps of skin between its toes to glide.

The slowest mammal on earth is the tree sloth. It only moves at a speed of 6 feet (1.83 meters) per minute.

The Chameleon's tongue is as long as its body.

The Chameleon can focus its eyes seperately to watch two objects at once.

The Kangaroo's ancestors lived in trees. Today there are eight different kinds of tree kangaroos.

Flamingos eat with their heads upside down to strain the water out of their food.

Many snakes never stop growing. That's one reason they must shed their skin.

The Artic Tern flies from the North Pole to the South Pole and then back again to spend summer in each place.

The black bulldog ant from Australia is the most dangerous ant in the world. It stings and bites at the same time and has killed humans.

A hippopotamus can stay under water for up to 30 minutes.

The Basenji is the only dog which does not bark.

Armadillos, opossums and sloths spend up to 80 percent of their lives sleeping.

The Black Cat ~ Superstition Busted!

The Chinese believe that black cats bring bad luck. As far as I know, if a black cat crosses your path, you're not supposed to pass that route and if you are forced to, you need to spit, to ward off the curse. How true that is, I don't know. I'm not going to experiment =)

In the 1800s, cats in Washington, D.C., helped control a serious rat problem—even inside the U.S. Capitol. But one cat may have done more than hunt rats. Some say its spirit haunts the Capitol's corridors.

Legend has it that before national disasters occur, "DC" emerges from the shadows, its creepy eyes glowing. People have reported seeing the cat before the stock market crash of 1929, which sparked the Great Depression, and also before the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

"Some members of the nighttime protection service shudder at the thought of encountering DC," wrote John Alexander in the book Ghosts: Washington Revisited.

Read the full story HERE.

Tsunami Friends Owen and Mzee

It's amazing how animals of different species can live together happily without thinking of their differences and look out for one another. Some times even animals are better than people.

Owen & Mzee

The tsunami in South Asia reached as far as the east coast of Africa.

Newspapers picked up the story of a baby hippo who was washed out to sea with his mom and the rest of his herd. The baby hippo washed back up on shore but his mom and the others didn't.

Given the name Owen, he's now being cared for at a Mombasa, Kenya wildlife sanctuary, where he has adopted a new "mom" -- Mzee, a male, 120-year-old giant tortoise.

Read the full story HERE.

An Eye on You

It's common to read of animal-human relationship, but this one is an animal being a hero to another, and of different species too. We used to read about why dogs hate cats so much, but not in this case.

Read on....

"Cashew, my 14-year-old yellow Lab, is blind and deaf. Her best friend is Libby, 7, her seeing-eye cat. Libby steers Cashew away from obstacles and leads her to her food. Every night she sleeps next to her. The only time they're apart is when we take Cashew out for a walk. Without this cat, we know Cashew would be lost and very, very lonely indeed. It's amazing but true: This is one animal who knows what needs to be done and does it day in and day out for her friend."

- Submitted by Terry Burns, Middleburg, Pennsylvania

This story and more HERE.

No Pet Left Behind

Many times we read how animals selflessly put their lives at risk to save their masters from danger but how do people in general treat animals?

To most people, animals are just, well, animals, and nothing more. That's why we see so many strays on the streets and some unlucky ones are being tortured, too.

It's rare to find someone who selflessly care for animals as if these animals are a part of family. Animals too deserve our respect and if we do keep animals, it is our duty and responsibility to care for them as best as we could.

Today, I read about a project called "No Pet Left Behind" that was initiated by Nathan Winograd, who left his career as a corporate lawyer in California, to run this animal shelter in New York.

I really respect him for his ability to give up a posh job and comfortable life to undertake this project. Millions of healthy animals are euthanized every year in shelters; Nathan Winograd wants that number reduced to zero.

To read this story, please click HERE.