Adopting A Virtual Pet

As a dog lover, it pains me that after awful experiences keeping dogs with extremely poor health but loved them too much to even think of mercy killing, I have decided not to keep any more pets. I still love them but I would rather not have to go through the pain anymore.

However, once a pet lover, always a pet lover. Just yesterday, I came across this website called FooPets, I don't know how long this site has been in existence but I have never heard of them before this, and am so caught up with the realistic dogs and cats that I decided to create an account and adopt a FooPuppy.

Take a look at this screenshot that I have enclosed. The breed of this dog is a Portuguese Water Dog and I have named him Poopy. He is so cute and reminds me of my dog, Snoopy, when he was a puppy. Snoopy wasn’t a Portuguese Water Dog but still, they look very similar. Perhaps all furry black balls of a puppy look like this.

SIGH…well, even though I no longer dare to keep a pet, at least I can still play catch with one, albeit virtually only!

Pet Euthanasia - How Right Or Wrong Is It?

I spent the past 7.5 months taking care of my dog that was incapacitated until he took his last breath about two weeks ago. I suffered along with him throughout his illness and there was not a day that went by that I didn't ask myself if keeping him alive was the right thing to do. I am a Buddhist and religion forbids me to kill, though I have no qualms swatting mosquitoes since insects are not "whole souls" unlike dogs.

Religion aside, it was beyond me killing him as I had taken care of him since he was only three weeks old and had to be bottle fed. Friends were all telling me to "put him to sleep" and that he was suffering but I couldn't do it.

As the primary care giver, it was very tough on me too. Despite having done all that I have for my dog, I still felt that I haven't done enough. I could have gotten him a pet wheelchair if not for his advanced age at 14+ years when this happened and besides losing his mobility, he also lost his sense of balance. I grew a lot older these past 7.5 month but in the end, I am glad that I didn't succumb to the temptation to end it all with just one shot. Actually, religion forbids me even thinking of putting an end to life but I was thinking if that was a better option than allowing my dog to waste away in pain with his body riddled with pressure sores.

Having spent the past couple of days reading up on pet euthanasia on the web, I believe that there is no wrong or right in a pet owner's decision to opt in or out of mercy killing. I am lucky that I work from home and could stay by my dog's side 24 hours a day, so much so that I only stepped out of the house once during the entire time he was bedridden but not everyone could do that with school, work or life to live.

To me, it is wrong to put a pet to sleep because of old age but if the pet is very sick or diseased and medicine could no longer help, I really do wonder. It's every pet owner's nightmare and I hope that no pet lover has to go through what I did.

Gus, the World’s Ugliest Dog

I first read about the death of the World's ugliest Dog, Gus, a week or two ago and did not get the chance to blog about it. Truly, Gus was an ugly dog but I think that it's pretty unfair to have him participate in contests like "World's Ugliest Dog" since he lost his leg to skin tumor and lost an eye in a cat fight. Gus was embattled and shouldn't be termed "ugly".

Occasionally, I do see this programme on TV though I am not sure what programme it is called or on what channel it is being broadcast, but I think that in future, organizers of "The World's Ugliest Dog" should only accept natural born ugly dogs and not dogs that have been disfigured because of illnesses or diseases.

Gus, may you rest in peace.

Source: Here

Yoda the 4-Eared Cat

Once in awhile, I come across pictures of mutated animals that make me go, "WTF?" The miniature horse is fine, the piglet with monkey face is not. This cat, Yoda is not too bad!

Meet Yoda, the four-eared cat. Isn't he cute? He has been adopted by Valerie and Ted Rock of Chicago, Illinois, who found him in a bar being made fun of a group of drinkers.

Yoda has become an international animal celebrity, appearing in talk shows and print media. He is said to be completely normal except for the ears. Eerie!

Source: That's Weird

Meet The Fuwa Puppies

I wrote this post a little while back and set it to auto-publish but it did not work and I did not check until just now to realize that two months have passed! This news is a little stale but since it has already been written I might as well publish it.

The following are photos of five new born Boston terrier puppies that were born on 8th August, 2008. The owner, Xing Changhai, lives in Hainan Province, China.

To commemorate the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, these extremely cute puppies have been named after the five Beijing Olympic mascots, the Fuwa.

Could you tell which one is Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying or Nini? I definitely could not tell them apart!

Source: China Daily & Asia News Photo

Love Birds

My friend sent me this picture story this morning, which I understand were taken in Ukraine. Yes, it really is so touching, whether these are real photos or have been photoshopped, whether the bird’s actions were correctly interpreted.

The story goes like this, explaining the suffering of a bird after discovering that she has been fatally injured. Hr brought her food and showered her with attention, love and compassion. She died and he was shocked. He tried to move her but she would not budge.

The bird is finally aware that she is dead; he cried with adoring love. He stood beside her body and screams. The last photo shows him full of sadness and sorrow.

World's Longest

I actually came across these record breaking World's Longest animals last month with the launch of the Guinness Book of World Records 2009 but I somehow never got around to posting about these stories on my blog but as a blogger juggling multiple blogs, I beleive that it's better late than never.

The longest rabbit in the world was measured at 81.5cm in Britain this year. The humongous hopper, Amy, is the pet of Annette Edwards and belongs to the Flemish giant breed, which is known to weigh up to 8kg.

This Irish Wolfhound named Mon Ami von der Oelmuhle, has a nose-to-tail-tip length of 232cm (91.3in). That makes him roughly the length of a double bed. Bred by German Jurgen Rosner, Mon Ami is owned by Joachim and Elke Muller of Wegberg-Arsbeck, near Dusseldorf, Germany.

Meet the Ligers - Lion-Tiger Hybrid

This morning, I was surfing around randomly when I came across this article on China Daily. It's on the first public appearance of three lion-tiger hybrid cubs known as "liger" at the Hongshan Zoo in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province on 11th September, 2008.

These "ligers" were born to a white Bengal tigress and an African lion. While they look totally normal physically, even cute, I fear that like in many cases of cross-breeding, there may be genetic mutation or there may be something wrong with them mentally. It will take some time to detect any abnormal behavior.

I understand that these cubs were conceived naturally and not through artificial insemination but I still think that the zoo should have kept the "beasts" separate. We surely would not want another mutated animal on our hands!

Source: China Daily

Oldest Gorilla In Captivity Dies

Jenny, the oldest gorilla in captivity, a Western Lowland primate, has been put to sleep due to an inoperable tumour in her stomach. It had been a tough decision for officials at the Dallas Zoo because they have had her for 55 years and that's a LONG time!

Jenny at her 55th birthday party in May, 2008
Photo credit: Tony Gutierrez, AP

Jenny, who weighed 218 pounds, just celebrated her 55th birthday this past May where the Zoo threw a birthday party for her. Gorillas in the wild normally live up to 30 - 35 years old but gorillas in captivity could live longer due to a protected environment and access to veterinary care. Even so, according to records, of the approximately 360 gorillas in zoos in North America right now, only four were over fifty years old this spring, including Jenny.

The distinction of being the oldest gorilla in captivity has gone to Colo, a 51-year-old female gorilla at Columbus Zoo.

Sources:
Chron.com
USA Today
WDTN.com

Zoya & Frida: Friends Forever

I was looking at some animal photos online, which I seem to do ever so often when I came across this photo of Zoya the tiger cub and Frida the puppy.

Photo credit: Alik Keplicz/AP Photo

Zoya and Frida are three months old. Frida, an Alsatian, was introduced to Zoya after being rejected by her mother. Zoo employees in Warsaw, Poland, thought that it would be better for Zoya to have a companion, even though they are of different species! Frida is owned by one of the zoo employees.

For more photos of Amazing Animals, check out ABC News.

One-Dog Policy In Jesus Maria, Lima, Peru

While China has the one-child policy, a report on Reuters mentioned that local authorities in Lima has passed a new law stating that residents of the middle-class Jesus Maria in Lima could only keep one dog if they are living in an apartment. Families who live in houses would be allowed to keep two dogs.

I am a little surprised by this because here in Ipoh, Malaysia, we have a city council ruling, I believe, that allows us to keep the number of dogs according to the size of our compound and size of the dogs.

However, here in Ipoh, like in Jesus Maria, there is no law to restrict cat owners on the number of cats that one could keep. I am not sure why because cats could also be a nuisance just like dogs, especially during mating season.

Residents in Jesus Maria say that noisy, barking dogs disrupt the peace and harmony. I find that people who make their dogs wear "bark control" collars or worse, remove the voice box of their pet dogs, absolutely cruel. Barking is a form of expression for dogs. If they are not allowed to bark then who would know if they are hurt or threatened?

Authorities in Lima say that they would impose hefty fines on families who do not abide by this law, and may even resort to removing the dogs. I think that most dog lovers would rather change their lifestyle, like moving to another place that would allow more pet dogs in the premises, than let the authorities confiscate them.

What are your thoughts?

For the full report, click HERE.

Parrots In Love In Nanjing, China

This is probably stale news to some of you but I was looking for animal stories in China, specifically, in view of the on-going Summer Olympics in Beijing, China right now when I stumbled upon this story of a pair of parrot lovers in Nanjing, China.

Photo credit: World Picture Network

A pair of love birds is not rare but I really love this image. The colours are so vibrant and striking, don’t you think so?

Olympic Poodle

I came across this photograph on website of The Telegraph UK of a poodle with Olympic rings shaved into its coat in Beijing, China, to commemorate the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

The rings are even painted according to the official Olympic colours. However, the tail and ears have been sprayed with "clown" colours, which I think is just too cute.

Prince Chunk Finds New Castle

The fat cat that was found homeless and roaming the streets of New Jersey the same week that the dog abuse at Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California hit the news and drew more than a few chuckles and oohing and ahhings has finally found a new foster home.

Photo credit: A Schell / Courier Post

This cat, named Powder, and dubbed Princess Chunk when he was first discovered, nicknamed because of his size, weighs approximately 44 pounds! Despite its weight, Powder has been given a clean bill of health.

Powder’s owner lost her home to foreclosure two weeks ago and just let the cat out as she could no longer afford to keep him. Isn’t she highly irresponsible?

Photo credit: Warga/News

Following a whirlwind media tour, including a TV appearance on” Live with Regis & Kelly”, there were five hundred people, some from outside the United States, who wanted to adopt Powder but the Camden County Animal Shelter, who is responsible for Powder for the time being, has selected a couple with a teenage child to adopt him because they have prior experience with cats. The adoptive father is meanwhile building a little cat castle and will collect him next week.

What is sad is that while five hundred people offered to adopt Prince Chunk, almost none of them wanted to adopt any of the other abandoned cats at the Camden County Animal Shelter. It's as if most of them are only seeking publicity. I figure that if you could open your home to Powder, you could open your home to any other cat. Camden County Animal Shelter reported that they euthanized a thousand cats last year, a third of the cats in the Shelter.

For the full report, click HERE.

Dog Abuse At Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California

There's one thing animal lovers like me will never understand. How could anyone have the heart to abuse animals? I tell you, I wanted to vomit when I read that there's this psychotic dog breeder, who has this ambition to breed a new breed of dogs, a new breed of "macho dogs" in his own words, most probably he wants a new breed to name after himself, who not only did not feed the dogs but killed them.

Photo credit: Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel

I don't think I want to know how he tortured the dogs, and I don't even understand how killing the dogs would make a new breed of macho dogs because dead dogs are no dogs, whatever breed it is.

Photo credit: Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel

Now the thing that most disgusts me is that there have been people making reports and pursuing this case since 2002! How many dogs have died since then? How many dogs have been bred and sold since then?

Robert Brunette
Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Animal Services

Animal lovers should never encourage dog breeders by buying dogs from puppy mills and dog breed farms but to adopt dogs, cats and other animals from animal shelters. Rescued animals make great pets also! I, along with all animal lovers, hope that this guy, Robert Brunette, gets his just desserts.

Source: Mercury News

Piglet With Monkey Face

A piglet is cute, a baby monkey is cute, but when a piglet is born with a monkey face, I wonder if it is wise to rear it. A piglet like this has been born to a family in rural China. This piglet is one of five piglets born; though the other four are born normal, thankfully.

I tell you, this animal is just so scary that pregnant ladies better don't look at it. Yet, there are local tourists travelling to the rural village of Fengzhang in Xiping where the owner, Feng Changlin and his family live.

I think it would be better to put it to sleep, even though I am an animal lover myself! One thing's for sure, this piglet, if it survives to adulthood, should not breed. What do you think? For the full news report, check out The Telegraph UK.

Papa & Mama Elephants Teach Baby Elephant To Paint

I found this cute video on Reuters this morning where a couple of adult elephants are teaching their daughter to paint at the Ichihara Elephant Kingdom Zoo near Toyko, Japan. Papa and Mama elephants, Puri and Teri, are established painters in the animal world.

From this video, you can see them and staff at the Ichihara Elephant Kingdom Zoo trying to teach the one year old female elephant, Yumeka, to paint. She looks reluctant but she sure enjoyed the bath after that! Enjoy the video!

Man Tortured & Killed Dog Sentenced To 6 Months

I picked up this news story from BBC News Online late last night and I was so pissing mad and repulsed that I could not write about it on my blog. I mean, here are people who love dogs, animal lovers, and there are people who could torture a dog like that until he died? What sort of human is that? Or is he a human at all?

Mac with William Streeter

The lady owner is just as bad. I believe that if we take in a pet, it is our responsibility and commitment to care for the pet to the best of our ability. This lady could not even protect her dog, Mac, from a crazed husband. Yes, mad as in mentally ill. I think even mentally ill people would have a little bit more sense.

Alison McMonagle the wife

Seriously, reading the way that this guy, William Streeter tortured and killed Mac, I almost vomited. It’s just too gruesome. And I would have to agree that six months jail time is seriously too light a sentence. What? A dog is “just a dog”?

Pissed off!!!

Source: BBC News

Blue Cross High Tea Fund Raiser for Pet Charities

I was browsing through some old animal photos on the web when I cam across this. This is a photo of Romi at the Blue Cross high tea fund raising even at Oxo Tower on London's South Bank on 14th May, 2008.

Romi
Photo credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

This is said to be Britain's largest tea party for Blue Cross animal charity. I hope that one day, I would be able to participate in such an event.

By the way, this may be stale news for some of you but it is here "for the record." I love photos of dogs and other animals and I imagine myself going through all my archived posts when I am old and not as active in blogging.

Image details: Dogs Attend Britain's Biggest Tea Party For Blue Cross Animal Charity served by picapp.com

Scientists Collect Cow Fart

This poor moo moo cow has a tank strapped on its back as scientists attempt to collect cow fart to determine methane levels in its belch and surprised to discover that it is 23 times worse than carbon dioxide.

Photo credit: Reuters

Why don’t scientists collect fart from human? I am sure there would be plenty of volunteers and no tank has to be strapped like that. So uncomfortable and heavy.