It's not easy using stairs when you've never done it before. It's even harder when the riser is taller than your legs are long! Puppies are little apprehensive about trying it for the first time, even when they've seen other dogs do it.
Their failures, their persistence, and their eventual success are just too darn cute in this compilations from Mr. FunnyMals. -via Tastefully Offensive
Oiqlele's mother tried to pull a prank on their cat. She assumed the cat can't read, but the joke was on her. That's one smart kitten! Of course, it would have helped if the hole were a bit bigger, because judging from the size of that paw, the cat is a little large for it. She still got a viral photo out of it.
Dogs are allowed to ride on the bus in Seattle when their humans come with them -the exception being Eclipse, who is actually allowed to ride the bus to the dog park all by herself with her own bus pass. It all started when her owner would take her to the park and get distracted at the bus stop -he would often miss the bus, but little Eclipse would jump on the bus and go to the park without her dad. Eclipse's owner would have to catch the next bus and meet her at the park later.
Eventually, this happened enough times that Eclipse was given her own bus pass and given permission to just go to the park by herself. Her dad always catches up eventually, but Eclipse now has full independence to get there on her own time.
You can read more about this bus-riding cutie on PetsLady.
This guy takes a few steps off the front porch and makes a hasty decision to retreat. What did he see? What could be so terrifying?
Oh, it's just a herd of a half-dozen skunks, out for their morning run. They probably have the entire neighborhood to themselves when they do that. You'd flee, too- imagine getting in their way and all six of them giving you a shot of their defense mechanisms! -via reddit
You know why the baby elephant parade business went belly up? It's not because of PETA or the death of the circus, it's because those little buggers really like to throw a fit. And trust me- you don't want to be on the wrong end of a little pissed off elephant's tantrum, because they will trunk you down!
The little guy in this video flailed around in frustration because he couldn't keep up with the speedy herding dog he was trying to play with, so he wagged his trunk and went waaah.
But the two interspecies pals who met at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand probably would have gotten along with one another if only they'd taken turns giving each other piggy back rides.
-Via Laughing Squid
Daum is a South Korean web portal. It has a map application that resembles Google Street View. While mapping the island of Ulleungdo, a friendly dog accompanied the photographer -apparently all day long. You can see the dog appear in quite a few panoramas as you trace his route, or just enjoy these "best of" shots that were posted to reddit and even more at The Verge. That's a good dog. We hope that the cameraman took some time to give him an ear scratch or two.
Enjoy a few minutes of sequestered kittens mewing while their moms take a break. There are seven kittens in this bin. Three of them are five weeks old, and the other four are four weeks old. The two litters are cousins, as their mothers are sisters. A couple of the kittens are already escape artists.
You have to wonder if they sort themselves out when they return to their mothers, or if the moms sort them out, or if they just nurse them as they come. -via Metafilter
Simon Tofield presents a new episode of Simon's Cat Logic, in which we look at how cats communicate with body language. Body language is what the Simon's Cat cartoons are all about. Cat expert Nicky Trevorrow explains what certain cat postures mean.
A cat meows to get your attention, then they move around to let you know what they want. For my cats, that means running to either their food dish or the door. They communicate quite clearly. I have one cat that will come and tell me when the others want to come in. At the end of this video, we get a chance to see the very first Simon's Cat video that went explosively viral in 2007.
Drew Magary spilled a lot of flour on the floor, and her dog ate it. While seeking advice via social media, she learned of many other dogs who ate adventurously, which is all of them.
My previous dog ate a large Rubbermaid kitchen garbage can, lid & all. Didn't eat the garbage. Was totally fine. Strange dog.
— Jessica Valiquette (@ZandCsMom) June 16, 2017
I had a shepherd-collie that found the Halloween candy and ate a whole bag of fun-sized Snickers bars, wrappers and all. He did not eat the plastic bag, otherwise we'd have never known. Despite chocolate being toxic to dogs, he was fine. Ever since, I store any large amounts of candy in a secure place.
ooh. I have a good one. My dog as a puppy ate a glow in the dark frisbee. His poop had little glow in the dark bits for awhile.
— Aaron Combs (@RunSomeAarons) June 16, 2017
Read more things dogs have eaten at the Concourse. And let us know the most unusual thing your dog has eaten.
(Image credit: Stolbovsky)
Carsen Parker had a raccoon inside his yard, which is surrounded by a sturdy, relatively high iron fence. He went out to remove the critter, thinking it would be a simple task of chasing it to the gate, but the raccoon had other ideas. He did not want to leave.
"The days I've spent here have been the best of my raccoon life. I find this yard to be quite pleasant, and I'm considering settling here on a permanent basis. Your attitude about this matter concerns me, but overall, I enjoy your company. Why don't you want me to live here?" -via Tastefully Offensive
The staff of the Philadelphia Zoo became concerned when their pregnant gorilla Kira didn't give birth after an entire day of labor, and veterinarian Donna Ialeggio thought she might need a cesarean section. The zoo had arranged a partnership between their gorilla breeding program and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 2009, in case there were problem births. Up until now, there was no need for intervention from the university's doctors. But last week, the zoo called in ob-gyn Dr. Rebekah McCurdy, who had been named as a backup specialist.
The team was nervous about doing a C-section. Gorillas have been born in this way before, but the recovery period can be rough for such active, climbing animals. The team knew that once Kira was back in her enclosure, they wouldn’t be able to get close enough to check her bandages. They knew that Kira is a fidgety gorilla, with a habit of picking at scabs. And most of all, they weren’t sure what to do about the baby while she was recovering. Gorilla infants stay with their mothers for years, and the keepers didn’t want to disrupt those first critical moments, when the bond between mother and baby solidifies.
Ialeggio asked McCurdy what she’d do if the patient was a human. “I’d pull the baby out,” McCurdy said.
And that is exactly what she did. Kira successfully delivered a five pound baby boy, and mother and child are doing fine. Read about the entire birthing event at the Atlantic.
-via Digg
This video starts out as if it's a failed cute cat video. But Baggy the calico cat got distracted by a lion! Baggy, suffering from "little cat syndrome," thinks she's up to challenging the big cat. It might work against other house cats, but the lion is not the least bit intimidated. She may even be amused at Baggy's antics.
The narration is provided by Derek Krahn of the Center for Animal Research and Education in Bridgeport, Texas. -via Tastefully Offensive
Not every pup that enters police dog training actually graduates. If their temperment is wrong or if they can't focus, they are kicked out of the program and adopted out to loving families. I even once owned a drug-sniffing dropout who had doggy ADHD and she was a great dog even if she wasn't fit to serve.
Over in Australia, Gavel the dog had a similar story after getting booted from the police training program for being too darn nice. But Gavel spent his very early life at the official residence of the Queensland governor and when he became a dropout, he was quickly given a new home and a new job at his former residence -even requiring him to sign an official contract.
Gavel is now the Vice-Regal Dog, where he brings cheer to countless officials and visitors as a charming animal ambasador. "We hope Gavel's with us for a long, long time into the future,” Governor de Jersey said.
You can read more about Gavel at Travel and Leisure or follow his adventures on the official Instagram of the Queensland Governor
Kristen build a new tunnel for her pet fox Riot. Riot loves it! Castiel, the German shepherd, can't even fit into the tunnel, but Riot can zip right through and even turn around inside it. Here, he's having a great time irritating Castiel with his tunnel shenanigans.
Watch Riot play tag and peek-a-boo and hide and seek! See more of Riot and his animals friends at Instagram. -via Tastefully Offensive
There are plenty of creatures in the animal kingdom with magnificent hair, and when people discuss magnificent manes they naturally talk about lions, horses and certain breeds of dogs.
But these lists are always missing one species with the most magnificent and luxurious hair all over their little bodies- the guinea pig.
Their flowing manes make the critter competition look wheek by comparison, and whether the guinea pig is sporting strawberry blonde locks, a jet black Mod 'do or curly hair the color of honey their hair game is always strong.
