Adam Pearl of Meridian, Idaho, came home to find evidence that his home had been burglarized- footprints in the snow, missing items, etc. His pet squirrel Joey was okay, though. As events unfolded, it turns out that Joey had acted as a guard dog, and repeatedly bit the intruder!
He should get a "Beware of Squirrel" sign to warn off any future home invaders. Joey is now regarded as a hero. -via Uproxx
Simon Tofield of Simon's Cat fame illustrates the many ways cats show affection to humans. And the humorously unintended consequences of that affection. Suddenly, I realize that none of my three cats feel any affection at all toward me. Ungrateful beasts. -via Laughing Squid
Two years ago a gas station in Brazil was just about to be opened when the owners found a dog wandering around that had been abandoned by its former owner and was afraid to leave. Rather than adopt him as a personal pet, they decided to make him the official station mascot.
Now Negão a favorite employee at the station and he even has his own nametag. Employees take him on walks multiple times a day and the 24 hour station always has plenty of friendly visitors to come in and give Negão the loving pets he deserves.
"Negão waits for people to arrive, and then goes up to say hello, winning them over with his charms," the owner says. "Customers love him. Some people even bring him toys." He's even the face of a new movement in Brazil that aims to get businesses to help take in some of the strays out of the area because there are too many dogs and not enough homes.
Read more about the cutest gas station employee around over at The Dodo.
Mia knows the agility course, and she's got plenty of speed and agility. But Mia is a beagle, and is therefore both happy and distractible. She delighted the audience at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Don't be a beagle, don't be a beagle!
That's a good dog. To see how it is supposed to be done, watch Tex, the 2015 winner. -via Metafilter
For some reason animal lovers still think having a monkey as a pet is a novel idea, but nine times out of ten the shit hits the fan soon after they bring their pet monkey home and they realize they've made a terrible mistake.
And once those people have learned their lesson a poor little monkey is left without a home- unless they're lucky enough to land in the arms of Airocolina 'Pinky' Janota, aka the Monkey Mom.
Airocolina runs a primate sanctuary in Beecher, Illinois, where she currently serves as 'alpha monkey mom' for six orphans- two Marmosets, one Bonnet Macaque and three Rhesus Macaques.
All of the monkeys Pinky takes in at the Settlers Pond Shelter were abandoned by their owners in the United States, but in Pinky's care they're living the high life, with dapper duds to wear and all the finger food they can eat.
See Illinois woman keeps SIX primates and is even teaching them sign language here
Each year a carefully selected pack of canine contestants strut their stuff for the judges at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where they represent their breed and try to prove they're the Best In Show.
This year the competition will be even hairier, since three new breeds have entered the battle- the Pumi, the American hairless terrier and the Sloughi, all very interesting dogs indeed.
But enough about the now, let's look back at Westminsters past with Miss C's article 12 Historic Westminster Best In Show Winners and see who won about 100 years ago.
His name is Haymarket Flawless, and he won Best In Show in 1918. Hay was both the first Bull Terrier and the first Canadian dog to win, and he definitely could have been the Spuds McKenzie of his day.
And speaking of dogs with star power, get a load of 1957's winner- Shirkhan Of Grandeur.
Shirkhan was the first Afghan hound to win Westminster, and he was so gorgeous and elegant looking TIME Magazine felt compelled to bow down:
The others walked or trotted, ran or cantered like dogs. Shirkhan moved like a king."
But you don't have to be doggy royalty to win Westminster, just ask Tickle Em Jock.
Scrappy little Tickle Em Jock was purchased from a London butcher for $15, and he became the first Scottish terrier to win Best In Show in 1911.
However, Jock obviously had a hard time putting his rough and tumble past behind him- because he bit a judge at another show later that year after winning Best in Breed. Tickle 'em indeed!
See 12 Historic Westminster Best In Show Winners at mental_floss
There's no doubt that otters are adorable, but who knew they could eat at a table like civilized people as well? Or at least he does... until he just gets tired of it and then he goes back to laying and munching. Ultimately, this otter is all of us, playing our part to be "polite" until we get home alone and take off our pants so we can eat a tub of ice cream while sprawled out on the couch.
Via Laughing Squid
Cat owners know how it is: when you want to snuggle with your cat, they won't have anything to do with you. But when a cat wants your attention and love, they can be pretty demanding. If you aren't in the employment of a cat yourself, watch this and see how it is.
A cat knows what it wants, and they want it now, no matter what else you have going on. As someone once told me, a cat has never seen a downside to asking for what they want. And they get it, too! Who could say no to that adorable little fuzzy face? -via Tastefully Offensive
Most dogs don't get the hiding part of hide and seek, although they are really good at seeking thanks to their keen senses, but if cats want to hide and stay hidden, even in plain sight, they have the power to do so.
Cats have mastered the arts of camouflage, burrowing and diversion, and if all else fails they will just use their ninja like climbing abilities to head to higher ground, so they can ambush the seeker if need be.
So if your cat invites you to play hide-and-seek you may want to politely decline and distract them with some catnip, or else you're playing right into their paws.
See Photographic Proof That Cats Are The Greatest Hide And Seek Champions Ever here
A clowder of five cats in Thailand have to check out the new member of the family, a realistic plush cat taking a nap. They seem flummoxed by the newcomer, and I can't say I blame them.
And the more cats concentrate on studying something, the easier they are to startle. They didn't even stick around long enough to hear the new cat speak. -via Laughing Squid
Sloths are fascinating creatures that are adored by the public. Strangely though we still know very little about them -both scientists and the public. Here's one more thing you might not know about the cute little critters: they make absolutely adorable sounds. Just listen to these little guys speak!
Via Mental Floss
Ziggy loves going for a walk! The Staffordshire Bull Terrier helps his human Keren get everything he needs for walkies. That's a good dog. Ziggy Trixx does all kinds of tricks, and is also an accomplished skateboarder. You can follow him at Facebook. -via Metafilter
The cat named Pooh was brought in to a Bulgarian animal shelter with multiple injuries, including two missing legs. Locals thought he might have been the victim of a train, since he hung out near the tracks. Doctors at Central Veterinary thought he was a good candidate for some groundbreaking prosthetic technology. A machine translation from the Bulgarian page on Pooh explains his treatment.
The chance of Pooh is called ITAP prosthetics or placing implants that replace the missing part of a leg directly into the bone.
This is an innovative form of prosthetic limbs, a new medicine for human and animal described isolated cases in the literature.
The aim of the fitting is placing titanium stalk (stem) in bone paw and its subsequent attachment to the outer (exo) prosthesis.
The method has enormous advantages over standard external prostheses in animals that require daily maintenance by the owner to bear is difficult (in cats, even if at all) and often cause complications. With ITAP proteza, all these drawbacks are avoided.
Continued "implementation" of titanium implant in the body is a huge challenge, it happens during a slow process that lasts between 6 and 8 weeks.
Pooh is the first cat in Eastern Europe (and the second cat in all of Europe) to receive two bionic hind legs. According to the shelter's Facebook page, the cost of his surgery has been covered by donations, and he is up for adoption. Read Pooh's story and see plenty of pictures at KittenToob. Through the sequence of pictures, you can see the progress Pooh has made not only in adjusting to new legs, but in his overall health.
The Atlanta Humane Society was looking for a home for Grant, an adorable special needs kitten. Grant has cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition we first posted about in 2007. Grant was passed over by many potential adopters, but when Emma Wheat met him at a PetCo event, she couldn't get him out of her head.
Emma Wheat didn’t rush headlong into the adoption, but after meeting Grant and getting to know him for a minute or two, Emma went home and did her homework on Grant’s condition and what it would mean to take him into her home. Come next morning, Emma was the first person in line at the Human Society, a big smile on her face as she asked to adopt Grant then and there. She’d done her due diligence and found that not only was she able to take Grant into her home, she simply couldn’t wait any longer.
Having learned what she would need to do in order to keep up with his medical needs, Emma then made preparations for Grant to come home with her before ever making her way back to the Human Society. Emma even professed that she couldn’t sleep the night before adopting him, claiming that she was ready and more than willing to take Grant into her home.
Grant is doing well and is having fun in his new home. Eventually, the kitten will have a job of sorts. Wheat is a music therapist for children who have developmental disabilities, and Grant will be a fine example of how disabilities don't preclude happiness. Read his entire story at KittenToob.
Cats want humans to leave them alone until they really, really want humans to pay attention to them, at which point they pull out all stops to make sure all human eyes are on them.
Some cats use the power of the meow to get attention, others knock stuff off shelves and counters to ensure they're not ignored, like furry little Nihilists.
But Nala the Norwegian Forest cat (previously at Neatorama) has a cuter method of calling her humans- she jumps at the door and peeks at them through the window until they come out and play.
How could anyone ignore the call of the wild Nala?
-Via Laughing Squid
