Man, goose … another kind of love story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwJBhn7FXkw
Update: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnAp2Bp4qBI&feature=related
Archive for the ‘Animals’ Category
Lovebird
Thursday, April 28th, 2011Tree shortage
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
We have to stop cutting down so many trees. This is getting serious!
Unwelcome visitor
Monday, February 21st, 2011
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were coming back.”
Boykin spaniels
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
I have a new favorite dog breed — well, let’s just say it’s a temporary crush. It’s the Boykin Spaniel. I discovered it on the TV news when the discussion of the Westminster Dog Show focused on this year’s new breeds. Just look at those eyes! Click on the photo below for information on the Boykin Spaniel.
The winner of the dog show was Hickory, a five-year-old Scottish Deerhound. Click here for a photo gallery on the show from the Washington Post.
Damn cat
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Here, kitty
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Mental Floss offers more images of bookstore cats. Pictured: Alice, who dwells in Lawrence, Kansas.
Baby New Year
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
From Twitter: “The cutest photo of a sleepy baby deer you will see today, or your money back.”
‘A little boy and his bear’
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
NYT contributor Jennifer Finney Boylan reminisces about the old Winnie-the-Pooh toys:
“…The story goes back 35 years. In the 1980s, I had a gruesome copy-editing job at E. P. Dutton, the American publishers of the “Winnie-the-Pooh” books. One of my colleagues was a crusty septuagenarian named Elliot Graham, whose title was director of publicity emeritus. Elliot was the shepherd of the original Pooh stuffed animals — Pooh, Tigger, Kanga, Piglet and Eeyore — which were kept in a glass case in the Dutton lobby on 2 Park Avenue….”
An animated Christmas card
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
Merry Christmas from the Snowman.
Click on the picture to help the animals build their snowman.
Books. Cats. Life is good.
Friday, November 12th, 2010
My new favorite photo: Nate and Amazing Supercat Toby enjoy the wonderful book “Dewey the Library Cat.” It’s always better to read with a friend.
In honor of Dewey
Monday, October 18th, 2010
Penguin invites cat lovers to join the Dewey the Library Cat Community and submit photos and stories of your feline to share with the group. It’s all in honor of the late library cat Dewey Readmore Books.
Who’s saury now?
Thursday, September 9th, 2010Just for fun, 9 reasons not to date a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Guenveur Burnell wins
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Kent storyteller Guenveur Burnell has won the grand prize in the WCLV Dog Days of August Pet Poetry Contest. (Click the cat photo to see all the winning poems.)
Here’s her grand-prize-winning poem, about her cat Dupree:
Dupree
We are old, he and I.
We walk more slowly
Than in our younger days.
But his tail is still held high
Like a plume on
The hat of a Victorian lady.
His topaz eyes still gleam.
Never a lap cat ’til now,
His old bones
Need our warmth
And my old bones find ease
In that soft, purring body.
Because we are old,
Dupree and I.
Kitty, kitty
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
SF Gate profiles some of California’s bookstore cats.
Deer party
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Last night I chanced to see what I can only describe as a “party” of deer: at least seven adults and a couple of babies in the tall grass, jumping and rolling and frolicking and playing. It looked like they were jumping into waves of water in the ocean. Then they went their separate ways.
Overfishing: Blame Hemingway?
Friday, June 25th, 2010In the New York Times, Jennifer Schuessler writes about the overfishing of certain species, with links to other articles on the subject, including one to an article about how much damage Hemingway’s own overfishing may have caused.
Bionic cat
Friday, June 25th, 2010
from the AP:
LONDON (AP) — Oscar the cat may have lost one of his nine lives, but his new prosthetic paws make him the world’s first bionic cat. After losing his two rear paws in a nasty encounter with a combine harvester last October, the black cat with green eyes was outfitted with metallic pegs that link the ankle to the foot and mimic the way deer antlers grow through skin. Oscar is now back on his feet and hopping over hurdles like tissue paper rolls. After Oscar’s farming accident, which happened when the 2 1/2-year-old-cat was lazing in the sun in the British Channel Isles, his owners, Kate and Mike Nolan, took him to their local veterinarian. In turn, the vet referred Oscar to Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, a neuro-orthopedic surgeon in Eashing, 35 miles southwest of London.
Together with biomedical engineering experts, Fitzpatrick gave Oscar two metal prosthetic implants that are a bit wobbly, to imitate a cat’s natural walk. But first, he covered the brown implants with black tape to match Oscar’s fur. Fitzpatrick said he and biomedical engineers designed the artificial paws so that they would be fused to the bone and skin. “That allows this implant to work as a seesaw on the bottom of the animal’s limbs to give him (an) effectively normal gait,” he said. “Oscar can now run and jump about as cats should do.” The veterinarians then inserted the peg-like implants by drilling them into Oscar’s ankle bones in his rear legs. The metal implants are attached to the bone where Oscar lost his paws and were coated with a substance that helps bone cells grow directly over them. The cat’s own skin then grew over the end of the peg to form a natural seal to prevent infections. After rehabilitation training that taught Oscar how to walk again, the cat was on all four feet in less than four months. Oscar’s owners said they hoped his new paws would also further the technology for developing artificial limbs for humans. …
As the previous owner of a cat who lost a leg, I found this story especially interesting. Cats are, after all, only human.
Bo in the snow
Monday, December 21st, 2009
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Treats for Dog Lovers
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Today’s “
Home, sweet home
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009From my e-mail:
The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.
Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years — canine/feline attendance is not required.
The proper order for kissing is this: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.
Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:
To all non-pet owners who visit and like to complain about our pets:
1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it “fur”-niture.
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, they are animals. To us, they are our adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours, and don’t speak clearly.
Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because:
- They eat less,
- They don’t ask for money all the time,
- They are easier to train,
- They normally come when called,
- They never ask to drive the car,
- They don’t hang out with drug-users,
- They don’t smoke or drink,
- They don’t want to wear your clothes,
- They don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
- They don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and
- If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
Dress your pet as a literary character
Thursday, October 15th, 2009Remember “Wishbone”? The blogger at the New Yorker does, while letting us know that about a contest for people who want to dress their pets as literary characters for Halloween.
Pooh belongs to Disney — legally
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
A court has ruled that Winnie-the-Pooh is the legal property of the Walt Disney Co.
New character joins Pooh
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
A new character will join Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore will welcome Lottie the Otter, who will make her debut in Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, which goes on sale worldwide October 5. It is the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. Lottie the Otter, always dressed in pearls, has her own ideas about how things should be done and believes that everyone should follow the correct etiquette. She also knows a lot of facts and is a girl otter with great confidence. In Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, Lottie has a swim in Christopher Robin’s bath, helps to set up a school for the characters in the Hundred Acre Wood, and turns out to be great at cricket.
Hope
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
— Emily Dickinson (1830–86)
Complete Poems. 1924. Part One: Life, XXXII
Stamps of ‘Early TV Memories’
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Lassie and his mother, June Lockhart, pose before the image of one of the new stamps to commemorate “Early TV Memories.” The stamps depict classic shows from the 1950s and 1960s using a black and white TV screen format. Actually, June played Timmy’s mother, Ruth Martin, on the TV series. But we always called her Lassie’s mother. This is the ninth-generation collie descended from the original Lassie. And what’s up with Lassie being a boy?
And how come no one seems to remember Lassie’s first boy, Jeff? Tommy Rettig was one of my first crushes.
Contest for dog ‘writers’
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009From a press release:
Forget about doggie day care, spas and designer clothes. According to a recent national survey of American dog owners, the majority say they are pampering their pooches with more simple pleasures, including belly rubs, walks and games of fetch. The survey, which was conducted by ALPO® brand dog food, reveals that just two percent of dog owners say they have ever pampered their pooches by taking them to a doggie spa and only one percent says they have ever pampered their dog with a professional massage. When it comes to doing special things for their four-legged friends, 79 percent of dog owners say they feed their dogs treats, 73 percent say they give them belly rubs and 69 percent take them for walks. And, when asked when their dog is happiest, 62 percent of owners say it is greeting them when they come home.
To celebrate a more common sense approach to pooch pampering and share its mission to let dogs be dogs, ALPO is announcing the ALPO Real Dogs Tell It Like It Is Contest. The national contest is searching for real dogs to share their stories about their favorite real dog behaviors, such as rolling in the mud, drooling for dinner or chasing a ball. Up to 20 lucky winning “pawthors” will have their stories published in a first-of-its-kind “how to” manual to help dogs be dogs.
In addition to greeting them when they come home, the dog owners surveyed say that their dog is happiest when being taken for a walk or a run (52 percent), receiving treats (48 percent), napping on the couch (32 percent) and chewing a bone (30 percent). And, 78 percent of dog owners say the current economy has not affected their dog’s lifestyle.
“We’re inviting dogs across America to celebrate their real dogness by sharing their stories and inspiring others about what it means to be 100 percent, real, lovable dog,” said a spokesperson. “The winning pawthors’ stories will be published in a common sense guide that should be required reading for dogs and their owners for generations to come.”
The ends on September 28. Dogs are invited to submit a story (ghost written by their owner) on the Web site about their favorite real dog behavior, such as eating, chasing, chewing, drooling and napping, and why it’s time to let dogs be dogs. Stories must be 300 words or less and the entry must also include a color photo of the dog. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest.
The entries will be judged based on the following criteria: best description of a “real dog” behavior (50%); and originality and creativity of entry (50%). Up to 20 winners will be selected and their stories will be featured in the first-of-its-kind “how to” manual for real dogs that will be published in 2010.
‘First He Looked Confused’
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
“First He Looked Confused”
I could not lie anymore
so I started to call my dog “God.”
First he looked
confused,
then he started smiling,
then he even danced.
I kept at it:
now he doesn’t even
bite.
I am wondering if this
might work on
people?
– Tukaram, Indian poet 1608-1649
(from “Love Poems From God” by Daniel Ladinsky),
quoted in “A Monk in the Inner City” by Mary Lou Kownacki
Ah, that can’t be good.
Monday, July 13th, 2009Here’s an idea for what you can do with your old G.I. Joe action figures:
A relaxing holiday …
Monday, July 6th, 2009It is a truth universally acknowledged that major appliances break down on major holidays: My water heater died on the 4th of July.
I went to the basement Saturday morning to do the laundry and AAAKKKK! Water all over the floor. BUT I still had hot water. In fact, the water heater was working overtime, refilling itself and reheating the water constantly. (I can’t wait to see the electric bill.)
So I went ahead and did the laundry and my beloved brother took me to buy a new water heater, and then he installed it. Bless him.
There goes half a month’s pay.
And while I was doing the laundry, I was washing out the kitty litter boxes outside and I noticed a bird flying around the dryer vent. I checked, and — WHOA! It had built a nest in there. So I pulled out the accumulated debris — a seemingly endless amount of sticks and dryer fluff and feathers — until I couldn’t find any more, and I moved it into a plastic, boxy contraption nearby. The bird is NOT happy. But at least there were no eggs or baby birds in there, and at least I didn’t steam any birds to death running the dryer while they were in there, and at least I didn’t set fire to the house.
So, because I completely lost Saturday, which is a big reading day, I had to read two books yesterday to make up for it so that I can have a column on Friday. And I ate something spicy for dinner before going to bed Sunday night, which meant that my stomach hurt and I couldn’t fall asleep until something like 2:30 in the morning. Blah!
So, I’m very tired, but we have hot water, and no birds died.
Bobama, FDOTUS
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
The official baseball-type card of Bo Obama, the First Dog Of The United States, has been revealed. You can download a PDF file of the card itself. Here’s what the back looks like:
