i-pets.com blog

Bloggers Choice Awards

2007-04-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

New URL

2007-02-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

Please update bookmarks!

As of
February 20, 2007
the NEW URL and DOMAIN
for this blog is:

http://internet-pets.blogspot.com/

We'll continue to have the same interesting content as before, we're just trying to free up some space and traffic on our server.

Remember us, but we are now

The Pet Blog

Art: Butterfly People

2007-02-19T07:57:00.000-06:00

She Hovers in the Air

The anthropomorphic illustration above comes from a 2-volume set: 'Papillons - Metamorphoses Terrestres Des Peuples De L'Air', published by Gabriel de Gonet in 1852.
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Video: Sleepy Baby Sloth

2007-02-19T06:09:00.000-06:00

When it comes to tired baby animals, the sloth is king.
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The greatest porkers in pop culture history

2007-02-18T06:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Lunar New Year

Pigs may be some of the tastiest animals ever made. No matter how cute some of them may be, you can't deny the mouth watering goodness of bacon. But aside from their culinary contributions to society, it's time we honor their importance as pop culture icons.
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Hip Shot Cartoons by Andy White

2007-02-17T15:03:00.000-06:00

The Bad Foods For Dogs List

2007-02-17T08:41:00.000-06:00

This page is a list of common foods that are bad or poisonous for your dog. If you suspect that your dog might have eaten any food that might be toxic, contact his/her vet immediately.

Rare white lions on public view

2007-02-16T07:17:00.000-06:00

The first white lion cubs to be born at a UK safari park are going on public view in the West Midlands.

The cubs, three females and one male called Kiara, Lara, Toto and Casper, were born in August last year.

They were bred at the West Midland Safari Park near Bewdley, Worcs, to mother Maryn who was brought to the park in 2004 with three others.

White lions are a rare species found in an area of South Africa. There are thought to be 130 left in the world.
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Fear-mongering about wolves not based in science

2007-02-16T07:08:00.000-06:00

Despite generations of us raised on "Little Red Riding Hood," wolves are fascinating animals that almost never attack humans. Yes, they'll follow you at a distance across a frozen lake. They'll kill and eat domestic livestock. They'll kill pets and the loose-running dogs of Wisconsin bear hunters.

It's not inconceivable that a healthy, wild wolf would attack a human being. But the few documented cases of attacks on humans nearly always involved either rabid wolves or those habituated to human contact at campgrounds or garbage dumps. In Minnesota, wolves have had hundreds - probably thousands - of chances to attack humans and have not done so.

The only case in Minnesota even resembling a wolf attack occurred many years ago. A man hunting rabbits, wearing a coat well-anointed with buck scent from deer season, was jumped from behind by a wolf. The man fired a shot from his .22-caliber rifle.

"The wolf appeared to come to its senses and fled, leaving the hunter with a long scratch," wrote Minnesota wolf researcher L. David Mech.

Juneau predator catches and releases pet pug

2007-02-15T16:14:00.000-06:00

A lone, black wolf that Juneau residents have dubbed "Romeo" appears to have lost its fear of humans, prompting officials to set up signs reminding people to keep their distance from the wild animal.

The wolf has been spotted on several occasions attempting to "play" with dogs and people on and around frozen Mendenhall Lake, one of his haunts, the Juneau Empire reported.

Recent pictures circulating locally by e-mail show Romeo getting acquainted with a few local dogs, including a small, light-colored pug.

In one shot, he's making off with the pug as if it were a rabbit. Subsequent photos show the pug squirming on the ice after he's been released. The little dog suffered no apparent harm.
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Wallaby Captured In SoCal Back Home In Oroville

2007-02-15T13:25:00.000-06:00

It was the Wallaby capture seen around the world.

Last week, television helicopter crews hovered as animal control officers in Southern California cornered what looked like a kangaroo in someone's backyard.

Turns out, it's a wallaby and the lost little guy lives in Oroville.

Walter the wallaby is the pet of Oroville resident Banti Baker. "He's the love of my life" Banti told CBS13.

She's been raising wallabies them for 25 years.. But Walter escaped when Baker left him with a friend in Southern California.

And that's when Walter became worldwide news as television crews covered his capture and aired the 911 tapes from worried residents.

Stowaway squirrel grounds jet

2007-02-15T12:57:00.000-06:00

An American Airlines flight made an unscheduled landing after pilots heard something skittering about in the wire-laden space over the cockpit.

The airline blamed the emergency landing of the Tokyo-Dallas flight with 202 passengers on a stowaway squirrel.

"You do not want a varmint up in the wiring areas and what-have-you on an airplane. You don't want anything up there," said John Hotard, spokesman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline.

He said pilots feared the animal would chew through wiring or cause other problems.

"So, as a precaution, we diverted," Hotard said.

Once on the ground late Friday, the Boeing 777's human passengers were put up in hotel rooms and later rebooked on other flights.

State and federal agriculture and wildlife officials boarded the plane, set traps and captured the eastern gray squirrel.

Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens

2007-02-15T08:18:00.000-06:00

The Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens, also known as the Lesser Panda, Bear Cat or Fire Fox, is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat.
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Zoos Offer Romantic Sex Tours For Couples

2007-02-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is the time of year when zoos around the nation seek to woo a new adult audience with risque tours that couple champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and candlelight dining with impressive facts about how animals do the wild thing.

Credit for the concept goes to Jane Tollini, a former penguin keeper at the San Francisco Zoo. Tollini conceived the idea two decades ago while watching her penguins' courtship ritual, which culminates in what she describes as "bowling pins making love."

"The keepers get there early and we see things that other people don't see," Tollini said. "And I went, 'My God, that's fascinating.' You know the old Peter Sellers line, 'I like to watch?' You kind of go, 'Oh my, my, my. How big? How many? How far?' It was unbelievable."

English springer spaniel is America's top dog

2007-02-14T15:31:00.000-06:00

An English springer spaniel with a preference for chicken-and-garlic treats prevented America's top dog event from turning into The Cosby Show.

Diamond Jim jumped into handler Kellie Fitzgerald's arms after being picked for best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club.

Dressed in a glittering copper top that perfectly matched her brown-and-white dog, Fitzgerald cuddled her 6-year-old certified therapy dog.

Diamond Jim beat out a Dandie Dinmont terrier co-owned by Bill Cosby, as he did at the big AKC/Eukanuba event in December. The springer was the nation's No. 2 show dog last year behind Cosby's entry – Fitzgerald also repeated, having gone best in show at Westminster in 2000.

Art by Chris Buzelli

2007-02-14T06:51:00.000-06:00

Fountain of Health

Mystery Ailment Killing Honeybees

2007-02-13T13:33:00.000-06:00

A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the U.S., threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.

Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Reports of unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 U.S. states. Some affected commercial beekeepers — who often keep thousands of colonies — have reported losing more than 50 percent of their bees. A colony can have roughly 20,000 bees in the winter, and up to 60,000 in the summer.

"We have seen a lot of things happen in 40 years, but this is the epitome of it all," Dave Hackenberg, of Lewisburg-based Hackenberg Apiaries, said by phone from Fort Meade, Fla., where he was working with his bees.

Kissing bugs (Triatoma) and the skin

2007-02-13T12:29:00.000-06:00

Kissing bugs (Family Reduviidae) can be the source of nocturnal dermatologic wounds in the mid to southern latitudes in the United States. The insects are obligate blood feeders and though the bites may be asymptomatic, a variety of dermatologic eruptions or death from anaphylaxis can result. The various dermatologic forms of the bite can be mistaken for herpes zoster, erythema multiforme and the ubiquitous catch-all diagnoses of "spider-bite."

Triatoma are predominantly nocturnal and feed off of a sleeping person's exposed human body parts.

Typically, they position themselves next to the recumbent human, rather than on top of the host, to feed with the proboscis being the only contacting body part. Subjects describe the bite of Triatoma as virtually painless with a slight tingling sensation.

In laboratory observations, the insects fed for 8 to 15 minutes on humans before repletion and interfeeding duration was typically 3 weeks. However, the insects were able to survive 3 to 6 months between meals.

Dancing Jellyfish

2007-02-12T09:28:00.000-06:00

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the wurstminster dog show

2007-02-12T07:20:00.000-06:00

the wurstminster dog show is a fun show put on by the Wurst where artists are invited to "capture the look and spirit of their chosen breed in their own unique way." Artists were invited to reserve a dog breed on a first come, first served basis.

a portion of the proceeds from this show will be donated to DoveLewis animal hospital in portland, oregon.

Pictured:

elisabeth doherty - chicago, illinois
irish terrier
"finn"
3.5"x7"
acrylic yarn, mixed media soft sculpture

Why do cats have an inner eyelid as well as outer ones?

2007-02-11T16:00:00.000-06:00

The third eyelid of cats plays an important role in maintaining the health of their eye surface. In fact, it is so important that among mammals and birds the norm is for a species to have a third eyelid and those lacking one--such as humans and some of our fellow primates--are the true oddities in nature.
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Man's Best Bud

2007-02-11T07:58:00.000-06:00

From Europe comes a beer just for dogs. But will they like it?

TIME puts the pooch hooch to a taste test on some of Europe's most favored pooches in Paris's Bois de Boulogne, near the up-scale 16th Arrondissement and a favorite walking spot of the city's finest pedigrees (both four- and two-legged varieties).

Humane Solutions to Urban Wildlife Conflicts...

2007-02-10T08:04:00.000-06:00

Whether you've found a bird with a broken wing, an orphaned baby squirrel, or have a wild animal taking up residence in your attic, we can help. Click on the links below for help with your situation.

Click here if you have found an orphaned animal. Here you will find information to help you determine whether or not the animal you have found is really an orphan, and a listing of wildlife rehabilitators in your area if the animal is indeed in need of assitance.

Click here if you have found an injured animal. Here you will find information on how to contain an injured wild animal, if it is safe to do so, as well as a full listing of wildlife rehabilitors in your area.

Click here if you are experiencing a problem with a wild animal at your home or on your property. You will find detailed information on how to permanently and humanely resolve common urban wildlfe conflicts.

funny photos of dogs chewing up the house

2007-02-09T07:31:00.000-06:00

Is your dog chewing up the house? You're not alone!

more ...
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California skunk leaves Canada after a long, strange trip to 'Oz'

2007-02-08T08:48:00.000-06:00

A California skunk nicknamed Dorothy that hitched a ride aboard a commercial truck to Canada in late December is finally going home after a fantastic whirlwind tour, wildlife officials said.

The four-pound (1.8-kilogram) female had traveled nearly 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) in five days without food or water in a sealed container, arriving in Canada slightly dehydrated but otherwise unharmed.

Canadian wildlife authorities believe it fell asleep in a large rubber pipe that was loaded onto the big rig in Torrance, Calif., in late December.

The animal was dubbed Dorothy after Judy Garland's character in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz" because it too "fell asleep and woke up in a strange land."