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'Lily was the model for the painting of a little cat mezmerized by the fire flies. Lily (a 'special needs' cat) is available for adoption at Tabby's Place.' The link is to Lily's special page, but you can look around the whole website. This is a wonderful cage-free sanctuary for hopeless cases, kitties no one else wants or can take in. They are cared for and treated medically and adopted out to loving homes if possible. If you canny adopt, you can still donate to the kitties' care. The photos of the cats for adoption are so sweet. The artist who painted Lily's picture donates a portion of the money she receives from her art to help animals in need. | ||||||||||
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"We've all heard of the Boomtown Rats...now meet the Roosendaal Rats - two pet rats who have been trained by their owner to hold tiny instruments in their paws." "I only got the idea to pose them with instruments when I went shopping and saw a tiny guitar for sale in a window. When I held the camera they did whatever I wanted them to. They are so clever they even recognise their own names. I just fell in love with them. They know exactly how to pose and both are really talented actors. We have a really good understanding. They always know what I am saying." Photos and commentary by Ellen van Deelen / SWNS.COM More photos >>here | ||||||||||
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Yes, this is too cute! From How Rabbits Express Themselves
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The longest serving horse in Britain's largest police force has finally hung up his stirrups. Telegraph.co.uk 22 Jul 2009  Rider Pc Bill Hounsome, of the Mounted Branch, said Raleigh would join his best friend Hector, who retired six years ago, at stables in Sevenoaks, Kent Photo: PA Raleigh was heading for a peaceful retirement in the countryside after spending two decades on the streets of London. The 23-year-old horse has been involved in policing almost every annual large-scale event held in the capital. As well as daily patrols, Raleigh has policed football matches and numerous ceremonial duties including Changing of the Guard and Trooping the Colour. Rider Pc Bill Hounsome, of the Mounted Branch, said Raleigh would join his best friend Hector, who retired six years ago, at stables in Sevenoaks, Kent. He said: "He may be a veteran at 23 but he thinks he's 13. When he's excited he bucks and jumps around, and he's good at tempting people into feeding him apples and other treats. "It's incredible for a horse to still be so fit and youthful at his age, but he has served an exceptionally long time as a police horse and it's time for a well deserved rest. I'm very pleased that I'm able to offer him that." The Metropolitan Police employs 148 mounted officers who look after 120 horses houses in seven stables at an annual cost of some £900,000. The majority of the horses are purchased aged five or six and enjoy a career of around 15 years. | ||||||||||
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A rabbit whose food bill tops £50 pounds a week is in the running for the title of biggest bunny in the world. Telegraph.co.uk 12 Jul 2009  Benny, a giant Flemish buck, measures almost 3ft in length [Photo: CATERS NEWS AGENCY] At first glance Benny, a giant Flemish buck, could be a contender for the heaviest, as he tips the scales at 22.4lbs. However, Guinness World Records no longer records animal weights because of problems with owners over-feeding them. But the two-year-old giant, whose owners Martin and Sharon Heather claimed measures 85cms - almost 3ft - in length, is now in the running to be crowned the longest rabbit in the world. Previous record holder Amy, a continental giant doe who died in May, measured a paltry 81.5cm. Mr and Mrs Heather have set up a Facebook site for Benny and are using his new-found fame to help save the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, which is under threat due to a funding crisis. The couple, of Merton Close, Eynsham, Oxon., have picked up three of their four bunnies from the sanctuary in Stadhampton and want Benny's fame - he already has 270 friends on his Facebook site bennyheather - to spread the word about the centre's plight. Mr and Mrs Heather are awaiting a vet's appointment where Benny - who munches through 9 pounds worth of fruit, vegetables, rabbit food, biscuits and treats a day - will be officially measured in front of independent witnesses, before their application goes in. Guinness World Records spokesman Amarilis Espinoza said: "The longest rabbit is currently under research as we have had a couple of contenders." Mr and Mrs Heather, who have three children, came across the giant bunny at the sanctuary in February and Mr Heather brought him home as his birthday present. Since then the couple have adopted two other rabbits from the sanctuary - April, a giant lop, and Flossy, a lop-eared rabbit. Mrs Heather, aged 39 years, said: "On July 3, I really started pushing Benny's Facebook site to try to get more people aware about the sanctuary. "All the rabbits that have come from the home are a credit to the staff there as they are all so well-tempered, it's unbelievable." Benny, whose ears alone measure 20cms, is house trained and likes to sit with the family dog Archie, a cross breed. Mr Heather, aged 52 years, said: "We leave the back door open for him - he doesn't try to escape, he is as happy as pie. "He also gives kisses and says what he wants. If he wants treats, he will jump up on the sofa. He lies with the dog and kisses the dog sometimes." Benny enjoys eating broccoli, but his favourite treats are fig rolls. Mrs Heather said: "It is a real pleasure getting up in the mornings, finding the dog on one end of the settee and the rabbit on the other side of the settee. I am sure he is just a little bit confused about whether he is a dog or a rabbit, but he is definitely the business." | ||||||||||
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Mood:
 angryPlease watch the video and sign the petition. If I can find some email addresses to send letters to, I will post them. I am hoping all the many thousands of people who have signed the petition and written in protest will help BRING BRUCE HOME. **Sign the petition to BRING-BRUCE-HOME at Care 2 **Watch the video  | ||||||||||
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12,000 join global campaign to save dog court ruled is illegal pit-bull By Diana Rusk Irish News 08/07/2009 **Sign the petition to BRING-BRUCE-HOME at Care 2 **Watch the video  DOGGED DEBATE: Shannon Brown’s dog Bruce who a court has ordered should be destroyed after determining the dog is a pit-bull, an illegal breed. Ms Brown maintains her dog is a Staffordshire-Bull terrier, inset DOG lovers across the world have backed a Co Down woman’s two-year legal battle to stop her pet ‘pit-bull’ from being destroyed. Shannon Brown’s dog Bruce was seized from its home in Bangor by North Down Borough Council wardens in September 2007 and has been in kennels ever since. A district judge last year determined the animal was a pit-bull – an illegal breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act – and ordered the animal be put down. Despite the dog’s owner lodging an appeal in the case, the original ruling was upheld in Belfast Magistrate’s Court last Monday and it was ordered that the dog be destroyed within a week. Ms Brown (20) then applied for a judicial review, which was dismissed but she has been given until Monday to appeal the decision in a last ditch attempt to save the animal. It is understood the court has ruled that the animal does not pose a risk to the public.  Almost 12,000 people from all over the globe have signed an online petition to ‘Bring Bruce Home’ and protests have been organised in America with news channel CNN covering the case.Northern Ireland is unique in Britain and Ireland because all animals a court decides are pit-bull types must be destroyed. Ms Brown last night insisted her pet was not dangerous. “He has never harmed anyone,” she said. “We found Bruce as a puppy in a cardboard box on Albert Street in Bangor and he was just over two years old when he was seized. “I have always maintained that he is not a pit-bull but that he is a Staffordshire-Bull Terrier. “He lived with me and my partner’s child, who was three years old, and a Labrador and never caused any harm to either of them. “I understand pit-bulls being used for fighting would be a danger but this was a family pet who was never abused in any way.” She said a dog sanctuary in the Republic of Ireland where pit-bulls are a legal breed, has offered to provide a home to Bruce. Ms Brown said she would be “heartbroken” if her pet is destroyed and hopes international support for her case can add pressure. “The response has been brilliant and crazy and completely unexpected,” she said. “There are signatures from all over the world – Italy, South Africa, China, everywhere – protests have been held in America over Bruce and CNN has covered it.” David Brown from North Down Borough Council said wardens were carrying out their duty when they seized the dog on 19 September 2007 after reports that the animal was an illegal breed. However, he agreed the legislation around dangerous dogs in Northern Ireland is “not fit for purpose”. “The judges don’t like it. We don’t like it and we hope the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will soon clarify the legislation,” he said. “We have been inundated with hundreds of emails and telephone calls from around the world in this case.” Dangerous dog legislation --Northern Ireland is the only place in Britain and Ireland where dogs found to be of the pit-bull type must be destroyed under legislation --Pit-bulls are one of four dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 --In 1997 an amendment to the Act was accepted in England, Scotland and Wales removing the mandatory destruction order for illegal breeds if the court accepts the animal does not pose a risk to the public --These dogs are entered on to the Index of Exempted Dogs instead of being destroyed --However, the amendment was never extended to Northern Ireland --The case is even more clear cut in the Republic where no breeds are banned and some dog sanctuaries operating there give homes to pit-bulls from the north --Legislation is being reviewed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development --On November 20 2007, agriculture minister Michelle Gildernew announced a review of the Dangerous Dogs Act and dog fighting legislation --She has held meetings with the PSNI and representatives of District Councils to consider what action should be taken but no decisions have yet been made --In March she said she would present a bill to the assembly after the summer recess --It is the responsibility of district councils to enforce the act even though many dog wardens have been calling for amendments to be made to the legislation --The maximum penalty for owning a banned dog type is six months imprisonment or a £5,000 fine | ||||||||||
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News Letter 14 May 2009 LONELY deaf pup Snowball has been given a home – after she learned sign language.  Big-hearted Noel Chapman took on the white Jack Russell-Collie cross after he heard her condition was putting off prospective owners. He also needed a new pet to fill the void left by the death of his beloved labrador in March. (See original story.)Noel said: "My labrador had to be put to sleep finally in March. For the last four years of his life, he was blind and deaf. "So when I heard about Snowball I thought I'd give her a home." The Dogs Trust in Ballymena will be training Noel in more commands for Snowball, and have given him a guide book. Staff at the shelter started training the three-month-old pooch after she was abandoned. Snowball has already learned the commands for sit, walk and go to the loo – more than children her age learn. Snowball was born in a litter of seven puppies after her unwanted, heavily pregnant mother was handed to the shelter. New homes have been found for four of her siblings in the past two months. Vets say deaf animals cope surprisingly well, but they are vulnerable to specific risks, such as approaching cars. Noel said: "It is going to be hard never being able to let her off the leash. "But it will just take patience and we're going to have to be careful." The News Letter highlighted Snowball's plight just weeks ago. Now her mum and two of her siblings still need homes. If you think you can offer a home to the rest of Snowball's family, call 028 2565 2977 or visit the Dogs Trust Ballymena website. | ||||||||||
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LIFE.com British Airedales Bearing Rations, 1939 A dog wears a gas mask and another carries rations for a wounded soldier in 1939 England. Airedales were a favourite of British troops, and were trained not for speed but dependability. [Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images] Oct 16, 1939 | ||||||||||
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