Chanel is a dog, not a perfume

Chanel with Denice - Image from the Telegraph

Chanel wears goggles and jumpers and has a Guinness World Record certificate to her name. Meet the world’s oldest dog as she turns 21, which translates into an amazing 147 years in people years. Denice Shaughnessy, Chanel’s owner, is a retired Army veteran who now works as a school secretary and lives with her husband Karl, a policeman. She adopted Chanel in 1988 from a Virginia shelter when she was just a six week old pup. Chanel and her owner both stay in Port Jefferson Station, New York where she sleeps all day until Denice comes home from work. Chanel used to run three miles with Denice every day when she was younger but today she has to be carried around a lot. But Chanel still enjoys a walk and sometimes Denice finds her walking around in the night.

But despite being pretty healthy for her age, Chanel has her senior problems. The goggles she wears is not to hide her age, but because she has cataracts and is very sensitive to light. She has her jumpers on because she gets cold very fast and in summer she has to wear a tee shirt. Denice keeps her home at a constantly warm temperature and Chanel eats food like boiled chicken and soft pasta that she can eat with her old teeth. “She takes things easy nowadays,” says Denice and well I guess we can forgive her for it.

Watch Chanel

Swept away!

The Utleys with Tinker Bell safe and sound - Image from Yahoo News

The Waterford Township in Michigan was hit by strong gusts of wind blowing at 70 mph – so strong that it picked up a chihuahua along. Dorothy and Lavern Utley of Rochester, Michigan had set up outdoor display at a flea market on Saturday and Tinker Bell their chihuahua was standing on the step of their trailer when he was swept away.

The Utleys were so miserable when they didn’t find him anywhere nearby that they sought the help of a pet psychic Lorrie. She took them a mile away from where Tinker Bell last was to a wooded area and found him dirty and hungry but safe. The 72 year old Utleys were more than happy to have their companion back in one piece. They had resigned to the fact that he had gone with the wind.

Castaway

Sophie with her owner Jan - Image from Times Online

I must say dogs do have some sense of loyalty and more than anything grit. Sophie Tucker, an Australian cattle dog, was happily enjoying a holiday on the sea when calamity struck. She and her owners Jan and Dave Griffith got caught in a storm off Queensland, Australia and Sophie was tipped overboard. She was presumed to have drowned and her owners were flooded with grief.

But unknown to them Sophie survived and swam five to six miles before she was washed ashore on a sparsely inhabited St Bees Island. She survived there on a diet of baby goats until rangers, who patrol the island, spotted her. They thought she was a wild dog and captured her but soon they were contacted by the Griffiths who got the news that a cattle dog had been captured. They soon had an emotional reunion with Sophie who had become quiet violent and had begun to refuse food. But now Sophie, named after a famous American vaudeville star, is happy to be back at home where she has adjusted well to her creature comforts.

Read more

Watch a video of Sophie

Mother hen and the puppies

The hen watches over protectively - Image from Ananova

Apparently mother hen is capable of mothering anyone. A hen in Majiaqiao village, Jiashan in Anhui province, China, has adopted two puppies after their mother died of poisoning. What is more heartwarming is that the hen was the mother’s best friend.

Cao Fengying, the owner of the animals, said that the hen and the dog had been very close for two years, always playing together. Sadly, the dog was poisoned just ten days after the puppies were born and now her best friend has taken over the responsibility of bringing up her kids. The hen is very protective of her friend’s children, standing guard and letting them eat first during meal times. Ah if only all friends were like the hen!

Special Feature: If only they could talk

One of my friends/readers sent me an article about the anguish that some animals go through while serving the role of a pet. I am posting it here as a Special Feature and if any of you have similar stories feel free to send it across to me and you too will see it here as one :)

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From my window on the second floor, I witness a ritual thrice everyday, which makes me want to scream blue murder. I wonder why people keep Cocker Spaniels, Dalmatians, German Shepherds and the like, as pets in the closed confines of their apartments already crowded with furniture and crystal, which demands absolute immobility.

All these dogs have been lovingly christened with the sweetest of names from Polka, Judy, Mischief to the obviously whimsical choice of Armour, Travel, and Brandy. They look well fed. But care to look into their eyes. More agony than you can imagine wells up in the twin pools of sadness.

Never have I once seen these adorable creatures in the company of their owners, who every morning slam the doors of their imported cars very hard, perhaps to seal off the anguished whimpers of their dogs stranded for the rest of the day to the care of the most soul less dog walkers.

Their bodies stiffen visibly, as fear ridges these canines from nose tip to tail tip at the approach of these born sadists. Once the walkers take rough charge, the dogs have little choice, except to submit to the perverse ways of this abusive lot.

Armed with restless sticks whose utility they have honed to fear psychosis inspiring perfection, the walkers thrill to the sight of these dogs, flinching away in terror, or darting dread- filled, sidelong looks towards them. To the dog walkers delight most dogs have a choke chain. These they fling with savage regularity on the flanks of the dogs. Otherwise they yank them with such severity that the dog’s head snaps back, causing them to writhe as they choke helplessly.

On these walks, the dogs are held on a short leash, forcing them to move in a sullen shuffle. Sometimes they are yoked in the most terrible partnerships, such as a long legged retriever and a stubby little daschund. Their pace is mismatched enough, to make the dog walker have a schizophrenic seizure. A Bull Terrier and a Cocker Spaniel face a dilemma of another kind. The spaniel is deliberately pampered to slight the boxer, who judging from its stiff dodgy trot, ears flattened to the sides of its head, eyes distended with fear and body tensed up, clearly remembers from the past vicious kicks on it ribs.

Once they are out of the gates of the colony, the lordly walkers, basking in the reflected glory of their pedigreed charges, tie up these poor creatures to the nearest lamp post, while they gather with evil intent to laugh their heads off at the idiosyncrasies of their elitist owners.

Even as these dogs stand motionless, resigned , defeated, a slow whimper of yearning, barely audible, builds up and sneaks out. From the corners of their eyes, the only part of them which can move without arousing paranoid suspicion, they see Missy a sleek black Labrador, going every morning and evening with her master to a wooded hillock. There she bounds freely for two hours in search of doggy mischief. Guggloo a lucky German Shepherd is allowed the indulgence of endlessly nosing around boulders and bushes, and relieving himself on every available culvert or tree stump. Cuddles and Pepsi call out to their fan following of strays and generously share their doggy biscuits, before they find dust bowls and have a proper mud bath. Every muscle in their body is relaxed with the happy assurance that they are deeply cared for. In return they have a friendly ‘woof woof’ to every passer by.

In marked contrast, the dogs with the caretakers stand to rigid attention. Any change in stance invites unspeakable harshness. Out comes the stick brought down on them with merciless repetition. The walkers wisely choose an area of heavy traffic, which helpfully muffles the soul searing cries of these dumb animals.

These dogs, distinctly under stress imposed by assault over extended periods, are a far cry of their former pedigreed selves, for which they were prized. Their inherent traits have been assiduously kicked out of their system. Their lives have been so programmed, that they have no control over their destinies. Happy is the mongrel which enjoys boundless freedom. I wonder who is more cruel the dog walker or the owner? Why, you may ask am I a mute witness to this unforgivable cruelty? Because I have tried to get the message across to one or two owners, to be met with the elaborate cultivated shrug of the shoulders, that says it all!

By Radha Nair

Leo the brave

Leo licking one of the kittens

There are reasons why dogs make best friends. Here's one reason why. A terrier cross named Leo claimed news front lines last week after he risked his own life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a burning house in Melbourne, Australia. After his brave rescue Leo had to be revived with oxygen and a heart massage. Fire broke out due to unknown reasons in the house where Leo was entrusted with the safety of the four week old kittens. When firefighters arrived at the scene they found that the inhabitants had managed to escape but Leo was standing immovable and unshaken next to his wards engulfed by thick smoke.

Watch Leo

Another video

Woofing down the aisle

Ed in his special tuxedo - Image from Ananova

Sorry for the long gap readers. Thanks to my mom my internet was down for the past one week and I just got it back up and running. She hired someone to hack away portions of intrusive tree branches outside our house and the man happily hacked away the wire too. A few frantic calls to the telephone board and internet provider set things right, albeit at their own pace.

Also, I have added a new badge to the site named "Everywun," where a simple click from you will result in a donation to needy animals and saving the environment. So click away!

Ok, now let me get to the story for today. I guess this is one of the weirdest I have read in a long time. Ed the dog had one of the best times in his life when his owners Harriet and Andew Athay got married. He not just had the best time but also played the part of best man along with the couple's two other female dogs, Humbug and Goulash. The couple felt it was only right that they be there filling these roles since they were the ones who brought them together in the first place. Harriet and Andrew met when they were walking their respective dogs in Mudeford Beach, Dorset, England in August 2007. As their dogs capered around Andrew and Harriet chatted. He admired Ed's shiny collar and found out that Harriet ran a pet accessories company. The next day Harriet got a parcel with a pink diamante dog collar with a note from Andrew asking her out for a drink. That set their relationship rolling and in January Andrew proposed to her.

Ratchet

Beberg and Ratchet - Image from AP

Ratchet the puppy has hit headlines in pretty much all self-respecting newspapers. But for those of you who haven't yet clued in on Ratchet's sweet story here it is. Ratchet was adopted by Sgt. Gwen Beberg in Iraq after some soldiers rescued him from a pile of burning trash in May this year. Beberg wanted to have Ratchet with her when she flew back to her home in Minnesota after her deployment ends in November. But the military prohibits soldiers from adopting pets abroad and bringing them back to the U.S. and Ratchet was confiscated from a convoy bound for Baghdad airport. The SPCA took special interest and thousands of people across the globe signed online petitions on their site pleading the U.S. military to allow Ratchet into the country. Now finally, an animal rescue group called Operation Baghdad Pups (OBP), have succeeded in reuniting Ratchet with her friend Beburg ending her long struggle. The OBP's first attempt was foiled by the military on 1 October but on 19th Ratchet finally landed in the U.S. with military clearance. The entire effort will cost about $5000 according to the SPCA but then to Beberg, Ratchet is priceless as she says that she couldn't have got through her 13 month deployment without him.

Dog to God

Conan sits next to priest Yoshikuni - Image from Telegraph

This news is a bit old but I thought I must really write it here! Praying is a good meditative practise. It may also get your wishes granted sometimes. Maybe thats why Conan prays. At a Zen Buddhist temple in the Jigenin temple in Okinawa, Japan, Conan the one and half year old pet chihuahua joins the monks in their daily prayers. The dog takes his position next to the priest, Joei Yoshikuni, sits on his hind legs, raises his paws and joins them together at the tip of his nose. Yoshikuni estimates that the number of visitors, especially younger ones, has increased by nearly 30%. He says Conan might be expressing his gratitude for his treats and walks.

Spicy adventure

Simon Carter with Pepper - Image from Tampa Bay

I know I am repeating the animal from yesterday but I JUST had to write this story. If your dog goes missing for months together, then don't worry, for there still is hope as Pepper proved. Pepper the golden retriever went missing from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, a little before Christmas, from the home of Elizabeth Carter. The seven year old dog disappeared when Elizabeth and her family went on a vacation to Mexico leaving Pepper with a dog sitter. When someone lit firecrackers he got startled and ran away and never returned. After long enquiries and searches they gave up hope of finding him.

But nine months later, almost like a rebirth, Elizabeth got a call from St.Petersburg, Floria, 400 miles from Atlanta. Jay Getman who works at a travel agency found Pepper outside the door of the shop, soaking wet, filthy and flea infested. His heart melted at the sight of Pepper and he soon took him home. Pepper was given a nice bath and food and after a couple of days Jay took him to a vet, who found a microchip with Pepper's ownership details embedded. He made the call to Atlanta with some sadness since he had already become attached to the dog and informed Elizabeth. The very next day a still disbelieving Elizabeth hopped into her car and drove all the way to Florida and was soon reunited with her beloved Pepper. But the mystery still remains as to how Pepper traversed 400 miles and landed up so far away.

Sniffing bee

Toby's sniffing capabilities are invaluable - Image from Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Toby is an ordinary looking springer spaniel but what he does is extremely special. He is a trained sniffer dog but not in the conventional sense where he has to go rushing behind criminal scents. He has to sniff something more mundane - bumblebees. Toby is the latest tool in locating the disappearing presence of bumblebees in Britain. He is not the only one of his kind, since Quinn the springer spaniel was there before him. Toby has been trained in the army and is in the employ of Stirling University where researchers have received a grant of $1,96,678 (£112,000) to study bumblebee decline. Bumblebee nests are smaller than a hive and are often located underground. This is where Toby's skills come in. Toby who had been rescued from an animal pound in the Midlands now stays on a farm with his handler, PhD student Steph O' Connor.

Read more about Quinn

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Readers write for World Animals Day

I invited some of my readers to write stories that they found amusing or interesting on the occasion of World Animals Day and here are a couple of them. I will publish any more stories that anyone else wishes to send as and when I receive them :)

Image from Wikipedia

Mocha told me that today is World Animals Day, and asked me to contribute. It didn't take me long to think what I could contribute. Much as I love animals, I loved one in particular the most - my soulmate.You know, just like how we humans go around searching for that elusive soulmate. Well, some don't search, some just assume that it is a concept mired in illusion. But I know - it is real. And unlike those who sadly restrict the concept of soulmates to just the two-legged walking upright hairy kind who also happen to be incredibly dumb (nah, I am not talking of those poor apes - they are not dumb, not they. Ever take a look at our planet? See the frightful mess we have made? Think we can call ourselves intelligent?)

But then, I digress. I wanted to write about one of my soulmates - my dog, Bambi. She came into my life late, I was all of 24, shy of the world, and bound by thoughts of the future. A kind professor who was moving to the US could not take her with them. "I am looking for a house for my dog," she announced one day in class. "She is a Labrador, old but we are just looking for a good home for her, " she said. I must have been out of mind, but then the best decisions in life are those we take when we are out of our mind. I volunteered to take her. What was I thinking? At that time we were staying in my sister's mother-in-law's house - on probation while our house was being built elsewhere. The we implies my mother, my father and I. We had never had a pet before - the only one that arrived some ten years back as a pup had left still a pup. We WERE animal lovers, but preferred them at a distance - NOT animal caregivers. "Well, why don't you come and see the dog then, " my professor said. And so I did. Bambi came wagging her tail as soon as we came to her house. I was with my friend - she was at ease with dogs, and soon had Bambi on her back, giggling with delight as my friend tickled her tummy. I stood nervously. How does one behave around dogs? I had not the faintest idea, considering I was not all that good around humans either. But then Bambi took care of that herself in her own way.

At home it wasn't easy. My father put his foot down. "We don't need a dog," he growled. I was almost in tears...well, I amend that, I was in tears - in private I cried night after night into my pillow. It took my sister's gentle intervention. "She has never asked for anything. Agree this once," she pleaded. My father was never happy. But he could never say no to my sister. So Bambi came home. I took her in an autorickshaw, and the maid in the house fawned over her. My mother loved her, patting her fondly. My Dad didn't. In the evening, I sat, wearied, on the steps in front of the house. And Bambi came over. I was down, I was tired, and I hated life at that moment. She crept closer and kept her head on my knee. I felt understood then. For the first time in my life. There were no questions, no expectations - my dog was just with me, and just be-ing. Since then, every time I felt dragged down, she was there. There was nothing more Bambi loved than scrambling into my lap. So I would get up on a Sunday, wear my worst clothes, go down, sit cross-legged, beckon. And she would, heave her big self on to my lap. Did I tell you she was a yellow labrador? Well-toned, not fat, and with what I still think were the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. We would then lie there, I would stroke her head, and she would give her warmth. At other times I would lie down, and she would put one dirty paw over me in an embrace. Never had I felt so loved. And that I didn't have to do anything to obtain that love. Bambi loved. My sister, who had never been near a dog in her life, would come over just to spend hours with Bambi. She was not an angelic dog - not she. She scratched the house door down - wanting to be let in. She bit my nephew when he was patting her a bit excessively. And she once bolted inside one of the bedroom, went under the bed, and growled at anyone who dare enter the room. Morning saw her on the bed - and we had to forcibly get another dog inside so that she would jump out and defend her territory. She hid under the drain. She was a mad hatter. And she drove my father mad.

And that madness made me treat her badly. I beat her. Not once. But many times for her transgessions. I have mentally beaten a lot of humans too. But unlike them, she came back each time, woofing with pleasure when I extended my hand out for a good rub. She knew no revenge. No grudges. I left her a lot - I went to work in a school far away from home, and used to come home once a month. Each time, the best welcome was from Bambi. She would reproach me for leaving her for so long, and then I would know what love truly was. But she was old - 11 years old - and there came a time when she developed a uterus problem. I was away at school, but took her to the vet each time as soon as I could - he suggested surgery. And no, he couldn't guarantee her survival. But the surgery never happened. One night, Bambi, who was locked in the garage by my father as she would scratch the door (a move that I hated) just died. Just like that. My sister was there. Sick and vomiting on my sister's lap, my dog, my soulmate just left. The what ifs are many but I only know one thing - Bambi was with me for eight months - but love can't be measured in time. I treated her bad, I know. But I hope she knows I loved her. So much so that I cry even as I write this. I hope she will forgive me for those beatings. I hope she knows that she was truly my original soulmate. One day I hope we will meet in a world that makes more sense than the one I inhabit right now. Bambi, my love.

- Thank you Tipsy Tea for sharing that beautiful story

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Image from Daily Camera

The Possessive Cow

I really loved this hilarious story about a cow named Apple chasing off a bear that had climbed into her favourite apple tree. An eye-witness to the incident says that the two animals touched noses for a while before Apple chased the bear off. Apple was upset to see her favourite apple tree being usurped by the bear. She loved to eat apples from there and that’s how she got her weird name too

- From Wistful Vandy

That sinking feeling

Chalupa will not take a bath easily again - Image from Digitriad

I couldn't write this week because of this bizarre new system in our workplace, where all the sites that we visit are tracked and sent to the big boss. Ugh. So from now I have to write my posts in the evening :( Anyway here goes today's.

Bathing can become a trauma as Chalupa the chihuahua discovered. What should have been a leisurely bath turned into a troublesome irritation when one of her rear paws got stuck in the kitchen sink drain when her owner was bathing her. Ruth Gallagher who lives in Homer City, Philadelphia, said her daughter was bathing Chalupa when the dog got wedged. Everything from ice to cooking oil to liquid soap was poured down the drain in a rescue efforts but to no avail. Finally they had to turn to the fire department for help, who had to dismantle the entire plumbing system beneath the sink to un-stick Chalupa's paw. It took 30 minutes to dismantle and Gallagher is grateful for their efforts but it may take hours to put the sink back together and Gallagher is on the lookout for a good plumber.

Buddy to the rescue

Buddy the Savior - Image from ABC News

Next time you want an ambulance ask your dog. That is if he is trained like Buddy, the German Shepherd. Buddy's owner Joe Stalnaker, who lives in Arizona, was suffering from one of his regular seizures and his cries for help were heard by Buddy. He is specially trained to watch out for his owner during his troubled times and as soon as he sensed Joe in trouble the 18 month old Buddy dialled 911. Over the phone, Chris Trott, a veteran police operator, heard whimpering and barking and a little while later the police arrived at Stalmaker's home. Stalmaker suffered a brain injury ten years ago when he was in the military, which left him prone to severe seizure attacks. Stalmaker got Buddy with the help of Paws With a Cause, an assistance animal adoption service. Usually Buddy recognises when his owner is in trouble and responds by bringing the phone to him or presses the 911 button with his teeth. Well, not everyone has the best Buddy.

Watch Buddy

Woof of guilt

Scooby's name was taken from the famous cartoon character - Image from Wiki

How would a dog testify? Will it bark or wag its tail? Well that is the main question that will come into your mind when you know that Scooby the dog has become the first ever animal to testify in a court. The dog is believed to have been with its 59 year old owner when she was found hanging in her Paris apartment. Although the police believe it was a suicide her family has demanded an investigation because they believe its murder. So in comes Scooby to provide proof. During the hearing Scooby was led into the witness box by a vet to see how it reacted to a suspect. Apparently he barked "furiously". The aim was to decide if there was sufficient evidence to launch a full murder enquiry and Scooby seems to have helped quite a bit judging from Judge Thomas Cassuto's remarks that Scooby's assistance was "invaluable."

Gone to the dogs

Buses, a dog's best friend - Image from Spiegel

What is the limit of luxury? For a dog it can be having its own bus. Dog lovers in Berlin can now happily go to work without being worried about who will care for their pet during the day. A newly launched bus service will shuttle dogs to a day care centre where they can eat, sleep and play. Each ticket is 15 euros ($22) and for this the dogs get to sit in cabins fitted with air-conditioning, central-heating, blankets and music. Their destination is Beelitz, a town 31 miles southwest of Berlin, where they they can play, eat or relax in special hotel rooms before embarking on their trip home. The bus can take up to 20 dogs and runs 5 days a week. Ah, now if only we had someone do that for us everyday.