Just for fun: July 2008 Archives

From The Associated Press:

Three tiger cubs at a Kansas zoo are getting some maternal care from an unlikely source -- Isabella the golden retriever.

The tiger cubs were born Sunday at Safari Zoological Park but their mother soon stopped caring for them. Isabella had just weaned her own puppies and was able to step in.

Zoo owner Tom Harvey says, "The timing couldn't have been any better."

He says it's unusual for dogs to care for tiger cubs, but it does happen. Isabella licks, cleans and feeds the cubs just like her own puppies.

Safari Zoological Park specializes in endangered species. It has leopards, lions, baboons, ring-tailed lemurs, bears and other animals.

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Source unknown (sent in by a reader):

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 -- he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?"

By Connie Bloom, Akron Beacon Journal:

If your border collie is sipping lattes instead of herding sheep, look no further than the "Working Dogs Book Store" for online help.

The Web site at http://www.workingdogs.com/books.htm is a handsome and exhaustive resource for owners of working dogs in particular, but also couch-dwelling fluff balls.

It offers a constellation of books and videos on topics such as behavior, breeding, business, dog law, agility, genetics, first aid, grief, philosophy, spirituality, nutrition and much more.

More than 50 titles are devoted to agility alone.

You can click and buy at deeply discounted prices, the site says, with processing and delivery via other established online retailers, including Amazon.com.

We priced two volumes. "Building, Buying and Operating a Boarding Kennel" by James Krack was priced at $42 at Working Dog and $78 on Amazon.com. "Animals As Teachers and Healers: True Stories and Reflections,' was $9.60 on Working Dog and $12 at Amazon.