Waltzing Matilda: The Famous Algonquin Cat

Laurie Kay Olson — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:52:35 -0700

The historic Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan is best known for the Algonquin Round Table -- a daily gathering of journalists, actors, authors, and publicists beginning in 1919. For ten years the "Vicious Circle" met to exchange ideas and barbs. A few years later a battered stray cat waltzed through the front door to establish himself as the resident cat. The hotel has had a cat in residence ever since.

Not A Stephen King Novel: Cimetière Des Chiens Et Autres Animaux Domestiques

Laurie Kay Olson — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:40:52 -0700

A cemetery may not seem like the greatest tourist attraction to some people, but the Cimetière des Chiens et Autres Animaux Domestiques in Paris is the largest pet cemetery in the world. It is not something out of a Stephen King novel either, but a charming combination of natural beauty and monuments honoring the dearly departed. It is a place where history resides, as well as a number of live cats.

Being In The Doghouse Can Be A Good Thing

Laurie Kay Olson — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:21:10 -0700

If you ever find yourself in a place called Cottonwood, Idaho, you have to check out this place -- the Dog Bark Park Inn. If you are a dog fanatic you may want to make the journey just to stay in this fabulously fun bed and breakfast built in the shape of a giant beagle. Oh, and about that fire hydrant nearby -- it's an outhouse. A touch of irony to go with the fun.

The Cat Man And His Flying Cats

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:46:08 -0700

If you find yourself heading down to Key West on vacation there is something you have just got to see -- The Catman and his Flying House Cats. They perform for the crowds each night at sunset. Contrary to what just about everyone will tell you about cats, they CAN be trained to do all sorts of things. For Dominique LeFort they will literally jump through hoops -- even if the hoops are on fire.

The Giraffes Have Manners At Giraffe Manor

Laurie Kay Olson — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:50:56 -0700

For many international travelers one of the most popular destinations in Africa to check out is Nairobi, Kenya. For a really great place to stay you may want to check out Giraffe Manor. The manor is an elegant hotel with decor that hearkens back to the 1930s. It is a place of grace and charm and . . . well . . . giraffes. The hotel boasts its own herd of endangered Rothschild giraffes.

"Sea Monster" Video Created World-Wide Media Frenzy

Laurie Kay Olson — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:59:26 -0700

Recently a video of a "sea monster" was uploaded to YouTube caused a sensation around the world. It was footage of a 30-foot long decaying carcass found along Pukehina Beach on the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand in late April. "Experts" who viewed the video claimed that the creature was everything from a saltwater crocodile to a dinosaur.

Glen Highland Farm: A Vacation Getaway For Your And Your Dog

Laurie Kay Olson — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:06:23 -0700

Vacation time is just around the corner and that means you need to get away from stress of the day job and all the responsibilities at home -- but not necessarily your dog. Where can you go where you and your pooch can go to relax with activities for you to share? How about the Glen Highland Farm and their Canine Country Getaway in Upstate New York

Kattenstoet: The Festival Of Cats In Belgium

Laurie Kay Olson — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:24:17 -0700

Kattenstoet is a Festival of Cats that takes place every three years on the second Sunday in May in Ypres, Belgium. The history of the festival dates back into the Middle Ages and the horror of cat torture and killing of the time. Back in those days many cultures believed cats to be in league with witches and the devil. The festival has grown to be a grand celebration of cats.

Manta Rays Endangered By Gill Plate Demand

Laurie Kay Olson — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:52:04 -0700

Manta rays and their lesser-known cousins, mobula rays, were once fished only by subsistence fishermen because the meat is cheap and they tend to damage fishing nets. All that has changed since the market for their gill plates has skyrocketed as Chinese medicine has touted them as a method for removing toxins from human blood.

Only In Japan? Cats For Rent

Laurie Kay Olson — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:51:25 -0700

Cats for rent -- is this a new idea whose time has come or some crazy notion by crazy people? Well, it's neither. What it IS is a movie that was released in Japan last year. The same country that brought the world the iconic Godzilla and large number of other movie monsters has gone the funny, charming, and heart-warming route with "Rent-a-Cat."

Sugar Bush -- The Super Model Squirrel

Laurie Kay Olson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:45:27 -0700

You've heard of dizzy dog people and crazy cat ladies, but have you heard of the nutty squirrel mom? Kelly Foxton, a former country singer and recording artist, has dedicated her life to the pet Eastern Gray Squirrel she rescued as a baby when its home tree was being cut down. Foxton has photographed Sugar Bush in over 3,000 different costumes and settings at an estimated cost upwards of $500,000.

Russian Stray Dogs Commute To Forage For Food

Laurie Kay Olson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:58:00 -0700

Dogs are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for and their observations of the humans around them can help them survive when humanity seems to have given up on them. In Moscow stray dogs have begun living in the "suburbs" and hopping the subway each morning to commute to the city to go to work.

English Hotel Rents Goldfish To Guests

Laurie Kay Olson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:16:55 -0700

There is something delightfully tranquil and relaxing about watching a goldfish swimming around its bowl. It is so. . . Zen. Ommmmm. Traveling can be just the opposite as you deal with airports, trains, taxis, crowds, luggage -- well, you get the idea. Now one hotel in Dutton, Cheshire, England is offering guests the chance to de-stress by renting a goldfish for £5 a night.

Woofstock: Pees, Love, and Walk and Stroll

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:44:42 -0700

Unlike the original Woodstock back in the summer of love, 1969, Woofstock is not a single event. It is a series of local events held across North America. Each Woofstock is an event dedicated to raising funds for a local shelter or rescue organization that works with dogs. It is a day of fun and frolic for dog lovers and their pooch pals.

It's Not Puss-In-Boots -- It's Poezenboot -- Amsterdam's Cat Sanctuary On A Houseboat

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:12:57 -0700

Most of the cat sanctuaries in the world do not become tourist attractions. Those that do have something unique about them, such as being located in the ruins in Rome, or the former home of Ernest Hemingway in Florida. In Amsterdam the cat sanctuary that draws in the tourist trade is located on a houseboat in the Western Canal Belt.

Is Your Reptile Cold? Perhaps You Need A Turtle Cozy

Laurie Kay Olson — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 05:16:06 -0700

Everyone knows someone who is crazy about their dog and will dress them up in cute little (or strange little) outfits. Then there are the insane cat ladies. Now there is the tortoise addict and her inclination to crochet little sweaters or "cozies" for her reptilian pals. Not only that, she also makes them for sale. She donates 10% of the proceeds to International Reptile Rescue to help out her cold-blooded friends.

Fish Travel to U.S. In Tsunami Debris

Laurie Kay Olson — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:35:20 -0700

A lot of debris has made it across the Pacific Ocean since the tsunami in Japan back in 2011. So when an 18-foot skiff washed up on a beach in Washington State in late March there didn't seem to be anything surprising about it -- until they took a look inside and found a compartment with live fish swimming inside.

Professor Speaks At Symposium About The Problems Of Trying De-Extinction

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:50:17 -0700

If you think you don't know what de-extinction is, think Jurassic Park. The movie franchise was a series of adventures in de-extinction. When Michael Crichton penned the first novel the idea was still fairly far-fetched to most people. Now science is standing on the doorstep of such possibilities becoming a reality.

Fish Seller In China Finds Potentially Explosive Squid

Laurie Kay Olson — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:55:48 -0700

A fishmonger in China was just going about his daily business and slaughtering a squid for sale when he made a startling and potentially deadly discovery. A live bomb had been swallowed by the squid, perhaps having been mistaken for a tasty tidbit. Somehow the explosive device survived being eaten and being fished out of the sea.

Cat Survives Plane Crash By Hiding In The Wall Of The House

Laurie Kay Olson — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 06:12:45 -0700

On March 17, 2013 a plane crashed into the Kobalski home in South Bend, Indiana, killing the two pilots and injuring three others. While the news media focused on the fact that one of the pilots had been a former Oklahoma Sooners football star, the Kobalski's were frantically searching for their missing cat. The feline had disappeared during the crash and had not been seen since.

Starfish Rush Hour

Laurie Kay Olson — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:18:12 -0700

Apparently the human race is not the only one with a lock on the rat race. It can happen even among the stars and we're not talking Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock here. Amazing new time-lapse video of the ocean floor shows a colony of sea stars during "rush hour." As with humans, the traffic jam is caused by those who just don't get with the program and move.

Paws For Thought: Cat Cafes On The Rise

Laurie Kay Olson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:19:57 -0700

In major cities around the world a new idea has come home to roost, er, well, come home to curl up and purr. So many people now live in apartments where they cannot have pets and yet they still want the chance to commune with a pet. The result has been cat cafés -- where these people can get a cup of tea and a quick kitty cuddle. The first of these cafés opened in Taipei, Taiwan back in 1996.

Photographer Scuffles With Octopus As It Steals His Camera

Laurie Kay Olson — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:31:29 -0700

Getting caught in the tentacles of a giant octopus seems to be the stuff of television and old science fiction B movies, but it does happen. Just ask Drew Collins. Back in January he and some friends went diving off the coast of Washington state to do some underwater photography. They started out together, but the next thing Drew knew he was on his own. Being an experienced diver, he didn't worry about it and began shooting as he found a giant Pacific octopus in its den.

Meet Jesse The Jack Russell Terrier -- The Most Helpful Dog In The World

Laurie Kay Olson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:14:32 -0700

Get ready to fall in love. Jesse the Jack Russell Terrier is one amazing little dog. He can help with all the house work, from dusting to taking out the trash -- he even does windows! At the end of a long day he will give his human mom, Heather Brook, a shoulder massage and help her take off her shoes and socks. The highly efficient pooch will take a few moments to put the socks in the laundry.

Missing Iditarod Dog's Incredible Journey

Laurie Kay Olson — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:52:57 -0700

Back on March 8, 2013 May, a strawberry blonde sled dog, got separated from her team during the 1,000 mile Iditarod race after they got tangled with another team. The dog had been on loan to musher Newton Marshall of Jamaica by her owner, musher Jim Lanier of Chugiak, Alaska. Marshall was scratched from the race at the next checkpoint for coming in without a full team. A search was begun to find the missing dog.

Start Your Own Dog Walking Business

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:32:58 -0700

For dog lovers the idea of starting your own dog walking business might seem like a very attractive proposition. Before you quit your job and dive in head first, take some time to consider how suited you are to the business and what steps you will need to take to create a successful business and be your own boss.

U.S. Courthouses Going To The Dogs

Laurie Kay Olson — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:59:02 -0700

Dogs have been trained to assist people in many ways. One way that you may not have heard of before is as a courthouse dog. These dogs are chosen for their low reactivity and ability to share this sense of calm with victims and witnesses. This allows these individuals to give testimony that they might otherwise be unable to share. The dogs are specially trained to help reduce the mental and emotional strain of being in court.

Meet The Sloths Of Slothville In A Little Book Of Sloth

Laurie Kay Olson — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 05:26:56 -0800

One of the oddest mammals on Earth is the easy-going, slow moving sloth. For Lucy Cooke, a National Geographic explorer, zoologist, writer, and filmmaker, sloths have been one of the loves of her life -- so much so that she founded the Sloth Appreciation Society. In 2010 she traveled to a sleepy corner of Costa Rica to Slothville, the world's first sloth orphanage. She made a short video about the sloths there which went viral within a few days. That led to a documentary for Animal Planet entitled "Too Cute! Baby Sloths." Now she has compiled cute pictures and funny stories about the sloths in a book due out this month.

Sweet Service: Diabetic Alert Dogs

Laurie Kay Olson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:17:01 -0800

One of the many side effects of the obesity epidemic in the United States is the increasing number of people dealing with Type II diabetes. Type I diabetics tend not to be obese, their bodies just stop producing insulin. With either type, the disease puts its sufferers into a balancing act between their blood sugar being too high or too low. Either is dangerous and must be dealt with immediately. While most diabetics are able to detect the changes in their bodies so that they can take action, others are not. A diabetic alert dog can notify these people when their blood sugar is dangerously high or low.

Barney The Dog Has A Flintstones' Moment, Eats Pebbles

Laurie Kay Olson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:53:06 -0800

Barney the chocolate Labrador retriever loves to go for long walks on the beach in Chessington, Surrey, England with his mom and dad, Kim and Andrew Woolland. One day last year the trio went for a walk along the shore in Kent and since they were alone, the Woollands took Barney off his lead to let him run. Barney made a day of it running along the nice, pebbly beach and dashing in and out of the surf. The next day Kim noticed that Barney was no longer his happy, carefree self.