Kibbles 'n Wit
This is where I blog about the things I learn, the people I meet and the reason figuring out what Fido should eat is actually the key to the universe.
Woof.
Shelter Puppies by Michael Kloth
All of these puppies were successfully adopted.
A competitor clears a jump during the Rabbit Show Jumping event at the London Pet Show 2012. Picture: Paul Brown / Rex Features
Watch a brand new episode of The Cute Show! featuring these leaping, long-eared olympians this month on VICE.com.
Bunny rabbits are adorable enough when they’re just sitting there twitching their pink noses or lapping water up from their little bottles, but when they’re hopping over brightly colored fences like tiny, long-eared horses while their super-enthusiastic trainers cheer from the sidelines, it makes you wonder why rabbit show jumping isn’t on TV all the time. We recently spent the day at the Rabbit Grand National in Harrogate in Yorkshire, England, to witness this space-time-bending level of cuteness for ourselves. Show jumping tests bunnies’ speed and agility as they race down the course, dreaming of winning the big trophy or at least of getting treats when they finish. Pictured here is two-and-a-half-year-old bunny Cherie and her trainer, Magdelena, who says Cherie’s favorite things in the world are jumping, hay, and carrots (and probably fucking a whole bunch, if we know anything about rabbits). Cherie annihilated the competition, finishing the race in just 12.5 seconds! Way to go, Cherie!
DOG DISCO!!!!!!
From Chevy Chase’s 1977 NBC television special.
If Dogs Could Talk of the Day: In a supposedly groundbreaking study, Gregory Berns at Emory University has taken brain scans of dogs that were fully awake to try to figure out what they’re thinking. MRIs measured the dogs’ responses to human signals:
In the first experiment, the dogs were trained to respond to hand signals. One signal meant the dog would receive a hot dog treat, and another signal meant it would not receive one. The caudate region of the brain, associated with rewards in humans, showed activation in both dogs when they saw the signal for the treat, but not for the no-treat signal.
But as any dog owner knows, of course their pets know what behavior will be rewarded with treats … if dogs could talk, they’d be telling us this study was a waste of time and money.
[bi]
Holy trinity of squishiness.
Afternoon Snack: Li Li is a local celebrity in Nanning, China, where he is known as the “Bike Hugging Dog” for looking after his owner’s bike.
Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: Blair, a year-old black lab mix, suffered a gunshot wound while living on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She recovered, but remained skittish and nervous from life on the streets, and was living indefinitely at Woodland West Animal Hospital.
Tanner, a 2-year-old golden retriever, was brought to the same shelter when his owner died. Tanner is blind, and also suffers from a seizure disorder that causes him to evacuate his bowels. “His seizure disorder was really, really bad and nothing — no medications — seemed to be helping,” said hospital director Dr. Mike Jones. “Anytime he seizes he expresses his bowels. … It made living in a home very, very difficult.”
Jones said he considered putting Tanner down. Then, Tanner met Blair.
“One day they were exercising in a play yard together and they got together,” Jones said. “Blair all of a sudden seemed to realize that Tanner was blind and just started to help him around.” Now Blair leads Tanner around the playground by his leash — a seeing-eye dog for another dog.
Since the pair became besties, Blair’s timidity has lessened, and Tanner is suffering fewer seizures. “They absolutely have to be adopted together,” Jones said. “But it’s going to take a special home with someone who understands their special relationship.”
