For the post-Christmas week, we highlight some pet and animal news and product stories that caught our eye.
We start with a little publicized article from Georgia involving horses and inmates. Any program that is based on the mutual rehabilitation of both people and animals deserves praise. Female inmates are selected to work with horses that have been rescued. It is not unexpected that these humans and horses have backgrounds which challenge their abilities to behave acceptably within their respective populations. Yet as so often happens with these programs, the animal and person bond which leads down the road of mutual rehabilitation.
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It’s hard to ignore the publicity received by the video of the dog shoplifter. Although the economy is tough, it’s hard to say what motivated the large dog to enter the store and turn to a life of crime. If the dog was a husky/wolf mix as some suppose, it is no wonder that the store owner did not take more aggressive action with the strange dog. Regardless, the surveillance tape was popular enough on the YouTube circuit that both CNN and the Today show gave it time. The question remains if this is a one-time offense by the culprit or another step on the ladder that will lead to dog pack behavior and car-jacking of IAMS trucks.
Speaking of times being tough, charities are also being hit hard. After two charity-raising events in England, a couple holding the equivalent of $350 found the money in shreds. The heartless party was found to be their guide dog named Lewis. Why would the couple leave the money in a place that the dog could get to it? Unless Lewis picked a lock or found a way to work a combination lock, you would think that the cash was in danger of theft or loss regardless. The Bank of England came to the rescue and offered to replace the money if the pieces could be provided. Looks like some dirty work as penance for Lewis’ owners.
In the category of pet products and creativity, it’s hard not to enjoy the latest in paper shredders. By allowing a hamster to run on its wheel, the equivalent of an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper is diced into bedding material. Of course the hamster must run at 100% for 45 minutes to get through that sheet of paper. It may need that bedding material so that it has something to collapse into.
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If we missed one of your favorite stories or you wish to comment on those above, please let us know.
