Those crazy sharks!

Every so often I learn something about our animal friends that just shocks and surprises me. Animals are truly amazing creatures, and I think that we are just starting to scratch the surface.

Anyway, did you know that whale sharks can push their stomachs out of their bodies. They do it so they can wash their stomachs, then they pull them back in once they are clean. Wild!

Recycle, for animals.

The harvest mouse was losing suitable housing, so the clever folks from The Wildlife Trust in Avon, Glamorgan and Northumberland came up with a great way to give them a home, while at the same time finding a use for used tennis balls. See the full story here. Way to go!

Another Contest!

This time around, there will be 9 winners. Each of the winners will recieve one Wildlife Warrior wristband.

If you aren't familiar with the cause behind the wristband, here is what the website has to say about them:

"Show your support for the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife with this commemorative wristband. Help in the fight to raise awareness of wildlife issues, educate the public and support biological research.

Wildlife Warrior programs include:

• Australian Wildlife Hospital


• Species and Habitat Conservation (Asia)


• Crocodile Rescue and Research (International)


• Community Education (International)


• Emergency Wildlife Response (including Tsunami project)


• And more!

Share and support the dream of our favorite, beloved mate, Steve Irwin."

So, be sure to leave a comment (and email so I can contact you if you win) for your chance to have a wristband of your own! If you want to get an extra entry in the contest, all you have do do is write a quick post on your blog about this blog, or submit an animal story to be shared on this blog. :) The contest will end on March 17th, with the winners announced on the 18th. Good luck!

Say no to dog fur!

It amazes me that people would do this, but some of the big name designers are actually using dog fur in their clothing lines. The worst part, the dogs are usually skinned alive (as proven by hidden camera footage) and it's often passed as "faux fur".

There is something you can do if you think this is wrong.  Help pass the Dog and Cat fur prohibition act by clicking the link and then contacting your represenatives.

Furry Friday!

Wordless Wednesday- swallowtail butterfly

Spay Day USA

Spay (and neuter) day is February 27th. This event is hosted nation wide by the Humane Society of America. There are many things that you can do to help, including spreading the word, raising funds, hosting an event, or helping at an event in your area. This is a great cause in the fight for homeless pets, so please click the link or logo to find out more.

Happy New Year

I'm a bit late with this, but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. It's the year of the pig! Scroll down to learn more about what that means.



The Chinese new year follows the lunar calendar, and the actual new year celebration was yesterday. However, most people celebrate for a full week leading up to the day. The pig is associated with ferility, and it is considered very lucky to bear a child in the year of the pig. People born under the sign of the pig are known to be honest, shy, and happy.

Dolphin gets artificial fin!

A dolphin in Japan recieved the worlds first artificial fin. This video shows the dolphin in action, using the new fin like it was her own. The fin was made by the tire company, Bridgestone, and was donated to the dolphin.

With a little help from my friends!

If you know of a good story, organization, or anything animal/wildlife related that needs to get some exposure, let me know and I will make a post about it here. I do this work because of my passion for animals, but I sure could use the help from other animal lovers! :)

This blog is actually the companion blog for my animal rescue site. The newly designed site is (fingers crossed) launching in the summer, but if you are interested in seeing the old site it can be found here.

The purpose of my work is to help rescue groups gain traffic in hopes that more animals will find forever homes. I also have a love for wildlife, so you will find posts related to pets as well as wildlife here on my blog, although the actual website is mainly aimed at pets.

So, if you have any animal related stories please send them my way! Let's get the word out together.

Kaos needs a home

One thing that I am more than happy to do here is to help get the word out about pets seeking forever homes. Here is a great story about a dog who is in need of a foster, or even better, a forever home. Please visit the link and consider Kaos for your pet if you are looking.

Furry Friday!

 See more Furry Friday photos here! Remember to post your animal photos for Furry Friday, you can post on your blog, and/or, join the Flickr group.

2007, Year of the Dolphin

Someone has declared that 2007 is the year of the dolphin. This is something that was already taking place at my house (dolphin calendars, dolphin themed trips I want to plan). However, after reading the awful news that the white dolphin is now extinct, I think it's great to declare a year focused on these amazing animals.

So, what can you do to help dolphins? Visit the site above and you can adopt a dolphin. There are also some amazing trips that you can take through Earthwatch that involve dolphin research. Or take a trip to a local aquarium or someplace like Sea World, support their research and breeding efforts.

Here is my favorite movie about dolphins, it features music by Sting.

Valentines Day

It was three years ago for Valentines Day that a cute little pup came to play. She has filled all our lives with happiness and joy, here she is with her favorite toy! Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine Doggie-mail

Click here to see a fun Valentines message, and create your own too! What could be better than doggie-mail?!

A Monday morning laugh

I just saw a funny post about mind tricks dogs can play on their human. There are many funny "tricks" such as drying off on the bed instead of letting your human use a towel after a bath, and being sure to take forever when your human is waiting for your to do your business outside. Click the link for the full list of funnies!

Wildlife gardening

Want to do something to help wildlife and make your yard look good at the same time? Why not plan a backyard habitat?

We have a lot of wildlife, mainly various birds, that come and visit our yard. I plan to make our yard more friendly towards them this coming spring by setting aside a space just for native plants and such. There is more information about making a wildlife friendly garden here, you can even certify your garden area as a backyard habitat.

Furry Friday and a winner!

I would also like to thank everyone who entered the contest and for helping spread the word about this blog!

Thanks to the ever popular hat draw we have a winner. Congrats go to Chelle who will be recieving a horse calendar pack! There will be more contests here in the future, it was just too much fun not to do it again. :)

Make your shopping count.

There is a great way to shop, and help animals at the same time, the Animal Rescue Site Store! For each purchase you make you fund food for animals living in sanctuaries and shelters. They have a lot of fun items, like the cute good luck pig at the top of this post! They also offer a lot of handmade and fair trade goods as well. It's a great place to find Valentines gifts too, they have a lot of special items for the holiday.

So, next time you are looking for something a little more unique, be sure to check the Animal Resuce Site store first. :)

Wordless Wednesday

This wasn't staged, she looks at herself in the mirror all the time. We just got lucky enough to capture it with the camera.

Orangutans in danger.

 

This article says that orangutans are in great danger from illegal logging practices. This is truly bad news, and it makes me wonder what can be done. Orangutans are beautiful animals, and already in danger due to other factors.

One thing that I think we can do is to better use our resources. Money talks, so use your buying power to buy from ethical companies. Also, since this is a problem because of timber demands, consider other building methods such as buying an existing home instead of building new, using bamboo or cork flooring, and using recycled items. I believe that it's possible to create a beautiful home for us while maintaining habitat for animals. It would be truly sad if the world lost Orangutans.

The lost and found.

I remember going to the lost and found in my school as a kid. It was always reassuring to know that there was one last place to look when something got lost. Well, someone very smart made a lost and found website!

You can search for any item that you may have lost, inlcuding your lost pets. It's free to use, and you can search worldwide. What a great idea! Be sure to check it out!

Contest Time!

In honor of launching this new blog I thought it would be fun to hold a contest! The winner will receive a 2007 calendar pack with a horse theme. There is a big calendar, a planner, and a mini-calendar. I realize that it's already February, but these are brand new calendars that still have a ton of life left in them! :)

To enter, leave a comment here and make a small post about the contest on your blog as well (to help promote this site). The winner will be picked and announced on Friday February 9th, 2007.

A turkey rescue!

I came across this wonderful set of photos about a turkey that was rescued when it was just a baby. Truly a must see!

Loon

It's always hard when you are doing work on behalf of animals because you are bound to come across the very ugly side of humans now and then. This story about a loon that was shot six times is one example of a person having "fun" at the expense of an animal. Loons are protected by law, and this is a sad case of an animal who shouldn't have been killed.

Get out of your shell...

Turtles need homes too! Did you know that there are rescue groups dedicated to turtles? There are. They not only help find new homes for turtles, they also give turtles a place to live out their lives if they can't be adopted out.

TGIFurry Friday!

Come join the Furry Friday Flickr group and have even more fun with Furry Fridays! If you participate in Furry Fridays please leave a message here so everyone can visit your site.