Pets in the paper – pigs catch their own flu
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Zoo draws 12,000 with free admission. (Oklahoma City)
- Victim’s family seeks justice. (Shawnee, video below)
- Aquarium raises funds for turtle exhibit. (Tulsa, story on the right side of the page)
- Wild horse bill faces uncertainty in Senate. (Washington, D.C.)
- Red bugs could be in your next bite. (nationwide)
- Swine flu ills in pigs are feared. (Argentina)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Edmond Pet of the Week
Cinnamon is a spayed female, brown Labrador retriever and pit bull terrier. She is about a year old and is current on her vaccinations. She has been at the shelter since June 17.
Sippee is a neutered male, brown tiger domestic shorthair. He is about 2 years old and is current on his vaccinations. He has been at the shelter since June 19.
Adoption fees are $70 for cats and dogs at Edmond Animal Welfare Shelter, 2424 Old Timbers Drive in Cross Timbers Municipal Complex off Covell Road east of Interstate 35. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Saturdays are only for adoptions and pickups.
For more information, call 216-7615.
Chainsaw vs. Mountain Lion
The last time I wrote about a cougar, it was being cornered by a trio of chihuahuas.
Here’s another one about an unfortunate mountain lion that decided to attack a man wielding a chainsaw.
Dustin Britton, a 32 year old Colorado man, was camping with his family in Wyoming. Britton, an ex-Marine, said he was cutting firewood with a chainsaw about 100 yards from his campsite when he spotted the cougar.
Britton backed away and revved the motor of the chainsaw, hoping it would scare the 100-pound cat away, but instead the cougar charged him. The lion ran straight into the chainsaw, batted Britton with its paws and then ran away.
Wildlife agents later killed the lion when it attacked a dog brought in to track it. They discovered Britton’s chainsaw left a six to eight inch gash on the lion’s shoulder.
The cat was in poor physical condition and appeared to be starving, according to state officials. Mountain lion attacks are rare, and officials are trying to determine why the cougar acted so aggressively.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Want to see something cute?
Our friends over at the L.A. Unleashed blog have the story about a pair of red panda cubs being raised by a dog after they were abandonded by their mother.
The cubs were born June 25 at the Taiyuan Zoo in northern China. They were immediately abandoned by their mother, leaving keepers looking for a surrogate. They found a willing foster mother: a white mixed-breed dog who had recently given birth to a litter of puppies.
Apparently mom is loving and attentive of both her pups and the cubs.
Photos are from the Associated Press.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pet Show – taking your furry friend on the road
Listen to Pet Show! Our guest this week was the illustrious Harrison Forbes! He’s the host of the nationally-syndicated Pet Talk show and author of the book Dog Talk. He’s an expert who’s been heard all over the world. (And as a side note, he’s been interviewed by Larry King. So in a way, the Pet Show crew is almost as awesome as Larry King. Admittedly, we don’t have suspenders.)
Anyway, Harrison’s impressive resume aside, he spoke to us about traveling with your pets this summer. Anybody who’s ever tried to load up a dog or cat and go for a road trip knows this is no easy task. Harrison gives us some great advice for keeping your pets calm and happy during the drive.
Our Tale Tips for the show are more than necessary considering the horrific heat in Oklahoma these days. Dawn shares info about how to protect your animals from the heat:
- Keep up with your regular vet visits.
- Pets need water and shade when outside.
- Look for symptoms of heat problems – panting, difficulty breathing, drooling, weakness, collapse, seizure, vomiting or high temperature.
- Don’t leave your pet in the car. Seriously.
- Keep animals that can’t swim away from the pool.
- Don’t leave windows open in upper stories. Pets can be attracted to the air flow and fall out.
- Haircuts are good – shaving to the skin is bad.
- Keep your pets off hot asphalt, which can burn the pads of their paws.
- If you’re boosting your lawn with chemicals, use them carefully and away from animals.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Pets in the paper – It’s 9 a.m. Do you know where your cattle are?
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Work continues to build sheriff’s substation at zoo. (Oklahoma City)
- Zoo plans free day. (Oklahoma City)
- Pet Tales: Neighbors share a meal. (Edmond)
- Blood donors to get zoo tickets. (Moore)
- Rate of cattle rustling has doubled since 2008. (statewide)
- Five black bears killed. (Utah)
- Love for turtles not shell game. (nationwide)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Oklahoma City Pet of the Week
Buffy is a lovely 6-year-old beagle. She likes dogs and kids, and she also enjoys car rides and walks. Buffy is housebroken. Her number at the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is 25101.
The adoption fee for cats and dogs is $25. This includes spay or neuter, shots and health check.
Pictures of many of the adoption pets can be seen at www.okc.petfinder.com and www.okc.gov.
The shelter, 2811 SE 29, is open from noon to 5:45 p.m. seven days a week for adoptions, and from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. seven days a week for receiving. For more information, call 297-3100.
Pandelephants or elepands?
No offense, but this is really weird. So weird. But then again, when it comes to the animal world, people are weird. And when I say weird, I mean cruel.
At a zoo in Taiwan, zookeepers celebrated the birth of a panda by painting the elephants to look like pandas. Clearly. That’s the only obvious choice. That is the only logical way to celebrate the birth of a panda.
I’m expecting my first child in October, and I swear I won’t paint my dogs or dress them up like babies when my daughter arrives. That would just be cruel.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – mean folks going down
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Horse racing inquiry prompts charges for 11. (Guymon)
- Man pleads not guilty to dogfighting charge. (Stilwell, read the indictment here)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
You need junk and pets need homes
The Friends for Life Animal Society is hosting a garage sale fundraiser in Clinton this Friday. Check out wimgo for the details!
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
