Pet Show – Fourth of July and hamsters
Listen to Pet Show! We talked about all kinds of good Fourth of July tips from the American Kennel Club. (Want to read all the tips directly? Check back on our blog tomorrow!)
Bryan also shared some excellent pet news. Here are the links:
- Pig that survied crash surfaces in swimming pool.
- France faces court for hamster neglect. (Yes, the picture here shows the kind of hamsters we’re talking about. Look at those precious little guys!)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Give me that banana or I’ll cut you
Visitors to the Calgary Zoo recently witnessed a disturbing incident between a pair of the zoo’s western lowland gorillas. 
According to the Calgary Herald, one of the gorillas somehow got hold of a knife, picked it up and appeared close to re-enacting a famous scene from “Pshycho” on another gorilla in his troop.
None of the gorillas were hurt, and zoo workers were able to recover the knife, which was accidentally left by a keeper who had cleaned the exhibit earlier.
Witnesses said the gorilla picked up the knife and held it in his hand. When another gorilla came close, the gorilla with the knife raised it up as if he was threatening to stab the other gorilla. The second gorilla backed away and the knife-wielding gorilla walked a few steps before placing the knife on a chair.
About 20 zoo visitors were watching as the incident unfolded, including children.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pets in the paper – D-Boy is the man
Check out these (five million!) animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Pit bull is “People’s Hero” for taking burglar’s shots. (Oklahoma City)
- What’s new at the zoo? (Oklahoma City, page 16a, Saturday)
- Pet policies revisited. (nationwide, page 1b, Saturday)
- Southwest Airlines to add new fees for pets, unaccompanied minors. (nationwide)
- Redemption and Michael Vick. (NewsOK Religion and Values blog)
- Summer break can cut adoption of pets. (Stillwater, Edmond, Oklahoma City, Muskogee)
- Dog owner stabs worker. (Oklahoma City)
- Head to the bat cave. (Freedom)
- National Geographic hosting photo contest. (nationwide)
- Use caution to prevent dog bites. (nationwide)
- Reptile study keeps Tinker on track. (Midwest City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pet Show – fashionista fidos
Listen to Pet Show! Our guest today was Meagan Key, a spokeswoman for fashion designer Kayne Gillaspie of Norman. Last week Kayne hosted a fundraising event called “Fashion with a Heart” to benefit the American Heart Association. Part of the show was dogs modeling Kayne’s newest line, Kayne9. And as if pups strutting in ostrich-feather boas weren’t great enough, the show raised $5,000 for the American Heart Association.
In honor of Hug Your Cat Day - which is Friday for those of you with feline friends – we talked lots about cats today. Bryan gave us interesting pet news, including a story about a tiger that killed its keeper in New Zealand and a cat with wings in China. And Dawn shared some great tail tips for Hug Your Cat Day. These come from SeeFido.com.
Playing in the home: All cats need to spend time outside to get their exercise, but often times we want them inside to avoid them from getting hurt etc. Whatever the reason to keep your cat in the house, your cat will appreciate it, as long as it’s always kept busy. Cats that never leave the house need for their owners to dedicate more time everyday to play with them, otherwise the cat will get very bored and this can cause stress.
Hunting game: When cats are outside they love running after anything that moves, like an insect, or a dry leaf blowing in the wind etc. So there are many different games that you can invent to give your cat the opportunity to “hunt” without even stepping out of the house. As with all games, the cat must learn that there are certain rules. The most important rule is that the cat does not use your hands or feet as it’s hunting objective. Cats have very sharp claws and they grow as the cat grows making them very dangerous. It is not fun to have an adult cat scratch you with it’s claws and it can really hurt you.
Safe play: Before you begin to play a game with your cat, make sure to check everything, avoiding at all costs that your cat, you, or anyone else gets hurt. Make sure to always follow these guidelines when playing with your cat:
- Never use toys that break easily since this could really hurt your cat, kitten and even you.
- Never “hit” your cat with your hand or with its toys, and never “drag” the cat, even if this is done gently and as a game.
- Don’t play with the cat’s toys (if you are not intending on playing directly with the cat) because it can get very mad about you touching its stuff.
- Stay away from pools, wells, or bathtubs as the cat could drown if it does not know how to swim. (Little kittens generally cannot climb out of water that covers their head).
- Cats become easily afraid when they hear loud noises. Make sure, when there is a party (like New Year) to leave the cat inside the house or in a distanced room. Fireworks or a balloon that pops can really terrorize a cat.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – a million stories
Wow! We have lots of catching up to do when it comes to sharing our animal stories in The Oklahoman. Here are the stories that have run from Saturday through today -
- Fish kill said to be natural. (Woodward)
- Cattle drive honors late announcer. (Claremore)
- Couple plan appeal of horse decision. (Coweta)
- Milk glut squeezes farmers, buyers. (Missouri)
- Livestock tracing plan is not a hit with some. (Washington)
- Free fishing at lakes June 6-7. (Oklahoma City)
- Fun for kids at Bass Pro. (Oklahoma City)
- Dog training classes set. (Oklahoma City, Tuesday, page 1d)
- Partial welcome given mutts in AKC contests. (Texas)
- Home notes: Mind your wild neighbors.
- Zoo’s rhino getting used to new digs. (Oklahoma City, photo shown here)
- Dog event scheduled. (Oklahoma City)
- Junior zookeepers preparing to learn. (Norman)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – Vick dog in Oklahoma update
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Former Vick dog finds new life here. Fighting still a problem in some areas, experts say. (statewide, photos below)
- Training pups to help people is no easy task. (Oklahoma City)
- Kids can ride in style. (Yukon, page 1d)
- Zookeeper camp offers hands-on fun. (Norman)
- Pet Tales: Mischievous dog a real Diamond. (El Reno)
- Know when pet needs prompt vet care. (nationwide)
- Big catch reels in funds for the MDA. (Lake Thunderbird, page 3d)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Just because: yodeling cats
A friend of mine passed this along to the Pet Show crew because it is hilarious to say the least. Don’t worry, no cats were harmed. Make sure to watch this video through to the end.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Monkeys play “Deal or No Deal”
I’ve never been a big fan of “Deal or No Deal,” the game show where contestants pick from a series of suitcases with different dollar amounts in them, hoping the smaller numbers are revealed so they end up with a big payout.
My gripe is that it takes very little or no skill. I like games where if I perform well, I have a chance to improve my odds. This game is all about random chance — pick a number and hope it’s the right one.
Now science has confirmed that a trained monkey can play Deal or No Deal, and the primates actually feal regret when they find out they’ve picked wrong.
Researchers at Duke University gave a group of rhesus macaques a choice of eight white squares to choose from. Underneath each square was a different color corresponding to a reward, the best being sugary fruit juice. After choosing, the monkeys were also shown the rewards they missed out on. When shown they missed out on the juice, the monkeys tried harder.
Brain scans revealed that when playing the game, the monkeys used a center of the brain which analyzes the consequences of actions. That same area also became active when the monkeys were shown what they passed up, suggesting they were thinking about what they might have won.
As interesting as these findings are, I find myself feeling sorry for the monkeys who missed out on the juice, knowing they that understood they missed their chance at a sweet reward.
Now if I could just get a group of scientists to analyze my theory that a trained monkey could replace Howie Mandel as the host of Deal or No Deal.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pets in the paper – inspections for livestock
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Bill updates: Livestock. (state capitol)
- Little River Zoo planning campout. (Norman)
- Technician behind “The Lion King” masks runs a class menagerie. (Oklahoma City)
- Show’s popularity benefits zoo. (Oklahoma City)
- Dogs with arthritis may benefit from acupuncture treatments. (nationwide)
- Pet products draw warning. (nationwide)
- Pet Tales: Second chance, sweet success. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pet Show – the flying disc guru
Listen to Pet Show! Our guest today is Lee Fairchild of OK Paws K-9 Sports Club and Friends for Folks. Lee talked to us about the Spring Fling, the disc dog competition beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at Washington High School. The contest is open to everyone from complete novices to advanced pros. (As a side note, Lee is quite the accomplished disc dog athlete. He’s head for the world championship. Read about it and watch videos here.)
Here are the news and tips we talked about on this week’s show:
- New Zealand hosts penguin sports tournament.
- Swine flu doesn’t really affect pets except for, well, you know, swine.
- Parrots join humans on the dance floor. (video below)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
