A couple visiting Asheville, North Carolina were hanging out in the hotel bar when they approached a petite young lady and invited her to come home with them. No, this story isn’t quite what it sounds like: that young lady was a four-year-old homeless dog wearing an “Adopt Me” vest, and at this particular hotel, dogs available for adoption greet guests and even mingle with bar patrons. [More]
animals
9 Things You Need To Know From Frontline Investigation Of Antibiotics & Animals
By 10.15.14
Last night, PBS’ Frontline aired a report on the huge amount of antibiotics that farmers pump into animal feed and the effects that this practice has on the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that kill thousands of Americans and make millions more sick every year. [More]
FDA: Use Of Vital Human Antibiotics In Animals Increased 16% In 3 Years
By 10.2.14
Even as a growing number of people — from consumers to scientists to physicians — expressed concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in animal feed, a new FDA report shows that farmers continued adding more drugs to their animals’ diets, and that almost every one of those antibiotics was purchased and administered without a prescription. [More]
There’s A Dead Elephant Buried At This Dead Mall
By 8.12.14
Someday in the far future, the fortunes of suburban Detroit might improve, and someone will redevelop the site of Summit Place Mall in Waterford, Michigan. When that happens, the new owners may excavate the site and wonder what the skeleton of an elephant is doing in suburban Detroit. That will be a very good question. [More]
Deer Wanders Into Frozen Yogurt Shop, Does $5,000 In Damage
By 11.26.13
Frozen yogurt is currently quite trendy, but we didn’t know that word had spread to wildlife. Yet a deer psuhed through the swinging door of a Peachwave shop in New Jersey last month and had an exciting romp, doing $5,000 in damage to the shop as it freaked out that its hooves couldn’t get any traction on the shiny floor. [More]
Fake Service Animals Hurt Real Disabled People, Store Carpets
By 10.10.13
No matter now much you wish you could bring your pet everywhere, it’s not cool to pass your dog off as a service animal in order to do so. The problem is that impersonating a service dog is very easy to do, thanks to the privacy rules that are part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. [More]
Safari Park Asks Visitors Not To Wear Animal Prints Because They’re Scaring The Animals
By 9.25.13
People make some pretty terrifying choices in the name of fashion — have you seen how high high heels can actually get? — and for the animals residing a British safari attraction, those scary ensembles include fake animal prints. And in this case, it’s the actual animals people are scaring. [More]
Case Of Bud Light Comes With Free Dead Snake
By 9.6.13
Getting something extra in your case of beer sounds pretty appealing…but maybe not when that extra something is a dead snake. It’s not clear how a small snake ended up inside an 18-pack of Bud Light, but the customer who bought it decided not to take any chances. He won’t drink it, mostly because of the dead-snake stench. [More]
Family Orders Toy Table From Overstock.com, Gets Free Rat Instead
By 8.19.13
A family near Houston claims that they ordered a toy wooden table from Overstock.com, and received a box with what appears to be a mummified rat in it instead. They contacted a local TV news station…presumably only after they were done screaming. [More]
Rabid Skunk Chomps On Visitor To Six Flags New England
By 8.5.13
Last week, a skunk bit a visitor on the foot at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts. That’s scary enough. Skunks don’t usually run around chomping on people, though, so the animal was captured, euthanized, and tested for rabies. It tested positive. Now officials want the public to know that if a skunk bit them while they were at the park, to contact their health care provider. [CBS Boston] [More]
Bear Is In The Mood For German Food, Walks Off With Restaurant’s Dumpster
By 8.1.13
The German restaurant Edelweiss in Colorado Springs, Colorado isn’t a takeout place, but don’t tell that to the bear who decided that their dumpster made a suitable takeout container. A surveillance camera caught the critter pushing the trash receptacle out of frame. Being a bear, this was about as easy for her as it would be for a human to push around a fully loaded shopping cart. [More]
English Grocery Store Offers Venison Special: Severed Deer Head At Checkout
By 6.12.13
You can encounter the weirdest stuff at the grocery store in the wee hours of the morning, but you probably haven’t seen anything weirder than what turned up in the self-checkout aisle of one of UK grocer Tesco’s stores at 1:30 in the morning: the severed head of a deer. [More]
More Readers Crunch The Numbers, Figure Out Pet Health Insurance Doesn’t Work Out So Well
By 4.17.13
Last week, we shared an account by reader Howard about his dog’s illness and the results of his decision to get a VPI pet health insurance policy. While health insurance is just that–insurance, not an investment vehicle–Howard and other readers have crunched the numbers and found that the policies are a worse deal than just sticking the money in the bank. [More]
Why 'Antibiotic-Free' Meat Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does
By 8.30.12
Antibiotic-resistant infections are a serious and scary threat to public health. One reason why devious bacteria are evolving to resist antibiotics is the widespread overuse of them in both humans and in animals. A Center for Science in the Public Interest analysis of Food and Drug Administration data shows that 80% of all antibiotics administered are to animals, and not to help them get better when they’re ill. Meat and dairy producers give low doses to the critters in their care in order to prevent illness, and sometimes to promote faster growth. [More]
Vet's Office Says Shopping Online Endangers My Pet, Won't Approve Prescription
By 8.13.12
Pets are excellent companions. The Consumerist K-9 Unit is snuggled up against me right now as I type this. But keeping your kritters healthy and parasite-free can get expensive. Sean just adopted a new puppy (pictured at left) and shopped around for a heartworm and flea preventative medication. That’s common enough, and a number of sites offer the products. What was unusual was that the vet’s office refused to fill the prescription, saying that they were happy to price match the online price (that’s good) and that he was taking his pup’s life in his hands by purchasing medications online, since they could be expired or counterfeit or poisonous or who knows what? [More]
Who Should Pay If A Bird Poops In Your Food?
By 12.14.11
This isn’t the most seasonally appropriate question to ask, at least here in the Northeastern U.S. And in the Northern Hemisphere. Perhaps it’s important (yet disgusting) enough that we can argue about it until springtime.
Simply put: if a bird relieves itself in your food while you’re dining outside, should the restaurant comp your meal?
Turtle Sex Drive Shuts Down JFK Runway
By 6.30.11
Some inconsiderate turtles insisted on prioritizing their mating instincts over man’s need for timely flights. Traveling diamondback terrapins, looking for a place to lay their eggs, delayed flights as they crossed a John F. Kennedy International Airport runway. [More]
Create An Emergency Kit For Your Pet
By 5.4.11
If you had to leave your home on short notice due to a natural disaster or other emergency, would you have a bag of emergency supplies ready to go? While adults and older children can handle packing their own bags in a hurry, members of your family who don’t have opposable thumbs can’t. [More]
