After embarking on a trial allowing dogs and cats to travel on some trains along with their owners last spring, it seems Amtrak could soon have pet cars on all its trains nationwide. In a bill passed by the House that approved Amtrak funding, legislators rewrote the rules regarding furry companions riding the rails. [More]
pets
It’s Very Gross And Very Dangerous When Dogs Eat Diapers
By 2.25.15 — Updated: 5.2.17
The very thing that makes disposable diapers so useful–their super-absorbency–can make them deadly to pets. While nobody goes around giving diapers to their dog as a chew toy, animals do have a gift for rifling through the trash, and one thing they can find there are diapers. KKTV in Colorado interviewed one family whose dog died after eating some of the absorbent material in a diaper. [More]
Owner Says Camp Bow Wow Is Responsible For Dog’s Missing Toe
By 2.6.15
When I drop my dog off at a boarding facility, I expect her to return home with all of her body parts still attached. One family trusted the local Camp Bow Wow to watch over their dog, and but she was taken to the vet after workers found her with a paw caught in the kennel. Now they disagree with the camp on who should cover the vet bills. [More]
Americans Will Spend $703 Million On Valentine’s Day Gifts For Pets
By 1.28.15
Do you like to celebrate holidays with your pet? The National Retail Federation asked Americans how much we plan to spend on Valentine’s Day gifts for our pets, it adds up to $703 million across the whole critter economy. [More]
GoDaddy Pulls Super Bowl Ad Featuring Danica Patrick Amid Puppy Mill Complaints
By 1.28.15
If GoDaddy wanted to find out how people feel about puppy mills, well, it’s done that, at the cost of one of its intended Super Bowl ads. After a tease of the spot hit the web, featuring a lost puppy who finds his way back to Danica Patrick, the driver for an online puppy business, the public lashed out at GoDaddy through social media. [More]
Petco Says It’s Pulled All China-Made Jerky Treats As Fear Of Pet Sickness Looms
By 1.6.15
It’s been seven months since Petco and PetSmart announced they’d both be removing cat and dog treats made in China over pet sickness fears, and this week the former says it’s ready to pull all the products from its stores and online. [More]
Hotel Employs Adoptable Dogs As Greeters, Finds Them Homes
By 12.31.14
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]
New York Makes It Illegal To Tattoo Or Pierce Pets
By 12.16.14
If you live in New York, your pet’s body is no longer allowed to be your canvas under the steely eyes of the law. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that goes into effect in 120 days, making it illegal to pierce or tattoos animals for cosmetic purposes. Yes, that includes tattooing Mr. Grobblesworth Wrinklefoot with your name in a heart pierced by a rose’s thorns. [More]
Cat Makes Everyone Happy By Surviving 30 Days In Moving Box On A Cross-Country Trip
By 12.4.14
There are many bad things in the world, things that make you sad and upset and tempt you to throw large, breakable things against the wall and rail against whatever it is that’s bringing you down. In those moments, grab hold of the fact that a cat’s owners say she survived 30 days trapped in a box that traveled cross-country, without food or water to sustain her. [More]
Disgustingly Rich People Charter Jets Just For Their Pets
By 12.2.14
When a companion animal has to get from one place to another, there aren’t many options. After the demise of the former Pet Airways in 2012, pets either need to be driven from place to place, or travel by commercial air tucked under a seat or in the cargo hold. Or you could do what very, very rich people do: shuttle your pets from place to place using chartered luxury jets. [More]
Black Friday Mania Spreads To Animal Shelters, Adoption Events For Black Cats And Dogs
By 11.28.14
Since we first learned about this idea two years ago, a really great Black Friday promotion has become even more popular nationwide. It’s a doorbuster that aims to bust thousands of doors: the doors of cages and kennels at animal shelters, that is. Shelters and rescue groups have pounced on the idea of the holiday, and offer discounts or free adoptions of animals with black fur, and often animals of other colors as well. [More]
Kitten Escapes New Mexico Home On Halloween, Shows Up 2,300 Miles Away In Maine
By 11.21.14
There is nothing more suited for a Friday afternoon than a heartwarming tale involving a lost kitten finding her way home against all odds, so I will go ahead and accept your thanks in advance. The starring cat of today’s story escaped her home in New Mexico during Halloween trick-or-treating, only to reappear in Maine a few weeks later. [More]
Pet Owners Seek Help Finding Wandering Wallaby Who’s Been On The Road 8 Months, Probably Eating Triscuits
By 11.14.14
While you might be thinking what you’re seeing hopping around town is a tiny kangaroo, New York pet owners say it might be their pet wallaby, Indy. He left home eight months ago and has apparently been enjoying a bit of a walkabout, as he’s been spotted in a handful towns in the area where his family lives. Advice if you see him? Try luring him with Triscuits. [More]
Man Says Delta Airlines Lost His Dog At LAX
By 11.10.14
Over the years we’ve told you about several instances in which consumers’ pets have been lost or escaped while in the care of an airline. Sadly some of those stories end tragically, but here’s to hoping the most recent issue involving a missing bull terrier in Los Angeles ends on a happy note. [More]
Man Throws Chihuahua At Window Of Starbucks That Banned Him
By 10.27.14
In Houston, a man was banned from a Starbucks due to his disruptive behavior, which included “harassing” customers. He reacted to this ban in a completely logical way: by pitching a fit outside, throwing a glass bottle at the ground, then throwing a Chihuahua puppy of unknown origin at the coffee shop’s window. [More]
Will Pet Stores Stop Selling Puppies Entirely?
By 10.22.14
Where do you get puppies? The answer isn’t just about the mechanics of canine pregnancy. In the United States today, when your household wants to acquire a dog, where do you get it from? Most people would probably start at a pet store, but due to changes in stores’ own policies and government intervention, falling in love with a doggie in the window is becoming a thing of the past. [More]
Pet Parrot Missing For Four Years Returns, Now Speaks Spanish
By 10.13.14
Nigel the talking parrot spoke English with a British accent when he disappeared four years ago, which already sounds cool. But it seems Nigel wasn’t satisfied with just one language, using his mysterious time on the lam to pick up Spanish. [More]
Family Upset At Lack Of Answers After Dog Dies At PetSmart Hotel
By 10.8.14
The death of a beloved pet is a horrible experience. It’s even more heart-rending when that pet dies while in the care of someone else while you’re away. So it’s not surprising that a Texas couple is upset that they couldn’t get information about what may have caused their 3-year-old dog to pass away while staying at a PetSmart Hotel. [More]
