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Pet Tales ~ All about the animal world of Orange County

Archive for the 'Animals' Tag

Your pet’s amazing trick could buy you $100

July 20th, 2009, 3:00 am by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor
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Hey, Katy, go fetch the kitten … and be gentle!

amazing-pet-tricksToday we’ve launched the “Amazing Pet Trick” video contest here at The Register.

It’s time, people, to share all the wacky, silly talent your pet has to offer. And you get to benefit to the tune of $100.

Animals lovers can submit pet trick videos at ocregister.com/pettricks. Submissions should be under 90 seconds in length.

You’ve got until Aug. 19 to upload and then convince all your friends in the world to vote for your tricked-out pet. (Take that, Dave Letterman.)

The top vote-getter and one judges’ pick will be crowned best Amazing Pet Trick(s), and they’ll go home with $100 gift cards.

Images from the Top 10 videos — five chosen by overall votes and five chosen from those pet-loving judges — will be published in The Register’s print edition.

Be sure to check the contest for a daily laugh …

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Animals • Cats • Dogs • Events • Pets • contest • video • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Snip-the Roamers bill heads to committee vote Tuesday

June 29th, 2009, 12:52 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

My colleagues over at OC Watchdog are keeping a close eye on the vote expected Tuesday on Senate Bill 250, the Pet Responsibility Act, which was approved by the state Senate earlier this month.

The “Snip-the-Roamers” bill heads to the Assembly’s Committee on Business and Professions on Tuesday - and if it passes, it’s that much closer to the governor’s desk.

Stay tuned! You can read more of Teri Sforza’s post at the Watchdog blog.

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Animal shelters • Government • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Critter pix du jour: All we gotta say is, RUN!!!!

June 5th, 2009, 3:49 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

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Go, little guy, GO!

The look on the fox’s face says it all . . .

“GET ME THE $#@! OUTTA HERE!”

Maybe the lions had snack food he craved, but for whatever reason, this itty-bitty fox made a whopper of a wrong turn when he landed in the lion’s habitat at the zoo Friday in Wuppertal, Germany.

While the big cats likely thought he was an amusing enough trifle, the fox managed to hot dog it outta there unhurt. Whew …

(Photo by Martin Meissner, The Associated Press)

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More now from the Animal Kingdom (and lions in general):

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While the fox made his hasty getaway, a mama lion watched her cub cavort in a cardboard box. Cat owners, can we all relate on this one, yes?

Mama goes in to wipe the kid’s face and voila, over goes baby.

(Photo by Martin Meissner, The Associated Press)

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More cute animals were in abundance at various zoo exhibits, giving idle photographers something to do …

(Click on the photos to see them larger … and captions are below.)

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1: A 1-day old pygmy hippo baby clings to her mother Minah, who bred her eighth baby at the Singapore Zoo. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

2: A greater flamingo chick is propelled by its mother in their enclosure at the Budapest Zoo in Hungary. With 15 chicks hatched in the past few weeks the number of the greater flamingos has grown to 98 in the zoo. (AP Photo/MTI, Attila Kovacs)

3-5: Hasani, a 6-month old western lowland gorilla, rides the back of his surrogate mother, Bawang, at the San Francisco Zoo. Hasani, whos name means “handsome” in Swahili, is the first gorilla born in captivity at the zoo in 11 years. Bawang, who’s 29 years old, became the baby gorilla’s surrogate mother after his birth mother Monifa showed no interest in raising him. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

6: Two king penguins swap stories at the Zoo Wuppertal, in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

7: An Indian lion dozes in the sun in the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland. (AP Photo/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt)

8: The baby panda born in Thailand stands on wobbly new legs eight days after it was born at the Chiang Mai zoo. (AP Photo/Chiang Mai Zoological Park)

9: Lin Hui, the 7-year-old giant panda and new mother, gently (we hope) holds her cub in her mouth at the Chiang Mai zoo in Thailand. (AP Photo/Wichai Taprieu)

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Animals • Photos • Wildlife • Zoo • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Hey, DAWG fans, get your leashes ready

May 29th, 2009, 2:39 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

dawg2Animal lovers, fire up your social networks, it’s time to start raising some friendly cash for the 15th Annual DAWG Walk & Pet Faire in Mission Viejo.

You’ve got just under a month to raise money for homeless animals cared for by the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center.

The event takes place from 7 a.m. to noon June 27 (a Saturday) at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center at the Village Green.

The city’s Animal Services Center is partnering with Dedicated Animal Welfare Group (DAWG) to host the event, which will feature K9 demonstrations, pet contests and exhibits. Walkers will trek along Oso Creek Trail.

The fair also will feature local businesses, animal rescues, booths, entertainment, music, raffle prizes, refreshments and more.Dogs needing loving, new homes will be available for adoption.

Advance registration is $25 per person; $30 the day of the event. There is no charge to visit the fair.dawg1

To register and print out pledge forms, visit DAWG.org or pick up a registration packet at the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center.

For more information, call 949-470-3045.

Map it: The community center is at 24932 Veterans Way.

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Animal shelters • Events • Government • Pets • • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Notable pet photographer coming to Orange County

May 28th, 2009, 12:23 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor
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cat1If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a portrait of a pet might just inspire 100,000 words.

We just can’t say enough about them, can we?

Jim Dratfield, a noted portrait photographer, took a sepia-toned snapshot of his beloved dog, Kuma, and fell passionately into a career of pet photography. In February 1993, he co-founded Petography Inc., an animal portrait studio specializing in fine-art photographs of pets of all sizes, shapes, and species often with their people.

“I believe that many things touch us throughout our lives, but it’s often our pets that are there for us in good times and bad,” Dratfield said.

(Click on the photos above to see them larger.)

The New York resident will be in the area July 19-23 and available for in-home photo sessions.

Hold on to your leashes, pet owners, Jim ain’t cheap. For his time at your home and the ultimate pet artwork, you’ll spend $1,200 for a standard session with Dratfield and his magical cameras. Spend more and you get more, basically.

That standard session produces:

  • 8-by-10 portrait in a 16-by-20 mat
  • Two 5-by-7 portraits in 11-by-14 mats
  • Choice of either a dozen custom note cards or a 4-by-6 framed portrait

To make an appointment, you can either e-mail Dratfield or call Petography: 800-738-6472. His Web site offers galleries to view Dratfield’s work, including published books and other products Petography sells.

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Pet business • Pets • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Poll: What would you train Fido to find?

May 26th, 2009, 1:51 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor
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Ralph Pendergast, the Service Dog Program administrator for Arizona Department of Corrections, works Cricket, a "cell-phone dog," on May 18 in a training unit at the Correctional Officers Training Academy in Tucson. Photo by : Jim Davis, Arizona Daily Star

A story from Arizona had my doggie antennae at full alert:

Corrections officials are using dogs to sniff out illicit cell phones in prison cells.

And that got me thinking: My dog, Katy, could be trained to find the remote control!

So, I ask you, dog owners:

What would you train your dog to find?
View Results

More from The Associated Press story: The dogs in Arizona are trained to identify four unique odors associated with cell phones and their components, said Kenny Vance, a service-dog trainer for the Corrections Department. The dogs also can detect batteries and phone chargers.

Cell phones are banned in prisons. Inmates found with phones can face disciplinary action and even criminal charges, depending on the severity of an incident in which a phone was used.

Inmates can use the phones to conduct criminal activity, including drug transactions and gang business, beyond prison walls, said Ralph Pendergast, trainer for the service-dog program and an administrator with the Corrections Department.

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Dogs • training • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Poll: Do your pets get freaky during quakes?

May 17th, 2009, 11:09 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

noir6After the quake rattled through most of our homes here in Orange County on Sunday night, I took a few minutes to review my pets’ behavior. This was the first time in recent memory that I was home with them when a sizable enough shaker made its presence known … at least to me … and the cat.

I was watching TV with the dog snoring at my side on the couch. While I was connecting the dots (shaking walls + rattling glass = quake), the dog kept sleeping. I paused the TV (love that, still), and wondered if I should move from underneath the big beams that span the vaulted ceiling … duh.

katyloungeAt the same time, my kitten ran in from our tiny back yard, her fur standing on end. Right behind her was my neighbor’s kitten, eyes wide like saucers. Both cats stopped in the hallway … and just stood there, frozen. They seemed to be listening, perhaps tuned in to some earthy harmonics I’ll never hear.

In seconds it was all over, and the kittens found their way back out the doggie door to hunt moths in the porch light.

I followed them and chatted with my neighbors across the back wall. We were all a little buzzed by the quake. My sleepy dog, however, only got off the couch after hearing my voice in the back yard.

Do your pets act strangely when quakes strike?
View Results

Posted in: Pets • poll • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

Say cheese! Mother’s Day at the zoo

May 7th, 2009, 6:43 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor
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Let’s face it, animals and their babies: cute!

Monkey business: A seven-week-old bonobo baby hangs onto its mother, Lisa, as she grooms another bonobo at the Cincinnati Zoo on Thursday. The baby, whose gender is not yet known, does not yet have a name. Photo: Tom Uhlman, The Associated Press

Bear kisses: Wilbaer, bottom, a 16-month-old polar bear, plays with his mother, Corinna, in the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday. Wilbaer, who was born in this zoo, will leave his mother in the next few weeks and move to the bearpark Orsa in Gorenklitt, Sweden. Photo: Thomas Kienzle, The Associated Press

Lean on me: Moxie, a young lion cub and her mother, Sukari, play at the Bronx Zoo in New York on May 1. Born in November 2008, Moxie was the first lion born at the Bronx Zoo in 31 years. Photo: Julie Larsen Maher, Wildlife Conservation Society

Back-seat snoozer: A month-old ring-tailed lemur pup clings onto its mother Tuesday at the Singapore Zoo. Wong Maye-E, The Associated Press

Posted in: Animals • Pets • Zoo • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Hello, pet people

March 19th, 2009, 7:19 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

Welcome to The Register’s new pets blog!

Samantha Gowen, pets editor and blogger

Samantha Gowen, pets editor and blogger

I’ll skip right past the predictable woof and meow cliches and get to the point.

I want to talk pets. Pet trends, pet issues, pet stories, pet everything.

So bring it on, Orange County.

With your help and insight, this blog will become a platform for pet information. To engage you in conversation, I encourage you to join me in our forums here, where I’ll expect you to help me debate the issues racing around our hometowns.

I’m a longtime pet owner and a strong-minded advocate for animals of all kinds. In the course of writing about pets, you’ll meet my furry family and come to realize what makes me so passionate about the pet world.

Be sure to spend some time here and tell me what you think.

Oh, and don’t forget to BOOKMARK ME.

Posted in: Animals • Pets • • • • • | 1 Comment »