And you thought your neighbors were wierd

Here's a bizarre story:

Imagine spending $1.8 million to purchase a home in Pacific Palisades, California, and finding out that your yard is infested with rats because the deranged old ladies next door are feeding them and treating them as beloved pets.

Imagine that the celebrity you bought your house from knew that rats ran rampant in the neighborhood but didn't disclose it.

Then, imagine that city and health officials have done little to address the huge infestation problem, and the story only comes to light when you've reached the end of your rope and have given up on complaining to government agencies, so you sue the whack-job sisters next door and tell your story to L.A. Weekly.

(via unvarnished)

Penguins rescued off Scottish coast

Rescuers hunting for the site of a plane crash at sea off the coast of Scotland called off their search - after the casualties turned out to be two inflatable penguins.

Coastguard and lifeboat teams, along with a helicopter, were scrambled after an elderly man reported a light plane had ditched near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.

He was convinced he saw wreckage glinting in the sun.

But rescuers discovered that what he had spotted were two massive balloons shaped like penguins.

The search was called off after the 4ft penguins, which were semi-inflated, were discovered .

The two penguins - whose source remains a mystery - have now been "adopted" by the lifeboat team.

Source: Daily Record

(via: Penguins!)

Legs to spare

Veterinarians at a north Georgia college have been treating an odd-looking deer after it was attacked by a dog.

The deer, according to vets at Berry College, has six legs and was found over the weekend near Rome, GA. The animal is recovering from wounds it suffered in the attack.

Due to the injuries, one of its two tails had to be amputated. The fawn has two distinct pelvises and uses one leg from each pelvis to walk.

• Click here to watch video of the six-legged deer.

Source: Fox

Hard to swallow?

An apparent set of conjoined twin birds -- an incredibly rare find -- has been discovered in Arkansas.


The bodies of the barn swallows, which are attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue, are being sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination and confirmation, Arkansas wildlife officials said Friday.

The birds, found by a landowner in White County, fell out of a nest as a healthy sibling flew off to learn how to hunt with its parents, Rowe said. The birds first appeared to have only three legs, but further examination found a fourth leg tucked up underneath the skin connecting the pair.

Source: Boston.com

Bacon, bacon, bacon!

Dentists recommend flossing and we recommend bacon!

Now you can improve your dental hygiene while enjoying the amazing flavor of crispy fried bacon! Is there anything bacon can't improve?

Each 2" tall plastic dispenser contains 27.3 yards of waxed floss. Yummy.

$3.99 at Perpetual Kid

Hair hats

Check out the "creations" at hair hats.





I think I would kill my hairdresser!




(via cute with chris)

Mice are not suitable for target practice

Fox News reports: A Mendocino County woman who was trying to kill mice in her trailer with a gun ended up shooting herself and another person.

The 43-year-old woman pulled out her .44-caliber Magnum revolver after she saw the mice scurrying across the floor of her trailer on Highway 20 in Potter Valley, sheriff's officials said.

But she accidentally dropped the gun, which went off as it struck the floor. The bullet went through the woman's kneecap, bounced off the keys sitting on the belt loop of a 42-year-old man in the trailer and grazed the man's groin before ending up in his coin pocket.

Authorities did not release the shooting victims' names.

The mice escaped the shooting unharmed.

A bald, three-legged, one-eyed dog has been named the 'World's Ugliest Dog' at the 20th annual contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma.

The pedigree Chinese crested won the World's Ugliest Dog contest on Saturday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Northern California. His owner, Jeanenne Teed, brought Gus all the way from St. Petersburg, Fla., to compete for the dubious distinction.

Gus takes home two trophies and $1,600 in prize money.

They found a unicorn

From the Associated Press
This undated photo provided by the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, Italy, Wednesday, June 11, 2008, shows a deer with a single horn in the center of its head. The one-year-old Roe Deer - nicknamed "Unicorn'' - was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

AP Photo/Center of Natural Sciences

OK - now I can't get THIS out of my head!

Creative grooming

Because of a story at Mail Online, I've just discovered a brand new world!

It's an entirely different universe - one that has dogs which come in all colors and dogs that don't look like dogs.

In this world, people actually hold contests and win prizes to see what bizarre things they can do to the dogs.

Have a look:

Myra Macias transformed her standard poodle, Peach Cobbler, into a motorcycle with the theme "Poodle Rider." (via)

Katherine Ray sculpted a depiction of a horse into the side of her poodle. (via)

Christy Van Cleave turned her dog Jack into a "Poodles Under The Sea" theme. (via)

Deanise Stoops turned her dog Jada into the character Jack Sparrow including a peg leg, a beaded goatee, hat and more. Nice coordinating outfit, Deanise! (via)

Dawn Omboy has also turned a poodle into a pirate. I don't think Dawn's outfit is as good as Deanise's. At least she tried though. (gr8grmr)

Sandy Hartness turned this poodle into a Ninja Turtle named Leonardoodle. Hey, Sandy, where's your costume? (via)

Carmon Baker and her dog Missy chose the theme of Hoochy Poochy Parlor. Next year Missy will select the theme and will turn Carmon into a white poodle. (via)

Sandy Hartness has disguised Cindy the poodle as a chicken. (via)

Then, poof, Sandy turned Cindy into a peacock! (via)

Here's Odin, another poodle, as a rare dragon dog. (via)

This must be poodle camouflage of some sort. (white dog)

***

We've seen a lot of altered poodles so far, but they're not the only breed subjected to all these artistic efforts.

Sarah Reynolds turned her dog into the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas." (via)

Angela Kumpe has managed to turn her dog into a dragonfly. (via)

This is Bailey. He must be a Dolphins fan. (via)

Here is Susan Tyner with Ralph. Are they twins? (via)

***

Video: Creative grooming for dogs
Some dog shows have "creative grooming" competitions, where groomers create unusual cuts for pooches. NBC's Brian Balthazar reports. TODAY's Maria Menounos talks with Dawn Omboy, a master groomer.

Sources:
oc register, Pantagraph.com, Groomer to Groomer, petgroomer.com, Detroit Free Press

Oh no!
Look what else these people are doing ...

(via)

Sturgeon having a ball in Columbia River

When sonar surveys spotted a vast pile of rubble in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam late last winter, officials suddenly worried part of the dam structure was eroding into the river.

What they found below the spillways in February was not a giant pile of rock at all, but a humongous pile of thousands upon thousands of sturgeon - some of them 14 feet long or longer - lounging together in frigid water at the bottom of the river.

The mountain of white sturgeon contained around 60,000 fish, according to a crude estimate by Michael Parsley, a research fisheries biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory in Cook, Wash. He described that estimate as "probably conservative."

It was an aquatic phenomenon nobody had ever seen at such a monstrous scale, offering a startling glimpse into the life of the Columbia's largest and most ancient fish.

Source: Oregon Live
Photo: Columbia River Trophy Sturgeon Fishing

Oh no, painted dogs!

At Dog Reflections, 15 Photos Of Dogs With Dye Jobs.

I don't know why someone would want to dye their dog. The dogs certainly don't seem very happy. They look embarrassed,

like this poor thing!

Photo by “jenny horror”

On the other hand - this poodle looks like he's getting into it. Poodles are like that though. They like to show off. They have to be different. They're called "French" poodles for a good reason, you know.

Photo by Zoom Zoom

via The J-Walk Blog

Dog Gives Birth To Green Puppy

A newborn puppy is really standing out among his siblings... all because of his color.

The puppy was born last week, and so far, he is perfectly healthy... he's just green.

Veterinarians say this sometimes happens when the mother's amniotic fluid mixes with the placenta during birth and dyes the coat of the puppy.

The puppy won't be green forever. I a few weeks, the green will fade away and the pup will be a light brown or white color.

Source: WCSH6

Art by Deborah Sengl

In her new exhibition “Of Sheep and Wolves” Austrian artist Deborah Sengl continues her exploration of the topics of stealth and deception, mask and simulacrum. Sengl's art is on exhibition at the art gallery Deschler in Berlin, Germany, through May 24, 2008.

Wolf-Sheep-Priest

Puma-Dentist

Need a dog to walk?

One of the benefits of owning a dog is getting exercise while talking it for a walk. But what if you don't want all the responsibilities of owning a real dog?

Just get yourself a walking dog balloon! They come in three heart warming varieties – a pretty pug, a darling dachshund and a remarkable retriever.

They have been balanced perfectly so that when filled with helium they float just above the ground with their little feet dangling to the floor. When you gently walk with them, pulling the lead, their little legs and feet appear to walk giving a super fun, realistic K9 look.

Guaranteed to convince everyone you meet that you are totally crazy.

(via nerd approved)

Dull Dog?

With Fairy Tail Dust Body Bling for Dogs your dog can now glimmer in the moonlight or glitter while she's greeting you at your front door - or hide under the bed in shame because of what her goofy owner is subjecting her to.

Under no circumstances should you apply this stuff to a cat, not if you ever want a peaceful night's sleep afterwards.

(via Dog Bliss)

Competition?

This is Mondex, a 5-year-old Chihuahua, posing as he walks the aisle dressed as a scuba diver during a dog show at a mall in suburban Manila on Sunday April 27, 2008. Mondex bagged first place during the fashion show category.

Was he trying to compete with that penguin?

AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Your dog ate WHAT?

Josie, a bassett hound mix, ate some gorilla glue that formed a large mass in her stomach and required life-saving surgery. Watch video for more information.

We use Gorilla Glue around our house but I never thought to taste it. Must be yummy.

Uninvited guest crawls into kitchen

Hearing strange noises at about 10:30 p.m., Sandra Frosti, 69, called 911. Frosti had an 8-foot alligator in her kitchen.

The whole thing apparently started when Poe the cat was prowling outside and the big alligator followed it home.

When Poe slipped onto the back porch, the 220-pound gator came along, crashing through a screen and passing a potted ficus tree and litter box.

Tailing Poe, the 8-foot, 8-inch reptile crawled over the blue carpeting, through an open sliding glass door and past the green suede sofa in the living room.

The gator likely emerged from one of the many ponds, lakes and creeks in Eastlake Woodlands in north Pinellas, where they are a common sight.

Source: St. Petersburg Times

Rats!

Michele Diller, 64, of Rochester, WA, bought rats as food for her pet snakes but eventually came to think of them as ''friends'' and allowed them to breed and overrun her house.

The rats have gnawed through wiring, walls, cupboards and drawers, and have begun turning up in neighbors' yards.

When Animal Control officials entered the house, they saw that rat feces covered table tops, floors, chairs - virtually every flat surface in the house. In addition, the carpets were saturated with rat urine, and the air inside the home was heavy with odors and moisture. There was no electricity in most rooms of the house because the rats had chewed through the wiring. In addition, the sewage had backed up and there was no running water or heat in the home.

The sound of rats chewing in the walls and floors was a "constant undertone."

Souce: KOMO-TV