We're still here!

Taking a little time off from posting cute photos on this blog, but we are updating our FACEBOOK page frequently.

Back soon!

Another blog for animal lovers

We just found a wonderful blog, The Featured Creature, which aims to introduce us to some of the  wildly wonderful creatures that you probably never even knew existed.  There are over 30 million species on our planet, why not get to know them all?

A recent post showcases the  incredible Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha amator). 

There are many, many entries, so be warned, you can get lost here for hours.

Photo:  Caterpillar hunter

Cat Thursday?

It's Cat Thursday at McGuffy's Reader ...

they point out that Cats know how to sleep.

Oh, how nice - Thank you!

Just received the following, wonderful email ...

Hi Julie,
I am pleased to inform you that The Pet Blog has been recognised for excellence due to the contribution its top quality editorial offers the pet health world.

KwikMed are a leading health (care) provider and and are regularly covered in the mainstream national press for their professional, modern approach to healthcare. They are one of just two fully licensed online pharmacies in the USA. This year, our specialist panel of judges have reviewed hundreds of different sites from across the internet before hand-picking the very best for each category. The Pet Blog is among the elite selection of awardees that our judges felt made a real contribution to the pet health category and you can see your site in lights here:

http://www.kwikmed.org/36-exceptional-pet-health-sites/

Please accept my warmest congratulations, as well as our appreciation of your continued hard work and excellent quality editorial. I hope it continues for many years to come! We’re rolling the awards out fully with our members soon and hopefully it will bring some deserving attention your way.

There are some great winners on the list, including some sites that have less exposure than your site does, and were selected by our judging panel for their unique perspective and contribution. It would be great for all if you let your readers know where they can find some great resources on pet health by linking to the awards. Either way it would be great to hear from you.

Once again, I would to send you my congratulations for your well-deserved recognition.

Best regards,
Lily

Thank you - how nice to be recognized!
Julie

Let's go visit Sancho

Aniela, who is only 13, is the author of a new blog about her adorable rabbit, Sancho. Sancho loves Nutella, skateboard riding, and playing in the garden. Sancho is also lonely because no one knows about his blog. Please visit Sancho today!

The life I want

One of the blogs I visit frequently is Riviera Dogs. It is filled with excellent photos of dogs, taken in the south of France and Monaco. Ahh, that's the life I would love - warm, sunshiny, relaxing ... with many tourists and local dogs, enjoying the scenery, the food, and the lifestyle. I, too, would take photos of all the cute dogs and their owners! Riviera Dogs is administered by Jilly Bennett, who also owns a dog sitting facility, Pension Milou. When residents of the Cote d'Azur go away on holiday or business, they know their dog will be looked after in an environment just like home. Jilly also maintains two outstanding photo blogs: Menton Daily Photo and Monte Carlo Daily Photo. From Menton: Roquebrune village held its annual Fête des Châtaignes (the Chestnut Fête) - with between 1500 and 2000 visitors arriving at the village to buy roasted chestnuts and sip hot wine or tequila. Can't you almost smell them roasting? And then, - October in Monte Carlo! Jilly - you have so much to do! Aren't you tired? Do you need an assistant? I'd do it for free! Can I come and live your life? Photo credit: all by Jilly Bennett

Doggie wisdom

I LOVE this blog! On Mackenzie Speaks, we get snippets of wisdom from the viewpoint of a very insightful dog. Some of my favorite Mackenzie-isms: "Chihuahua’s are adorable, except for the fact that they’re tiny and rat like." "If I were invisible, would my poop also be invisible?" "Being a dog is great. We can walk around carrying a tennis ball in our mouth and it’s no big deal. Humans, on the other paw, could never pull that off." "If something called a ‘jalapeño’ ever falls on the kitchen floor, do not eat it. You must trust me on this."

Monkeys in the News

If you're interested in monkeys, and who isn't, catch up on monkey and primate news by reading Monkeys in the News.

Earrings for dogs?

If I had a dog, which I don't, and if I were totally goofy, which I'm not, and if I were to get my dog's ears pierced, which I wouldn't, I would select these 1 carat total weight diamond stud earrings from Goldsmith Jewelry. On the other hand, just by blogging about these earrings I might win them and wear them myself. (via)

The Daily Mammal

Jennifer Rae Atkins, in her blog, the Daily Mammal, is attempting to draw [close to] every mammal on earth. Therefore: a mammal a day. Since there are about 5,000 named mammal species, give or take, it should take her about 14 years to meet this goal. That's not so bad! The Fennec Fox, at left, is one of my favorites.

Photography by Anna Kuperberg

Anna Kuperberg photographs dogs. She made this blog, SlobberSpace, to entertain you and to help you procrastinate your boring office work. There is no useful information on this blog, no training advice, and no breed analysis. Just happy, goofy dogs.

Back from vacation!

Back from sunny, warm Florida, which was rainy and unusually cold. Bleh. Happy New Year! Tons to catch up on - Izzy e-mailed to let me know about the launch of Petside.com, a new interactive website for pets and their people. The site includes a feature called Pet Vet, a tool where cat (or dog) owners can input their pet's symptoms into the Pet Vet and get useful advice and possible diagnoses. Monica, from Dogs Deserve Better, e-mailed me about “Have a Heart for Chained Dogs” Campaign. The group annually sends Valentines and coupons for dog treats to chained canines across the country. They're aiming to have 10,000 addresses for perpetually chained dogs. The group also needs volunteers to make the Valentines and requests donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food. I also received an e-mail from David with a reference to A Blog About Pets which has humor, pictures, and some handy pet information. A report from CNN, about 10 dogs that changed the world. From a Soviet dog named Laika to a dog who stood between Alexander the Great and a charging elephant. From theGinBlog, a series of disturbing photos of a dog who stood by his companion after it was hit by a car. The dog drew in a crowd as people were amazed at the display of canine loyalty. At Animal(lover)dose, I found this amazing video. I thought only bulls did that. Well - it IS nice to be back.

In the footsteps of Genghis Khan

An Australian man has completed a three-year journey from Mongolia to Hungary, following in the footsteps of the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan. When Tim Cope began his 10,000 km (6,200 mile) journey in June 2004 he expected it to take 18 months. However, a stint at home when his father died and other delays meant it took more than double that. Throughout the trek he traveled on horseback and relied on the hospitality of local people, including nomads. He traveled with three horses at any time, one to carry him and two to carry feed and supplies and briefly, whilst in Kazakhstan, also used a camel. He needed 13 horses in total to complete the marathon journey, though two of them - Taskonir and Ogonyok - have been with him since October 2004 when he was in Kazakhstan. His other companion was Tigon, meaning "hawk" or "fast wind", a black and white hunting dog given to him as gift in Kazakhstan, whom he now hopes to take home to Australia. Arriving at his final destination, the Hungarian town of Opusztaszer, Mr Cope paid tribute to the animals saying that they, along with the numerous people who had welcomed him into their homes, were the "real heroes" of the journey. Both he and the animals faced much hardship as they endured life on the steppes of Asia and Central Europe, experiencing temperature ranging from minus 52C to plus 54C. (via) UPDATE: Tim Cope has a website : Tim Cope Journeys (via)

Polar Bear News

Polar Bear News is a blog meant to keep people in touch with the polar bear and what's happening to them around the world. It includes photos and information on their natural habitat and the efforts to save this magnificent marine mammal.

Caption This:

Image Credit: thelearnr [Flickr] - via Polarbearaware

There's a new caption contest feature on Neatorama. Contest rule is simple: one caption per comment, make it funny but please keep it civil (bonus point: if you can work "Neatorama" into the caption). You can submit multiple comments. This week’s prize is graciously offered by Adam Koford of Apelad (who drew Neatorama Monkey): Funniest will receive 1 free monkey drawing - you name the monkey and Adam will draw you one. If you don’t win, but still want a monkey, you can buy one directly from him. It’s worth it!

NewCritters.com

This weblog celebrates earth’s biodiversity by highlighting recent new species discoveries.