The dogs are now following me, hoping I’m going somewhere that includes them. I’m leading a furry parade. I step on Watson’s tail. He yelps. Zelda sits down and I almost fall over her. She’s biting her ass. I can hear my husband snickering. I give up my experiment and return to my office.

Read more: Tuesday, March 18: High-Heeled Gumshoe

The premiums run anywhere from about $350 to $480 per year. Oh, and I forgot to mention. This is pet insurance.

Read more: An inexpensive health insurance option?

Those immortal words were spoken by Robert Cusack in 2004 after one of the more spectacular busts in smuggling history. Cusack only mentioned the baby animals in his trousers after he was fairly sure his cover was blown. Customs officials were tipped off to the fact he was smuggling animals after several of his cargo escaped his suitcase in Los Angeles. It probably didn’t help that the escaped cargo was four birds of paradise, one of the most colourful rainforest animals in the world, which then flew around above the heads of customs officials.

Read more: 5 Funniest Exotic Animal Smuggling Busts

A recent study found that the population of birds in urban areas of Britain is directly related to the wealth of the area. Simply put, the wealthier an area is, the more likely it is to have larger populations of birds such as blue tits, coal tits, and great tits, all of whom are particularly attracted to bird feeders. Yes, that means you’re more likely to find a lot of great tits in wealthy areas.

Read more: Birds Love Rich British People

Ball pythons are docile snakes by nature and pose absolutely no harm or threat to humans, children, babies or household pets such as cats and dogs. They are non-venomous and grow to a maximum length of only 3-4 feet and are in fact one of the most popular pet snakes because of these and other attributes. They are incapable of killing and consuming an adult human, child, baby or household pet and there are no records or reports of a ball python causing death to any of the aforementioned nor will their ever be.

Read more: PYTHONS AND BOAS ARE UNDER ATTACK!!!

伸びてみました。 白い包帯がパンツのようです。インドのルンギーという腰巻にも似ています。 けっこうなハイレグパンツなのに、脚が長く見えません。それどころか、ウナギのように長い胴体が余計に長く見えます。

Read more: Xylocopal's Photolog : パンツ猫

Global warming leads to more cats. That’s the claim of Pets Across America, who says warming has lengthened the feline mating season. I’m normally opposed to taking drastic action to fight climate change, but if this dubious claim is true I might have to support some massive CO2 reductions. Or perhaps we could just use the excess kitties as a source of biofuel? Whatever’s cheaper.

Read more: Global warming –> more cats

At Dharma's blog, you can also get links to funny cat videos, purchase the E-Book, and read commentaries by scholars of various faiths--Jewish, Hindu, Taoist, Muslim, and Wiccan as well as Buddhist.

Read more: Mindfulness

However, in recent years, a few pet snakes have escaped in the north of the island, and - from what locals who live between Telde and Valsequillo area are saying - they’ve bred like rabbits. According to a report in Canarias7, the area (which has a lot of watercress farms) has proved an ideal habitat.

Read more: Snakes in Valsequillo

Sometime within the last 6 weeks, since DD’s been at her Dad’s the hamster has gotten lethargic, her coat a bit disheveled, she hasn’t eaten as much, etc. First, I contact 2-3 vets offices to find out what I should do with her. Food for thought, hamsters are considered ‘exotic pets’ and have to be treated by a specialized vet. Just an exam will cost you at least $50. The one thing that I was asked by all three of the ‘exotic’ vets’ offices was her age. I didn’t know what to say – I had no idea how old she was.

Read more: The Hamster Dance

Unless you really want to encourage a visit by a hungry bear (in which case, you deserve one) it is important to keep food sources tightly controlled. Garbage and even bird feeders can attract bears. Incidentally, if you do run into a bear, whatever you do, do not look the bear in the eyes. That is considered by bears to be a challenge. (That is serious advice, BTW.)

Read more: Bullet-Proof Bear Goes Bonkers

A British couple managed to capture one of the lead elements of a giant spider invasion. They spotter the monster climbing the garden wall and trapped it in a box.

Read more: Giant Spiders Invade England

This is pretty rough. I used to have a bunch of pet snakes and I fed them mice, but this is just a hard way to go…

Read more: Fist of one hundred fistseseses

Lots of moons ago when I was little, my mother and I went to stay at a B&B in Gloucester. It wasn't your average B&B though, being more of a home turned into a hotel, and what a place. Over four hundred years old, with creaky, narrow staircases, and odd shaped rooms overlooking the surrounding countryside. We stayed there fairly often as my mum was friends with the owner, and as there was also a stable with horses, a hay barn, orchard and swimming pool to explore, I didn't object one iota to being dragged along to stay there. Add to that the fact they also had two dogs, rabbits, and a Siamese cat, it was on occasion rather difficult to persuade me to go home again.

Read more: Terror Incognita

We’re tempted to lie around the JW Marriott’s pools all day (which of the five should we choose?). But we don’t give in to temptation and head out to check out some of the area’s sites. First Stop: The Living Desert, with more than 400 desert animals in their natural habitat. We especially loved the giraffes, camels and ostriches. There are also mountain lions, bobcats, and more as well as a model train garden that careens through ghost towns and frontier towns of the old west and a Wildlife Hospital where kids can watch through the glass window as vets give the animals check ups!

Read more: Desert and Mountain -- what a difference