Most Commented Animals Blogs (472)

We all know that Gary Glitter is very much persona non grata these days, which is no doubt as it should be. However, I can't help thinking it a little unfair that his scandalous sex abuse record has totally eclipsed what an absolutely crap musician this man was. His performances were truly diabolical, even by 70s standards. So, despite his moral descent to the very lowest depths, let's just take a minute to remember what a twat he was to start with.

All of the snakes I've ever seen in New Jersey are non-venomous.
I've seen quite a few garter snakes


and the much bigger northern banded water snake



I've read that the banded water snake bites can hurt quite a bit (pun intended),
but generally they are harmless.

New jersey does have some venomous snakes. But, in all my many outdoor travels
I've never seen one (knocking on wood).
But, the main one in my area is the northern copperhead. Not a snake I would like to pet.



Further south there are timber rattlesnakes, especially in the pinelands regions.


Although I've encountered a lot of snakes in Florida,
the only time I've ever actually been bitten by a snake, was in Maine of all places.
It was a 'harmless' garter snake. At the tender age of 7, it made me bleed and scared a mite,
but no real other damage.

The next time I encountered snakes was when I went to college out west in Kansas.
They had one of the few veterinary schools in the country and I originally decided to become a veterinarian. While in college I made a lot of friends out there, and had a lot of fun.
The gals all wore leather belts with their name on the back. It sure made introductions easy.
"Hey Sally, how have you been ?"

Since I was totally unfamiliar with the geography there, I had to rely on the locals for locations of interest. One time a friend recommended climbing a "mountain" to watch the sunset.
I was more than a bit skeptical, as Kansas has to be one of the flattest states in the USA.
Florida is another flat state. So anyway, 4 of us drove to this "mountain" together.
It wasn't a mountain, but it was a very large hill. It took us about an hour to get to the top
and at the top was a radio tower. So, crazy as it was, we climbed the radio tower too,
and then watched the sunset.

After climbing down the radio tower, one of us (not me) decided to challenge the other 3 to a race down the "mountain" and shouted "go". So all 4 of us ran down the mountain and on the way down we took somewhat different paths. At one point, I was running full speed and I came to a gully.
In it I noticed 8 coiled rattlesnakes resting on large flat rocks, peering up at me.



There was no stopping. I was going much too fast downhill.
If I tried to stop I'm sure I would have ended (in more ways than one) right in the gully on them.
So, thankfully, I instantly got the idea of jumping, as high, and as far, as I could.
It was the biggest jump I ever attempted. Literally, the jump of my life.
I sailed over the gully and watched the snake heads following the direction of my flight.
I landed beyond the gully on my feet, and continued running to the bottom of the "mountain"
with my heart beating extra fast from my encounter.

While I arrived first at the bottom, all 4 of us thankfully made it.
It was dark by the time we did.
One (not me) was bleeding from a tree branch. Crazy kids !

"CURIOUS CHILD CAUSES BABOON FRACAS
A third grader on a school outing to the San Jose Zoo caused an ugly scene. His older brother told him not to throw rocks at the red-a** baboons, because when they throw them back, they don't miss. He wanted to see if it was true. George Simms picked up a rock, and threw it at the biggest baboon he could see. It whizzed past Bobo, dominant male in the zoo's troop of Hamadryas Baboons, and landed just behind him. Bobo noticed who had thrown the rock, and flew into a rage. He picked it up, and threw it back, hitting little George squarely in the forehead, knocking him out cold. The Baboon then proceeded to screech loudly, jumping up and down, showing his teeth.

A little girl, Susan Parker, yelled "You bad monkey!" and threw the rock a third time. This time it fell just short of an infant baboon. The entire troop became agitated, and started to fling rocks, dirt clods, mud, and their feces at the children, their teacher, and all other humans within sight, never once missing a target.

As children began to drop like flies, and adults began to panic, some chimpanzees in the display behind them thought flinging things looked like fun, so they joined in, completely surrounding the bewildered zoo patrons.

By the time the apes had nothing more to fling, Nine children and three adults lay unconscious, and many others were crying and moaning in pain, bleeding, and holding on to wounds. Those only needing first aid were treated at the zoo, and the rest were rushed to nearby hospitals. The young boy who started it all remains hospitalized in serious condition.

As little George Simms and all his classmates learned the hard way, it is not just a myth or an old wives tale. Don't throw rocks at the red-a** baboons. When they throw them back, they don't miss!" - caution unsecure site! no kidding dude!

I'm sure I blogged this (maybe on another site) and got mixed reviews. I had a neighbor, nice looking woman but she had dogs... lots of dogs. Some were legit with vaccinations and tags. Many of the others were strays and she didn't have much funding to have them spayed or neutered. The dogs multiplied.

The woman dated as I sometimes would see guys and maybe a car overnight, but it became obvious they didn't want to stay long as her place was overrun with her pets. Not long after animal control going on complaints from neighbors paid her a visit.
Police arrested her, they took control and removed the animals.

Yeah, this is the rare case...

Some profiles show people with their pets. Background, foreground and sometimes, it's the pet and no person. Okay, it's fun to have a pet. But what signal is the person is sending out? Does the pet come first and the (possible) mate come second?

I've dated women with pets. Some had children and a pretty normal life. I've seen some where the dog (for example) had control of the house and everything evolved around the pet. Jumping on the sofa, growling at guests, constant barking... and those are the good points!



Blogs don't ask questions, but I think people are less critical than I am about having pets and it could be a deterrent to finding a mate if your focus is in the wrong direction.

I received a call today from a woman who introduced herself as one of the veterinarians at the animal clinic where I surrendered a homeless cat yesterday. She asked if I knew about the history of the animal and the only information I could offer was, a week ago the cat showed up in the courtyard of my building and neighbors were feeding her. The cat was quiet and very friendly but homeless. The reason for me delivering the cat to their facility was to keep my neighbors out of trouble for violating the association rules for feeding strays.
The vet went on to explain the cat was in pain having enlarged lymph nodes and lumps in her intestines. Most of her teeth were missing and several teeth were infected into the gums.
At that point I asked "Are we talking about the same cat?"
She described the animal and stated the her condition with all the problems it wouldn't be long for the cat to live and the most humane thing to do is euthanize her so she doesn't have to suffer.

I tried several no-kill pet adoption places and this was the only place in 50 miles or so that would take the cat in for spaying, shots and microchip. To hear they had to put the cat down came as a total surprise... and not a good one.

So ended my Happy-Friday and a full moon on a clear night.

I love animals as much as the next guy...maybe more. It might be the reason I was banned from the petting zoo. If I had my way we'd have 'heavy' petting zoos, but I digress.

It seems to me that there are way more 'service' animals than services needed. Dogs aren't allowed on the bus unless of course it's a seeing-eye dog or something of that nature. Ok, I get it. That's actually a thing. Therapy dogs are a thing too, but now we're treading into ambiguous territory. And who's to say where the line is drawn?
No dogs are allowed at the farmers market...well unless it's a cancer-sniffing dog. Hey, I could get cancer any minute so I need to have the dog with me at all times. I just get a cute little doggy jacket and a tag and now my pet is a necessity while at the library.
And why limit these animals to dogs? How about a gluten-detecting squid? An autism armadillo? If I'm so obese that I can't reach my own backside, l could use a butt-wipe orangutan...um

I think Melania Trump already has one.

SHINY AND CHROME! GASTOWN AND BULLET FARM.....................

A boring Saterday morning today, but the weather was fine, sunny and warm. My turtle came out again for her food. She hidden somewhere for couple of days ago. I know that she is ready for her long winter sleeping.

She is an intersting creature, has lived with me for 5 years since very small. She takes off her old shells twice a year. Sometimes I help her doing that complete. She likes clean her eyes with her front feet when in water,or lies motionless under the sunshine for a long time in Summer, a very sensitive with the temperature. she likes under the Sunshine, So today I put her on the arm of chair's after eating and am waiting there to see what will happen...






While I photoed her diving show, the crabs was cooking on the stove which I nearly forgotten. When I rushed to there it almost burnt. Well,just a little, but the juice had been dried away.



Wish tomorrow is a little difference from today.

I have a deaf dog and i think we
have reach a dead end with his training.

Any tips?