Have you ever been to a farm or petting zoo where they let you feed the animals? I always love doing this and I particularly like feeding the goats. Whenever they spot a person buying a bag of feed they immediately crowd to the fence and hope they get to you first. Well, this goat, Darren, at the White Post Farm seems to have learned a great trick to draw your attention to him -- he stands up and waves at you. He seems to be shouting "Hey, over here. Feed me!" I love this goat. If you love goats, visit the Ultimate Goat Fansite -- a whole site devoted to hilarious goat pictures and videos. -------------
Just looking at the title you might guess the reason why, at least some, dogs hate Halloween -- the costumes. Some dogs love to get all dolled up -- bring on the feathers, the funny hats, the booties and the sequins -- the more stuff the better. And then they are willing to pose for you and have the camera flashing bright lights in their eyes. For example, the dogs dressed like a bunch of Chiquita bananas seem amused and the dog dressed like a pirate really looks willing to strut his stuff.
Other dogs just don't get it, they don't care to be fussed over or maybe they find the whole idea to be silly. But even they may allow a simple costume or hat to be put on them just to humor their human. The basset hound with the knife has a great expression, I think he falls into the category of "let's just get this over with, take your picture and then get this thing off my head." The little dog in the Chinese silk outfit with the long braid just seems to be asking "why?"
For those who can't get enough of photographs of dogs all dressed up, take a look at Stuff on My Mutt.
Lyssa Howells, a Manhattan professional dog trainer, took on a friend's challenge to teach her dog, Willow, how to read. Since Willow already knew 250 tricks how difficult could it be? Not very I guess because Willow learned 3 words with just six weeks of training.
Willow demonstrated her reading skills this morning on NBC's Today Show. Using cards created by the Today show staff, each card had one word clearly printed in large letters. The first card had Situp and when held for Willow to read, Willow sat up on her hind legs. The next card had the word Wave which Willow responded to by waving her paw. The last card held Willow's favorite word Bang. This Willow read and then she rolled over on her back to play dead.
Willow's appearance is curious looking. She's a very cute little dog, an English-terrier mix that gives her short black hair on her head and longer brown hair on much of the rest of her body. She has been making the publicity rounds -- the video below shows her appearance on the Tyra Banks television show. During this appearance Lyssa told the audience that Willow served as the ring bearer at her wedding and as a witness on the marriage certificate (no, she can't write yet but she did make a paw print mark).
Given Willow's obvious talent and Lyssa's incredible training skills I would think that this publicity is helping Lyssa's dog training business. Willow is certainly delighting people with her performances. Enjoy the video.
Here's a slide show of the best of wildlife and nature winning photographs from Nature's Best Blog -- this is a stunning collection of images. Have you ever seen an otter yawn? Ever capture a clear, sharp photo of a Hummingbird defending its territory (its feeder) from intruders? Visit the Nature's Best Blog to view these and more images and to read "notes from the field" where the photographers talk about capturing their images. You can also read editorial reviews and submit your own best photos. Related reading, if you want to learn photographic "tricks of the trade" -- The Digital Photography Book.
Sometimes you need a hug, but sometimes only a lick will do. Here is a photo of a kitten getting a very big lick from a very large dog. I can't say that the cat looks totally happy getting this big, sloppy kiss. But maybe this kitty should just be glad that the dog is the friendly type?
When I walked over to Madison Square Park in Manhattan recently I took along my camera thinking I could get some photos of the squirrels. Madison Square Park is one of my favorite parks in the city. It's home to the wildly popular Shake Shack, has a very nice dog run, a sizable children's playground, walkways and benches and a large green lawn in the center.
This green lawn is fenced and, as usual the gate was locked and the lawn closed to people, so the squirrels had free run of the whole green expanse. They were scampering across the grass, running up and down the trees, nosing the ground for fallen nuts -- in general, having lots of fun. I stood next to the fence with my camera trying to focus on a distant squirrel when one of them came running over towards me. He climbed right up the fence and balanced on the top, inches from my hand and that is the photo you see here. Urban squirrels are always on the lookout for food handouts and are quite accustomed to taking food offered by people. As soon as this squirrel realized I didn't have food in my hand, he was off running with his friends again.
The squirrels certainly provide lots of delight for park visitors. There are the dogs, on their way to the dog run who strain at their leashes to get closer looks -- some dogs appear ready to play, some ready to hunt. Mothers pushing toddlers in their strollers stop and point out the squirrels. Some people come with bread crusts, some with cameras -- but we all enjoy the extra delight these squirrels bring to our urban parks.
I just adore this photo of the 4 black cats. They are so perfectly aligned and you can see each one's face clearly. What has captured their attention? Was this staged?
If anyone knows the origin or circumstances of this photo, please comment. Anyone know who the photographer is? ------- Related reading: The Big Book of Cats.
I think we'd all agree how rude and childish it is to stick your tongue out at someone. But when this big, black dog sticks his tongue out, he looks so cute and somehow insolent. With his eyes closed and his head tilted back he seems to be saying "shove off, no way!" Did his owner just say "come on, time to stop playing and head home"?
This photo was passed along to me in an email. If anyone knows the credit for the photo please let me know. And I'd love to know how the photographer got that terrific pose. -------- Related reading: Professional Techniques for Pet and Animal Photography.
The expression on this dog's face is arresting. Has he just lost his best friend? Lost his way home?
This beautiful photograph was uploaded to Imgur, view it in full size here. Imgur is a free service that makes sharing images easy. The service was created by a computer science student, Alan Schaaf, and he encourages people to upload all the images they'd like. Well done, Alan! All posting is anonymous. If your image is funny, unique, or interesting and gets viewed at least 10,000 times in less than two days, it may make it to the Imgur gallery.
That's what happened to this photo which was viewed over 120,000 times in 19 hours and which I discovered from reviewing most popular posts on digg.com. I think you can see why this photo quickly became popular. Kudos to the photographer. And, please -- someone give this little puppy a hug. --------- Related reading: Pug Mugs: Good Pugs Gone Bad
Traditionally if you wanted to dress your pet for Halloween you could rummage around your closet and be creative or go to one of those "big box" stores and buy something cheap made in a third world country out of plastic. Here's another option to consider: find a quality, handmade costume that is as distinctive as your furry companion. How about this Bumble Bee halloween costume for your dog from Pet Portraits and More?
This Californian artist's love of nature inspired her to create this quite adorable bumble bee costume. The costume is made out of fleece and grosgrain ribbon. The wings are made out of tulle netting and chenille stems. The antenna is made out of chenille stems and pom poms. The costume is machine washable so you'll be able to use it next year, too. I bet your dog would be the only bumble bee at the costume party. Maybe you want to go as a bee keeper?
Tiny dogs, like tiny women, look cute in just about anything. I like this tiny dog Halloween jack-o-lantern sweater. These tiny dog sweaters are knit in soft pumpkin-colored yarn with green trim at collar and an intarsia Jack-o-Lantern face in yellow. Only $21 and they will help keep your tiny shivering dog warm on cool autumn outings.
Cats, in my experience, are less inclined to enjoy dressing up in costumes. If your cat is fairly tolerate you might try this Witch of Orange Halloween cat hat. This is a handmade, hand stitched witch hat, made of synthetic felt. The polyester hair is attached underneath the hat, giving the illusion of a modern hair style. A thin elastic strap helps this mini hat stay in place -- at least long enough for you to get a cute photo.
For fussy felines who don't like costumes you might try this Halloween Queen, Pet Boa Collar. These fluffy orange marabou feathers attach around your kitty's neck quite easily and lets her display all the spirit of Halloween without much fuss. The magnetic clasp will provide a quick release when your kitty decides she's had enough.
