All About Animals
This page is about, well, animals. Pets mostly, often cats and dogs, but stories about animals of any sort, including us, in any media I find interesting, amusing or touching. What you will find below is a brief synopsis followed by a link:
1. "If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death." To read more of this very touching story about a cancer patient and how her dog helped her regain her health,, go to: http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=14315
2. Interested in the close and intriguing relationship between man, God and dog? For an animated and very touching explanation go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY
3. Do your drawings more closely resemble a Rorschach blot than an actual object? Is painting by the numbers a real challenge? Get ready to feel even worse about yourself when you see what this elephant can do! Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk
4. Sometimes I wonder how all animals on Noah's Ark got along and then I find some remarkable videos. The first celebrates the remarkable friendship between an elephant and a dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?=cBtFTF2ii7U
The second shows how a lion, a tiger and bear (oh my!) all live happily and peacefully together at a Georgia animla rescue center: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA8ROUVlj2Anature
5. Think you got trouble? Read about Leona Helmsley's dog of the same name, how the bequest to Trouble of $12 million was knocked down to $2 million, and how the trustees of the multi-billion dollar trust fund Leona created have ignored her wishes to use that money to help dogs. Go to http://www.examiner.com/x-15646-Bell-County-Legal-News-Examiner~y2009m8d13-Animal-welfare-groups-fight-for-dogs-piece-of-Helmsley-estate
6. Are you a three percenter? That's the number of people that have medical insurance on their pets despite the many companies that offer coverage and the modest premiums they charge. The attached article provides a good overview---check out the "Plan comparison grid," "Pet insurance articles" and other links in it---but don't stop investigating until YOU are comfortable with whatever company you select. Go to: http://dogtime.com/pet-insurance/articles/6-pet-insurance-for-senior-dogs to start the process.
7. Moby Dick really happened, that is, there are documented cases of whales ramming and sinking whaling ships in the 19th century. It was truly heartwarming, then, to read this recent story about people who were helping rather than hunting a hump backed whale entangled in fishing gear in San Francisco Bay. Go to: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/14/MNGNKG7Q0V1.DTL
8. An intriguing story appeared in the Los Angeles Times on March 27, 2009 entitled "To A South Korean Farmer, This Cow Was Sacred." The cow, actually an ox, served a South Korean farmer and his wife for 40 years. The article focuses on the making of a film about the close relationship between the 82 year old farmer and the final few years of the animal that served him so faithfully. The article can be retrieved from the Los Angeles Times archives. Before doing so, you probably will want to watch this brief clip that promoted the film about the old and his ox fittingly called "Old Partner" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk-et9XYUjw
9. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a non-profit organization that represents more than 78,000 veterinarians. It is the accrediting body for the 28 schools of veterinary medicine in the United States. One of the many resources it provides is a series of brochures dealing with pet selection, health (including emergency first aid), travel, disaster preparation and othe topics. For a complete list of their brochures, all of which can be read onlline, visit: http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/default.asp
10. This is the story of a stray dog who, with the help of a Marine stationed in Iraq, "immigrated" to this country and found a home. Go to: http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/03/nubs-the-true-story-of-a-mutt-a-marine-and-a-miracle/
