A recent search for blog fodder resulted in so many cool articles, I thought I’d touch on all of them in one post rather than doing individual posts on each one. It’s more timely this way. Hopefully it will be just as informative.
Think carefully before you get a wolfdog, or a wolf-dog…
In an article on a Denver TV station’s website, Anica Padilla asked whether wolf-dogs (or wolfdogs) make good family pets.
Padilla’s article was a follow-up to a previous story about the confiscation of an alleged wolf hybrid by local authorities.
The general consensus reached by the experts cited in the latest story is that wolf hybrids (aka wolfdogs or wolf-dogs) are wonderful animals. But they doesn’t mean they’re good pets. Getting one as a family pet is definitely not a good idea.
Because they’re not (and never will be) completely tame, wolf hybrids have different needs than the average dog. They’re generally bigger, more energetic and have a different way of bonding with people.
There are other traits that make wolf hybrids harder to care for than a golden retriever, poodle or chihuahua. And depending on where you live, it may be illegal to have one.
I speak from experience. No, I never had a wolfdog. But as a reporter in Virginia, I spent more than my share of time writing about a woman who got in trouble with the state for breeding them. I don’t remember the specifics, but I do remember that it wasn’t much fun…
Now that’s no ordinary cat
On a similar note, some residents in a Paterson, New Jersey, neighborhood got quite a surprise when they spotted an unusual cat last week.
According to published reports, one witness described it as “something like a puma.” Another admitted that she didn’t know what kind of cat it was. She just knew it wasn’t an ordinary house cat.
As it turned out, she was right. It was definitely not an ordinary cat. It was an “exotic” cat called a Savannah. A Savannah is a cross between a domestic cat and an African wildcat called a serval.
Apparently this one escaped when its owner left the window open, but there was never any cause for alarm, one man told the media.
“The cops know him, everyone knows him,” the man said. “He’s always on the window. Real nice cat.”
Although they can get quite big, a local animal control officer told the media that ownership of Savannahs is legal in New Jersey “as long as they’re at least one percent domestic cat.”
Santa Monica’s bravest go above and beyond to save a dog
Since everyone can use something to make them smile — especially on a Monday — I just had to share this feel good story about some California firefighters.
According to media accounts, it took a truly heroic effort, but Santa Monica’s bravest were able to save a 10-year-old dog from certain death last week.
Nalu, a Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix belonging to a Santa Monica woman, lost consciousness and was in grave danger when firefighter Andrew Klein found him trapped inside her burning apartment.
The drama continued outside, where Klein and another firefighter administered emergency medical treatment. Working together, it reportedly took them 20 minutes to revive the little dog.
Within a couple of days after his ordeal, Nalu seemed to be well on the road to recovery.
“He was essentially dead, so to see him kissing people and walking around wagging his tail was definitely a good feeling,” Klein told the media.
“He’s very happy, and we’re very happy, too.”
For what it’s worth, so am I.
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