Summer is in full swing which means it’s vacation time! If you have a pet, though, you’ve got a lot of extra preparation to consider before you even pack your bags: Where will the dog stay? Who will take care of the cats? Why not take them with you!

Many hotels and resorts around the world are realizing how important pets are to their guests and have become accommodating by not only allowing supervised pets on the properties but some even go so far as to provide special outdoor areas for them as well.

My friend and fellow pet lover Alicia helped me find a few of the links below - they’ll definitely help make life easier the next time you need a weekend away!

BringYourPet.com lets you search worldwide for pet-friendly hotels, chalets, bed and breakfasts, resorts, lodges, and motels.

PetsWelcome.com offers pet-friendly listings (use the menu on the left), as well as emergency vet locations and kennels nationwide. They even have a section just for cat-friendly spots!

PetTravel.com lets you search by city, country or region, and even has informative articles on pets and timeshares and immigration and quaratine.

DogFriendly.com provides travel guides specifically for dog owners.

PetFriendlyTravel not only lists hotels, motels, B&Bs, etc, but also restaurants and recreation areas.

1ClickPetHotels lists only pet-friendly hotels and motels by state or province.

[image: flickr]

Trakr, part of one of the first canine rescue units at the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks and the dog to find the last human survivor, is to be cloned later this year.

Trakr’s owner James Symington entered a contest by California-based BioArts International that called for entrants to share why they had the most clone-worthy pet, and it’s easy to see why Trakr was picked!

His DNA will be sent to Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Korea and the clone could be born before the end of the year.

[image used with permission from newscom.com]

Catster has a really interesting article up illustrating the time line for how quickly cats actually age compared to humans. Because their typical lifespan is so much shorter than ours, their milestones and physical aging obviously come on a lot sooner than ours do, thus the “how old is he in cat years.”

The old “seven cat or dog years to one human year” doesn’t seem to hold true, either. In fact, a cat ages to about 24 within its first two actual years of life, and by the time a cat reaches the end of its lifetime around 14 years of age, he’s already the equivalent of 72 years old! And the interesting thing is that outdoor cats age a lot faster - I assume because they’re subject to more dangers and diseases than an indoor-only cat.

Dogs also age faster than we do. The typical formula for them is 10.5 dog years per human year for the first 2 years, then 4 dog years per human year for each year after.

How old are your pets?

[image: sxc]

I love ferrets. We’ve had the opportunity to pet-sit them a couple of times for friends and they’re such sweet little things. What keeps us from getting any of our own is the age-old issue of scent. My husband had two ferrets at two separate times before we met and he said that even though they were “de-scented” they were still pretty odorous.

Oh well. I can now get my fix from the Smithsonian’s Ferret Cam! Georgia, a black-footed ferret, gave birth on June 20th. This is a big deal because The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia have been breeding the ferrets for the last 20 years in an effort to keep the animals off the brink of extinction. Black-footed ferrets are actually considered extinct in the wild because they currently survive only in captivity. This year alone 21 females were bred at CRC, four by artificial insemination and 17 by natural pairings. So far four ferrets have given birth!

In the screenshot above you can see what a good mom Georgia is as she gives her little kit a bath. It won’t develop its markings for a while yet.

[image: screenshot]

Hope, a one year-old Maltese puppy with only nubs where her front legs should be, is finally getting a chance to see what life is like with a little mobility!

The custom designed harness is attached to independently moving arms that are actually attached to model airplane wheels, and with a just a bit of push from her hind legs she’s able to move around almost as she should as opposed to the hopping she previously did.

As she gets older she’ll have to have another device made for her. Make sure you check out the rest of the article linked above - she’s too cute to miss!

The Early Show on CBS did a segment last week on the smartest and dumbest dog breeds. I’ve heard of some breeds not being as bright as others, I’m not sure what their criteria was.

Anyway, they say the dumbest breeds are:

1. Afghan Hound
2. Basenji
3. Bulldog
4. Chow Chow
5. Borzois
6. Bloodhound
7. Pekingese
8. Mastiff
9. Beagle
10. Basset hound

and the smartest are:

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Like I said, I’m not sure what they’re basing their rankings on exactly. I’ve known a pretty smart beagle and a dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks poodle so it’s a safe bet that it’s all relative anyway!

What do you think of the lists?

[image: flickr]

A pitbull that once belonged to Michael Vick and used for dogfighting has a new gig!

Leo is now a therapy dog at both the Camino Infusion Center where he brings comfort to to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, and he’s also working at Alternative Placement Academy in San Jose, where the young men seem to identify with the dog’s hard-luck background.

“He is wonderful, and all the patients love Leo,” said Paula Reed, the Infusion Center’s oncology director. “They really love his eyes and gentleness.”

Leo was rescued along with 50 other pitbulls when Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia was raided last year. Michael Vick, the now-former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is currently serving 23 months in federal prison for his roll in the illegal dogfighting ring which resulted in abused, neglected and dead dogs.

Leo ended up in the care of Marthina McClay, president of Our Pack, an advocacy group for pit bulls. After five weeks of intense instruction, supervision and acclimation he began his new career.

“The difference that he’s had with our patients has been incredible — the smiles on their faces, the joy when they see him,” said Reed of the cancer center. “Leo is a survivor and our patients are survivors, and I think they can relate to each other.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something in my eye.

Not this bird! Not too long ago, Yosuke, an African grey parrot in Tokyo, flew out of his cage and ended up lost.

Two weeks later he was rescued from a neighboring rooftop and taken to a veterinary hospital. During the time he was with the police who found him, he didn’t say a peep. Once he got to the hospital, though, he got a bit vocal:

“I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,” the bird told the veterinarian. The parrot then provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

The hospital staff checked out the information Yosuke provided and found out that the information was correct. The Nakamura family was happy to be reunited with their pet, and explained that they had been teaching Yosuke his name and address for the last two years!

[image: sxc]

Pet laws in California may be changing soon: One lawmaker wants to make it illegal for pets to ride on their owners’ laps while driving and offenders could face a $35 fine.

He says he was inspired to introduce the bill when he witnessed one driver with three dogs on her lap at once!

To be honest I think this is a good move. Keeping your pet restrained either in a carrier or pet-specific seat harness while in a moving vehicle not only keeps them safe but you as well.

Restraining your pet helps you concentrate, and what happens if you’re in an accident? Your pet could be injured from the impact (and so could you with a now-flying canine in the car!) or if it manages to get out of the car it could run away. Do you really need Fluffy on your lap for that ten minute drive?

What do you think?

[image: stock.xchng]

Image details: Chihuahua served by picapp.com

Well, my chihuahuas don’t go “beep beep!” but one in Detroit does!

For the last four months Peanut the chihuahua’s owner, Ken Brown, has been building the three year-old dog a remote controlled Volkswagen Beetle!

It’s not finished yet but he says when it is it’ll have turn signals, spinners, a horn, headlights and a padded seat. He hopes to have it done by Memorial Day weekend:

Brown said the car will go up to 15 m.p.h., but he plans to slow the engine so Peanut won’t have such a bumpy ride. And if the car ends up on YouTube, who knows?

“Maybe I can build one for Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua,” Brown joked.

As the comments in the article say, it’s a good way to turn Peanut into peanut butter!

[via Alicia]