CatDogBlog

Poor dog. Police in Germany are hunting a dog snatcher who stole a pet and painted it in the black, red and gold of the German flag.

Owner Theresa Carl, 47, said: “They must have taken little Simba from my garden. I searched for him for hours in the local parks before returning home to find him covered in paint.

“I bet some horrid football fans did this to him, everyone is going mad in the run up to the World Cup.”

The paint had soaked into the eight-year-old Maltese Terrier’s fur so much that it was stuck to his skin and he had to be completely shaved.

Police in Schleiden in the far west of the country are now investigating and hope to press charges of animal cruelty against the culprits.

An Austrian hotel owner has banned children… but says pet dogs will always be welcome. Hotel Cortisen turned away a German family with two young boys when they turned up for a holiday in the Alpine village of St Wolfgang.

Owner Roland Ballner, 38, said: “I have just had the hotel redecorated for more than two million euros (over two and a half million dollars) kids will put their dirty paw-prints on the white walls, stand on the white leather sofas in their dirty shoes, and scream and run around and disturb other guests.

“I have decided to make a stand and I am sure others will follow suit and say no to kids. From today, children are no longer welcome - and I plan to advertise it as I am sure it will attract guests.”

But he added: “I don’t have a problem with dogs… dogs are always welcome in my hotel.” He claimed his customers had welcomed the move to ban all children.

He said: “My guests have a right to quiet and relaxation without the noise of children. Parents seem to feel they are here to relax and wash their hands of their children’s bad behaviour.”

The Deputy Governor of Upper Austria, Franz Hiesl, said it was “outrageous” that families were being turned away.

A Danish prince has upset animal rights campaigners by admitting he loves dogs… delicately sliced and lightly fried.

Prince Henrik of Denmark told Ud & Se magazine: “Dog meat tastes like rabbit. Like dried baby goat. Or perhaps - I know! - like veal. Like the veal of a baby suckling calf, only drier.”

The 72-year-old Prince, the husband of Queen Margrethe, is the honorary president of the Danish Dachshund Club, reports the Times.

He developed an appetite for dog-bone stew and other canine delicacies at an early age. He grew up in Vietnam, where roast dog remains a speciality.

“I’ve got no qualms about eating dog meat,” he said. “These dogs are bred to be eaten, just like chickens.”

The Prince is rarely seen without his dachshunds. He has said that he would like to be reborn as a dachshund in the Danish Court. And he has advised parents “to bring up children like dogs”.

Danes recall a tabloid-fuelled drama in the 1990s, when one of the royal dachshunds disappeared.

“In the light of the Prince Consort’s confessions, perhaps we should reopen the case of the disappearing dachshund,” Mats Jørgensen, an architect and cat owner, said.

When cat and dog buddies get together the cuteness meter explodes!

If you didn’t know so already, by following these simple steps for bathing your small dog at home, you’ll find out it’s not that much hassle, even for an easily scared doggy.

# Collect the materials you will need so you will have everything close at hand. These materials generally include combs and brushes, pet shampoo, clean towels, and perhaps doggie treats. If you think about cleaning the dog’s ears, then getting some cotton balls would be a good idea.
# Allow your dog time to adjust to the idea of getting a bath. If you have a puppy, or a new pet, the whole process may be somewhat frightening, so take things slowly. Be ready to hand out lots of praise and a few treats to make the bath a pleasant experience for your dog. It will pay off in the long run if your pet is a happy participant, rather than frightened or resistant.
# Groom your dog’s coat before bathing to remove loose dirt, mats and snarls. Tangles in your dog’s coat will be much harder to remove once his coat is wet. If you find yourself chopping away at matted fur - have them removed by a professional groomer the first time, then groom your pet more regularly to avoid matting in the future.
# Decide whether you will bathe your dog in the bath tub or kitchen sink. This is not only a question of your dog’s size. It is also important to judge whether your dog is likely to remain calm and obedient during his bath. If there’s any chance he might jump away from you, you should bathe your dog in a bath tub, rather than risk a fall from the kitchen sink. Another option is to take your dog with you right into the shower. You will get wet anyway so why not kill two birds with one stone! Sounds silly but it works.
# Place either a rubber mat or a small towel on the bottom of the sink or bath tub. This will keep your pet from slipping on the wet surface, and will help him feel more comfortable.
# Test the water temperature before beginning to wet your dog’s coat. If you’re using the kitchen sink, the spray hose attachment makes it easy to wet your dog down. Sprayers emit a sound that affects some dogs so you may wish to have a small plastic pitcher handy to pour water over your dog. Spray attachments are also available for your bath tub to make bathing your dog easier.
# Use a shampoo designed specifically for pets, rather than your own personal shampoo. Quality pet shampoos take into consideration that a dog’s skin has a different pH level than human skin. There are also tear-free shampoos that will not sting a dog’s eyes. A great smelling conditioner is also a nice addition. Consult your veterinarian if your dog has skin irritations or other conditions. Dilute the shampoo and apply from a squeeze bottle (like a dishwashing liquid) so you can squirt the shampoo wherever you wish.
# Avoid getting water or shampoo in your pet’s eyes and ears. You can gently place a cotton ball in your pet’s ears to help keep the inner ear dry. Rather than using the spray hose on your pet’s face, your pet will be happier to have his face cleaned gently with a warm, wet wash cloth.
# Rinse all shampoo out of your dog’s coat thoroughly.
# Blot up the water left in his coat by wrapping your dog in a bath towel. Change towels as needed to continue drying your dog’s coat. Let his coat air dry once you have blotted up as much water as you reasonably can.
# Blow-dry your dog’s coat to get your dog dry more quickly, if your pet will tolerate this. Always use a low-temperature setting (warm or cool) to avoid inadvertently burning your dog’s skin. Using a lower fan setting will undoubtedly be easier for your dog to endure. Some dog hair gets very static-y. There are sprays that limit this, help keep the hair smooth and easier to brush.
# Praise your dog and give him a doggie treat as a reward for good behavior. He’ll quickly learn that getting a bath is not a frightening experience. More details here.

Cats don’t like water, that’s nothing new and I’ve got the scratches to prove it. What are the best steps you can take to make giving your cat a bath go smooth. These are in no way professional tips, so take it as that, a simple how-to.

# Trim all nails before even attempting to wash a cat. It will reduce scratching.
# Put a rubber mat in the tub or use a towel. Fill the tub no more than 4-5 inches high (depends on the size of the cat or kitten you are washing) with warm water - not too hot or cold.
# Have shampoo and a small wash cloth ready. You also might want to have a helper - one to hold the cat, one to wash.
# Before you put the cat in the water, comb the fur thoroughly, especially if the cat’s a long-haired breed. Once long hair is wet and you have any knots in the fur, it will be next to impossible to get them out after washing.
# Talk quietly to your cat and keep a good grip on the neck or shoulders. Sometimes the cats will try to get out of the tub. If they prefer to only have two of their feet in the water, face them towards the back of the tub and let them stand on two feet.
# Choose an appropriate shampoo for the job. Check with your veterinarian to select the shampoo best suited to your cat’s condition. Human shampoos are not pH adjusted to cat’s skin and medicated shampoos may be too harsh or toxic.
# With the washcloth, soak kitty from the neck down. You want to get to the skin. Use a little bit of shampoo and with the water, wash your cat from the neck, body, legs, belly and tail.
# After shampooing, rinse thoroughly, and then rinse two more times - you want all the soap out of the coat. You can put a little conditioner on the coat and let it stand for about 20-30 seconds ( longer if cat can withstand it. It will make coat softer) and then rinse out.
# Have two towels for drying ready. Drain the water from around the cat and press as much water out of the coat before you wrap in the towel. Rub gently with one towel. The first one will be pretty soaked. That’s why you switch to the drier one and finish drying till damp. It helps if you warm the towels in the dryer first. More details here.

Yes, you read that right, this dog throws the ball to his owner. Paul Papanek (that’s him in the video) explains: “Oscar the dog came up with this little trick all on on his own, though we have worked together to kind of hone it to the fine skill it is.

David Letterman flew us out to New York to be on Stupid Pet Tricks just about a year ago. After having successfully gone through rehearsal, we were sitting in the green room waiting to go on - along with a couple of other dogs and a pig - and someone came in and told us that Dave had decided that he wasn’t in the mood for Pet Tricks that night after all (he really wanted to spend more time talking to Sting…)”. Looks pretty funny:

Many big sites nowadays do photo editing contests.
One picture really stood out for me:


Check out the rest, there are some cool cats in it.

This is just way too cute, a nice sendoff to the weekend methinks.

Sneakers the cat is being reunited with his owner, hundreds of miles away from where the feline disappeared in 1996.

The long-haired black cat was given to Sacramento’s (California State, USA) Animal Care Services last week, where an employee scanned him for a microchip, a routine procedure.

The number on the chip was used to track down Allison MacEwan of Seattle (Washington State, USA), who said she placed newspaper ads and went door-to-door with fliers in a futile search for her lost cat a decade ago.

Officials on Wednesday said they aren’t sure how the cat wound up all the way in Sacramento.

MacEwan’s daughter was 4 years old when her cat disappeared, and officials said she is now looking forward to being reunited with her childhood pet.