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Paying Attention to Animal Quake Cues Here are some additional animal clues gleaned from Diana L. Guerrero's animal disaster preparedness booklet, "Animal Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners & Pet Professionals": •Wild animals: Animals vacate areas, gather in groups, or enter human inhabited areas prior to incidents. •Cats: You may see warning signs such as hiding, running around frantically trying to escape outdoors, and meowing. •Dogs: Dogs will usually hide. Behavior before a quake includes howling, whining, barking, restlessness, aggression, and increased devotion to animal guardians. •Horses and livestock: Hoofed animals often refuse to enter their barns or pens and often...

SALEM, Ore. - Tough economic times in recent years have led to heartbreaking decisions for many pet owners. But now, there may be more help on the way. Marissa Jenkins' 6-year-old Dachshund, Olivia, is more than a dog. "She's been part of our family, she's definitely not a dog," Jenkins said. "She's a kid to us." Recently, the Salem, Ore., family welcomed a new addition - and a new challenge. "My husband lost his job in February and we just had a baby in December, and so all the costs of having a baby and a dog and a family...

Wilmington police fatally shot a dog Tuesday night during a street-to-street search for a driver who reportedly fled when officers tried to pull him over, an official said. Lucy Crockett, a spokeswoman for the Wilmington Police Department, said officers shot the unleashed dog after it tried to attack a police K-9 team involved in the search. The incident began about 9:43 p.m. Tuesday when an officer ran a tag and the car's owner came back as having a suspended license. After the officer activated his blue lights, the driver pulled into a driveway in the 400 block of Evans Street,...

Pet-loving citizens take note: Don't be late when renewing a dog license or forget to register that new puppy with the county. Not licensing your dog in Michigan means the local sheriff is required by law to have it killed. As Michigan Capitol Confidential first reported two years ago, the antiquated “Dog Law” (Act 339 of 1919) has not been followed in decades, but still is on the books. A recent bill is attempting to repeal it. The statute states that if a county treasurer locates an unlicensed dog, the animal is to be considered a “public nuisance” and killed....

A 76-year-old Australian man was trapped under his car for four days before help arrived. Throughout the ordeal, his loyal dog Boydy never left his side.

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Pet owners listen up: You may want to start saving more money for veterinarian care this year. The reason goes all the way back to Washington and an unintended consequence from medical reform.

It was a productive day for Gary Strader when he pulled his vehicle up to a remote site in northeast Nevada and found nine coyotes caught in leg hold snares set by the federal government. As was routine, Strader, a former trapper with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, signaled his dogs to attack. His supervisor, who had accompanied him that day, watched and laughed as the dogs circled the coyotes and ripped into them, Strader recalled. "That was regular practice," said Strader, who in 2009 left Wildlife Services, a little-known program within the USDA. The program is tasked with humanely...

CBS Miami- Pet owners listen up: You may want to start saving more money for veterinarian care this year. The reason goes all the way back to Washington and an unintended consequence from medical reform.

The Nevada owner of the longest domestic cat in the world says Stewie has died. Guinness World Records declared Stewie the Cat the record-holder in August 2010, measuring 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Much like their human owners, animals have to deal with unwanted weight, too.

Are cats really the Honey Boo Boo of the animal world? No, Honey Boo Boo is the Honey Boo Boo of the animal world, while cats are more like the Lindsay Lohan of the animal world — difficult, unpredictable, hard to like, and probably high on catnip. Oh, cats look cute when they’re in the bobblehead kitten stage or swatting away at yarn, but as you get to know the little beasts, you start to realize that they’re merely trying to lull you into complacency so they can steal your breath after you fall asleep. An old wives’ tale?...

In a new book on demographics set to be published next week, Jonathan V. Last writes that pets now outnumber children 4 to 1 in America. The book is titled What to Expect When No One’s Expecting. babies “The pet market has been steadily increasing in America since the 1980s, with people not only acquiring more furry little dependents, but spending more on them, too,” writes Last, a colleague of mine at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. “In 1994 Americans spent $1.7 billion on pets; by 2008 that number had risen to $4.3 billion. By 2010, even in the face of a...

The American Kennel Club says the Labrador retriever is the nation's most popular dog for the 22nd straight year - for attributes that range from family-friendly pet to search-and-rescue nose.

<p>South African President says pet ownership is part of 'white culture'</p> <p>JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's president says a dog should not be man's best friend.</p> <p>President Jacob Zuma made critical remarks about pet care that touch on sensitive race relations in South Africa, which was dominated by whites until apartheid was dismantled almost two decades ago, The Star newspaper reported Thursday.</p>

FERTILITY IN AMERICA has been declining for years. According to the Pew Research Center, the nation's birth rate hit an all-time low in 2011 – just 63 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. It was almost twice as high – 123 births per 1,000 women – at the peak of the Baby Boom in 1957. As babies and children disappear from a society, what takes their place? One answer, as journalist Jonathan V. Last observes in a forthcoming book, "What to Expect When No One's Expecting," is pets. In surveys taken from the 1940s to the 1980s, fewer...

I, SILVERDENE EMBLEM O'NEILL (familiarly known to my family, friends, and acquaintances as Blemie), because the burden of my years and infirmities is heavy upon me, and I realize the end of my life is near, do hereby bury my last will and testament in the mind of my Master. He will not know it is there until after I am dead. Then, remembering me in his loneliness, he will suddenly know of this testament, and I ask him then to inscribe it as a memorial to me...

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful..... 2. Give me time to understand what you want of me. ... 3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being...... 4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you...... 5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me...... 6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will...

One of my cats, Whitey, is sick. Until last Friday, she's been very active and eating a lot until she became kind of skittish and aloof and cut back on her eating. She sleeps a lot and still drinks water but eats sporatically. I think it could be a hyperactive thyroid, I had a similar experience with another cat where she was put on meds and responded well and lived a few years afterward. My other guess is maybe bad teeth, but I point towards the former. I'm hoping it is that or at least something that is treatable. I'm...

In a heartwarming tale of reunion this 15-year-old white is to be returned home to its family after becoming separated from them in the midst of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Shorty's owner's Louisiana home was so badly damaged by the storm that they were forced to surrender their pet pooch to caretakers as they struggled to rebuild their lives. 'They (the owners) were hit really hard during Katrina,' Dr. Blake Peurifoy told NBC News. 'They lost their home and didn’t have the ability to take care of their dog so they gave it away. They don’t know where it went...

I know my cats would never stoop to being used in such a way, but this Jack Russell Terrior owner sure found a way to use up their excessie energies! http://www.wimp.com/moretricks/