Video: 90 Year Old Tortoise Gets a New Set of Wheels

For approximately 90 years, Mrs. T moved along just like any tortoise would: At a glacial, slightly wobbly, but persistent pace.  But when she woke up from hibernation in a British garden shed, she discovered those days were over. Something terrible had happened: A rat had gnawed off her legs!  OK, that's the horrible part of this story. The wonderful part is that her owner, Jude Ryder, got her patched up (at a cost of around $1500), then handed her over to her grown son Dale to help make her mobile again.  

http://tinyurl.com/na4yz9d

Rare Gray Whale Superpod Spotted

In late January, a group on a whale-watching trip off the California coast witnessed a rare superpod of gray whales. The footage shows the pod traveling at the end of the day, and they briefly interact with a group of Risso's dolphins. Captain Todd Mansur and Captain Frank Brennan used a drone to capture the event.

http://tinyurl.com/m9dj384

Wild Animals and Their Young

Take a look at these beautiful images of animals rearing their young in the wild. Each photo captured the beauty of the unbreakable bond between a parent and their child. If you’re a parent, you’ll surely appreciate this.

http://tinyurl.com/kcuhw43

Delays on Highway After Dog Goes For a Drive

Delays were caused on a busy stretch of the M74 motorway after reports of a dog "taking control of a tractor". The incident - highlighted on Twitter by Traffic Scotland - took place at J13 at Abington, South Lanarkshire.  It later emerged that a sheepdog called Don, owned by farmer Tom Hamilton, had leaned on the controls of his utility vehicle, taking it on to the road.  Police and Mr Hamilton later recovered Don, who was unhurt, and the vehicle, from the central reservation.

http://tinyurl.com/p9rdjb6

Video: Elephant Family Stops Traffic to Help Baby Cross the Street

The bond between an elephant family is not to be underestimated. These dynamic, highly intelligent creatures share many things in common with human beings, one of which being the importance they hold for protecting members of their family. We have seen an elephant mother dig for 11 hours straight to rescue her baby from a well, and another small elephant traverse over 30 miles to find her mother. Elephants might have well as coined the phrase “family first.”

http://tinyurl.com/mw75x93

Girl Without Feet Finds Perfect Patch: Puppy Missing a Paw

A Tennessee toddler with prosthetic legs has found a friend in a puppy who was born missing a paw. Three-year-old Sapphyre Johnson, a patient at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, South Carolina, got to take the dog home after meeting him this week. Sapphyre, whose family lives in Greeneville, Tennessee, was born with only two fingers on each hand and one toe on each foot due to a congenital condition. Doctors decided to amputate her feet as a baby so that she would eventually be able to walk with prosthetics.

http://tinyurl.com/pvx7br9

Animals Licking Windows

Funny pictures of animals licking windows.  Enjoy.

http://tinyurl.com/looatek

Study Reveals People's Hormonal Link With Dogs

Dogs are called "man's best friend" - women's, too - and scientists say the bond between people and their pooches may be deeper than you might think.  Researchers in Japan said on Thursday oxytocin, a hormone that among other things helps reinforce bonds between parents and their babies, increases in humans and their dogs when they interact, particularly when looking into one another's eyes.  They described a series of experiments that suggest that people and their canine companions have mutually developed this instinctual bonding mechanism in the thousands of years since dogs were first domesticated.

http://tinyurl.com/l58duxy

Polish Nurse Cat Is The Cutest Medical Practitioner

The cutest nurse at a Polish animal shelter is under a foot tall, with pointed ears and black fur.  Rademenes, a black cat who lives at the shelter in Bydgoszcz, does the important work of providing comfort and companionship to animals undergoing medical treatment. Duties include gently resting on top of recovering cats and spooning canine patients.The cutest nurse at a Polish animal shelter is under a foot tall, with pointed ears and black fur.  Rademenes, a black cat who lives at the shelter in Bydgoszcz, does the important work of providing comfort and companionship to animals undergoing medical treatment. Duties include gently resting on top of recovering cats and spooning canine patients.

http://tinyurl.com/nvcp397

Fukushima Man Who Returned To Feed Animals Everyone Left Behind

The untold human suffering and property damage left in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan has been well-documented, but there’s another population that suffered greatly that few have discussed – the animals left behind in the radioactive exclusion zone. One man, however, hasn’t forgotten – 55-year-old Naoto Matsumura, a former construction worker who lives in the zone to care for its four-legged survivors.

http://tinyurl.com/ptlsyyd

22 Animals Who Have Hit The 3pm Slump

Come 3pm and you’re dog tired and craving a catnap. Need a post-lunch slump pick-me-up? You can treat yourself to a great quality cup of coffee.

http://tinyurl.com/okr5mtf

Born Without Eyes, Smiley Inspires Everyone He Meets

Now at nearly 12-years-old, Smiley has led a happy, healthy life, despite his rough start. Smiley, a golden retriever rescued by Joanne George of Stouffville, Canada, was born with dwarfism and without eyes.  Thanks to George, the gentle pup became a certified therapy dog through the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program. He spends his days comforting and inspiring patients in hospitals and nursing homes and helping kids in schools focus on their reading.

http://tinyurl.com/mpnk2c6

Dog Cancer Detection 98% Reliable

Dogs have been found to have 98% reliability rate in sniffing out prostate cancer in men, according to newly-published research.  The Italian study backs up tests carried out by the charity Medical Detection Dogs, which is based in Buckinghamshire.  Its co-founder Dr Claire Guest said its own research had found a 93% reliability rate when detecting bladder and prostate cancer, describing the new findings as "spectacular".

http://tinyurl.com/lxpq6p7

Ten Emotional Intelligence Lessons Taught by Pets

One of the greatest lessons of my life came from a dog. It was Christmas Eve, 1989, and it happened as our house was burning to the ground. As we stood in the snow in our jammies, our Newfoundland, Alfie kept running back toward the house to make sure all the children were out and that everyone was safe. (We were, thankfully). That action was the most powerful lesson in pure, selfless, unconditional love that I’d ever witnessed. 

http://tinyurl.com/p8xuzp4

Is The Cat Going Up or Down the Stairs?

It's been a while since relationships were irreparably damaged by The Dress, and people evidently crave the chaos.  There was a certain comfort in knowing that you, Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian are staring at the same picture and having heated debates with anyone who would listen about the color of a dress.

http://tinyurl.com/nkt8wq4

Video: St. Bernard Dog Takes Child For a Walk

St. Bernard dogs are lovely, friendly creatures, but they're a bit hard to manage if you're a child, as one kid found out out recently in the Czech Republic.  In a video uploaded to Daily Motion by a user called Vidsking, a dog pulls a young person across the road.The whole thing was recorded on a passing car's dashcam, while Chesney Hawkes' lost '90s "classic" "The One And Only" starts up on the radio. Luckily, the driver managed to stop in time.
http://tinyurl.com/n7s7hws

Video: Giant Boxer Baby Can't Fall Asleep Without a Pacifier

Babies and dogs are essentially the same, right?  They don't speak actual words, have no table manners and, if they're anything like Leia the 8-month-old Boxer, they love their pacifiers.  The sleepy pup falls asleep every night with her pacifier, and we're huge suckers for it.

http://tinyurl.com/ky2rm42

Giant Rabbits Make Excellent Pets

They're cuddly, they're fluffy, and they're 4 feet tall. No, it's not the plot of a new Michael Bay children's film -- although add some exploding robots and, who knows -- these rabbits are for real.  Meet Darius and his son, Jeff. They're giant continental rabbits, and they're just freaking huge.

http://tinyurl.com/l9hgezf

Ways Cats Are Helping People Live Healthier Lives

So, cats are basically magic. And this can be proven. With science.  The Internet loves 'em. You probably have a family member that has at least 20 of them and maybe sends you cat photos every day. If you don't have that family member, then you probably are that family member (just a heads up).  Anyway, most folks agree that cats are pretty amazing. But here's the thing: There's more to cats than videos of them hanging out in boxes or memes about having a cheeseburger. In fact, cats can do so much more than entertain the Internet.

http://tinyurl.com/pbj9edj

Couple Forgot to Tell Cat They Have a Baby

Prepping for your first child is a beautiful and exceedingly stressful transitional period. Between making sure your home isn't an infant death trap, buying Instagrammable onesies and wondering whether their or not parental instincts will kick in, expecting parents have a lot on their minds.  But that's no excuse to keep pets in the dark.  Kitties should always have a say in any major life changes you might be making. Whether it's marriage, children, moving, taking new job or going back to school — consult your cat. They will not be even a little bit helpful, but it's important to keep them involved.

http://tinyurl.com/oeorp3y

Video: Sleepy Clouded Leopard Kitten

If you are not already following the story of the precious clouded leopard born at the Tampa Bay Zoo, get on board immediately.  The currently unnamed cub, born in March, has been spotted taking a bath, expressing himself and now sleeping.  The little guy is very serious about finding the exact right nap time position, which can be challenging, but exceedingly rewarding. His dedication pursuing exactly what he wants indicates a bright future for the little big cat.

http://tinyurl.com/kej5g48

Rangers Protect Remaining Northern White Rhinos

There is only one northern white male rhinoceros left on the planet. Its home is 200km north of Nairobi in Kenya, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.  Joining Sudan, the male, are two female northern white rhinos. Together, they are three of the last five remaining northern white rhinos in the world.  The subspecies are on the verge of extinction, suffering greatly since poaching surged in the 1960s. According to The Guardian, a rhino's horn can sell at prices upward of $75,000 per kilo, leaving them under great threat.

http://tinyurl.com/o6mzcoc