Grad accepts diploma with cap-and-gown clad service dog
(Photo: Bridget Evans)
Service dog Hero goes everywhere with his owner Bridget Evans, from classrooms, to movie theaters, to doctor’s appointments. He’s been there for moments of joy and sadness both. And he was by her side on Saturday, clad in his own royal blue cap and gown, when Evans made her way across the podium to accept her diploma from graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Source: nbcnews.to
Obese no more, Obie helps other dogs shape up
(Photo: TODAY)
After months of surgery, diet and exercise, Obie the obese dachshund is on the move again, traveling around Portland, Ore. and teaching students how to keep their pets in shape — and how they can stay healthy themselves in the process.
Source: nbcnews.to
Xena the Warrior Puppy, rescued from abuse, helps 8-year-old boy with autism
(Photo: Linda Hickey)
For most of his life, Jonny Hickey was quiet and withdrawn — but not anymore. Here is the story of how a mistreated dog and a misunderstood boy found, and rescued, each other.
Source: nbcnews.to
Saving abandoned animals, one ride at a time
(Photo via NBC Nightly News)
For former trucker Sue Wiese, obstacles don’t get in the way of her drive to save pets’ lives.
The 69-year-old Texas grandmother is the founder of Operation Roger, a group of volunteer truck drivers who transport animals from kill shelters and rescue groups to families willing to adopt them.
Source: nbcnews.to
‘A distraction from reality’: Comfort dogs bring peace to Boston victims
(Photo Courtesy Lutheran Church Charities)
Of all the traits that make dogs special, here’s one of the best: They don’t judge you when you cry.
For that reason, specially trained therapy dogs deployed by Lutheran Church Charities are making bedside visits to dozens of hospitalized victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Many patients are responding mightily to the one-on-one doses of canine comfort.
Source: nbcnews.to
Therapy dogs to offer comfort after Boston bombings
(Photo: Lutheran Church Charities)
Tales of hope abound in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, and even four-legged workers are pitching in to provide relief (and cuddles) to those in need. Throughout the week, the Boston community can count on canine comfort from five specially-trained golden retrievers deployed by Lutheran Church Charities in Addison, Ill.
Source: nbcnews.to
Blind sled dog thrives with brother’s help
(Photo: Jim Cole / AP)
The Associated Press reports — When Gonzo started tripping over his food dish three years ago, no one could explain or stop the Alaskan husky’s quickly advancing blindness. But a veterinarian offered some simple advice: “Run this dog.”
Source: photoblog.nbcnews.com
Puppy training: Future service dogs head to maximum-security prison
(Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP)
The Associated Press reports from Cresaptown, Md. — Hazard Wilson’s new cellmate is a hairy bundle of energy whose playful zeal can’t be contained by steel doors: a five-month-old golden retriever. Yardley is one of three canines assigned since September to inmates at a maximum-security prison in western Maryland for training as service dogs for disabled military veterans.
Source: photoblog.nbcnews.com
British army dog awarded medal
(Photo: NBC News)
Theo, a bomb-sniffing dog which helped uncover more bombs and weapons than any other army dog in Afghanistan, has been posthumously awarded Britain’s highest military honor available to animals. ITN’s Paul Davies reports.
Source: MSN
Like babies, puppies learn to catch yawns as they grow
(Photo: Shannon Stapleton / Reuters)
Watching someone else yawn can be a one-way ticket to doing the same. Now, research finds that the same is true for dogs — but not puppies.
Source: MSNBC
Brian Williams: Kweli is my…
Jon Stewart: Soulmate.
Brian Williams: Soulmate. A furry love bucket.
[x]Watch Rock Center’s report about the dogs of The Daily Show offices.
Source: wrongturnintoyesterday-
Looking at cute pictures could make you better at work
(Photo: Reuters)
Forget PowerPoint: It turns out the secret to improving productivity at your job might be puppies.
A new study out of Hiroshima University found that people performed a variety of tasks faster or more accurately after looking at pictures of kittens and puppies. These test subjects also beat out others who looked at pictures of adult animals or gourmet meals instead.
Source: lifeinc.today.com
VA won’t cover costs of service dogs assigned for PTSD treatment
(Photo: Michelle Rossitch)
The Department of Veterans Affairs will cover the costs of service dogs to help veterans with impaired vision, hearing or mobility, but will not cover canines assigned for mental disabilities, according to regulations published on Wednesday in the Federal Register.
Source: usnews.nbcnews.com
Your dog’s no dummy about shaking himself dry
(Photo: © Dickerson and Hu, Georgia Tech)
Next time the family dog bounds out of the nearest body of water and shakes itself off right beside you, don’t get irritated: You’re witnessing a feat of evolution that engineers can only dream of re-creating.
Furry mammals can shake themselves 70 percent dry in just a fraction of a second, according to new research. The study, which looked at the shaking speeds of 16 species of mammals, from mice to lions to bears, found that the smaller the animal, the faster it must shake to dry its fur.
Source: MSNBC
