But take a look through this MSNBC.com feature about animal smarts. I was particularly impressed with Betty the crow who fashioned a food-retrieving tool.

And I’ll always be fascinated with dolphins. Researchers believe they have their own language and are one of the more creative mammals (outside humans, of course.) When I visited a dolphin preserve in Florida this spring I attended an hour-long lecture on dolphins and their behaviors and I was super impressed… and informed.

Did you know that dolphins consider a person nodding their head to be saying “No?”

That it’s considered “rude” not to look them directly in the eye?  Or that they sometimes like to play tricks on humans and each other?

Just one more reason animals need to be treated with a lot more respect than they get from most.

The 7-year-old eagle suffered severe damage after her beak was shot off and scientists have built her a prosthetic to keep her alive.

A CNN.com article details the efforts made to save Beauty with a procedure experts aren’t sure will even work.

 (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

DeBrocky wants $100 from the city as compensation for having her day ruined (RUINED!!) by having to go through the horror that was her toddler stepping in dog poo in a parking lot near the aquarium.

She says her son’s $54 shoes were ruined and she wants to be reimbursed the aquarium and parking fees.

I don’t have children so I’m not even going to go into why a baby needs $54 shoes, but stepping in poo happens. A lot. I just did it last weekend. And you know what—I cleaned my shoes. I’m not suing my town (granted, it was my own dog’s poop I stepped in) and I’m not appearing in the local newspaper because of it.

And it could have been worse. You guys with dogs out there know what I’m talking about. The barefoot poo tromp. Oh yeah…  There’s nothing like the feeling of dog poo squishing between your toes on a hot summer day.

If you answered yes, you may be making a common mistake with your pets. The mistakes, listed in a recent MSNBC.com article from the Today show, include buying dogs and cats from pet stores (which perpetuates the animal trade and a lifetime of abuse and neglect for the breeding stock) and giving your new pet too much freedom.

According this article (and, from volunteering with rescue I can tell you the author is correct) it’s not at all uncommon for a family to make an impulse buy at a pet store, give the puppy the entire house to wreak havoc on and then wonder what is wrong with the puppy.

It’s nice to see advice like this given on a national Web site. The tips in there are what many in animal rescue have been preaching for years. Give pets boundaries. Supervises them with children. Research before bringing Fido or Fluffy home.

And please—get them spayed or neutered. IT WILL NOT CHANGE THEIR PERSONALITIES!

Lulu had been underneath the wreckage of the collapsed building for eight days,  yet suffered only mild dehydration and an eye injury.

Read more about Lulu’s rescue here.

But I can’t believe this was actually allowed in the first place. According to an Associated Press report, People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals is hoping the law, which bans the common practice of electrocuting the animals in their anuses or genitals, will encourage other states to pass similar measures.

Eek! And let me add an “ew” to that for good measure. Just another reason to go faux.

Tear stain remover? I’ve got it in my kitchen cabinet. Hypo-allergenic treats? Ditto. Pet clothing? My dogs actually have entire wardrobes with clothes for every season.

And I’m not alone. A good friend uses a pet stroller on a regular basis. Her dog is blind and this is the way she gets to go on walks in crowded or unfamiliar places.

And I don’t have the exact brand of shampoo touted on AOL, but my dogs are bathed with the line of dog shampoo created by human hair guru Paul Mitchell. Before you roll your eyes too much folks, remember that dogs should not be bathed with human shampoo because the pH balance can cause skin problems.

Happy shopping!

I found this article on MSN.com about animal blood donors and read it with interest.

My Italian greyhound, Molly, has von Willebrand’s disease, a clotting disorder. Animal (humans too) typically have a von Willebrand’s factor of 100 percent or just below. Molly has 8 percent. So any surgery or severe injury could cause her to bleed out quickly.

She’s had three blood transfusions in her five years. The first, at Tufts University outside Boston, was when she was about eight months old. I was concerned about her being spayed, thinking the surgery itself could kill her, but Molly’s veterinarians said she could have problems clotting during her normal heat cycle.

She had her second transfusion at three years old during an invasive test and the third shortly after when she underwent surgery and a biopsy on her liver (Molly also has a congenital liver disorder.) Both those transfusions were done at the County Animal Specialty Group in Yonkers.

Molly’s transfusions consisted of von Willebrand’s rich plasma and I am deeply grateful to the owners who brought in their dogs to give blood. Without those dogs I would have lost my own.

But indeed, American media outlets tody are celebrating Buddy, a three-year-old bulldog from Iowa who won the contest that honors the mascot of Des Moines’ Drake University.

His prizes? A crown and a ride in a golf cart Saturday before thousands of adoring fans  at Drake Stadium.

(AP Photo/Kevin Sanders)

Not good.

Veterinarians and researchers have said animals test higher than humans because they spend so much time lower to the ground where dust and other particles settle.

This is upsetting on a number of level. First, I keep my home very clean with regular vacuuming, dusting and floor washing. (I have never wanted my house to smell like I’ve got dogs.) And I purposely control the amount of chemicals put into my dogs by researching food ingredients, not using flea and tick medication and only vaccinating them for rabies (and that’s only because it’s required by law.)

But I guess with all the cleaners I use and all the other chemicals in my house (carpet fumes, gas from the lawn mower, etc.) I shouldn’t be surprised at this news. I mean, if they’re ingesting this than so am I, but the problem is that I’m about 10 times bigger than they are.