Love:Between Different Species

OK, we’ll admit it, animal friendships are the staple of every blog site from here to http://www.timbuktu.com, but animals are animals, so we had to get on the bandwagon sooner or later. Still, we’ve tried to keep things interesting and not just indulgent here, with an emphasis on the coolest as well as cutest match-ups, good photography, and interesting stories or explanation behind what’s going on in the shot.

Monkey on my back

This first match made in heaven comes from photographer Roberto Saccon, who was watching out of his car window in São Luís, Brazil, when he couldn’t believe the sight that met his eyes: a monkey riding on a dog’s back. Luckily he was carrying his camera, so he jumped out of the car and followed the unusual couple. The dog’s owners lived nearby and allowed Saccon to shoot some photos, telling him that only one of their two dogs had formed the special relationship with the cute little monkey.

This behaviour may be based on reciprocity derived from the monkey’s habit of presenting its back to other monkeys who then pick out parasites. However, since the dog is unlikely to do the same for the monkey, we can but guess what the monkey hopes to gain from the situation. Protection or a free ride could be possible answers. Or maybe it is just pure altruism. It’s a cynical world though, so we doubt it.

It’s hard to tell what’s guiding the behaviour of this next funny pair, though it looks like the frog may be getting steered by the mouse’s tiny paw. Is the mouse being rescued from highwater by the frog or is that just one opportunistic rodent hitching along for the ride? Either way, it’s a shot that has become a bit of a classic on the old intertubes, scoring high in the cutesy stakes.

Another popular pic on the web, here we see what appears to be a baby rat or hamster nestled under the wing of a cockatiel. Needless to say, this snapshot of apparent domestic bliss involving two household pets has elicited many a sentimental “aww”, though a surprising number of people have also cried fake, even accusing the bird of being straight off the taxidermist’s table. We sincerely hope not.

Reader's Digest Hero Pet of the Year Is..

At 13 pounds, ChiChi might be most at home in a handbag. “He’s so tiny, I can scoop him up with one hand,” says Mary Lane of her energetic pet. “Most people see him and think he’s useless.”

But last October, the Chihuahua mix proved to be more than just a pretty face. Mary and her husband, Rick, were relaxing on the beach one afternoon while on vacation in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. As usual, ChiChi was lying on his blanket in his own little beach chair.

“We had our noses buried in books,” recalls Rick, “when suddenly the dog became extremely agitated. His bark was different from anything we had heard before. And he would not let us ignore him.”

Reader's Digest Hero Pet of the Year Is..

At 13 pounds, ChiChi might be most at home in a handbag. “He’s so tiny, I can scoop him up with one hand,” says Mary Lane of her energetic pet. “Most people see him and think he’s useless.”

But last October, the Chihuahua mix proved to be more than just a pretty face. Mary and her husband, Rick, were relaxing on the beach one afternoon while on vacation in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. As usual, ChiChi was lying on his blanket in his own little beach chair.

“We had our noses buried in books,” recalls Rick, “when suddenly the dog became extremely agitated. His bark was different from anything we had heard before. And he would not let us ignore him.”

What's Your Go-To Pet Stroller?

Ay, Chihuahua! When she needs to get around town with her 18 Chihuahua mixes, Robyn Crook of Tauranga, New Zealand, loads up her pups in a mighty large baby carriage that’s actually made for triplets! “They go everywhere with us,” Crook told U.K.’s The Sun. “We get older people and they say, “Oh, you’ve made my day. Thank you so much’.”

Crook’s stroller is similar to the Mountain Buggy Urban Triple Stroller, available for $799 on joggingstroller.com. It’s got plenty of space for pawsengers and a water bottle holder – which will come in handy with that wide load!

(source)

What's Your Go-To Pet Stroller?

Ay, Chihuahua! When she needs to get around town with her 18 Chihuahua mixes, Robyn Crook of Tauranga, New Zealand, loads up her pups in a mighty large baby carriage that’s actually made for triplets! “They go everywhere with us,” Crook told U.K.’s The Sun. “We get older people and they say, “Oh, you’ve made my day. Thank you so much’.”

Crook’s stroller is similar to the Mountain Buggy Urban Triple Stroller, available for $799 on joggingstroller.com. It’s got plenty of space for pawsengers and a water bottle holder – which will come in handy with that wide load!

(source)

Certified Small Animal Massage Therapist

What animal lover hasn’t daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we’d introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Lon Black
Age: 53
Job: Certified Small Animal Massage Therapist; Hope Veterinary Clinic

What is small animal massage therapy?
It’s traditional massage on small animals — meaning cats and dogs, with an occasional rabbit here and there, but that’s pretty rare — using Swedish massage strokes.

Where do you work at?
I work through the Hope Veterinary Clinic in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve been with them since my internship. The medical director saw things I did that amazed her so much she asked me to stay on board.

What made you interested in this?
I wanted to make animals feel better. I wasn’t interested in doing show animals or agility animals — animals that were already healthy. I wanted to make animals who were not feeling well, feel better. I wanted to get animals who have trouble with mobility to start walking again.