Owning unhealthy designer animals, such as flat-faced dogs or cats with folded ears, could soon be banned in the Netherlands.
“We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are ‘beautiful’ and ‘cute’,” the country’s Minister of Culture, Nature and Food Quality, Piet Adema, said in a statement.
“That is why today we are taking the big step towards a Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance.”
The Minister said he was looking to ban the ownership of designer breeds as well as photos of them in advertising and on social media.…
They’re one big happy — and furry — family
Nearly all pet owners, 97 percent to be exact, say their pets are part of their family, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
And more than half — 51 percent — even consider their animals as much a part of the family as their human relatives.
The groups that were found are more likely to feel this way were women, people with lower family incomes and urban dwellers, according to research.
A pet owner’s marital status was also found to affect the results.
Those who are married…
As wildfires continue across Canada, thick clouds of smoke continue to fill the air all around Michigan.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways for people to stay safe from smoke inhalation such as limiting strenuous activities, wearing a mask, and staying indoors.
But, what about all the adorable, four-legged furry friends out there? The tiny, dangerous particles filling the hazy skies can also cause serious issues for pets. Here’s what to know and how to keep your pets safe.
Michigan’s bad air quality:Everything you need to know
How to say poor air quality impact animals?
Lori Teller, President of the…
An animal shelter has been sharing drawings instead of photographs of the pets they care for in hopes of getting them adopted.
On May 9, the Ottawa Humane Society appeared to have warmed hearts on Facebook after posting some of the original artwork created by staff, after they thought their camera had stopped working.
“Our camera broke so we’ve resorted to drawing our adoptable animals,” the Ottawa Humane Society in Canada, shared in a public Facebook post.
SENIOR DOG IN CALIFORNIA ON THE VERGE OF BEING EUTHANIZED IS ADOPTED, BEATS CANCER
The organization shared four renderings of different animals up…
Dogs sunbathing at the Acropolis
Michael Condouris via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0
Under the watchful eyes of their owners, pets will soon be allowed to roam in more than 120 of Greece’s archaeological sites, the country’s culture ministry announced.
Previously, only service animals accompanying visitors with disabilities were permitted, according to the Greek Reporter‘s Tasos Kokkinidis.
The new policy is a “first, but important, step” toward a “framework of accessibility to monuments and archaeological sites on the model of other European countries,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni in a statement, per Google Translate.
The new rules require dogs…
Dogs may be at risk of lead poisoning after “very high” concentrations from shotgun pellets were found in raw pheasant pet food.
After testing out samples of raw pheasant dog food, researchers from the University of Cambridge discovered that the majority contained high levels of lead, which could put dogs’ health at risk if they ate it frequently.
The researchers looked at 90 samples from UK dogs food products and found that more than three-quarters – 77% – had lead concentrations higher than the maximum residue level (MRL) permitted by law.
How was the study conducted?
The Cambridge scientists tested…
Melissa David knows the importance of having a pet for an individual’s mental health.
David, who founded Parachutes for Pets, a Calgary charity that provides subsidized pet care, including food hampers and medical treatment, to low-income Calgarians, was in his early 20s when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
She was single and said her only companion was her dog Charlie, who not only kept up her spirits but forced her to get out of the house.
“I wasn’t doing that for me. I was doing that because Charlie would need to go out and have a walk. I was…
Open this photo in gallery:
Duane Taylor and Deebo visit the Bruce Pit dog park in Ottawa. Mr. Taylor is the founder of Impact Express, an animal rescue organization in Eastern Europe.Blair Gable/The Globe and Mail
When Canadian Duane Taylor first reached out to Elena Nicolescu last year to offer to drive dog food into Ukraine from the shelter where she volunteers in Romania, she thought he was joking.
A couple of hours later, when the Ottawa resident messaged her that he had bought his plane ticket to Romania, Ms. Nicolescu and her co-workers at the Red Panda shelter in…