Blog posts Categorized under ‘Amazing Pet News’

A pet dog wanting to go outside may have inadvertently saved an entire family’s lives. French bulldog Stu was visiting Tim and Mary Kay Mark with his owners for a birthday party.

Throughout the night, Mark’s wife had begun to feel ill, according to the Herald Argus. When Stu started whining to go outside, Mark went to let him out and noticed he had a serious headache.

Mark has previous experience with first-time respondent training, and recalled his wife complaining of feeling sick. He figured out there might have been a carbon monoxide leak, called 911 and got his family out of the house.

Mark told the news provider that the family may have died had it not been for Stu waking him up to go outside.

"When I think about what might have happened had the kids not decided to spend the night here and Stu wouldn’t have been here whining to go outside," he said.

Stu, along with Mark’s other two dogs were all safely outside and reportedly in good dog health.

Guide dogs have become an integral part of the lives of individuals who have lost their sight. The Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which was founded 55 years ago, recently had a graduation ceremony in which new owners got to bring home their dogs.

The first class of the new year saw 11 graduates, nine of them trained in Yorktown, New York, according to LoHud.com. The graduates will be receiving dogs for the most time, many of whom had tired from using walking sticks and canes.

"It’s the difference between riding a bike and flying," Michael Moore, who had recently lost his vision, told the news provider. "The cane is like a bicycle. You feel every bump. And with a dog you don’t feel that. I also tell people with a cane, you have to find the obstacle, figure out what it is. And with a dog, you just avoid the obstacle entirely."

Guide dogs must be in good dog health and be able to show leadership as they help assist their owners with everyday life, according to Guide Dogs of America.

While many dogs tend to take after their owners’ interests, Austrailian Shepherd Opee has taken the trend to the extremes – literally!

The eight-year-old dog sits at the front of his owner’s motorbike, wearing his own helmet and goggles during motocross races, according to the Press-Enterprise newspaper. While many people may be afraid of the fast and dangerous sport, the canine cannot get enough.

"This dog has been over 150 mph and absolutely loves it," Opee’s owner, Mike Schelin told the news provider. "He just looks like he’s having a blast. The faster we go, the more fun he has."

Schelin has trained the dog to tolerate jumps, turns, dust and mud pits – all of the conditions that come with competitive motocross, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Despite the interesting and sometimes dangerous environment, Opee still remains in good dog health.

Although the duo has never actually won a race, they still do fairly well, all things considered. Throughout their tenure, Schelin and Opee have totaled more than 10,000 miles together on the bike.

Uno, a lovable Cocker Spaniel who still possesses a ton of energy, may be the new Guinness Book of World Records holder for World’s Oldest Dog.

The previous title holder was a 21-year-old Dachshund mix named Chanel, according to PeoplePets.com.

Uno beats out Chanel by a year, clocking in at 22-years old. Though the canine was adopted, his previous owners claimed he was born on January 1, 1988, which is why his age is still speculation.

Uno’s owner Cherie Gigliotti explains to the news source that the dog is quite "food motivated" and whenever he smells something tasty, he gets hysterical and energetic. Gigliotti believes it’s the quality food she’s been feeding him that’s kept him in good dog health.

"When he smells the food we’re bringing home, he bounds up and down and runs like he’s crazy," Gigliotti told the news provider. "It’s so fast you can’t catch him."

Gigliotti said she purees kibble with ground turkey, chicken and zucchini to help with the dog’s digestion.

Uno’s lifespan has far outlasted the normal Cocker Spaniel. According to the Dog Breed Info Center, the average lifespan for a Cocker Spaniel is between 12-15 years, seven years younger than Uno, who’s still going strong.

One couple and their dog escaped a fire in the middle of the night thanks to their pet cat. Baby, owned by Josh Ornberg and Letitia Kovalovsky, woke up her owners in the middle of the night when she noticed a fire in a bedroom.

"She [Kovalovsky] was pregnant and uncomfortable and fell asleep on the couch, so he [Ornberg] just said ‘I’ll just leave her there,’ " Asstitant chief Mike Weber of the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District, told the Northwest Herald."He then had a glass of milk or something like that and then he fell asleep."

When the fire began, Baby started bugging Ornberg so he would wake up, according to NewsBlaze.com. Ornberg quickly woke up Kovalovsky, gathered the family dog, and ran to safety. Ornberg tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but failed, ultimately calling the fire department.

In the midst of the commotion, the hero of the hour, Baby, ran away in a panic and hasn’t been seen since. A strictly indoor cat, the couple is worried about their beloved family member and hope she will be returned in good cat health.