One shelter dog was given the role of a lifetime after being cast in Broadway’s revival of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
When Fred was found wandering the streets of the South Bronx as a puppy, he was taken to an ASPCA city shelter, according to the New York Daily News.
Animal agent Bill Berloni, who is renowned for training stray dogs for productions for more than 30 years, took notice of the mutt and decided to put him up against more than 70 other canines for a role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Fred got the part.
"It’s definitely something of a freak of nature that he was to end up in a Broadway show," Berloni told the news provider. "But he was friendly, intelligent, cute as hell – you look at him and smile."
Fred is now owned by author Chris Grabenstein, and receives the best pet care imaginable on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
If you’re looking for a new furry friend, a shelter could be a great place to find that special pet.
When Terina Held’s 13-year-old black Labrador, Buck, went missing in the beginning of January, she thought the dog had just run away. After searches on foot and by car had turned up with nothing, the Held family said they felt that they would never see their beloved Buck again.
But when Held’s neighbor, Mark Smith, was hiking with his dog, Copper, in the Santa Cruz mountains, they stumbled upon an emaciated dog, according to PeoplePets.com. Knowing he had to help, Smith carried the dog back to civilization and noticed a missing dog poster.
It turned out that Buck had survived in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights and had lost 50 pounds. After being reunited with his family, Buck is reportedly back in good dog health. Held told the news provider that the fact he survived so long was an amazing feat.
"I don’t think a human could have lived in our woods for that period of time, especially given the storms we had," Held said. "But he’s back to his old self. I don’t want to let him out of my sight."
Cesar Millan, better known as the Dog Whisperer, suffered a tragic loss when his beloved pit bull named Daddy passed away.
Millan decided to turn to a Mexican tradition to remember the 16-year-old dog by lighting 500 white candles in Daddy’s honor and keeping his ashes as a memento, according to PeoplePets.com.
Although Millan still has another 10 dogs in his care, he plans on adding a new pup to the group, saying that he plans to rescue a dog that needs his help.
"We are going to bring another member to the pack," he told the news provider. "A dog that needs our help, a dog that would be euthanized because nobody understands him."
He added that keeping the pack balanced is exactly the perfect way to remember Daddy, who wouldn’t want to the other canines to feel sad.
Millan is renowned for being able to communicate with dogs and properly train them to behave. According to his Web site, many people refer to Millan as the Doctor Phil of dogs because his practices of proper pet care help him pinpoint why a dog is acting erratically.
In an effort to show further commitment to their relationship, singer Nick Lachey and his main squeeze, Vanessa Minnillo, recently adopted a Husky from a local animal shelter.
The couple, who have been doing great following a brief split last year, picked up 1-year-old Siberian Husky, Kona, when they spotted the dog at a roadside adoption event in Los Angeles, California, according to PeoplePets.com.
Lachey has had previous experience with the breed, growing up with a Husky of his own, which is what sealed the deal when it came time to decide whether or not to add a furry friend to their family.
"I was driving down Ventura and we saw rescue dogs on the side of the road," the singer told the news provider. "Vanessa was with me – I don’t make those kinds of decisions alone anymore – but since I grew up with a Husky, I couldn’t resist."
Now Lachey is anxious to shower the dog with attention and pet care, joking that since he announced the adoption to the media, he has no choice but to keep the new pup.
Chatroulette.com has become an international phenomenon where individuals are paired at random and communicate through a webcam. While this has largely been a human pastime, one Brooklyn-based cat is getting in on the action, and has entertained more than 70,000 people.
Becca Laurie and Andy Silva launched Catroulette, which is a site dedicated to screen shots of their beloved cat, Duck, who has been entertaining users on Chatroulette by either playing with toys or doing tricks, according to CNET.com.
Users can click to see Duck’s owners providing her with pet care and playing with her to get a response.
"Once we discovered Chatroulette, we were intrigued, but we didn’t want to get in front of the camera ourselves," Laurie told the news provider. "Almost immediately, we made the connection – not only that chat equals cat in French [but that] since Duck entertains us every night, we thought we would see if she could entertain people on Chatroulette."
Duck has been getting a lot of media attention. Perez Hilton has taken to Twitter to talk about the feline, and website BoingBoing.net has featured Duck’s story.
