Truly… WOW.

If you don’t think animals have feelings, think again.  From The Doree Chronicles,

The dog of slain Marine Jon Tumilson refused to leave his side during the Navy SEAL’s funeral earlier this week in Rockford, Iowa. The heartbreaking photo taken by his cousin, Lisa Pembleton, shows Tumilson’s dog Hawkeye lying by the casket.

Our sympathy to Mr. Tumilson’s family and friends.  And his pup.

My daughter once picked up a nasty sinus infection from swimming in someone’s green pool.  I wouldn’t have allowed it had I seen the pool prior to the birthday party.

Same basic premise about why I don’t plan to go river swimming any time soon.  According to our friends at PopFi a brain eating amoeba caused three deaths,

“She would sit up in bed and just look at me, and I would ask her what was wrong,” said P.J. Nash-Ryder, whose 16-year-old daughter was recently infected by Naegleri fowleri.  ”She would say, ‘I don’t know.’  And I’d tell her to lay back down.  Her eyes were rolling … and she wouldn’t shut them all the way.”

As it turns out, the amoeba was attacking her brain, according to Jonathan Yoder, a waterborne disease and outbreak surveillance coordinator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  ”It causes a great deal of trauma and a great deal of damage.  It’s a tragic infection.  It’s right at the frontal lobe.  It affects behavior and the core of who they are — their emotions, their ability to reason — it’s very difficult.”

Scary stuff.

After a cat attacked a baby woodpecker in an 11-year old’s yard, she rescued the baby and planned to care for it until it could be released.  Unfortunately, when she was taking it to her Mom’s home a wildlife agent saw it.  According to PopFi,

The mother-and-daughter rescue team had to make a stop on the way back home. Knowing leaving the bird inside the vehicle would be a death sentence due to the high summer temperatures, the Capos carried the cage with them inside the store. In a random encounter, the family ran into a federal wildlife agent who spotted the caged woodpecker.

Unbeknownst to the Capos, transporting a baby woodpecker violates of the Federal Migratory Birds Act, and the agent came up to them in the store and alerted them to their error. As soon as the family arrived home, they opened the cage and the freed bird flew away.

The happy ending is the Feds backed off citing the girl once the news went public.  But sometimes it seems no good deed goes unpunished.

Traveling to a wildlife preserve in Africa had never really been something I wanted to hang my hat on.  However, after looking at some of the stunning photos taken by zoe marsh on Bobo on the Run, my mind is quickly changing.

Rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, zebras, lions – you name it. Passionate conservationists. Researchers studying animal behaviors. Volunteers from every corner of the globe, eager to make a difference. Guides tracking animal prints in the dusty savanna. Local children singing gospel songs with big open smiles. Thirsty warthogs drinking cheekily from the swimming pool.

I am so ready.  Be sure to look at her the breathtaking photos that go with her post.

Given how dogs are a vital part of so many lives – whether it’s take your pet to work or take your pet to play – it makes sense that people would want the same protections in place for their pooches as they have.  Enter Calgary writer Theresa Taylor who is seeking a doggie helmet for her mini dachshund Lilly,

She loves to go for long rides in the park and feel her ears blowing in the wind as we cycle (I do the majority of the pedaling). However, considering the amount of potholes on Calgary pathways, I’m beginning to worry about safety. It’s long fall from handlebar to pavement for a dachsy that only stands half-a-foot high.

Awwww… hoping someone can help her out!

Photo by smlp.co.uk.

Patience is a key ingredient if you want to take some great nature photos.  Arjen Drost of Natureview Photography offers advice while photographing wildlife in the Arctic,

When I returned from town, I saw a Spitsbergen Reindeer resting next to the campsite. I quickly took my camera and tripod and slowly approached it. The previous two reindeer on the campsite were feeding and moving slowly over the tundra. This meant I could just sit somewhere and let the animals approach me. This is often the best way, as the animals can decide themselves how close they want to get.

Beautiful photos if you click through and explore the site.

The excitement at my house today was watching a little frog stalk a moth on our front porch.  The moth got away.  I wish I had the time to watch the birds in our neighborhood take baths.  From only dreamin’,

I wanted to share with you some whimsical photos of a pretty little finch taking a bath.  I captured him (or her), rolling in the water, shaking the water off, and then just sitting on the edge of the birdbath looking content, clean and happy.

Love the photos!  Click through to see them!

Photo from whole larder love.