I keep thinking that the ring will be missing from the basket.

I have a cat that take horrible pictures.   For example,  she always turns her head.

My dogs are better, but not much.

What are some tips for taking photos of your pets?  First is be patient.  It may take some cuddle time, some playing, some tug-o-sock or some laser light chasing.  But be patient and try to catch them looking natural (as if pets “pose”! Ha!).

Try to make the background level.  For example, I took this photo of my brother’s dog.

I thought it was a great photo until my brother pointed out that it was … well … lopsided.  Therefore this photo was better because it was level.

Finally - speaking of level - try to get down so you’re eye-to-eye with your cat or dog so you’re not looking down or looking up at the subject.

Patience, even out the background, and stay level with the photo subject.  Good luck!

In perhaps one of the strangest “animal” stories of the year, a man filed to have his named officially changed from Gary to “Boomer the Dog.”  The judge denied the petition, but that hasn’t stopped Gary from dressing and acting the part.

According to MSNBC, the would-be Boomer was a fan of a television show that was canceled in the 1980s. He felt a connection to the dog character that rescued people.

Mathews has said he is a “furry fan” — people who attribute human characteristics to animals, and vice versa. Like other ardent followers, Mathews often attends conventions and social gatherings.

And you thought Star Trek conventions held some strange characters!

What better story to talk about on a Friday the 13th than a country being attacked by vampire bats? In Urakusu, Peru, hundreds of people have been exposed to rabies through a plague of vampire bats,

Officials in Peru believe up to 500 people in the Peruvian Amazon have been exposed to rabies thanks to vampire bat attacks, and no telling how many of those 500 are on their way to becoming a foaming-at-the-mouth special edition of Dracula.  Vampire bats are infamous for the way they feed off blood, unlike normal adorable bats.

According to PopFi, the increase in bats could be due to deforestation, cold weather, or just the unstopped spread of the disease.  Ew.  It’s kind of like those movies you watch where you know there’s a bad guy in the house.  Instead of running fast and far, the “victim” tiptoes around the house with just a candlestick for protection.  Me?  I’d be running fast and far from Peru right now… at least until the vampire bats were better under control!

Photo by the biella via flickr creative commons.

I just can’t thank Brittney G. enough for always finding amazing, beautiful, scary, or just plain stories online.  If it hadn’t been for her, I would not have seen this video and been reminded of an incident from my own childhood.  Only the cat in my childhood jumped on and rode my back like a cowboy taming a wild stallion.

Thanks B.

A town in Australia has been terrorized recently by three super-sized crocodiles.  Two have been eliminated, but one more is still stalking the local farm animals, pets, and wildlife.  And maybe humans.  According to PopFi,

For whatever reason, the town is saltwater crocodile central, as the town has been plagued by not one, but three different giant crocodiles that have been eating livestock and generally terrorizing the citizens of the small town outside Darwin (where the crocs take water aerobics).

The crocodile in the photo is unable to chew up the kid in the photo (it’s dead, Jim) but still… yikes!  Look at that size.. as big as a truck!

A couple of pit bulls in Colorado saved a chihuahua from a coyote recently, according to Pawesome.  When Buster went outside to do what dogs do, a coyote nabbed him.  His Mom heard him screaming, witnessed the coyote brutally shaking the Buster, then dropped him and ran.  It seems that the neighbor’s pit bulls heard the commotion and came to Buster’s rescue.

The conclusion:  1) Not all pit bulls are bad by any stretch, and 2) Buster is recovering nicely.

H/T Brittney.

The story that I saw today on Yahoo News broke my heart.  A highly-trained military dog with the assignment of sniffing out bombs returned to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado a changed animal.

Before she went, Gina was a playful two-year old.  Upon her return, she was scared to enter buildings, jumpy, and withdrawn.  The diagnosis from a military veterinarian was post-traumatic stress disorder.  Her rehabilitation is underway,

Haynes and other handlers coaxed Gina on walks, sending someone ahead to pass out treats for bystanders to give her. They got her over her fear of walking through doors by stationing someone she knew on the other side to reward her with pats and play. They eased her farther into buildings with the same technique.

“She started learning that everyone wasn’t trying to get her,” Haynes said. “She began acting more social again.”

According to the article, she’s not expected to make a 100 percent recovery, but should still live a full life of work and play.

Photo by Associated Press.

CNN had a link today for “8 Feel-Good Websites to Brighten Your Day” and the story of Christian the lion was here,

In 1969 a young Australian, John Rendall and his friend Ace Bourke, bought a small lion cub from Harrods pet department, which was then legal.  ‘Christian’ was kept in the basement of a furniture shop on the Kings Road in Chelsea, the heart of the swinging sixties.  Loved by all, the affectionate cub ate in a local restaurant, played in a nearby graveyard, but was growing fast…

A chance encounter with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna led to a new life for Christian.  He came to live in an enclosure and slept in a caravan at their Surrey home.  Then in 1971 he was flown to Kenya, his ancestral home, and returned to the wild by lion-man George Adamson.  Almost a year later in 1972, John and Ace returned to Kora in Kenya and it is their reunion with Christian at this time that is shown in the clip.

Go visit the site and watch the video of Christian and the reunion.

My friend Brittney posted a link to this … perfect for a Friday!

Have a great weekend and welcome August!