A Royal Family spokesperson has confirmed that two of her corgis, Sandy and Muick (pronounced Mick), along with dorgi Candy (a dachshund-corgi cross), will be taken into the care of her son Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Their new residence will be at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Two corgis, Muick and Fergus, had been gifted to the Queen from Prince Andrew as a welcome distraction. At the same time, the Queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, was ill in hospital – an insider told the media recently that the corgis brought “a lot of noise and energy into the castle”. Sadly Fergus passed away soon after Prince Philip and was replaced with a new corgi called Sandy.

Photo by @thequeenscorgis – Instagram

The Queen was said to have been brought constant joy from her beloved corgis, and the dogs were often seen by her side both inside the royal residencies and outside in her gardens. Her Majesty’s introduction to corgis was in 1944 when a corgi named Susan was gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday, and she owned over 30 corgis throughout her reign.

A little-known fact is that Her Majesty was credited with creating a new breed of dog, the dorgi, a dachshund-corgi cross. The hybrid breed was created when one of the Queen’s corgis mated with Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin. The Queen was said to have been so taken aback by this breed that she bred many more over the years.

The new corgis will have slightly less space in their new home. Compared to the 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace and 1,000 rooms in Windsor Palace, they will now only have access to 30 rooms at Royal Lodge.

We think they will be just fine.

Featured photo by @thequeenscorgis – Instagram

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“She did just that. He was in love with her the minute he saw her,” Taylor told KRDO.

Unfortunately, Fili Salazar died three months after Farrah was adopted, but the pup continued to serve as Taylor’s faithful and loving companion.

How Farrah Was Found

Thanks to the help of a drone’s infrared camera, deputies spotted her in the area where she was last said to be seen. She’s lost a lot of weight, weighing around half of what she weighed before she went missing, and will require an operation to amputate one of her legs.

Farrah’s vet believes she may have been hit by a car. This could certainly explain why she hasn’t been found so far or made it back home.

Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reunited Farrah and Taylor after all this time.

How Farrah Went Missing

According to the family, Farrah went missing after Taylor Salazar’s father crashed his car. He had a seizure and lost control of the vehicle the dog was in at the time. Farrah likely fled the scene out of fear.

The car crashed near US 50 and Colorado 9, specifically in a dark, rural area with which Farrah wouldn’t have been intimately familiar.

Although 3 months had passed, Taylor Salazar was convinced little Farrah was still out there. Local sightings, including surveillance footage, gave her more than enough evidence to keep looking for her lost pup.

Many locals were aware of the situation, and several had attempted to catch Farrah whenever they spotted her.

“If they got too close, she’d run away, knowing where to go. She was hiding,” Taylor said.

Why a Drone Was Used

It wasn’t just random drone training that happened to find Golden Retriever Farrah. A dispatcher from the sheriff’s office was aware of the lost pup and suggested that the department could use some time during training to look for the dog.

The department could locate the dog in minutes because they tried this tactic. Taylor accompanied them and used chicken pieces to try and lure her pup toward them.

“The next minute, she’s laying in my lap,” Salazar recalled.

The infrared camera played a huge part in locating the pup but having her pet parent on scene at the time helped Farrah approach the team after being located.

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The Queen owned more than 30 corgis – her favorite breed – the corgi during her lifetime and cocker spaniels and dorgis – a delightful cross between a corgi and a dachshund. And at the time of her death on September 8, it is thought she still had four dogs under her care; two corgis called Muick and Sandy, a 13-year-old dorgi called Candy, and a cocker spaniel named Lissie.

It had previously been speculated that the Queen had intentionally stopped welcoming any new pups into her household and is thought to have told a horse trainer back in 2015 that she ‘didn’t want to leave any young dog behind’.

However, she was given Muick in 2021 when her husband, Prince Philip, was hospitalized. She named the pup after one of her favorite spots near her Balmoral Castle retreat in Scotland. Her son, Prince Andrew, then gifted her Sandy the dorgi on what would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday. Then in 2021, the Queen took in a four-year-old cocker, Lissie.

Royal biographer, Ingrid Seward, explained to Newsweek why the Queen’s relationship with her dogs endured.  “She loves animals, and she absolutely adores dogs. They were her first love, and they will be her last.”

The Queen’s life-long love of the corgi breed can be traced back to 1933 when the young Elizabeth’s parents brought Dookie the corgi into the family. Her father bought Elizabeth her second corgi – Susan – for her 18th birthday. Susan even joined the Queen and Prince Philip on their honeymoon before giving birth to a pair of puppies in 1949, effectively starting a new royal line of corgis that continued for what is believed to have been 14 generations.

The Queen’s love of corgis also played a part in creating a new dog breed, the dorgi, when one of her pets bred with a dachshund owned by her sister, Princess Margaret, to produce a crossbreed.

Over six decades of dog ownership, the Queen walked her pets twice a day until it became too difficult for her to do it herself. Her corgis also had their own space at Buckingham Palace, known as the ‘corgi room’.

As well as dogs, the Queen was also a horse lover and gained a passion for thoroughbred breeding and racing stock from her late father, King George VI. The Queen now leaves behind more than 100 equines, including a horse gifted to her by French President Emmanuel Macron for her Platinum jubilee earlier this year.

So, what is expected to become of the Queen’s precious dogs and horses? No official plan has been released, but Seward believes the dogs are most likely to be taken on by the Queen’s family.

“I imagine the family would look after the dogs, probably Andrew [as] he’s the one that gave them to her. They’re quite young, the corgi and the dorgi,” she added.

Meanwhile, writer Penny Junor believes that the Queen’s dogs may also be cared for by her loyal staff. Writing in her 2018 book, ‘All the Queen’s Corgis’, Junor noted:

“Care of the dogs has fallen sometimes to footmen but mostly to the Queen’s trusted dressmaker, assistant, and right-hand woman, Angela Kelly; and to her equally trusted page of many years standing, Paul Whybrew, who was seen walking with the Queen and the dogs in the James Bond spoof. “Both are fond of the dogs and are said to be very close to [the Queen].”

As for the Queen’s horses, the Royal family is also expected to help again. Speaking to the New York Times, royal author Claudia Joseph said he believed the Queen’s daughter was most likely to step in.

“Princess Anne and [Anne’s] daughter, Zara, both Olympic equestrians and well-known horse lovers, are likely to be involved in what happens next to the queen’s animals,” Joseph said.

But wherever the Queen’s much-loved dogs and horses go, you can be sure they will be in good hands and continue to be cared for, just as Her Royal Highness would expect.

Featured photo by @theroyalfamily – Instagram

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The Data from the Report

Recently, the organization completed a report (their analysis of 2022’s second quarter) showing that the intake rate increased between 2021 and 2022. They may still be lower than in 2019, but the past year has shown more cats and dogs being given to shelters. The rate of dog euthanasia is also increasing.

Based on previous years, Shelter Animals Count estimates that around 10% of all animals entering shelters this year will not have an outcome – meaning that they won’t be adopted or euthanized. They will simply continue living in the shelter.

Over 25% of all intakes of dogs and cats this year have been due to the animals being relinquished by their owners.

How the Housing Crisis Affects Pet Ownership

Liz McCauley is the first Executive Director of Cape Coral Animal Shelter and has over 30 years of experience. In an interview with Fox 4, she spoke about the struggles that pet owners are currently facing due to the housing crisis and subsequent financial issues.

“You have the bad economy, you have people having to move to places where they aren’t allowed to have pets, or they aren’t allowed to have a certain breed or a certain weight,” said McCauley. “So, they must give up animals they’ve had for a long time. It’s very sad.”

She and her team have been fielding up to 200 calls daily because they offer a low-cost pet clinic. They’re overwhelmed, and McCauley states that shelters and rescues are full. It’s an ongoing problem that has been rampant during the Covid period.

Many rented properties won’t allow pets, and the ones that do ask for additional fees have limitations on the number of pets allowed on the property. When pet owners have no other options, they have to reduce the number of beloved pets to fit their human family members into whatever accommodations are available.

Source:

1. Q2 2022 Analysis, Shelter Animals Count
2. John Barron, Housing crisis takes toll on pet owners, Fox 4 Southwest Florida

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The park was graced by dogs of all shapes and sizes, from Labradors and Golden Retrievers to Hounds, Dachshunds, and mixed breeds.

With over 70 vendors, veterinarians, and rescue charities, the event was every dog lover’s dream, with the “Smooch a Pooch” booth being one of the most popular attractions. Set up to attract visitors to the veterinarian hospital tent, the booth was manned by a veterinarian, Richele Chatto, and her golden retriever Chamberlain, who was happy to lick every passer-by! The dog, who spends a significant amount of time at the Back Cove Hospital, was happy to be part of the event.

Chatto told reporters that “Chamberlain was a magnet”.

As well as the doggy kissing booth, there was a wide range of pet businesses, dog organizations, and trainers at the event, which was hosted by the sponsor’s Portland Veterinary Emergency and Special Care and Radio Station Rewind 100.9.

The president of Portland Radio, Phil Zachary, told reporters that attendance at this 11th annual event was around 4,000 and didn’t even include their dogs. He explained that it was an event where people could learn about dog training, socialize their dogs and pet nutrition, and enjoy food, drink, and live music. It’s one of the largest doggy meet-and-greet events of its kind.

Some people turned up to the event specifically to rescue a dog. Dog-lover Andria Botting, from New Hampshire, came to the event with her young daughter and was looking to adopt a dog from one of the shelters.

The executive director of the Animal Cancer Foundation, Barbara Cohen, told reporters that cancer was very common in animals, especially older dogs, with a staggering 50% of dogs over ten years old getting the disease.

She said that cancer diagnosis is more common among dogs because medical tools have advanced, making it easier to detect.

Cohen said there are ways to prevent the disease in dogs and one of the more effective ways is to ensure that they do not become overweight. Obesity is one of the leading causes of cancer, so taking your dog on regular walks and ensuring that you meet their nutritional needs is essential. Like humans, exercise and a balanced diet are good preventive measures. Cohen suggests speaking to a veterinarian for advice, as dog breeds have different dietary needs.

The director also mentioned that pesticides could be a factor in the increase of cancer and recommends avoiding walking your dog in areas treated with chemicals.

The more people know the risks, the better care they can give their puppies.

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The Carder family, from Lincoln, Neb, refused to give up when their much-loved reptile escaped through a hole in their garden gate. What followed was a slow-moving adventure for the tortoise, with numerous sightings and mistaken identities, meaning it took 13 days for Cecil to be found.

But thanks to their local community’s efforts and several social media groups, the errant tortoise was eventually returned home.

Speaking to local station Koln TV, Cecil’s owner, Leslie Carder, took up the story.

“There’s an area where we had dug a post out to open our gate a little wider. He somehow found that hole and jimmied himself out of there. And he walked right up the street.”

It wasn’t until later that evening that the Carder family discovered Cecil was missing. By this time, he had already had another narrow escape when a neighbor further down the street had found him but released him again, not knowing Cecil was missing.

“On Wednesday, around noon, he came out of the tree line,” Leslie explained. “He walked up to the people while they were outside. They thought he was a snapping turtle at first. So, he had been found twice and released.

“I just thought everybody kind of knew what tortoises were. I felt there’s no way he would survive in the wilderness like that.”

Taking her pet search efforts online, Leslie posted on several social media groups asking for help. And she was amazed by the response. Dozens of strangers volunteered to search for Cecil in the 27th Street and Abor Road area, just one mile from his home. But one week later, despite photos of other tortoises, Cecil still had no sign.

Then 13 days after Cecil first disappeared, the Carder family had a breakthrough.

Leslie was searching the area once more when she was approached by a woman who asked if they were the people ‘looking for that turtle or tortoise’. A local man had been out on his dirt bike and encountered a tortoise on the road. The woman was unsure whether the tortoise was indeed Cecil but invited Leslie to go and look.

Leslie went and was amazed to discover that the tortoise was her missing Cecil, 13 days after he decided to leave home.

“It was so heart-touching to know that everyone cared enough to take out their time, a stranger, you know, to look for their tortoise,” Leslie added. “It’s made my year I’ll be happy for a long time.”

Featured image credits: Madison Pitsch

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Symptoms of the Virus

Your dog or cat will experience a hoarse cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever for a few weeks. They will have little to no interest in eating during this time, so it’s important to encourage them by offering little food throughout the day. Try not to feed them anything too rich – like their regular treats – because, as tempting as it is to cheer them up, it could upset their stomach.

As we mentioned, there have been no reported deaths, but the time your pet has the virus can be scary for both the pet and the pet owner. Remain calm, write down the symptoms you’ve noticed, and call your vet for advice. Do not visit a vet or an emergency vet without calling ahead. The virus is extremely contagious; your pet could pass it on to other pets already seeking medical care.

How Contagious is the Virus?

It’s difficult to measure the level of contagiousness, but we can tell you that high-volume facility Whiskers, Nails, and Puppy Dog Tails had to close down for a week after an outbreak. They did this to deep clean the facility, which was necessary to destroy any remnants of the virus and bacteria from sick pets.
Following their closure, Whiskers, Nails, and Puppy Dog Tails have decided to limit the number of dogs they allow into their facility until the number of cases of the unnamed virus lessens.
Melena Hope, the facility manager, has asked that pet parents take care when allowing their pets outside during this time.

“The best thing for people is not to take their animal into a public area… We wouldn’t recommend that. If people are around other animals… change your clothes or sanitize yourself before you come into contact with your animals.”
This is sound advice from Hope, who has explained that her grooming and boarding facility is sanitizing after every dog and even completing hair and nail trims in cars rather than inside the facility. All this is to avoid another outbreak that could affect pets and shut down the business again for more deep cleaning.

How to Help Your Pet

As we’ve mentioned, don’t visit your vet in a panic. Call first, explain the symptoms, and only bring in your pet if asked to. Your vet will have a protocol for dealing with contagious animals. The virus is spread through the air, likely following the spray of saliva that comes from coughing and barking.
You’ll likely be offered medication for kennel cough, which the virus seems to respond to.
Above all else, give them lots of love. Your pet will seem despondent because they don’t feel well and have no energy to spare. Cuddles are necessary, even if it means changing your clothes.

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Should this Be Something of Concern for Us? And How Likely is it that this Could Cause an Endemic?

Back in July 2022, The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency. Since then, approximately 35,000 cases have been confirmed, with most cases in North and South America and Europe. In addition to causing symptoms such as a high temperature, headache, muscle pains, backache, joint pain, and painful lesions, there have also been 12 reported deaths that have been linked to the infectious virus.

The highly-infectious disease is transmitted through skin-on-skin contact. You can also catch monkeypox by touching fabric such as bedding, towels, and clothing. Human-to-human spreading has been prevalent since the WHO made their initial announcement earlier in the year, but the recent case of a dog catching monkeypox from contact with the owner’s lesions has raised concerns – if monkeypox spreads to the wild animal species in Europe and the US the virus could become endemic.

Health leaders have said that isolating pets when owners have an outbreak is one of the most effective ways of preventing the virus from spreading. Unfortunately, the virus can be spread in other ways. Human feces containing the virus can infect rodents, and food waste containing the infected saliva can also be spread to wildlife that can access the food after it has left home.

It isn’t known how widely monkeypox can spread among the non-rodent animal species, but researchers have evidence that the virus has infected around 51 species, including anteaters, opossums, apes, and monkeys.

Should dogs be able to contract monkeypox easily, this could cause a problem as they would then be able to pass it to humans and other dogs through their saliva and feces.

The case of the dog in Paris is luckily an isolated incident, and there are no other reports of domestic animals catching the virus from their owners.

So, How Can We Help Prevent the Disease from Spreading?

Being well-informed is the best type of protection from the virus. Be aware of the disease’s signs and symptoms and how it is transmitted. If you are presenting with any of the symptoms, then speak to your doctor immediately and isolate yourself from other people. If you are a pet owner, try to get another person to look after your cat or dog until your lesions have cleared. If you think your pet might have monkeypox, then speak to your veterinarian as soon as you can, and they will be able to advise how best to care for your animal.

Though monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency, the reality is that it will not likely affect most people. Awareness of the symptoms and taking precautionary steps to protect yourself and your animals will likely prevent it from spreading to US wildlife.

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Ariel Contreras spotted the unusual feline just as her cat was giving birth. Contreras said she had been doing the laundry when she looked down after hearing her pet cat meowing.

“All of the sudden, babies started coming out, and I started yelling for my husband,” she told KYTV Friday. “This is the second one, so he came out, my husband said, ‘honey, it has two heads,’ and I went, ‘no way!”

Caused by excess protein production in the womb which produces the mutation, a kitten born with two distinct faces is an extremely rare occurrence known as a Janus cat. The name comes from the Roman god Janus, who was portrayed as having two faces. Only a handful of Janus cats are known to have been born, with most dying shortly after birth. However, the Guinness Book of World Records lists a Janus cat that was born in Massachusetts in 1999 and lived for 15 years.

Photo Credit: New York Post

According to local reports, the rare two-faced Arkansas kit was named Harvey by the Contreras family, in a nod to the notorious Batman character, Harvey Dent, aka, supervillain, Two-Face.

The head-turning kit has since been checked over by veterinarians, who believe the two-faced animal has a good chance of surviving.

Alley Cat Animal Rescue veterinarian, Dr Tim Addis, said the kitten had one of everything except it has an extra skull, which is operating alongside the other.

“You can feed either mouth, and the kitten takes nourishment through either,” he reportedly said. “The chances of it making it are just as good as its siblings if you’re feeding it with a bottle.

“What the odds are, I don’t know. They’re hard to raise. But it will make it if the Lord’s willing,” Dr Addis added.

Harvey’s owner also believed the kitten has a good chance of survival.

“It’s actually bigger than the other ones, and it’s doing great. It’s absolutely doing great,” said Contreras.

“There was one that made it 12 years and one that made it 15 years, so I’m really praying this one makes it that long, and we will do whatever it takes,” she added.

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