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Animals and Pets
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this is what peak performance looks like. 😎 but seriously, this lil' chihuahua mix runs like a greyhound! photos by stirling hasen.
[Image description: our Australian shepherd gently and respectfully sniffs our newborn as I hold her for the introduction] Sudo has been absolutely wonderful towards her - he'll come give the top of her head a small kiss when she gets fussy and then backs off to let us take care of the cause. I'll try to catch his =/ face the next time I tell him it's his turn to change the diaper
we have a looong way to go, but i like to keep video records of even the not-so-good practice sessions. she's really disengaged with me for a big portion of this video (probably because it's our first time doing this outdoors). hoping to eventually get her into rally obedience. :)
it's her absolute favorite activity in the world!
[Image description: a very fuzzy, day old yellow duckling warms up in my hand on a chilly morning.] This little nugget decided to spend a few extra minutes in my hand after we found its mother. The temperature was hovering around 60F which is a little too chilly for a duckling this young.
[Image description: several ducklings inspect my toes for caterpillars, occasionally grabbing the toes instead] One of them found an inchworm on my foot the other day and now whenever I stop moving they go nuts trying to find more. It's cute until one grabs a toe or the hairs and does a death shake.
[Image description: week old ducklings pile on top of one another, almost managing to be nestled under their watchful mother. One duckling is jumping to reach the top of the bunch.] There's always at least one in every clutch that seems to prefer being the last one to the party *just* to be top cuddler.
[Image description: a dozen ducklings in various shades of yellow and brown rest under the potting bench in our greenhouse] Y'all - I'm so excited. We had a disappointing first round of hatching with only three ducklings, but Pearl (tail pictured) hatched out a whopping twelve! We're five days from our niece and nephews coming up to visit during their vacation and the timing is incredible
[Image description: a female Muscovy duckling is feathering out in white, grey, and beige - a coloring called "lavender" among breeders. Her duckling down remains on her head in patches, creating a pattern of freckles around her face]
My boy is 6, and has been gassing for a pet for a long time. We want to get him something, but our parameters are pretty narrow: * Can't be a cat or dog (allergies) * No rodents/mustelids (wife: ew) * No snakes (wife: ew) * No birds (wife: ew) * No Arthropods (Wife: ew) Reptiles/frogs/amphibians are ok in our books. Ideally, I would like something he could physically handle on occasion but that's not a deal breaker. Fish are cool, but kind of boring to a 6 year old maybe. Crabs are cool, but seem kind of cryptic. Would be amazing if it didn't break the bank and was somewhat easy to care for Thoughts appreciated if you have any.
[Image description: a very fluffy Australian shepherd lays on his back to ask for tummy rubs but we like to call it his factory reset or restore default settings] Sudo reset
> Two people were thrown into the ocean after a humpback whale landed on their fishing boat off the New Hampshire coast on Tuesday morning, and the entire incident was caught on video. >The Coast Guard also confirmed that the men who were on the boat were recovered by other boaters and brought to Great Bay Marina. Edit: [ghost archive](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/9AACQ)
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We went camping for the first time since getting the twin pomskis. They did so good! The fluffier pomski (Bliss) and the little havapoo (Poppy) were in a heated competition for who could bring home more of the forest floor.
[Image description: a tree frog smaller than a U.S. dime pauses momentarily on the tip of my finger before resuming their day] Don't ask me how I spotted it, because I genuinely can't answer that.
Alt text: a close up image of a juvenile leopard gecko. There is a wooden stick to the left of him and a glass jar in the background. Underneath him is a bed of dirt and mulch. ------------------- When I come in to check on him, he walks right up to the door of his tank! I guess he knows I'm the food-giver, lol.
echo *loves* the creek so much. definitely her most favorite activity. also my first time using sniffspot (private dog park; this one was about three acres and fully fenced in), and it felt like we weren't fenced in at all! there was a little walking trail and everything.
I adopted a stray cat outside my apartment a few years ago. She was originally aggressive both to cats and people, but after I started taking care of her she warmed up to the neighbors, too. Since she'd lived outside for about a decade, I let her out in the yard (supervised) and she came to love lounging and waiting for passers by to give her scritches. Unfortunately, I've had to move. No more outdoor time for the foreseen future, partially because she's in a completely new town, and partially because there are so many birds around here I don't think I'd be able to keep her from running off. There isn't even a window facing the walkway where she can interact with people through the window, which was another thing she liked doing in our old place. It's just me to entertain her, and I can be gone ten hours a day. She has lots of toys and beds and things to climb, but since she loved the neighbors so much, I'm worried she needs a companion. Anyone else been in this situation? How do you help your cat adjust?
[Image description: three ducklings are out for a walk with one of the mother ducks] In counter-clockwise order: Niji, Una, Karen, and Trés Chic. One of our hens, Greensleeves, is still sitting on a clutch of eggs and we saw two more chicks beginning to hatch this morning. We're really hopeful for them to finish their hatch well and be up and about soon.
[Image description: a gray tree frog, *Hyla versicolor*, has gray and white camouflage which looks like birch bark. It is easy to see against the background of my hand and nearly impossible to spot when hiding in foliage]
[Image description: several bison are grazing in a paddock, but the young calfs are camera shy] We took our friend to another farm in town today - they raise bison and mangalitsa pigs, and also do music and live theatre on the weekends. Their calves and yearlings were in the nearby pen and we were invited to go say hello from a slight distance.
Video: https://thebardingreen.me/spinach.webm
It is a very hot weekend here in Seattle, but we got some disc golf in before it was miserable
Hey folks! Tomorrow is one of those days when planning and preparation can save our furry friends a ton of anxiety and distress, so let's talk about some solutions we can have in place to keep them from stressing over the explosions in the sky. [Here is an article](https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/dogs-and-fireworks/) from Patricia McConnell (author of *Control Unleashed* and other force free training books) that goes over some things we can do or not do to keep our buddies below threshold. While the article is certainly about dogs, many of the guidelines (including about counter conditioning) can be applied to our feline furballs too. What are your go-to's for making the 4th as comfortable as possible for your animals? Is your companion highly sensitive to noise? Share your tips and tricks for other folks to adopt if they haven't already made a plan.
[Image description: a frog the size of a US quarter rests on my wrist] They stuck around just long enough to lecture me about amphibietiquette before leaving abruptly
Got to reading after visiting Klettsvik Bay, where Keiko was harbored for rehab and release. [Keiko’s Legacy, 30 Years after "Free Willy"](https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2023/02/keiko-free-willy-whale-conservation-oregon-coast-aquarium) [Timeline of life events](https://www.orcanetwork.org/keiko-life-story), compiled by cofounder of the [Orca Network](https://www.orcanetwork.org). Both informative and fascinating.
Located in the Michigan. I originally thought it was a young crow, but I'm starting to think it's a young grackle? Where I need additional help / advice: the bird has an injured wing. Problem TL;DR: found bird with injured wing. Called literally every place that could help, but all wildlife rehabs/rescues are full. DNR informed me that the only other option if I can't find a licensed rehabber is euthanasia. Bird is currently alert, eating, drinking, and climbing. I set up a secure space for them outside. I've now been caring for them for about 4 days now. I just.. need advice about what I should do from here.. I really have no idea if I am doing the right thing.. More details / backstory: I saw this guy stumbling across a busy road, wing drooping, nearly getting hit by cars. I ran out, shooed him into the neighbor's garden where there is lots of cover, and hoped he would survive the night. The next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about the bird, so I went outside to go check the garden again, hoping he had flown away. The moment I stepped around the corner of my home, I saw him, hopping and flapping on the ground, being stalked by 2 cats that one of my neighbors let roam outside. I swooped in quickly, scooped up the bird, and popped it into a carrier. I then called every wildlife rescue / rehab center in & near my area. *Every single one* of them either did not take small birds (raptors and owls only) and the ones that *did* accept small birds let me know that they were full and couldn't help me. I called vet offices, shelters, triple-checked the DNR certified rehab list, put out inquiries for any private licensed rehabbers, even posted my plea on a local Facebook wildlife group.. no luck. Called DNR & let them know, asking if they maybe had *any* more resources I could look into. Since I could not find any licensed rehabbers, they simply suggested I take it somewhere for euthanasia. I'm.. at a loss. I put antibiotic cream on the problem area on the wing (attempted a wing wrap on the advice from a vet tech, but just could not get it to stay properly, not matter what, so I got rid of it), set up a large screen tent in a more secluded area behind my home, reinforced the base perimeter as best I could, built up a secure perch with branches starting from the ground up to the ceiling, and gave the bird food and water. The bird seems very happy with the perch they don't need to fly to get up the highest place. They've drank plenty, and have been eating cat food soaked in water + bugs & worms I've dug up for them. They definitely have an appetite! And their bite has gotten significantly more painful since I first scooped them up. It was weak before, now it actually hurts sometimes! (I handle them *carefully and safely* only for wing-check medication). I have NO intention of making this bird into a pet!! I just want them to be released eventually, and ak trying to make sure they don't get *too* comfortable with me. I'm just upset that the only alternative to a licensed rehabber is euthanasia. Please.. I'm really conflicted on this. What should I do from here? Any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you.
[Image description: a brown and yellow duckling naps in the sun] This is duckling number two for the year so far, hatched five days after the first. I'm keeping an eye on them because none of the hens seem to be claiming it yet. I would honestly rather not be a duck mom again, so I hope someone takes them under their wing. I've taken to calling the first duckling "Una" and this one "Niji", but that naming scheme is likely to get dropped quickly since its uses are numbered *Edit to update: one of the hens has taken little Niji in, I heard them making happy little peeps.
Please be nice, he is very awkward. Sometimes he gets lost in the kitchen and cries, and we have to help him lol. ----------------------------- Alt text: An image of a small black cat looking at the camera. He is making biscuits in his cat bed located beside a wooden crate of records.
He's in his vegan era   