Nothing says “I love my puppies to death” like spending a ton of cash on a small Victorian mansion, the pooches can call home.

Chelsea, Darla and Coco Puff can definitely brag to their barking friends, about having the most luxurious doghouse in the world. Featuring hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, central heating and air-conditioning, this mini-mansion is literally fit for royalty. In terms of design, it has hand-made curtains, mini blinds, expensive wallpaper and ceiling fans.

And they all have to thank their owner, 42-year-old Tammy Kassis, who lavishly spent around $20,000 on this over-the-top dog mansion. She loves her two Yorkies and one Pomeranian to death, and she decided to give them a home of their own, when an owl almost snatched one of them up.

She asked deluxe kennel builder, and owner of La Petite Maison, Alan Mower, to create a small replica of her own home, a beautiful Victorian mansion, for her adorable fur balls. Next on her shopping list is a small plasma TV, because the spoiled trio loves to watch Animal Planet.

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Dolphins are smart, talented creatures,no doubt about that, but I had no ides painting was one of their skills.

Xiaoqiang, a dolphin from Qingdao, in China’s Shandong Province has learned to paint, under the guidance of his trainer. Looking at his work, I’d say he still has a long way to go before becoming the second Rembrandt, but he’s well on his way. Surprisingly enough, Xiaoqiang is not the world’s first painting mammal, the painting elephants of Thailand and Cholla the painting horse have been doing it for years.

Photos by Xinhua/REUTERS via Xinhua

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Cats aren’t known as the bravest animals on the planet, at least not when they’re confronted by a larger adversary. But this kitty is an exception.

Meet Lynx, a playful house cat who lives in the frozen taiga of the Kamchatka peninsula. Every day, the purring feline goes paw to paw with wild animals drawn in by the smell of food, cooked by her masters. Foxes can’t resist the smell of bacon and pancakes in the morning, so they carefully approach Lynx’s house. What they don’t know is this little ball of fur turns into a lion as soon as something comes within a 50 meter radius of her house.

Her masters say she often confronts passing bears, and although they’re not very troubled by her, this doesn’t stop Lynx from displaying her courage.

via Shpilenok

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Mable, a one-year-old hen, from Shrewsbury, Britain, has the impression she is a dog and takes the role of mother for a group of puppies.

Owners Edward and Ros Tate saved Mable from endig up in someone’s cooking pot, when she was hatched, a year ago. They’ve taken her in as a pet, but never noticed her strong maternal instinct, until Nettle, their dog, gave birth to puppies. The chicken observed the dog’s behaviour, and one day, as soon as Nettle left her nest, she hopped into her basket, snuggling up to the puppies, to keep them warm.

To the surprise of the owners and the actual mother, Mable keeps taking over the basket whenever she gets the chance.

via Daily Mail

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Thanks to the invention of an animal-loving art student, little Hoppa can easily move around, even without front legs.

Hoppa, a 4-year-old mixed breed dog, from Tel-Aviv, israel, has received a very special gift, created especially for him. This adorable pooch was born without his front legs, and even though his owner, Avi Kuzi, showed him all the care and affection, he had trouble moving around.

But most of his problems were solved by a wheeling device custom made for Hoppa, by an art student, who hopes his invention could ease the life of pets born with abnormalities, or with amputated limbs. This is great, but dogs like Faith – the biped dog don’t need such contraptions.

Photos by REUTERS via CCTV

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After a publicity campaign started by his owner and a bunch of fans, George, a Great Dane from Tucson, Arizon received the rightful title of World’s Tallest Dog.

After Gibson, a Great Dane from California and the previous holder of the Guinness World Record for tallest dog past away from bone cancer, George’s owner David Nasser tried to get his dog to be named successor. However, due to errors in paperwork and measurements, the title went to Titan, another Great Dane, from California.

But David Nasser wouldn’t let his beloved pet be deprived of what was rightfully his, and together with Giant George’s fans started a publicity campaign. Their efforts paid off, and after careful measurements it was decided 43-inch-tall George was indeed the world’s tallest dog, and not 42.25-inch Titan.

Giant George weighs 250 lbs, sleeps in his very own king-size bed and can barely fit in the back of his owner’s SUV. He even has his very own website and has become a certified celebrity.

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Lolo, a black jaguar, originally from South America, enjoys her first press conference together with her adorable spotted cub. Looking at the first photo, you can see she’s just as surprised as you are.

She’s the mother, so we can’t really pin this abnormality on her being unfaithful. Believe it or not, it’s not the babies spots that are odd, it’s his mother’s pitch-black fur. Most jaguars have brown spots that help them blend better in their environment, but about 6% of them suffer from a genetic condition known as melanism, which causes them to be entirely black.

Lolo and her two-year-old cub live at the Yaduda zoo, in Jordan. The youngster’s father, Falah, was separated, so he wouldn’t hurt the cub. It’s pretty selfish of us humans to keep such extraordinary creatures in depressing conditions, simply for our entertainment.That little beast is adorable, but just thinking about the rest of his life in a zoo, instead of in the jungle, where he belongs, makes me feel depressed.

Photos by REUTERS via Daylife

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Every year, the people of Suzdal, a small Russian town north-east of Moscow, gather at the the Museum of Wooden Architecture, for the traditional goose fight.

Locals form a circle that acts as the circle of the fighting ring, and the geese are simply unleashed. Apparently, the colder the winter, the more aggressive the birds. This year the temperatures were way below zero,  so the geese started fighting almost instantly.

Two families are released into the ring, but only two geese take part in the actual confrontation, withe the rest of the parties doing all the cheering. But this isn’t as violent as it my look. Unlike cock fights or ouzel fights, goose fighting is a lot more gentle, resulting in only a few plucked feathers.

via toprn

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You might think you have mad mountain-climbing skills, but nature’s got you beat. I don’t know how they do it, but these mountain goats climb on to the most precarious places.

Living in mountainous regions around North America, mountain goats can be found at altitudes of up to 13,000 feet, climbing cliffs all day long, in search of food. Thanks to their cloven hooves, each featuring two widely-spaced toes that provide great balance, mountain goats can challenge any seasoned climber and probably best him.

Their double-layered, thick white coats provide camouflage in snowy settings, but the altitude they can reach provides enough protection from most predators. And if they happen to run into trouble, they can jump 12 feet in one leap, and reach a safe point. Just check out the pics to get an idea of their climbing capabilities.

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Well, it looks like a giant hamster, but it’s actually a capybara, the largest rodent on the planet, and it makes a great pet,apparently.

Melanie Typaldos, from Buda, Texas first came into contact with a capybara on a trip in Venezuela. Her daughter Coral fell in love with them the moment she got to pick one up and hold it in her arms. The moment they returned home, Melanie began searching for a capybara as a pet. She found 11-day-old Caplin Rous on a rare animal farm in Texas and it instantly became a member of their family.

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If you’re a cheetah, that is. Otherwise it’s just time consuming and silly, especially if you’re a grown man.

These incredible photos were taken by wildlife photographer Michel Denis-Huot, in Kenya’s Masai-Mara Reserve, and show three grown male cheetah’s playing and cuddling with a young Impala, instead of tearing it apart and eating it, like God intended.

The “deadly” trio were just roaming across the wilderness, when they spotted a pack of Impalas, which they decided to chase. One little antelope wasn’t fast enough and got left behind. When the cheetahs caught up with it, they simply started playing with what supposed to be their food. The three felines started licking the Impala, put their paws on its head, cuddling, but nothing threatening.

Sounds a lot like what a cat does to a mouse, but usually the rodent ends up being eaten. Not in this movie. After a playing session, the Impala ran away unharmed. The only remotely logical explanation is that the three cheetahs were already too full and tired for another kill. Still…AMAZING!

via Daily Mail

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Hercules is a 900-pound-heavy, 6-feet-tall and 12-feet-long liger who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest cat.

Born from a lion father and tiger mother, Hercules grew into an impressive creature, able to run at speeds of up to 50 mph and eat 100 pounds of food in one sitting. Ligers have been known to be fat and unhealthy cats, but Hercules is an exceptional specimen that got the best from both feline races.

During a recent photo-shoot, Hercules’ caretakers wanted to show his enormous size by placing him against popular English symbols, like an old double-decker bus or a black cab. He was actually able to climb the bus to receive a tasty treat. It might look like the world’s biggest cat is actually in London, but he’s really quite close to home, at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, Southern California.

Despite his gigantic size, Hercules is very tame and Dr. Bhagavan, one of the liger’s caretakers, says looking into his eyes is “like looking into God’s own eyes”.

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I don’t know how they do it, but Thai trainers get elephants to do the most amazing things. After the amazing elephant painters, from the National Elephant Institute, it’s time for the extraordinary basketball-playing elepahnts.

Malie and Toktak are the stars of the Island Safari Center, on Koh Samui Island. After undergoing months of rigorous training, the two pachyderms have mastered the sport of basketball. I know what you’re thinking, Shaquille O’neal finally found someone his own size to play with.

The elephant trainers start by teaching them the basics of basketball control, before they get to the carrying of the ball in their trunk and shooting it to the basket. It takes a few months before they get the basics of the sport, but they’re improving every day. it won’t be long until NBA drafters start checking these two out, mark my words.

Photos by Bronek Kaminiski/BARCROFT INDIA

via Telegraph.co.uk

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You didn’t think these adorable purring fur-balls were going to stand by and let dogs show off their yoga moves without proving their own flexibility, did you?

Two months ago Dan and Alejandra Borris presented the amazing Yoga Dogs Calendar and now they’re blowing the minds of animal lovers everywhere, with the 2010 Yoga Cats Calendar. Alejandra, a former yoga teacher, borrowed her neighbors’ cats and coaxed them in yoga-like positions while her husband took the photos.

Because they didn’t want to force the cats into anatomically-impossible positions, the couple got them as close as they could get to the desired positions and then Dan used his Photoshop skills to get the right effect.

Have a look at the entire Yoga Cats and Yoga Dogs Calendars on their official site.

via Daily Mail

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Meet Oscar, the luckiest dog in the world. This year he and his master traveled across 5 continents and 29 countries.

Five years ago, Joanne Lefson found Oscar in a South-African kennel and took him in. In May of this year, Joanne sold her house and went on a trip around the world, accompanied, of course, by her beloved pooch. Their incredible journey was meant to inspire people everywhere to take stray dogs of the streets and offer them a home.

Here are some amazing photos of Oscar taken in some of the most amazing locations in the world. Oh, and check out the full of list of countries he visited, at the bottom.

Photos by CATERS NEWS AGENCY

via Daily Mail

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