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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They’re probably going to end up in someone’s burger, but at least these guys can say they’ve lived a happy life.

A Russian farmer learned that happy cows are more productive, so he decided to buy some state of the art LED TVs (not sure if they’re HD) so the cows can have something to watch. The TV’s play an endless loop of images taken in the Swiss Alps, showing green pastures, lakes and trees, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The reaction of the cows wasn’t as spectacular as you might expect. These are high quality displays, a human would have probably jumped for joy, but the cows simply ignored their expensive gifts. Now the farmer is measuring the results of his investment, by comparing the productivity of these television-watching cows, to a group deprived of television.

I tell you, these cows better step up their game, or they might end up with a hole in their stomachs. And that’s no joke.

via EnglishRussia

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Doctor Gunther von Hagen , the anatomist who invented plastination, presents his newest exhibition – a collection of the most revered animals in the world.

At the “Body Worlds of Animals” exhibition, held at Neunkirchen Zoo, Germany, people can discover the intricate anatomy of some of the most remarkable creatures in the animal kingdom. Samba and Chiana, two elephants donated by the zoo to the Institute of Plastination, four years ago, return home in plastinated form. The whole process of plastinating an elephant took 64,000 hours, 4 tons of silicone and 40,000 liters of acetone. By comparison, platinating a human body takes only 3,000 hours of work.

But the difficult and time-consuming process is well worth it, if it can reveal amazing mechanisms, like an elephant’s trunk, manipulated by 40,000 muscles, or the incredible cardiovascular system of the giraffe, which prevents it from being in permanent cardiac arrest.

The Body Worlds of Animals features other popular animals, like the bear, gorilla, or ostrich, stripped of their skin and ready for inspection. Dr. Gunther von Hagen, a self-declared animal lover, hopes his exhibition ” will increase appreciation for animals, especially endangered species, and remind us all of our obligation to animal welfare.”

Photos by REUTERS via Daylife

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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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Why kill an animal and have it stuffed with straw and stuff, when you van have artist Shauna Richardson crochet you the best trophy head you could ever dream of?

Shauna Richardson is a true crochetdermy expert. What is crochetdermy, you ask? Well it’s kind of like taxidermy, only without the dead animals. The UK based artist uses coarse wools like mohair, and glass eyes to create animal models and hunting trophies. She uses a single color and only one type of stitch for an entire crochetdermy model, changing the direction of the stitches to highlight certain anatomical features. She works with a single 3mm hook.

Although it takes Shauna over a month to complete one of her crochetdermy masterpieces, the end result is definitely worth the effort.

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Cats are famous for their relaxing effect on people, but in a country like Japan, where space is an issue, having a pet is problematic. That’s when cat cafes come into play.

For a modest fee of between $5 and $8 Japanese animal lovers can enjoy their usual coffee surrounded by dozens of playful cats. Spending an hour in the company of cats can work wonders on the human mind, and when you’re as stressed as Japanese business-men, even more so. Many of them can’t fit a household pet into their busy schedules, so they opt for a relaxing one-hour break in the company of purring felines.

It might seem like an oddity to us, but ever since the first cat cafe opened in 2004, in Osaka, this sort of establishment has become mainstream in Japan. While you can pet the cats and pay with them, you must obey a very simple set of rules regarding hygiene. In order to prevent infection OF THE CATS, customers have to wear disposable socks and slippers, as well as wash their hands with antiseptic.

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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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Rear Gear has your pet’s butt covered, literally…

I have to admit when I first saw photos of the Rear Gear in action, I had one of those now-I’ve-seen-everything moments. But seeing it was sold out on Etsy, I started realizing its usefulness, sort of. I can see why some owners would want to cover their animals’ butt holes, and keep Mr. Brown-Eye out of sight.

Rear Gear is a simple, hand-made device that attaches to the pet’s tail and completely covers its unattractive backside with something pretty like a smiley face, a flower, a heart, cupcake and many more. It’s genius and it’s about to make a brilliant entrepreneur from Portland very rich.

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