The Pet Pundit

Category Archives: Amazing Animals

Oct 23 0 comments

Nora the piano playing cat wins Feline of the Year

Back in February, the Pet Pundit featured a story on Nora the Piano Playing cat. Watch her first video here.

Today, she has been named Cat of the Year by the ASPCA who said they picked her not just for ability to paw out a tune, but because she was an adopted feline and what better way to promote the adoption of cats than to show of the talents of Nora.

Ten remarkable animals and people, including Nora, the piano-playing cat, and a dog who helps a disabled veteran, will be honored for their heroic deeds on October 29 at this year’s ASPCA Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City. The event recognizes animal heroes who have made extraordinary efforts to impact the lives of animals during the past year.

Among the 2009 ASPCA Humane Award winners are:

ASPCA Cat of the Year

When Betsy Alexander and Burnell Yow visited an animal shelter in Cherry Hill, N.J., they never imagined they would adopt a feline prodigy. Nora is a 5-year-old gray tabby whose special piano-playing skills quickly became a YouTube sensation, drawing more than 15 million page views and inspiring a Lithuanian composer to arrange a symphony in her honor. Nora is a talented example of how shelter pets — far from being castoffs — often make the best animal companions.

ASPCA Dog of the Year

Archie is an 8-year-old black Labrador retriever who serves as an assistance dog and social lifeline for Sgt. Clay Rankin. Rankin suffered spinal injuries while serving in Iraq, and Archie is his primary caregiver and social safety net. Archie’s loyalty and perseverance in helping Rankin accomplish his daily tasks has allowed the veteran to regain his confidence and independence.

ASPCA “Tommy Monahan” Kid of the Year

Eleven-year-old Monica Plumb in Powhatan County, Va., decided to make a real difference after seeing a news story about a pet that was saved from a house fire due to the use of an oxygen pet mask. Monica launched PetMask.com to collect online donations to purchase pet masks for fire departments, and has since purchased more than 50 mask kits for fire stations in nine different states. (This award is dedicated to Tommy Monahan, a 9-year-old Staten Island boy who perished in 2007 trying to save his pet from a house fire.)

For more award stories, visit the ASPCA’s website.

Feb 11 0 comments

Amazing Animals, Dogs

Dog comes out of retirement to win Westminster

AP – A Sussex Spaniel named Stump trots into the ring at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden on February 10, 2009 and takes Best in Show. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, just won the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show proving that youth isn’t everything.

Comparable to Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to play again for the Chicago Bulls, ten-year-old (that’s about 70 in human years!), Stump, more formally known as “Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee,” entered the final ring with champions half his age at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and won Best in Show.

Now the oldest dog ever to win at Westminster (the previous title went to an eight-year-old Papillion in 1999), Stump came out of retirement only a week ago to enter the competition.

A Sussex Spaniel has never won the event, but since they can live to about 15 years old, who knows, maybe Stump will compete again when we least expect it.

The Sussex Spaniel, one of the first ten breeds to be recognized by the AKC Stud Book in 1884, originated from Sussex, England, and were considered excellent field dogs. Despite a serious face, these dogs are sociable and friendly. They have been described as calm and steady, but with a mind of their own. Like last year’s winner, Uno the beagle, they have a propensity to howl. Just something you should know if you are thinking of getting this breed.

And if you are thinking of getting this breed, check out Petfinder.com, the largest online database of adoptable pets with a network of more than 12,200 shelters and rescue groups, Petfinder.com has 139,896 dogs available for adoption; 25 percent of which are purebreds. Right now, Petfinder.com says they have three Sussex Spaniels for adoption, as well as 71 Dogue de Bordeaux, the latest breed introduced into the competition.

Feb 10 2 comments

Amazing Animals, Cats, Videos

Nora, the piano playing cat

While some cats get their kicks out of walking across a piano, Nora actually sits down and paws various keys over and over again, making music much to her own delight. Rubbing her head along the keys and occasionally meowing at her human admirers, she will apparently sit for hours and just paw at the piano. Nora wasn’t taught to “play piano.” Instead she seems to be imitating her mom who gives piano lessons. I loved watching her play (so have 12 million other people) and so am providing two videos here for you to enjoy. There are a lot more videos of Nora on Youtube and a great in-depth story on this feline piano sensation at Zootoo Pet News.

Jan 05 0 comments

Amazing Animals, Dogs

Elephant and dog: two unlikely animals become BFF’s

Tarra, an 8,700 pound elephant, and her best friend Bella, the dog running underneath her.

BFF — the text jargon meaning “best friends forever” — may not just be the mantra of young girlfriends, but the pledge of happy elephants too.

According to a story on CBS Sunday Morning, elephants arriving at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee seek out the special friendship of a single pachyderm at the sanctuary, a best friend they can spend most of their days hanging around.

For most of the elephants at the sanctuary, there have been adequate elephants for these friendship pairings. But what happens when there are not enough pachyderm pals to go around? What’s a lonely elephant to do?

In the case of Tarra, an 8,700 pound Asian elephant, she decided her BFF would be a dog named Bella. A few homeless dogs, like Bella, have made their home at the sanctuary, but tended to keep away from the elephant crowd. Bella and Tarra, however, have crossed the huge divide.

In fact, Bella is so smitten with her new elephant friend, she actually lets Tarra rub her belly with her giant pachyderm paw. When Bella injured her back and had to recuperate inside the sanctuary office, Tarra stood vigil near the building for three weeks. When the caretakers realized that Tarra was pining for her friend, they brought Bella out for a visit. Bella wagged her tail for the first time in weeks and Tarra bellowed in joy.

The two friends are inseparable, romping through grassy fields like two kids on summer break. And there is nothing sweeter than seeing two unlikely pals sharing a unique friendship. For some reason, interspecies friendships have a way of making us feel hopeful about the world.

Click here to read Steve Hartman’s wonderful story and watch the video of their friendship.

Oct 27 0 comments

Amazing Animals

Dog rescued a mile from shore

Thinking it was an otter, two North Sea fishermen were surprised to discover a 14-year-cairn terrier paddling out at sea, just off the coast of Britain.

Apparently Freddie, who dislikes water so much that he walks around puddles and avoids baths, got disoriented during a walk on the beach with his owner, 73-year-old, Jean Brigstock. Apparently, it was a nice day, but a sudden fog rolled in and separated Freddie from Mrs. Brigstock. Never thinking her dog would enter into the water, she searched the shore. But Freddie had slipped into the sea and desperately paddled a mile out before being fished out by fisherman Jimmy Thompson.

Exhausted, Freddie slept quietly through the night, but returned to his normal self the very next morning, eagerly awaiting breakfast. While Freddie’s fear of water probably now includes the ocean, just to be safe, he should probably be walked on a leash next time.