NewYorkCity.

krnhersh, Flickr Cute Pet Name: Costella (Stella) Location: New York City Age: 6 years Cat Breed: Manhattan Upper West Side mix Favorite Toy: Tin foil rolled into a ball. Likes: Snuggling with her brother Elvis and playing with Dasha, our 14-year-old dog/surrogate mom. Dislikes: Calamari, sardines and most human food. Weird Quirks: Likes to squint her eyes, tilt her head and snuggle under my chin. She also likes to lie on her back, belly up. Congratulations to our submitter, krnhersh. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool! More Cute Pets ...

The Tompkins Square Park Halloween Parade in New York City celebrated its twentieth anniversary on Saturday with more than 400 dolled-up dogs competing for a prizes like an iPod Touch, which went to Gracie the pug and her owner, Dewey Moss, who dressed Gracie as Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With the Wind," reports the New York Post. The event was a clear indication of two things: the incredible creativity that abounds in New York City, and the intense love New Yorkers feel for their pets. Nobody spends this much time on a dog costume unless there's a serious bond there, right? A few of our favorites from the parade are in the gallery below. ...

Getty Images "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!" At one time, this was just a spooky thing to say when you tucked in the kids, but it was always just a cute but meaningless threat after bed bugs were mostly eradicated in developed countries. If you live in New York City, however, you know all too well that these little pestering parasites are back on the loose, attacking Abercrombie and Fitch, scaling the Empire State Building, and even haunting the Hamptons. (There's no escape, people.) Though most of us would be happy to see these vexing vermin on the endangered-species list, bed bugs are quickly becoming an unwelcome fact of life, not just in NYC, but in a number of major ...

IDS.Photos, Flickr One part service dog, one part best friend, Ruger the yellow Lab not only helped guide his owner Kevin Coughlin through the streets of Manhattan, but he became an unofficial mascot for guide-dog rights. Ruger carved out his place in history when he served as Exhibit A in a series of court cases in which Kevin fought (and won) discrimination suits against businesses that refused to allow his service dog through their doors. Terms like "trailblazer" and "pioneer" are rarely bestowed upon members of the canine family, but in Ruger's case, they seem quite fitting. After winning high-profile case after high-profile case, Ruger became a darling of the news media and was ...

Mecea for New York Daily News Sweet relief: Sugar is home! A beloved Brooklyn mutt that had vanished into snowy Prospect Park was found Tuesday shivering and tied to a tree. The French bulldog/basset hound mix named Sugar vanished last Wednesday. Soon after, a money-hungry man called the family demanding a ransom. When a flustered Drucie Belman offered only $50 - a figure she just blurted out and later regretted as too low - the dognapper hung up . The tale of woe was originally featured by Daily News columnist Michael Daly on Sunday. The family - including husband Albert, 42, and their sons, Henry, 10, and Leo, 7 - plastered Park Slope with posters and searched Prospect Park. Calls ...

Photo: Farm Sanctuary It's a story that starts off like a bad joke: Why did the goat cross the road -- or should we say, the Hutchinson River Parkway? In the case of an emaciated baby Nubian goat found wandering in New York City on September 1st, he was most likely saving his hide from being sold at a live meat market. The east Bronx area isn't new to goats on the lam (sorry!) as two others, Isabella and Duncan, were also found in bad shape walking through the borough in July, reports the New York Daily News. The lucky refugees were rescued by animal control and are now living at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. Paw Nation spoke with Farm Sanctuary national shelter director Susie ...