Posts tagged "pig"
And that was just the beginning of Pig Pig's adventures. When her mother died shortly afterwards, Jeff's wife Heidi placed the newborn piglet with a new litter of Red Heeler puppies, hoping that the doggie mother would take to the piglet. "The mama dog looked at me like, "are you crazy?" But nature took over, her mothering instinct took over and she brought her in as one of her own," says Heidi.
Now the only problem with healthy and happy Pig Pig is that she thinks she's a dog -- and refuses to have anything to do with the other pigs on the farm.
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The aorta cut off blood supply to the tongue, leading it to swell to four times its normal size. The elderly dog could easily have suffocated or died from a blood infection as parts of the tongue died from lack of blood. Fortunately her owner, Linda Donnelly, rushed Penny to a Glasgow vet hospital as soon as she saw the ghoulish tongue dangling from the dog's mouth.
Penny had eaten the pig heart hours before the incident, Donnelly told the Metro, so at first she had no idea what the problem was. But once the dog was put under anesthesia, the vets spotted the fibrous aorta membrane wound around the base of her tongue and were able to cut it free, the Metro reported.
"When [the vet] told us what had happened I felt awful. She has them as a treat now and again but I never for one moment thought anything like this could have happened," Donnelly told the Metro. "Pigs hearts are now completely off the menu."
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Deanna Dent, South Florida Sun-Sentinel / MCT
After Rob Falk's family and their Yorkshire pig, Strawberri, made national headlines, their local town council in Southwest Ranches, Fla. decided it will consider changing its law banning all swine except for pot-bellied pigs, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The town had originally told the Falk family that they had until December 1 to find a new home for their pet, or face a fine of $100 per day. The Falks, who rent their home, consider Strawberri a part of the family and were prepared to uproot their lives to keep her. A vote on Strawberri's fate could come as early as January, but hopefully the Falk family and Strawberri will be able to enjoy the holidays at home. Town Councilman Doug McKay will testify before a magistrate to help the family get an extension on their deadline until the council can vote.
McKay said that at least ten other pigs who would be in violation of the code also live in the town so it was unfair to single out the Falks. Town officials responded that they don't typically go around counting swine.
"Strawberri is pretty big, but she's like a big puppy," the Falk's 11-year -old daughter Kai told the Tribune. "This is putting a lot of stress on me and Strawberri.
Deanna Dent, South Florida Sun-Sentinel / MCT
Last week, city council officials gave Falk and his family 30 days to remove their pet pig, Strawberry, from their home, Fox News reported. But Falk balked at the suggestion.
Falk, his wife and their young daughter plan to leave their rented home -- and they're taking Strawberry with them, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
The town does allow one pet pot-bellied pig per household, according to the Sun Sentinel. But Strawberry is no petite pot-bellied. She's a Yorkshire pig, and at nine months old already weighs 300 pounds. As a full-grown porker, she'll tip the scales at 400 to 500 pounds and sport a seriously big pair of tusks -- attributes that led the town council to vote down the pig.
For Falk, the choice was clear. "How do you tell somebody to get rid of one of their animals? The pig is like one of our children," he told the Sun Sentinel.
We think this little piggy would probably feel right at home off the coast of Big Major Spot.
Animal Noses
The star-nosed mole is native to eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. If you've never seen one, don't be surprised; these critters spend most of their time digging underground tunnels. They use their wacky tentacled noses as feelers to find tasty worms and insects in the darkness.
Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University / AP
The proboscis monkey swings through the trees of Borneo. Only males have the huge honker, which can reach up to 7 inches in length. The exaggerated sniffer actually attracts females, 'cause you know what they say about big noses... good scents!
Gerry Ellis, Minden Pictures / Getty Images
The planet is home to more than 2 billion domestic pigs, not to mention a variety of ugly wild hogs and boars. Not very discriminating in their tastes, pigs use their superior senses of smell to scavenge for foods ranging from acorns to insects to rotting garbage.
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The African aardvark gets its name from a word meaning "earth pig." The nosy, nocturnal mammals are all about hunting termites with their keen senses of smell. Aardvarks tear apart termite mounds with their claws before sticking in their snouts -- nostrils conveniently sealed -- to hoover up the bugs.
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Dog breeds like pugs and bulldogs are famous for their short, scrunched-up noses -- and for the epic snores that bellow from their nostrils. These flattened faces can cause breathing problems that sometimes need to be corrected by surgery.
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We've all seen elephants, but how often do you stop to think about how ridiculous the pachyderm's nose really is? The tubular trunk is part nose, part upper lip, and part extra hand. The gigantic Asian and African mammals use their trunks to maneuver small objects, itch their backs, wipe their eyes, knock down trees and take long, cold drinks from the watering hole. Talk about multitasking!
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Elephant seals -- and their unmistakable schnozzes -- are found in oceans the world over. Only adult males sport the bulbous noses, which help them produce ear piercingly loud roars. The big noses also help trap water, effectively preventing moisture loss during mating season when the males rarely leave the beach for food or water.
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The impressive horn of the rhinoceros is formed from keratin, the stuff of hair and fingernails. The brutish beasts are native to Africa and Asia. In China, rhinos are hunted for their horns, which are ground up and prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine.
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Why the long face? Long-nosed dogs like dachshunds exist on the opposite end of the spectrum from pugs and bulldogs. Bred for hunting badgers and rabbits, their long noses impart them with a stupendous sense of smell.
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The elephant shrew isn't really a shrew. After years of classification confusion, scientists now say the petite African mammals aren't closely related to any living animals. They're actually very distant relatives of aardvarks, hyraxes, manatees and, yes, elephants. They use their stretched-out snouts to probe the forest floor for bugs and spiders to eat.
Jessie Cohen, National Zoo / AP
Octomom, Nadya Suleman, outside her home in La Habra, California. ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
Oh, and you search for a pet pig because your life just isn't bizarre enough already.
"For a couple of years, the kids have been asking for a dog," Suleman told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. "I've actually been looking into a pig, like a little one." (No word why she would search for a pig, when her kids asked for a dog.) Suleman says she would slap a diaper on the pig and make it live outside, where it will be less likely to offend anyone with its smell.
Suleman also said she is "considering a teacup Pomeranian or similar small dog." Yes, because that's exactly what you need when you're raising 14 children all under the age of 8 -- a tiny dog they can terrorize with their well-intentioned poking and cuddling.
What do you think? Should Suleman get a pet for her kids, whether it's a pig or a dog?
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