Balding Eagle

via yojimbot

*snap*

That's not a Q-Tip

For some other troubling (though I suppose a q-tip stuck in a bird's posterior is probably more troubling than what's pictured) as well as some cute in a non-disturbing-way photos go here.

One of the best (and saddest) Gothamist thread ever

About a rat trapped (and died) while trying to make it out of a crack in a sidewalk on the UWS:


Try as I could, I couldn't help but laugh at some of the photoshopped pix of Sad Rat here and here. The Larry King one is classic.

RIP Sad Rat.

I hope you died a quick death.

So very very wrong

I don't recall what it was that I was reading when I came across this weird site that had matching slutty outfits for women and their dogs. Now I'm all for empowering women to express their sexuality, even for those who use Halloween as their excuse to be extra ho-y. That said, there's got to be a line drawn. What weirdo would want to slut up their dogs in matching outfits??? And what kinda site would promote such a site with pics like the ones below (esp the one on the left -- ewww):


Now I'm sure some would say that it's all harmless fun, and that the dogs don't know any better. Well, I'm not so convinced that's true. This particular pup below seems to be know that something don't seem right:


Those are "help me" eyes if I've ever seen them.

Just when I was ready to call bulls***

It turns out that the story about "man saving baby falcon" was in fact true. Apologies to the AP for a story that I for certain thought was bulls*** especially since all the local outlets replicated the same AP feed with no additional reporting.

That is, until today.

The NY Post ran this lovely follow-up about our little friend, Alice, (pictured here) who is certain to learn that revenge is a dish best served cold.

Watch out sky rats, your time is near!

Gummy

And I thought *I* had a gummy smile.

Chihuahuas of the Air (redux)

In my ever-constant search for the chihuahua-equivalent of flying animals, I'd forgotten to that there are more flight-capable animals than birds. Duh. Anyway, I present to you the Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba) a/k/a small cottonballs of cuteness:

Giraffes crack me up

Westminster '09

For events with a capital "E" it's always nice to know someone in the biz for an unique backstage look. Thanks to Ari, I was once again able to gain insider access to this year's Westminster. As everyone knows by now, the winner was a Sussex Spaniel named "Stump". Here's a pic of him getting ready to be judged -- little did he know that he was going to be swarmed (quite literally) by reporters within the hour:



However, what people don't know is that heavy money favorite going into Best in Show was the winner of the Toy Group. I'm glad that didn't come to pass. I saw Stump when he won his group, and although it was an unlikely choice, he definitely had that certain je ne sais quoi when one saw him strutting in the ring.

Anyway, although ticket sales and participation was down this year -- which btw, I was rather glad of cuz I did not miss the body-crushing masses from last year -- there wasn't a discernible difference in terms of the fervor of the crowds.

Here are some of my favs from the day:

Showin' A Little Leg

Quite literally.

(Times are tough, a hamster's gotta do what a hamster's gotta do.)

A Little (Big) Visitor

Outside the window yesterday... I thought one of the neighbors had thrown something awful outside, like a ciggie butt, but when I checked I found a very pleasant surprise:

Chihuahuas of the Air

So I was trying to find the baby's equivalent of a raptor, i.e. bird of prey. The two finalists are the American Kestrel (left) and the Pygmy Owl (right):


I dunno, they're both pretty darn small -- and cute. I just want to eat them.

Pampered Pups

So I finally got myself to the Westminster Dog Show. What a zoo. I think the people to dog ratio was at least 5:1 if not more. Good thing the pups are so terrific cuz the people are not. It's like Filene's during its annual bridal sale. Anyway, here are some of the pups -- and maybe it's the fact that none of them have been spayed or neutered but there are some big azz dogs there, even the little ones:

Imagine a Chinese-crested that's 40-50lbs

Strange? Well, check out the Peruvian Inca Orchid -- a sight hound bred from the times of the Incas:

Let's catch you up...

So it's been a couple of wks since my last post, so to fill you in on what I've been up to, here's a little show and tell:

Enn, Ephanie, Vix, L and I braved the Staten Island and made our way to the wilds of NJ, also known as Six Flags Wild Safari. There, we watched idiots try to entice wild animals into their cars and watched lazy animals watching us.

This is right after the giraffes spotted a keeper driving with their feed. They all took off like they were late for a party:



Here's a mother and three cubs. What you can't see are kajillion flies zipping around these bears. Not so cute, but I like the electric fence. It's a good touch.



Then we hopped next door and got on some rides. I got a little motion sick after my second loopy ride and broke out in cold sweat. So the prospect of getting on this was not so pleasing, but clearly not everyone felt this way:



Then last wknd there was the annual Halloween dog parade at the dog run at Thompkins Sq Park. I don't know who looked sillier, all the dogs in ridic outfits or the mass of people milling about.

Here are two of my favorites from that day:




That's it. La la. Show over. Go home.

adopted?

Who looks more like their muhmuh? Them's some hairy kids.

War Comes to Pets

A sign of the times, customized armor for your puppies in case of war:

What'choo looking at???

Don't know what it is about these birds of prey, but they sure are one suspicious looking bunch.

Personally I think this particular bird looks as if it's been caught doing something.

Um, what dear? No, I didn't eat the mouse. Uh, what's in my talon? Uh, what talon? I mean, uh, nothing. Nothing at all.

Piaps of Pride!

Piaps, like people come in a variety of shapes and sizes; and I was glad to see that diversity reflected at this year's NYC Pride. That said, check out the azz on that lab -- someone doesn't hold back at the chow bowl: