Why do dogs often walk in circles before lying down for bed? Turns out, it's a survival trait inherited from their evolutionary ancestor the wolf. Read the rest

Last week, Bradenton, Florida brewery Motorworks Brewing made headlines with their idea to put local animal shelter dogs' photos on their beer cans to help with pet adoption. Monica Mathis saw the story and recognized her dog Day Day who went missing three years ago from her Idaho home. So she called. From WFTS:

(Manatee County Animal Services's Hans) Wohlgefahrt said they checked and Day Day did have a microchip with Monica's first name, but her last name had changed and the information on it was outdated. (She had since moved to Minnesota.)

Mathis was able to provide paperwork to prove to Manatee County Animal Services that Day Day was actually her dog, Hazel.

"Once I got the confirmation I just couldn’t believe that this was actually my dog," said Mathis.

How Hazel got from Iowa to Florida is unknown.

(Thanks to our Florida bureau chief, Charles Pescovitz!) Read the rest

In 2018, a dog breeder surrendered this Siberian husky, named Jubilee, to an animal shelter because, they claimed, his "weird" eyes made him unsellable. According to vets at Matawan, New Jersey's Husky House shelter, her wild eyes are the result of a congenital deformity and "does not affect her in any way or slow her down one bit. She is happy and healthy." From CNN:

But for the past two years, Jubilee has struggled to find a loving family to care for her.

Husky House took to Facebook on Tuesday with a heartbreaking doggy plea for her adoption.

"I came from a 'breeder' who couldn't sell me because he said I was 'weird' looking," the shelter wrote.

"Huskies are majestic looking dogs and I don't know why I don't look like them."

"I wish I was beautiful so someone would want me to be their dog."

Caretakers at Husky House were worried the plea wouldn't work, but to their surprise it went viral.

More than 150 people applied to adopt Jubilee, the Husky House representative told CNN.

On Saturday, Jubilee went off to his forever home. And Husky House is now selling Jubilee t-shirts to help raise funds for their shelter!

Read the rest

Choices. https://t.co/o3bJPCDApG pic.twitter.com/uYrI6mype5

— Cliff Pickover (@pickover) August 10, 2019

I can only hope that there was a second chance.

(via Daily Grail) Read the rest

This is Zsa Zsa, the English bulldog who this weekend took home the top prize at the 30th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, California.

"Nine years young with a swaggering tongue, Zsa Zsa delivered a shower of slobber as she claimed this year's title," said a news release.

From CNN:

A function of the annual Sonoma-Marin Fair, it seeks to demonstrate "the pedigree does not define the pet." By raising awareness about the benefits of adoption, "the contest speaks to the importance of advocating for the adoration of all animals," even those not blessed with Lassie's movie-star looks.

Many of the pups taking part in the contest were rescued from kill shelters or puppy mills, organizers say.

That includes Zsa Zsa, your 2018 queen, who spent five years at a puppy mill in Missouri before being purchased by the nonprofit Underdog Rescue.

Zsa Zsa resides in Anoka, Minnesota with her human Megan Brainard. Read the rest

Three-thousand pounds of marijuana were seized recently at Pharr International Bridge on the Rio Grande. Customs and Border Protection report that the weed, disguised as watermelons, did not fool the sniffer dogs during inspection of a 1993 Thermo King tractor-trailer.

The search resulted in the discovery of 390 packages disguised as watermelons. The packages contained a total of 3,000 pounds of alleged marijuana, which CBP reports is valued at approximately $600,092.

“Smugglers continue to be creative as they attempt to introduce illegal narcotics into our country,” said Port Director Efrain Solis Jr., Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry in a release. “Our frontline CBP officers’ experience, vigilance and attention to detail prevents the introduction of these dangerous drugs into our country.”