Raising a pet coyote in Wyoming (with adorable pics)

by Jerry Guo on

I think any reasonable person would be against capturing and taming wild animals, so I bristled a bit when I first came across this website, which tells the story of a woman who raises a coyote out of a one-room log cabin in Wyoming.

But you learn that she found the coyote as a pup, orphaned after both of his parents were killed. Plus, the cuuuute pictures won me over. The woman herself also intrigued me. She’s 30, lives in a town of 300, and on a whim moved to Wyoming (when she was suppose to to New York City from San Francisco).

She’s apparently also an amateur photographer, with a separate site with photos from her solo trip across the states on a Vespa.

How Much is that Spider Monkey in the Window?

by Brett Atkinson on

Being a pet lover and a frequent traveller can sometimes be pretty challenging. Personal experience has shown that a well-adjusted Siamese cat can sometimes turn into a ratbag when left with a newbie house-sitter (that’ll teach me for naming the cat Havoc in the first place….).

If you’re living in Japan, help is at hand in the form of pet rental companies. Yep, if you (or your landlord…) doesn’t approve of you having a regular four-legged and furry companion, companies like Zoo Japan and Janet Village will let you share in the joys of pet ownership for periods as short as an hour. It’s not just cats and dogs either. Six hours with a hamster will set you pack 1000 yen (around US$9 ) while a sojourn with a spider monkey goes for 100,000 yen (around $US900).

There’s no word if you really form a bond with your new non-human buddy if the companies also offer a rent to buy scheme.

Traveling doggy style!

by Abha Malpani on


It seems like more and more pet-owners want their dogs to match their lifestyle, not only at home, but also when they travel. Hence the recent popularity for doggy dining restaurants, and special welcome packs for dogs on check-in at hotels is no longer uncommon.

Dog food companies are taking advantage of the growing ‘in-separation’ between owners and their dogs and producing doggy latte drinks, doggy beer, and doggy donuts — how awesome is that!

In Spain every other person has a dog, but I haven’t really noticed the kick-off of dog beauty salons or clothes/accessories shops here in Madrid, let alone doggy dining. But, every 14th of January, on the day of Saint Anton (Saint of Animals), Spaniards get to take their pets to church. On this day, you will see queues of people waiting for their dogs and ducks to be blessed.

So, pets are going to restaurants, hotels and churches — do you think they’ll ever be able to fly with us rather than with our baggage?

[Via MSNBC]

Photo: Gavin Ashworth, MSNBC

Miss the Pet You Left? Rent One

by Jamie Rhein on

When I moved to Singapore, I couldn’t quite see how my cat who went outdoors at will in Albuquerque, New Mexico would adjust to apartment living in the tropics. I gave Frank away. I felt bad about that, but I think he was happier without the jetlag and quarantine. Plus, with all the traveling and my job taking up time, having a pet wouldn’t have been particularly practical. I just read about FlexPetz, a rent-a-pet company that got me thinking, though about people on the go who are missing some animal companionship. This is just musing on my part, but it seems like an interesting idea.

The company rents dog time. If you like dogs, want to spend time with dogs, but haven’t the means for a full-time dog in your life, you can get one from FlexPetz for the weekend. You can even get one for less time than that. Some people just take a dog out for a walk for a couple of hours. I wonder if you were a frequent traveler to Los Angeles or San Diego where the company is located if you could rent a dog to keep you company? The idea here is also take care of animals that need some TLC. There is membership involved. The Web site gives the details.The company also plans to set up shop in San Francisco, Manhattan, Boston, London, and Washington, D.C. Tokyo, Paris and Glasgow are some of the other possibilities in the works. Here’s the info link. Maybe this won’t work for short trips, but what if you’re going to be there on an extended project or long bursts of time for whatever reason?

A friend of mine who used to travel for business hated it because she felt lonely a lot of the time. Having a dog for company might have been just what she needed to chase away the travel blues.

Air Canada is Set to Ban Pets in the Cabin

by Martha Edwards on

Air Canada is set to become the first Canadian airline to ban pets from riding in the cabin of its aircrafts. This news comes after one passenger had a severe allergic reaction to the the presence of a cat in a seat near her. Unfortunately, because the air on flights is recycled, allergic reactions often won’t go away simply by moving the pet to another seat away from the allergy sufferer.

Meanwhile, Air Canada‘s competitors, particularly Westjet, are taking advantage of the ban by attempting to woo pet lovers.

I’m an animal lover but I kind of agree with Air Canada — it’s not fair for allergy sufferers to bring your pets in the cabin. It’s also not really fair to make animals suffer in the belly of the plane, but I think pets suffer from any journey, no matter where they are on the plane. Here’s my solution: leave Fido at home or drive.