Animals

Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog, poses for a photo with his Guinness World Record certificates for the oldest dog, at his home in Conqueiros, central Portugal, on May 20.

World News

Bobi, the world's oldest dog ever, dies at 31

1:21pm October 25, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo livestock guard dog had a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. His owner credit's Bobi's longevity to his ability to roam freely and his diet of human food.

'The Comfort of Crows' is fuel to restore spirts in dealing with ecological grief

9:53am October 25, 2023

by Barbara J. King

Here the New York Times columnist and author of Late Migrations and Graceland Margaret Renkl brings alive in 52 chapters her love for the animals and plants in her yard and nearby parks in Tennessee.

Music & Culture

Rock star Bret Michaels has a new best friend: Bret Michaels, a 6-year-old husky

7:26am October 25, 2023

The frontman for Poison learned about his namesake after the Nebraska Humane Society shared a post about how the dog saved a rescue kitten's life with a blood donation. Michaels is adopting the dog.

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America's Second City has come in first for an honor it might not want: rats

7:26am October 25, 2023

Pest control company Orkin says Chicago earned the top spot on its annual list of America's "rattiest" cities — beating out Los Angeles and New York, which came in second and third respectively.

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There's an alligator sitting on top of a New York City manhole in Union Square Park

7:25am October 23, 2023

The alligator is made of bronze. The sculpture, by Swedish Artist Alexander Klingspor, is an homage to the legend that alligators roam the city's sewers.

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Did you win a live iguana at the Apple Scrapple Festival in Delaware?

7:06am October 23, 2023

The Delaware Department of Agriculture says iguanas are not native to the state, and if released into the wild could cause ecological damage. If you no longer want the prize, contact the department.

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National

When victims need help managing stress, Salt Lake police rely on Rita the labrador

5:13am October 23, 2023

by Ciara Hulet

Police departments find that keeping specially trained dogs on hand to comfort crime victims, and officers themselves, make a real difference in often trying circumstances.

Doctor tells patient, who is feeling sad, that to feel better she should get a cat

1:17pm October 20, 2023

When Robin Sipes told her pulmonologist that her cat had died and she was feeling down, he told her pets can improve feelings of loneliness. On her way home, Sipes found a kitten who needed a home.

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National

Officials are monitoring for sick birds at a lake in California's Central Valley

7:54am October 20, 2023

by Joshua Yeager

Officials are trying to contain an outbreak of avian botulism at Tulare Lake, which refilled this year due to California's extreme precipitation.

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This week in science: How albatrosses navigate, fossilized ocean worms, meteor shower

4:28pm October 19, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina Barber and Aaron Scott of Short Wave about albatrosses' impressive navigational abilities, fossilized ocean worms and an upcoming meteor shower.