pets

Cats are lined up at a mobile spay and neuter clinic run by the animal welfare group Poi Dogs and Popoki in Haleiwa, Hawaii on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. Conservationists are concerned about the number of feral cats roaming Hawaii because cat feces washing into the ocean can spread toxoplasmosis, which can be deadly for endangered Hawaiian monk seals. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Health & Safety

Forsyth Animal Shelter partners with nonprofit to spay and neuter local pets

4:08pm July 25, 2024

The shelter will work with the Humane Solution Spay-Neuter program to up the number of fixed pets in the area. The two organizations will be neighbors now that Humane Solution has moved into the shelter’s unused surgical suite and offices.

Science

A study finds that dogs can smell your stress — and make decisions accordingly

3:24pm July 23, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Researchers made volunteers do public speaking and math on the spot, then showed them a calming video. Then, using sweat samples, glass jars and food bowls, they examined the emotional impact on dogs.

A two-spot octopus, like the type an Oklahoma family brought home as a pet.

Terrance the octopus came to live with a family. Then she laid dozens of eggs

6:51am April 10, 2024

The Clifford family was as prepared as possible to welcome Terrance the octopus. But there was one thing they missed: she was pregnant. And then she laid a whole lot of eggs.

Queue Listen Now

A dog tries on eclipse sunglasses in London in 2015. Experts say pets don't need eclipse sunglasses — in fact, quite the opposite.

How to keep pets safe during the solar eclipse, whether at home or on the road

4:27pm April 05, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Experts say pets are unlikely to be impacted by the eclipse itself — but there are steps their humans should take to help them deal with the crowds, traffic and stress.

Goats, are you paying attention to our tone of voice? A new study tries to answer that question. It involved 27 goats, a loudspeaker and recordings of the phrase "Hey, look over here!"

Health & Safety

Hey lil' goat, can you tell the difference between a happy voice and an angry voice?

9:14am January 30, 2024

by Marc Silver

Dogs tune into the tone of human voices. Do livestock? To find out, goatologists ran an experiment using a hidden speaker that broadcast two versions of the phrase "Hey, look over here."

Charlie the superdog is the only member of the King family who got two Halloween outfits this year. His other costume is a doughnut.

National

We're spending $700 million on pet costumes in the costliest Halloween ever

11:10am October 31, 2023

by Alina Selyukh

More U.S. shoppers are buying into Halloween this year, scaring up a new spending record for costumes, decorations, candy and cute outfits for pets.

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Rabies shots are mandatory in most of the U.S. but some dog owners are hesitant about giving their pets the vaccine.

Health & Safety

Vaccine hesitancy affects dog-owners, too, with many questioning the rabies shot

4:23pm October 11, 2023

by Pien Huang

A survey finds that more than half of dog parents are doubtful about giving their pups the vaccine for rabies — a lethal disease that vaccination brought under control in the U.S.

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Clockwise from top left: Pushinka, a gift to President John F. Kennedy from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev; Bo, President Barack Obama's Portuguese water dog; Commander, President Biden's German shepherd; and Socks, President Bill Clinton's cat.

Presidential pets can breed controversy. A dog was once suspected of being a spy

7:00am October 07, 2023

by Scott Neuman

Historically, pets — everything from birds to cats to dogs — have been part of the White House. And Biden's dog Commander isn't alone. More than a few have ended up embroiled in some controversy.

A collage of our audience members' beloved pets and their memorials to their animal companions. Clockwise from top left: Mena Bingham's sunflower garden for her cat Sara; a statue to honor Beth Fadely's dog, Bella; Linda Smith's cat Holly; Sheryl Bauerschmidt's dog Birdie; a glass cat figurine in the bay window where Marie Hernandez's cat, Fina, used to sit.

Arts

8 loving ways to honor a pet's memory: Write an obit, grow a garden, dedicate a day

2:48pm September 27, 2023

by Malaka Gharib

How do you deal with the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet? Our audience shares creative and inspiring ways to process grief — and celebrate the lives of our animal companions.

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A photo of Forsyth County's Strumer Park Circle animal shelter

Daily News

Forsyth Humane Society to open low-cost, wellness and spay and neuter clinic

3:45pm August 29, 2023

by DJ Simmons

The Forsyth Humane Society, or FHS, has aquired a building to open a low-cost, wellness and spay and neuter clinic.