pet owners news stories on Newser

In LA, Your Barking Dog Will Cost You

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:12:43 CDT

If you live in Los Angeles and you have a noisy dog, you might want to start thinking now about how to quiet it. The City Council voted yesterday to fine owners whose dogs bark too much—$250 for a first offense, then $500 and $1,000 for additional offenses....

14% Would Keep Dog, Boot Lover

Nick McMaster — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:58:40 CST

More evidence of Americans' love affair with pets: Asked whether they'd dump their pet or their significant other if forced to choose, a full 14% said the human would go, according to a new AP/Petside poll. "I would absolutely give up my girlfriend for him," one respondent said. "I know...

My Pet Is Psychic, Say 2/3 of US Owners

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:11:42 CST

Two-thirds of American pet owners believe their pets are psychic—about the weather, at least. And a whopping 43% say their pets have a sixth sense about bad news, a new survey shows. Pet owners relate stories of dogs and cats alerting them to thunderstorms, earthquakes, seizures, panic attacks—one...

Shanghai Unleashing 'One Dog Policy'

Rob Quinn — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:08:25 CST

Residents of China's biggest city will soon be limited to one pooch as well as one child. Shanghai officials are finalizing a law that will ban households from owning more than one dog and require puppies to be given away to dogless households or to government adoption agencies before they...

Delta Loses Teen's Dog

Kevin Spak — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:50:41 CDT

Don't you hate it when the airline loses your luggage? Now imagine how angry you'd be if that luggage was your pet. That's Josiah Allen's situation. The 19-year-old recently adopted a stray dog in Mexico, then tried to fly home to Canada with him. But when he landed, he discovered...

Cat Saves Family, Goes Missing

M. Morris — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:55:53 CST

A cat who alerted her sleeping family to a fire spreading through their house, allowing them to escape unharmed, has disappeared from their suburban Chicago home. Baby roused Josh Ornberg and girlfriend Letitia Kovalovsky, who are expecting twins, and their dog early this morning. Because the 13-year-old tabby usually "hides...

Walking Your Dog 'Better Than Gym Membership'

Rob Quinn — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:44:48 CST

Scrapping your gym membership in favor of Fido will make you healthier and happier, according to a British study. The research—sponsored by a pet care company—found that dog owners spent an average of around 8 hours a week getting some exercise while walking their pets, while petless gym...

Pets' Carbon Pawprint Cause for Alarm

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:38:00 CDT

Forget the gas guzzler—it's Fluffy and Fido who are delivering a carbon blow to the global environment. That's the odd warning from a pair of New Zealand professors who claim the carbon pawprint of a large dog delivers twice the impact of a Toyota Land Cruiser driven 6,000...

3-Year Court Case Ends in Joint Custody—of Dog

M. Morris — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:34:36 CDT

A case that has taken up the time of the New Jersey court system since 2006 apparently ended today with a judge's ruling that the litigants will share custody of their dog. Dexter, a 6-year-old pug, will spend 5 weeks at a time with each of his owners, the Philadelphia...