Sloth Bears Explore Habitat
The Woodland Park Zoo's twin cubs love jumping, leaping and climbing in their exhibit
Meet the adventurous duoLiz Ozaist
It goes without saying that Dachshunds tend to be a rather clever dog, but who could have ever imagined that they were capable of inspiring a new way of putting pen to paper?
Apparently, the Austrian font designers over at Langustefonts couldn’t help but devise an alphabet fashioned entirely out of the Dachshund’s unique body shape — and some playful piles of poop.
For about $50, you can purchase “Doggy,” which its creators describe as “a rather difficult to read font-family, rendering words as dogs. Depending on the length of a word, the dog respectively gets longer or shorter.”
“After the great success of the initial Dachshund style,” the designers have created three additional critter fonts from a duck, a Poodle and a Chihuahua.
And that’s, ahem, the long and short of it.
Thinkstock
Sometimes the best pick-me-up is as simple as shuffling through your iPod until you land on just the right feel-good tune.
Well, the same can be said of shelter pets suffering from anxiety, thunderstorm phobias or even just a case of the abandonment blues.
To help boost their spirits, two women — one of them is a vet — have teamed up to start the non-profit Rescue Animal MP3 Project, which donates MP3 players loaded with mellow ditties to critter rescue orgs across the country.
One $50 donation covers the cost of one player, which can be equipped with everything from canine lullabies to Chopin for cats.
We’re not sure which current 3D flick this panda finds so amusing, but we’re certainly entertained by the giddy look on the bear’s bespectacled face.
The signed, 40-square-inch print is part of a series of limited editions now available at CB2 in very small batches.
There are only 572 prints of this popcorn-toting panda — an image that was originally created by Windy City artist Matthew Lew for the 2011 Chicago Guerilla Furniture & Art Truck Show.
For more cheeky critters, check out the artist’s site, which features a series of playful animals acting like humans.
Courtesy of Amelia Beamish
It’s been 21 long years in the making, but the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY, is now the proud parent of a pair of Fennec Fox kits.
The duo’s fabulous long ears have a ways to grow, but even without this telltale feature, the babies sure are pink-nose adorable.
According to Zooborns, Fennecs are tough to breed, so the birth of Todd and Vixey is quite the coup for the zoo. The foxes are part of a Species Survival Plan, which helps to ensure that they thrive, thanks to collaborative efforts between zoos and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
As the lucky owner of two low-riders, I don’t need to be convinced of just how delightful Dachshunds can be as a breed.
Short legs. Long ears. Lots of belly real estate to rub. What’s not to love?
The same can be said of a Pinterest page I recently discovered that’s aptly named “Cute Dachshunds.”
You won’t find anything but ridiculously adorable pics of doxies here, like a mama posing with her litter of longhaired creams (want!) and a posse of “Desperate Housewives” all sporting crocheted kerchiefs on their heads.
One word: Love.
Remember those public service announcements that plastered your grade school walls, extolling the virtues of not smoking and “just saying no” to other unhealthy activities?
Honestly, neither do I. And it may have something to do with their general lack of artistic flair.
They certainly didn’t have the panache of the clever PSA Pet Care Series from the Brooklyn-based team of Jed Dore and Karen Brazell at Ink + Sword, whose prints feature smart messages for canines and felines, like “Flowers Charm. Some May Harm. Choose Pet Safe Plants” and “Leash the One You Love,” depicting a Dachshund with delightfully squiggly ears.
"The PSAs derived from our love and devotion to animals, and a fondness for 1950s era public service ads and 1940s WPA posters," says Dore, who has three cats, including one with a spit of a tail named Moo. "We've been donating prints to various animal shelters and rescues, as we especially like seeing how much they help get the message out about pet care."
