Coffee and Provocation

• I Want One of These:
  I want one of these, and you will too. Want, want, want, want. Now! And link comes with video goodness too.
  
  
• Wrong Kind of Earth Dog:
  Cavers recently rescued a coon hound that slipped into a cave and was trapped there for three days while his owner stood vigil. A nice story that ends well, and not the first "hound underground" story we have featured on this blog. See here and here.
  
  
• Compassion Fatigue for Coyotes:
  Coyotes are starting to get a bit out of hand all over the East Coast. Nova Scotia? Roger that. Florida? Yep. New York? Check. New Jersey? Yep. There too.
  
  
• Small Is Beautiful:
  Four people and a dog live in a 180-square foot house they built themselves. Check it out!
  
  
• Ted Nugent, the Shooter of Pen-raised Farm Animals:
  Ted Nugent, the shooter of pen-raised farm animals, has now been nailed for hunting over bait. A previous post about this numb-nut can be read here.
  
  
• Someday the Ants Will Kick Our Ass:
  By weight, there are as many ants on earth as people. And yes, the ants are plotting world domination. Read all about it here.
  
  
• Hobbits Replaced by Sheep:
  In New Zealand, the film set constructed for the Hobbit village in the Lord of the Rings has been taken over by sheep. Check out the terrific pictures. Nice!
  
  
• Cougars are Moving into Wisconsin:
  Yes, the native American lion continues to expand east and west. We now have more wild lions in America than in all of Africa. South Dakota is increasing its season, while in Red Bluff, California, they have them coming down Main Street.
  
  
• Elk are Coming to Virginia:
  Elk are already in Kentucky, and some have walked over the border into Virginia on their own, but formal stocking and introduction to the Commonwealth will begin in 2012. Nice!
  
  
• A Tepid and Tenuous Voice of Reform:
  Jemima Harrison interviews Professor Sheila Crispin, the new chairman of the Independent Dog Advisory Council which was formed on the recommendation of the Bateson report. Oddly, Ms Crispin seems to be a bit out of her depth when it comes to canine health issues, and she does not seem altogether sure as to what her group's mandate is supposed to be. One would think the Bateson report, and the others (RSPCA, APGAW) commissioned and produced in the previous 18-months would have given her a clear agenda for action and a sound education to boot, but she appears to be starting off a bit flat-footed. Hope springs eternal, but a realist keeps his expectations low. We shall see.

See the first link to get the meaning of this old Tintin panel from Red Rackham's Treasure. Notice Snowy (Milou) the terrier in the front seat. Yes, Tintin was a terrierman!. I grew up reading Tintin.
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