Honey’s future didn’t seem very hopeful, as the 3-year-old Pomeranian was left all alone after her owner died. A few years ago, Jeannie Morley decided to give Honey a second chance and bring her home on Thanksgiving night. Little did the Flint, Michigan woman realize that by saving Honey’s life, the tiny dog would soon return the favor and save hers.

One night, not long after adopting Honey, Jennie wasn’t feeling too good. She suddenly got sick, felt very ill, and decided to go to bed and rest. Honey would not allow her owner to lay down, even going so far as to growl at her owner. Jeannie recalls, “She wouldn’t let me back in bed. She started growling at me, which she never, I mean, this is the sweetest animal ever.”

When growling at her mom didn’t work, the pint-sized pooch literally pushed her owner out of bed. At that point, Jeannie decided to drive herself to a local hospital, and thank goodness she did. Doctors ran some tests and informed Jeannie she suffered a mild heart attack. She had two major blockages in arteries to her heart and required two stents. Doctors told Jeannie they were surprised she didn’t “drop over dead.”

Since the near-death experience, Jeannie is on the road to recovery and remains thankful for Honey’s presence in her life. She calls Honey a hero and credits the smart dog with “bringing me to my senses and getting me to the hospital.” Honey summoned up all her strength to push Jeannie from the bed, which is an amazing feat for a tiny dog.

Animals are truly incredible and often have a sixth sense about things happening to their owners. We wish Honey and Jeannie a long and healthy life together.

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Duo Duo the Golden Retriever and his sidekick, Snowball the cat, of Guangzhou, China, have proven that friendship and love knows no species.

According to their owner, Mr. An, these two animals are always together, even when they’re sleeping. They share a very special bond and are undeniably inseparable!

Duo is always grooming Snowball, while Snowball wraps her little paws around Duo and hugs him tight. She even lays on top of him as if he was a comfy bed.

Luckily for us, Mr. An captured all of these heartwarming moments in pictures and videos for the world to see. After he learned just how many people loved his furry family members, he created a Doyin account for them, which is the Chinese equivalent of TikTok.

The account quickly garnered more than 143,000 followers, whose hearts melted at the adorable friendship between Duo and Snowball.

Watch them cuddling up to each other in the video below.

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What was meant to be a joyous annual holiday turned tragic for a dog dad in East Kilbride, Scotland. The man, who is battling cancer, lost his beloved dog Mikka last week when she was frightened to death by fireworks on the UK’s Bonfire Night. The 7-year-old Whippet’s heart stopped after a series of particularly loud booms.

Claire Nicholson, a friend of Mikka’s dad who also runs a local lost pet Facebook group, shared the heartbreaking news with the Scottish Sun:

“I don’t think folk realize what damage it can do to dogs. The poor thing had heart failure because it was so stressed out and this is something I see on the group all the time,” Nicholson said. “I’ve got a dog walking business and customers will send me videos and photos of their dogs absolutely petrified.”

Bonfire Day is celebrated across the UK on November 5. The date marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On this day in history, Guy Fawkes and his fellow schemers attempted to blow up King James I and London’s Houses of Parliament. They failed and the UK now marks the occasion with fireworks, bonfires, sparklers, and toffee apples.

While proud revelers look forward to the festivities, it is a time of anxiety and downright terror for many pets.

“Sometimes dogs run away when fireworks go off and can end up being hit by oncoming traffic – it happens to cats too and some of them are still missing,” said Nicholson. “The fireworks are so powerful now compared to 20 years ago and it’s not just pets – it’s sheep, wildlife and humans too who can suffer from PTSD.”

The incident inspired a Change.org petition to ban fireworks that has since garnered hundreds of signatures.

“I think we should have a license to hold them for public events but silent fireworks are an option too,” Nicholson said. “In some countries you’re only allowed silent fireworks and in Australia you need a license to buy them.”

Poor Mikka isn’t the only casualty of Bonfire Night 2020. A pooch named Penny from High Wycombe, England was hit by a car after fireworks caused her to bolt from her yard. Penny, a Pug/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix, suffered only minor injuries including a wounded leg and a broken tooth, but it was enough to inspire action from local vets and pet parents.

Vets Now, a UK chain of emergency veterinary clinics, is spearheading the campaign to stop retailers from selling fireworks for personal use. According to a poll conducted by Vets Now, 83% of 3,400 participants support the movement.

“I don’t want to stop anyone’s fun – but something needs to be done to restrict firework sales,” Penny’s owner Sandra Rolfe said. “Fireworks are so noisy now – they just seem to get louder and louder – and it’s not fair on pets who have such sensitive hearing.”

Fireworks are clearly a hazard for pets across the globe. In the US, more dogs and cats go missing on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year.

Would you support a ban on fireworks in your area? Tell us why or why not in the comments!

The post Pet Parents Fight To Ban Fireworks After Dog Is Literally Scared To Death appeared first on G2a-ltc.

Not long ago, an article entitled, “Pets Are Not Children, So Stop Calling Them That” appeared on The Cut. The post garnered 929 comments directly to the page, not to mention the countless readers who weighed in on the issue via social media. While many expressed their ability to understand both sides of the argument, the majority of responses drew clear battle lines between the two poles of opinion.

We live in a world where the definition of “parent” has been stretched and redefined over and over again to fit our modern families. With step parents, birth parents, surrogate parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, and extended family and friends acting as primary caregivers to children, is it really such a crime to allow the most dedicated of pet owners in on the term?

After all, isn’t it the level of dedication to the job that truly makes a parent?

Since this topic certainly seems to touch a nerve, let’s explore The Cut‘s article a bit further using direct quotes from the author.

Point One: “When people call themselves pet “parents,” they’re not just being playful. They sincerely believe that what they’re doing is parenthood.”
A recent study by Rover.com found that 94% of American pet owners consider them part of the family. But just because we cry out “Momma’s home!” when we walk through the door, doesn’t mean we do not understand the difference between having dogs and raising human children!

The author offers no data showing the number of pet owners incapable of seeing that raising a human being is not the same as loving and caring for a pet. Still, he or she describes those who say “pet parent” as perpetuating “a gentle delusion” or experiencing “a retreat from the world.”

Point Two: “Your pet had a parent, and that parent was not a human being. That parent was another animal…”
Once again, I doubt that this fact is lost on most pet owners. Anyone with even the slightest understanding of biology knows that it was indeed an animal that gave birth to their dog or cat. The author makes the animal vs. human distinction to illustrate his or her opinion that we love our pets because they are not like us, yet we treat them as furry humans.

“We want them to be like us, but more static and predictable. Something we can control,” he/she writes.

Point Three: “Pets don’t change. Your pet may slow down as it ages, but, otherwise, the time you spend with it will always be the same.”
This seems to be the major crux of the argument for the author, and one that he or she fleshes out with the following statement about children:

“In stark contrast to pets, children are always trying to outgrow, outflank, and outsmart their parents. Children are cunning and devious, with long memories and big plans. They don’t just grow, they develop.”

Pets never betray you, the author notes, but the same certainly cannot be said for humans – least of all the ever-changing adolescent variety!

Point Four: “We should remember that pets are extensions of us. We keep them to meet our needs, not theirs.”
Some people may add a pet to their household on a selfish whim, but for others, caring for the abused, abandoned and unloved animals of the world is a calling they cannot help but answer – often at the expense of their carpets, wallets, sleep and sanity!

Saying that those who opt to have pets instead of children are simply trying to “meet their own needs” is a massive generalization. Not everyone who reproduces is worthy of the title “mom” or “dad,” and not all who have pets are worthy to be called “pet parents”!

Point Five: “You can’t “parent” a pet because you aren’t teaching it how to leave you and become an independent being. Your pet is stuck with no choice but to love you.”

The author goes on to suggest that our pets “love” us because we are their source of food, shelter and safety. While this is certainly true, anyone who has experienced the love of a pet knows that it goes far deeper than just survival instinct.

Point Six: “We now prefer the simulation to reality, where having a pet is like playing with a living doll, a chance to enjoy the activity and ritual of parenthood without any of the purpose, consequences, or hard work.”

Our dogs and cats fill us with a huge sense of purpose and they are certainly hard work! Is a dog mom a parent in the same sense as the mother of a human child is? Absolutely not! There are clear differences in the responsibilities and standards of each job, but saying that pet ownership lacks “purpose, consequence, or hard work” is simply not true.

f you take biology out of the picture, the words that come to mind when I hear the term “parent” are unconditional love, nurturing, responsibility, devotion, sacrifice, purpose… Sound like anyone you know?

You may read The Cut‘s full article here. Please let us know how you feel about this buzz-worthy topic in the comments!

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So many elderly people rely on their animals for companionship and comfort in their golden years.

For many people their pets are a lifeline; they give them a reason to go on, help combat loneliness, and can even help in times of trouble.

For one elderly man his dog was just that and when he was living through the darkest moment in his life it was his best friend that he needed more than ever.

David King was being treated for cancer in a hospital in Missouri, but sadly was losing his battle to this horrific disease.

His wife Cindy knew that he wanted to see their little Yorkie mix one last time to say goodbye but unfortunately hospital policy didn’t allow it.

David’s nurse, who had been with him throughout his treatment and knew what he’d been through, understood the need to fulfill his wish before he passed so when Cindy asked for her help she was only too happy to oblige.

‘Losing his battle with cancer’

With the help of David’s nurse and Cindy’s determination they were able to sneak in the pup called Lil Fee so David could cuddle his beloved pet one last time.

David’s granddaughter Ellie shared an image of the touching reunion on Twitter alongside the caption: “My grandpa is losing his battle with cancer so the nurses helped my grandma sneak their dog into the hospital to say goodbye.”

Her tweet quickly went viral with over 1,000 people reacting and praising the nurse for her generous actions.

Ellie told Yahoo Lifestyle: “My grandpa loved his dog Lil Fee; she would follow him around everywhere. He would bring her everywhere he could. My grandpa had been battling cancer for the past couple years, but last week it took over his whole body.

“He spent about a week in the hospital, and my grandma brought pictures of the dog to hang up.”

But his family knew holding Lil Fee would be so much better than seeing pictures.

‘A moment I’ll never forget’

“The nurses always heard my grandma talking about Lil Fee,” Ellie added.

“So they encouraged her and helped her get the dog in. They had my aunt carry the dog in a really big purse,” she said.

Seeing his beloved dog also encouraged him to do something amazing.

“For the first time that day, he moved his arm in an attempt to pet his Lil Fee. It was a moment I’ll never forget,” Ellie said.

The love we have for our pets is very powerful and I’m glad David was able to hold his four-legged friend during his final moments. I hope it brought him the comfort he deserved.

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It always moves us to see people go out of their way to save animals in need… but it’s even more incredible when they put their own safety in danger to save them.

That was the case for one man, who was seen braving treacherous flood waters to save his pets, but never stopped going back.

Tropical Storm Imelda struck last September, landing in Texas and causing massive rainfall and heavy flooding. Jason Miles, a reporter for local TV station KHOU, posted footage of the massive flooding of one residential area:

The footage shows cars and homes halfway submerged in the water.

The whole area was evacuated… except for one man, who was caught on camera going back into his house… but for an extraordinary reason:

He was going in to save his pets.

The man reportedly made multiple trips, leaving the flooded home with the animals, including one terrified goat, bringing them to safety.

The tweeted video went viral, a moment of everyday heroism in a time of tragedy. Neighbors told the reporter that the man had only just renovated his home from a previous storm.

Miles later caught up with the family, and despite everything, they were all just grateful to be together, with all the animals save and alive.

Animals are family, and it’s inspiring that in a moment of crisis this man didn’t think twice about racing in to save them, even if it meant putting himself in danger. What a hero!

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