Pampered Pets 2

I have an update on my earlier post about pampered pets:

The kennels that have a DVD/TV option also offer Posturepedic beds, sound-proof doors (so that vacationing pooches aren't disturbed by their neighbours), webcam surveillance, a daily 15 minutes' cuddle time and - for a mere $15 a day extra - a bedtime story.

Pampered Pets

Some Americans take the idea of convenience a little too far.

When a fellow runner enquired about a kennel to put his dog in while he went on holiday, he was asked whether he wanted the TV option. Apparently couch potatoes who fear their pooches will miss their favourite series in their master's absence can actually have televisions put in the kennel with them.

I suspect they are shown 'Lassie' and 'K-9' on a continuous DVD loop.

Robins

The British robin is a loveable, unassuming little fellow with a red breast; the epitome of the plucky, minding-his-own-business, English underdog.

His brash New World cousin, Turdus migratorius (I swear that's its real name!), is not only the state bird of Michigan. The American robin is a veritable behemoth with a huge, rust-coloured beer-belly, weighing in at twice the size of its European counterpart.

Putting the two robins side-by-side is just like comparing an American footballer to a rugby player.

And do you know what they call our robin? An "Old World Flycatcher"!

Yum or Ah?

Seeing this wrapper on a tin of tuna at my local Costco yesterday reminded me of the absurd recent campaign by the American animal-rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to have fish renamed "sea kittens" because you're less likely to kill, cut up, cook and consume something that sounds cuddly.

Having said that, I wonder what lies behind the "chicken of the sea" branding. Leaving aside the fact that the picture on the label is not a fair representation of a chicken, are we to believe that the contents of this can have legs and wings, are battery-farmed and/or taste poultry-like? I very much doubt that any of these is the case. But I didn't buy any, just in case.

Flora and Fauna

I've already mentioned that chipmunks, a rabbit and a groundhog, black and grey squirrels gaily frolic in my garden to distract me from my work.

Thanks to the encyclopedic knowledge of my neighbours, I'm now proud to be able to extend this list with the addition of the following: cardinals (red birds) and blue jays (blue birds).

Now all I need to find out is the name of those strange wasp-like creatures I saw in the summer and the spider that gave me a finger-throbbing nip.