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An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks. Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.' The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Toby the Labrador Toby suffered a punctured lung as he fought off the intruder A Labrador who fought to protect its owners from a knife-wielding burglar has been honoured for his bravery. Toby was stabbed four times in the chest and legs by the intruder but still managed to chase him out. The Morton family, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, had been staying at Leconfield Barracks in East Yorkshire. They awoke to find their pet in a pool of blood. But the eight-month-old survived and has been awarded by the animal charity, PDSA. The armed burglar, who attacked Toby with three knives taken from the kitchen, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for the offence. Toby suffered a punctured lung in the attack, in June 2007, as he fought to stop the offender going upstairs to the sleeping family. After succeeding in chasing the offender out of the building Toby then woke his owner, Jonathan Morton, by barking. Had it not been for Toby's determined barking and lunging at the intruder, Mr...

Russian scientists say that Moscow stray dogs became much smarter. The four legged oldest human’s friends demonstrate real smartness such as riding the Moscow metro every morning to get from their suburban places of living to the fat regions of Moscow center. Once they arrive to the downtown they demonstrate different new, previously unseen for the dog skills. Those skills can include “the hunt for shawarma” for example, the popular among Muscovites eastern cuisine dish. This hunt scene can be seen as this: Regular Moscow busy street with some small food kiosks. A middle-aged man buys himself a piece of hot fast food and walks aside chewing it without a rush. Then just in a second he jumps up frightened - some doggy has sneaked up on him and barked out loudly. His tasty snack falls out from his hands down to the ground and the dog gets it. Just ten minutes later, on the same place, the teen youngster loses his dinner in exactly the same manner. The mo...

When Jan Griffith's beloved dog, Sophie Tucker fell overboard from her family's yacht she feared her pet had drowned. But Sophie Tucker, a grey and black cattle dog, wasn't going to give up that easily. The determined pet swam six miles through ferocious shark-infested seas to an island, where she survived for more than four months by hunting wild goats for food. Sophie Sophie Tucker fell overboard in rough seas and swam through shark infested waters to safety The extraordinary story of the castaway hound emerged today when Miss Griffith was reunited with her beloved pet. 'I thought I'd never see her again, but she's proved to be a dog who can really look after herself,' said Miss Griffith. Sophie Tucker, named after the American vaudeville comedian, fell overboard from the family's yacht when they ran into bad weather off the Queensland coastal town of Mackay. Miss Griffith and her friends searched the area, putting their own lives at risk in the rough ...

Man's best friend serves as model for understanding human social behavior Chimpanzees share many of our genes, but dogs have lived with us for so long and undergone so much domestication that they are now serving as a model for understanding human social behavior, according to a new paper. Cooperation, attachment to people, understanding human verbal and non-verbal communications, and the ability to imitate are just a handful of the social behaviors we share with dogs. They might even think like us at times too, according to the paper, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Advances in the Study of Behavior. While there is no evidence to support that dogs and humans co-evolved their laundry list of shared behaviors over the past 10,000 to 20,000 years, the researchers believe adapting to the same living conditions during this period may have resulted in the similarities. Lead author Jozsef Topal explained to Discovery News "that shared environment has led to th...

"This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the U.S. Postal Service. " Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my four-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could, so she dictated these words: Dear God, Will You please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with You in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that You let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope You will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when You see her, You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith. We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey ...

A parrot that learned to mimic his owner's voice is using the skill to issue orders to her other pets. BArney the African Grey Parrot: Parrot mimics owner's voice to boss around her other pets Margaret Sullivan: 'Barney's a really bossy parrot. He even chats back at me and swears when I'm talking sometimes ? he's so cheeky' Barney, an African Grey Parrot, calls Margaret Sullivan's three dogs – Harry, Tilly and Bluey – by name. The bird, 10, squawks out orders like "come here" and even offers praise to his favourites such as "good dog". Mrs Sullivan, 65, who lives in Tredworth, Gloucestershire, with partner Ken Kersey, 62, admitted that Barney has a "very high opinion of himself". She said: "Barney's a really bossy parrot. He even chats back at me and swears when I'm talking sometimes – he's so cheeky. "He's always tried to learn how to speak in my voice but he has got better and better at it ever si...

Killed: The gang stabbed the woman's Yorkshire Terrier to death before turning on her A disabled woman was slashed repeatedly with a knife after confronting a gang who had stabbed her dog to death in her garden. The mother-of-three, who has not been named, discovered the mutilated body of her Yorkshire terrier Willow lying in a pool of blood outside her door. Seconds later she was confronted by four men who threatened her, forced her back into the house, in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, and then attacked her with a knife. The 38-year-old suffered 'numerous' cuts to her body and had to be treated in hospital. Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of carrying out the assault, which took place at around 2pm on Sunday. The woman, who has a disability which means she is unable to walk without crutches, is now staying at a relative's home with her three children, a girl aged 14 and boys 10 and nine. Police said she was still deeply shocked by the attack. Detective ...