Reader photo of the day: Rita the dog cavorts at Huntington Dog Beach

Submitter spccwgurl shares this sweet photo of her dog, Rita, enjoying a day at the beach -- Orange County's Huntington Dog Beach, to be exact. Rita certainly seems to be enjoying herself!

The 1.5-acre stretch of beach is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily for leash-free dogs and their humans, and it's a hot spot for dog-loving Southern California residents (especially those who like to surf). For more information on area dog parks and dog-friendly beaches, check out our colleague Elina Shatkin's great, detailed list at The Guide. (For our part, we're partial to the expansive Redondo Beach Dog Park, but maybe that's just because our dogs are afraid of water.)

To share your photos with us, just head to the Pets & Animals category of Your Scene, The Times' photo-sharing site. Select the appropriate album (for instance, we found spccwgurl's photo in the Dog Parks & Beaches album), click the "submit" link at the top of the page, choose your photo (.jpg format) and include a caption that tells us a bit about the animal you've photographed.  We can't wait to see it!

RELATED:
Dogs aren't welcome in Redondo Beach's city parks (but dog owners want to change that)
Huntington Beach: One of America's dog-friendliest cities (except on Tuesday nights)

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: spccwgurl / Your Scene

After the death of Uga VII, PETA asks University of Georgia to stop using bulldog mascots

The death last week of Uga VII, the bulldog mascot for the University of Georgia's football team, hit a number of fans like a ton of bricks. (Perhaps fittingly, Uga VII himself rather resembled a ton of bricks, tipping the scales at 56 pounds.) Uga VII, like his father Uga VI, apparently died as a result of a heart condition.

Over the weekend, Uga VII was memorialized at a ceremony held at the university's football facility, Sanford Stadium, before being laid to rest along with his six Uga predecessors at a mausoleum for deceased team mascots near the stadium's entrance.

"Everyone has been so kind. Everybody loves that dog," Swann Seiler, the daughter of Frank "Sonny" Seiler, who has owned each of the seven Ugas, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Reportedly, the elder Seiler is on the lookout for the next bulldog in the long line of Ugas. 

But if PETA has anything to say about it, there won't be one. Today, the animal-rights group's animals in entertainment specialist, Desiree Acholla, fired off a letter to University of Georgia athletic director Damon Evans, asking him to "honor Uga VII by choosing an animatronic or solely use a costumed mascot to represent the Georgia Bulldogs in the future."

Reward offered for information about Chihuahuas dumped in Riverside canal

A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the those responsible for dumping two Chihuahuas, their mouths taped shut, in a Riverside irrigation canal.  One of the dogs, a male believed to be about a year old, died in the canal; a female believed to be about 3 years old survived.

A public utilities worker found both dogs on a metal grate in the canal near Cridge and Olivewood late Monday morning, our colleagues at the L.A. Now blog report.  The worker removed both dogs from the canal and removed the tape from the surviving dog before notifying the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. 

Animal services officer Kristina Hillegaart responded to the call and transported the surviving dog to the Riverside Animal Shelter, where she was examined for possible injuries or trauma.  A veterinary technician reported that the dog seemed tired after her harrowing ordeal but was otherwise in fine physical shape.  

Hillegaart expressed shock that anyone could go out of their way to harm the animals.  "This was just complete malice," she said.  "Someone was just looking to be cruel." 

Anyone with information about the dogs' abuser is urged to call the Riverside animal shelter at (951) 358-PETS.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: The female Chihuahua is held by a veterinary technician following her ordeal.  Credit: Riverside County Department of Animal Services

Your morning adorable: White rhinoceros calf sticks close to mom at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

At just shy of 2 weeks old, this white rhinoceros calf, born at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, already looks like its mother, Mlelani, in miniature (minus the horns, of course). 

The calf's birth is a boon both to Busch Gardens and to its species, which has suffered as a result of poaching in its native sub-Saharan Africa.  (In parts of Asia, the horns are believed to have medicinal benefits; in parts of Africa and the Middle East, they're used to make fancy dagger handles.)  

Fun fact: If you've noticed that the white rhinoceros is, well, gray, there may be a good reason for the naming discrepancy.  One explanation for how the species came to be called the white rhino reads rather like a game of Telephone: English settlers in Africa, confused because the Dutch and Afrikaans words for "wide" sound an awful lot like the English word "white," figured the locals were referring to the animals as "white rhinos."  In reality, the story goes, that wasn't the case at all -- they were actually referring to the rhinos' wide mouths.  Get it?

See another photo of Mlelani and her calf after the jump!

Yes, those bears are really playing hockey

A video of bears playing ice hockey has (again) gone viral recently. The two-minute clip (above) shows brown bears sliding around a rink, deking, shoving and slap-shooting.

The bears are outfitted with sticks and jerseys as a rather sizable crowd watches. The animals actually play the sport surprisingly well. But there's no way this can be real, right?

Oh, it's a very real.

Back in May, the New York Times' Slap Shot hockey blog did a roundup of all of the crazy bear hockey videos floating around. We thought it was worth pointing out since there still seem to be questions as to whether a bear can be taught to rock the rink.

The video has been around for more than a year, yet people continue to doubt its authenticity. It appears there aren't any bear-hockey-CGI effects going on. This is a real (crazy) Russian phenomenon.

We're going to spend the rest of the day thinking of good bear puns. Like Wayne Grizzly. Or Mario Le Boo Boo. Or Sidney Crosbear. Or Jaromir Yogi. C'mon, help us out in the comments.

-- Mark Milian (Follow on Twitter @markmilian)

Adopt-a-Pet: Toby the terrier mix

When we first saw the photo of Toby (ID# A4060857), an adoptable male terrier mix at the Baldwin Park animal shelter, we felt our hearts skip a beat. That face!  Those ears! How, we wondered, could his owner have given him up? We'll never know, but what we do know is that this sweet-faced fellow needs a new home.

About Toby: He weighs less than 10 pounds, so he's definitely on the small side -- but don't let his diminutive stature fool you.  This little guy is curious and independent, according to the Baldwin Park shelter's head volunteer, Ric Browde. He's also "extremely sweet and gentle" with people, Browde says, and gets along with other dogs like a champ.

For more information: Meet Toby in person at the Baldwin Park shelter, 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin Park, or call (626) 962-3577 with his ID number to learn more about him. Check out a video of him in action after the jump!

Reader photo of the day: Dogs mimic their napping owner

Don't fret, dog-loving readers. Although it may appear that something terrible has befallen these dogs and their human counterpart, in reality nothing could be further from the truth, as submitter Barney explains.

"On the weekend we take our dogs for a run," Barney says. "My husband decided to take a quick nap in the field and 2 of the dogs flopped onto their backs too."   Now, we've heard of dogs mimicking their human companions, but we've never seen an example of it quite like this!

Think your animal photo should be our reader photo of the day?  We'd love to see it, and showing us is easy!  Just head to the Pets & Animals category of Your Scene, The Times' photo-sharing site, and select the appropriate album (for instance, we snagged Barney's photo from the Just Five More Minutes album).  Once you've chosen your album, click the "submit" link at the top of the page, pick your photo (.jpg format) and include a caption that tells us a little about the animal or animals you've photographed. It's as simple as that!

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Barney / Your Scene

Indian officials order elephants out of zoos, circuses

Animal rights advocates are heralding the decision, announced this month by officials with India's Central Zoo Authority, that the country's zoos and circuses will no longer be allowed to keep captive elephants. 

The decision means that all elephants living in India's zoos and circuses -- an estimated 140 pachyderms in 26 zoos and 16 circuses -- will be moved to "elephant camps" run by the nation's forestry department.  (Those elephants currently employed in logging camps or living in Indian temples -- by all accounts, a larger number than those in zoos and circuses -- are unaffected by the decision.)  In the camps, the elephants will be able to move freely in a large space and graze as they would in the wild. A group of mahouts will be employed to monitor their well-being.

"It's a free-roaming animal that travels a long distance, and very few zoos have large areas to provide free movement," B.K. Gupta, the zoo authority's evaluation and monitoring officer, told the Agence France-Presse of the decision to move the elephants. "The issue was with keeping them chained for long hours."

French hotel lets guests live like hamsters for a night

France has all the ingredients for a romantic getaway. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the smell of fresh baguettes and wine ... Hamsters. 

Treat your special someone to a night of amour at the Hamster Villa in Nantes, France.

Guests dress up in rodent costumes and spend the night roaming the people-sized re-creation of a cozy hamster cage.  Amenities include a human-sized hamster wheel, readily available grain for snacking, floor space for hamster dancing, and a hay bed for sleeping and, if all goes well, breeding.

Check out the Reuters video for a slightly disturbing walk-through of the hotel.

-- Mark Milian (Follow on Twitter @markmilian)

Photo: Stephane Mahe / Reuters

Cat vs. cop: Patient police officer has a run-in with an affectionate kitty

A black cat showed affection by crawling up and down a Texas police officer in a friendly display captured on the patrol car's dashcam.

Taylor police Officer Keith Urban is seen being patient with the cat, whose image was captured during a recent traffic stop, then finally gently booting the kitty away.

The Taylor Daily Press reports Urban had pulled over an SUV in the driveway of a farm lot. The video shows the cat scampering up and down on Urban, making its way to the officer's shoulders.

Police Chief Jeff Straub says Urban never mentioned the feline encounter until he became concerned that the cat might have been injured when they parted ways.

Straub says the video shows "incredible patience on the part of the officer."

The collar-wearing cat fled.

Taylor is about 30 miles northeast of Austin.

-- Associated Press

Ask a Vet: Is 4 months too young to have my pet spayed or neutered?

Last week, we introduced a new feature here at Unleashed: Ask a Vet.  We're delighted to have Dr. Heather Oxford, of L.A. veterinary hospital California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE), on board to answer your questions about your pet's health and well-being. Got a question for Dr. Oxford? Leave a comment on this post, and look for her answer in an upcoming installment of Ask a Vet.

Unleashed: L.A.'s recent spay/neuter law mandates that pet dogs and cats be sterilized by the time they’re 4 months old.  Is that an appropriate age for my pet to have surgery?

Heather Oxford, DVM: This is an incredibly complex issue.  My opinion is that the city took the right step in creating a spay/neuter law that is enforceable; however, 4 months might be too young according to new scientific studies. 

The first problem is that animals that are neutered (gender-neutral term) before their growth plates close grow significantly taller than those who are neutered after their growth plates close.  The extra growth can be unevenly distributed through the different bones of the body since the age of each growth plate closure is different for each bone, which can be up to 14 months for larger breeds.  For example, this means that the tibia (shin bone) could grow longer than the femur (thigh bone) and cause an abnormal angle of the knee which could cause ligament tears.  Therefore, we may see an increase in orthopedic diseases in the future.

District Court judge: Yellowstone's grizzly bears must stay on endangered species list

Billings, Mont. — A judge says the government must keep Yellowstone-area grizzly bears on the list of threatened and endangered species, denying an attempt by federal officials to reverse an earlier court ruling.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service two years ago said grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park had recovered from near-extermination and no longer needed protections under the Endangered Species Act.

But in September, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said climate change and lax regulations threatened to undermine the bears' recovery. After Molloy ordered the animals back onto the threatened list, government attorneys asked that he reconsider, saying the bear would thrive without sweeping federal protections.

In an order Tuesday, Molloy rejected the government's argument and confirmed his earlier ruling.

-- Associated Press

Photo: A family of grizzly bears in the Cougar Flats area of Yellowstone National Park. Photo credit: Steve Ard / Associated Press

How do you solve a problem like burgeoning bison? Birth control

For Catalina's storied bison herd, a smaller population means more food and better health for all. Toward that end, the Catalina Island Conservancy has a new tactic for keeping the bison birth rate low: birth control.  (Even animal-rights group In Defense of Animals supports the idea, donating $50,000 toward the program.)  Our colleague Louis Sahagun has the story; here's an excerpt:

Half a dozen men with walkie-talkies and cattle prods set out on foot at sunrise Thursday to coax a herd of 10 feral bison into a corral a mile away at the bottom of a Santa Catalina Island valley.

It wasn't easy. In the final days of the mating season, a massive bull kept one beady eye on his cows, all of them pregnant, and the other on his human pursuers, who followed close behind shouting and waving their arms as the animals lumbered up steep slopes and into plunging ravines.

It was one of several herding operations that will culminate today with the inoculation of female bison older than 2 years, part of an experimental program designed to limit the population through contraception. The goal: reduce herd size -- which increases by 15% or more each calving season -- to a manageable, healthier, less environmentally damaging and constant 150 or so.

The vaccine is non-hormonal and will not harm the animals or change their social structures, said Carlos de la Rosa, the conservancy's chief conservation and education officer. It is also reversible after about a year.

"Bison will continue to be bison," De la Rosa said. "Males will continue to compete for females, and females will continue to go into heat. The only difference is that we can control how many calves they have.  

"For bison in love," he added with a laugh, "this means romance without responsibilities."

THERE'S MORE; READ THE REST.

Photo: Biologist Carlos de la Rosa holds a test dart that will be used to inject the contraceptive vaccine Porcine Zona Pellucida into female bison. Photo credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Your morning adorable: Elephants canoodle at new Thai elephant retirement home

Thailand's new Pang La Elephant Rehabilitation Center officially opened over the weekend, becoming the first facility of its kind in the country known for its love affair with elephants. 

The center, in Thailand's Lampang province, plans to care for up to 200 elderly and disabled Asian elephants; currently, about 30 elephants call it home, including several that are partially or completely blind, according to the Bangkok Post.  It's staffed by veterinarians and mahouts and run by Thailand's Forest Industry Organization. 

Pang La will care for elephant residents, like the two elderly pachyderms above, "until their last breath," Forest Industry Organization chief Manoonsak Tantiwiwat told the Bangkok Post.

RELATED:
Thailand's elephants are black and white and mad all over as public interest shifts to new panda cub
Your morning adorable: Rescued elephant calves frolic at Kenya wildlife center

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Elephants at the Pang La Elephant Rehabilitation Center use their trunks to pet each other Nov. 21.  Credit: Pongmanat Tasiri / European Pressphoto Agency

L.A. County's new dogfighting tip line is unveiled

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and the Humane Society of the United States announced plans for a novel new approach to combating animal cruelty in L.A. County: A 24-hour tip line, manned by both English and Spanish speakers, for citizens to report incidents of dogfighting.  

The tip line was officially unveiled at a press conference Tuesday at the office of L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley.  Those with information about a dogfighting ring, an upcoming dogfight or an individual who is involved in dogfighting are urged to call 1-877-NO2FITE; those reporting information that leads to an arrest or conviction will be rewarded with up to $5,000.  (Cooley noted that anyone reporting a dogfight in progress should call 911 rather than the tip line.)

"Our goal is to encourage citizens to help law enforcement root out a brutal crime that often goes unreported and occurs in the shadows," Cooley said during Tuesday's press conference.  Also present Tuesday was the Humane Society's senior state director for California, Jennifer Fearing, who called Cooley "a true champion for animals." 

Despite protests, mass animal sacrifice to go on as planned in Nepal

Katmandu, Nepal -- A Hindu festival in which thousands of animals are expected to be sacrificed will go ahead as scheduled in southern Nepal despite protests, organizers said Friday.

The Gadhimai festival, celebrated every five years, is attended by many Hindus from India as well as from Nepal. More than 200,000 buffaloes, pigs, goats, chickens and pigeons are expected to be slaughtered this year on Nov. 24 and 25.

Organizers said they will not bow to "interference" from animal rights and religious groups that have held protests in Katmandu and in the festival area in Bara district, about 100 miles south of the capital.

"We will not stop this centuries-old tradition now. This is our religion, belief and tradition and we will continue with it no matter what," said Motilal Kushwa of the organizing committee.

Kushwa said thousands of people have already arrived at the site with animals meant for sacrifice next week.

Reader photo of the day: A lilac-breasted roller on the hunt in Africa

Submitter Alan shares his vivid photo of the most colorful bird we'd ever seen (and that's including peafowl), taken in Botswana.  The bird is a lilac-breasted roller, a species commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East. 

Lilac-breasted rollers are known to perch high in trees or atop telephone poles and other similarly high places in order to scope out their favored foods, which can include everything from small insects to reptiles to other birds. 

Think your animal photo should be our reader photo of the day?  Show us by submitting it to the Pets & Animals category of Your Scene, The Times' photo-sharing site.  Just select the appropriate album (for instance, Alan submitted his photo to the Birds of a Feather album), click the "submit" link at the top of the page, choose your photo (.jpg format) and include a caption that tells us a little about your subject matter. 

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Alan / Your Scene

Three new AKC-recognized dog breeds: bluetick coonhound, Boykin spaniel and redbone coonhound

The American Kennel Club has announced that three new dog breeds -- the bluetick coonhound, the Boykin spaniel and the redbone coonhound -- will be eligible for AKC conformation competition beginning Dec. 30.

The new breeds will bring the total number of breeds recognized by the AKC to 164. 

The bluetick coonhound (left) is believed to be descended from the French staghound and English foxhound, and blueticks were originally classified as members of the English foxhound breed. 

Blueticks and English foxhounds went their separate ways in 1945 because, according to the AKC, bluetick breeders "didn't want to follow the trend toward producing a hot-nosed, faster hunter. Proud of their larger, cold-nosed and resolute, if slower hounds, they named their breed and maintained their own hunting style." 

As a result of these breeding practices, blueticks are known for their endurance in addition to their signature coloring, for which they're named.  A bluetick named Smokey is the mascot for the University of Tennessee.

Dogs aren't welcome in Redondo Beach's city parks (but dog owners want to change that)

We know Huntington Beach has a reputation for being the most dog-friendly city in Southern California.  But what city is the least dog-friendly? Vying for that dubious title, at least if you ask some residents, is Redondo Beach. All of Redondo's 20-plus parks (with the exception of its excellent off-leash dog park) have a strict no-dogs-allowed policy, but a group of dog-loving residents is working to change that. Our colleague Jeff Gottlieb has the story; here's an excerpt:

"We've been described as the most dog unfriendly city in the South Bay," Councilman Bill Brand said.

Although there are other cities that have dog bans, such as Gardena, Hawthorne and Culver City, where they are permitted in only one park, the policy is uncommon enough that Linda Barth, assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, said she had never heard of a city with regulations as strict as Redondo Beach's.

"There's not enough park patrol or animal control officers to proactively monitor parks, and taking your animal to the park under the appropriate conditions ... many people would argue, is almost a protected right," she said.

There are many people in Redondo Beach who would agree, many of them owners of the 3,600 dogs licensed in the city.

Three petitions with several hundred signatures each have been submitted to the City Council in the last several months asking the city to loosen its leash on the dog policy.

This week, the council asked the Recreation and Parks Commission to study whether the 1979 law should be modified to allow leashed dogs in Czuleger Park, a 2.1-acre space near King Harbor.

THERE'S MORE; READ THE REST.

Photo: Redondo Beach resident Kathy Burke carries Kai, her 8-month-old puppy, on her way out of the Redondo Beach dog park. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Your morning adorable: Three bumps -- er, Siberian tiger cubs -- on a log

Germany's Nuremberg Zoo welcomed Rangar, Khan and Domur, Siberian tiger cubs, back in August. Since Siberian tigers (also called Amur tigers) are endangered -- it's believed that only about 400 to 500 animals remain in the wild in eastern Russia and parts of China and North Korea -- these three healthy cubs have given the zoo great cause for celebration.

Siberian tigers are the largest of the tiger subspecies still in existence today. There were once eight subspecies, but three (the Caspian tiger, Javan tiger and Bali tiger) became extinct during the 20th century.  The five remaining subspecies are all considered endangered.

More photos of Rangar, Khan and Domur after the jump!