Earther

Pets Are Like Family, So Why Do They Get Left Behind During Disasters?

Michelle Nestle never really understood the meaning of a flash flood until water rushed into her house in the middle of the night. It was the summer of 2017, and Hurricane Harvey was dumping a record breaking amount of rain over Houston and the surrounding areas like Hitchcock, where Nestle and her family lived. The … Continued

io9Movies

Detective Pikachu Changed the Way I Feel About Pokémon

Detective Pikachu is the realization of a dream that fans of Nintendo’s Pokémon franchise have had since we first journeyed to Pallet Town and decided which starter would become the first of many partners who’d accompany us on our journey to becoming a Pokémon Master. At some point, we’ve all wondered what it would be … Continued

ScienceHealth

The Best Personal Trainer Might Be a Dog

Your dog could very well make for a decent fitness coach, according to a new study out Thursday. It found that adults in the UK who owned a dog were fourfold more likely to get the recommended amount of weekly exercise as non-owners. The boost in exercise, however, might not necessarily be as dramatic for … Continued

Tech News

We Need to Talk About this Robo-Dog Companion That Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Helped Design

A company called Tombot thinks it’s come up with a way to improve the quality of life for seniors facing challenges when it comes to being social: a robotic companion dog that behaves and responds like a real pup, but without all the responsibilities of maintaining a living, breathing animal. The company even enlisted the … Continued

ScienceHealth

Health Officials Warn New Yorkers to Vaccinate Their Pets as Rabid Raccoons Appear in Manhattan

The Big Apple is staring down a problem it hasn’t seen in roughly eight years: rabid raccoons in Manhattan. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday that officials have identified four raccoons with rabies around Inwood Hill Park since the start of the year. The health department is now advising … Continued

io9Movies

Pixar’s Emotional New Short Will Make a Pet Lover Out of You

Those of us who have them know that pets are basically like best friends who are guaranteed to never desert you, and will always do their best to make you feel better when times are rough. That’s a big part of what makes it difficult to see people who abuse animals. This Pixar short, Kitbull, … Continued

io9Trailers

A New Pet Sematary Trailer Reveals the Remake Will Scare You in a Slightly Different Way

The strongest argument against letting a young person ever have a pet is that, eventually, they’re likely to become emotionally attached to it, which’ll almost invariably become a problem once the pet in question decides to die. Everyone knows that there’s a certain amount of risk involving emotional trauma whenever kids are given the chance … Continued

Tech News

Sony Gives Aibo a New Paint Job and Plans to Teach It Some Home Security Tricks

Resurrected back in 2017, Sony’s robotic dog Aibo made a big splash at CES 2018, but there wasn’t much fanfare for the pup at Sony’s CES booth this year. A few weeks later, however, Sony has announced a new version of the robotic companion featuring a beagle-inspired tri-color paint job, and some new tricks that expand … Continued

ScienceBiology

Escaped Boa Constrictor Slithers Its Way Into Goodwill Donations

Workers at a Goodwill sorting facility in Fort Worth, Texas were stunned to discover a live, albino red-tailed boa constrictor mixed in with donations on Thursday, NBC New York reported this week. NBC wrote that this particular reptile friend was found in a pile of clothing and could have come from any of Goodwill’s 38 … Continued

io9

Lego Overwatch and a Souped-Up R2-D2 Are the Mightiest Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular round-up of the latest and greatest toys. This week, we officially get on the objective for Lego’s Overwatch line, Hot Toys unleashes the galaxy’s most kitted-out Astromech droid, and the new Bumblebee movie gets a very cool figure. Check it out! Hot Toys Star Wars 1/6th-Scale R2-D2 Deluxe … Continued

ScienceBiology

Demand for Chocolate Labs Is Making Them Sick and Prone to Early Death

New research shows that chocolate Labrador retrievers are more likely to experience health problems and die younger compared to their black and yellow canine compatriots. A likely reason, say scientists, is a tightening genetic bottleneck caused by consumer demand. Chocolate-colored Labrador retrievers have a 10 percent shorter lifespan than black or yellow Labradors, according to … Continued

ScienceBiology

New Study Explores How Dogs Understand Human Language

If you’re a dog person who has suspected that your four-legged friend may know exactly what you mean when you use certain words or phrases—for example “toy,” or “car,” or maybe even “who’s the good boy?” (he is)—you may be correct. A new study by scientists at Emory University and published Monday in the journal … Continued

ScienceHealth

Pet Store Puppies Are Spreading a Diarrhea-Causing Superbug to Humans

One of the few bastions of purity left in this forsaken world—puppies—might be inadvertently spreading a bacterial superbug that causes diarrhea. Last week, the Centers for Disease and Prevention reported that an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni has sickened more than 100 people across 18 states in the past two years. And most of these … Continued

Tech News

Does Your Cat Actually Hate You?

Dogs wear their hearts on their sleeves; cats—or at least some cats, some of the time—can spend years at your side without making it totally clear that they know, or care, who you are. An expression vaguely resembling contentment flits across their face and you think, triumphantly: see! My cat doesn’t despise me. Which it … Continued

ScienceBiology

In Big Win for Good Boys, England Is Banning Shock Collars

The United Kingdom is banning pet collars that deliver shocks or spray chemicals. The UK’s Environmental secretary Michael Gove announced on Monday that the country would bar “punitive” collars that “cause harm and suffering to our pets.” Scotland is also working to ban shock collars, and Wales outlawed shock collars in 2010. The devices, which … Continued

ScienceHealth

Veterinarians Say Pet Owners Are Hurting Animals to Get Opioids

A recent survey suggests that some people struggling with opioid addiction might be turning to a tragically desperate method to get more prescription painkillers: Hurting their own pets. And veterinarians themselves may be abusing opioids or helping to illegally sell them. Study author Liliana Tenney*, a public health researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz … Continued

ScienceBiology

Small Dogs Pee Higher to Lie About Their Size, New Study Concludes

You just can’t trust a little dog. We all know dogs can communicate through scent. They urinate on new areas, their own home turf, and certainly things that other dogs have peed on. We also know that some male dogs lift their legs in order to pee higher. But new research found that smaller dogs … Continued

io9

The Animated Justice League Assembles, and More of the World’s Finest Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular round up of the coolest toys we’ve seen on this here internet lately. This week: Comic-Con exclusive mania continues, Fantastic Beasts finds itself an extremely clever Lego set, and the best incarnation of the Justice League assembles on your toy shelf. Check it out! Lego Batman Mech vs. … Continued

Tech NewsSploid

A Tiny Singing Dog Might Be the Solution to Your Lousy Commute

Across the country, more and more people are working from home as commute times continue to rise. But if you still have to physically drag yourself to the office, there are concrete actions you can take to improve your daily grind. Namely, the addition of a little dog that sings along to your favorite string … Continued

ScienceBiology

Here’s the Latest Research on Why Dogs Eat Their Own Shit

It drives dog owners nuts. You’re out for a pleasant stroll with your canine companion, and because some asshat didn’t pick up after their own pooch, a fresh, steamy turd is sitting right there on the sidewalk. Before you have time to react, you horrifyingly watch your supposed best friend pounce upon the poop, gobbling … Continued