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NGC 6357

One of the most beautiful images I’ve ever seen

(Image credit: NASA, ESA and J. Maiz Apellániz)

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The boy behind the “success kid” meme is all grown up — and trying to use his viral fame to save his dad’s life

Remember this little guy? His name’s Sam Griner. 

On Aug. 26, 2007 his mom took a photo of him at 11-months-old, standing on the beach in a green and white shirt, staring into the camera and making a determined little fist. Soon after, the photo morphed into the “Success Kid” meme, and Sam was Internet famous. 

He’s now 8 years old:

And he’s trying to use his Internet fame to find a kidney donor and save his dad’s life. 

(Visit the family’s GoFundMe page for more).

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Huskies on water

Russian photographer Fox Grom on his recent walk with his dogs has captured a beautiful series of photos. He discovered a frozen lake covered with rainwater that created the illusion of the dogs walking on water. The end results are stunning, the way the water blends with the sky is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. 

Escape Kit / Twitter / Subscribe

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Please don’t take your pets for granted. Even if you’re frustrated that your dog has been barking all day or your bird has been screaming for attention, remember you are all they have in this world. Give your fish that extra water change. Give your dog or cat that tummy rub they’ve been begging for. Chop up some fresh fruit as a treat for your rodents or reptiles. Just spend some time with them. Be compassionate to your animals. They are living creatures that are alive simply because you wish them to be. They may only be a small part in your life, but to them, you are their everything.

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Things Not to Do to People with Service Dogs, Please, I’m Begging You

Immediately assume they are pets without looking

Pet them, ESPECIALLY without asking

Ask their owners to leave without checking to see if the dog is a service animal

Roll your eyes when the dog is a service animal

Ask whether the dog is a service animal when they are clearly wearing a service coat

stop????????????? questioning my wife’s fucking service dog

It doesn’t matter if “other people have tried to bring pets inside,” that doesn’t give you the right to ask illegal questions??

That’s like saying, “Someone hit me with a stick once, so no one can use a walking cane in my establishment because they might hit me with it.”

if you see a dog wearing all of these:

ASSUME SHE IS A SERVICE DOG

Helpful Facts About Service Dogs

They can be any breed.

They may even be other species, such as miniature horses.

They are allowed anywhere the human public is allowed, such as restaurants, stores, markets, hotels, bathrooms, etc.

You do not need to ask if a dog is a service dog, as long as the dog is wearing a clearly-visible jacket.

As an owner/employee of an establishment that someone brings a dog to, you are only entitled to ask two questions. You don’t NEED to ask any. You are allowed to ask two.

The first question: “Is the animal required because of a disability?” NOTE: If it is obvious what the dog does and why it is required, you ARE NOT allowed to ask this question (for example, if the handler is in a wheelchair or also using a red-tipped white cane).

The second question: “What task does this animal perform?” ALSO not required if it’s obvious.

That’s it.

Any more and you are violating the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), opening yourself and your business up for a hefty lawsuit.

There are two times you are allowed to ask a service animal to leave. You are NEVER allowed to ask the dog’s handler to leave, no matter what the animal is doing.

The first time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is not housebroken, and poses a sanitary risk.

The second time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is acting aggressive towards or endangering other patrons.

That’s it.

You are only allowed to charge a cleaning fee if you would normally charge a human for the same fee. In other words, if the dog leaves hair on the floor and you wouldn’t charge a human for shedding on the floor, you can’t charge. If it’s a hotel and you wouldn’t charge a human for peeing in the tub, you cannot legally charge the dog for the same.

You are never allowed to ask for documentation that an animal is a legitimate service animal. This is in part to protect many people who don’t have access to medically-provided dogs, who have trained their own service dogs (perfectly legal and fine), or who can’t carry papers around with them at all times.

You may not ask that the animal perform their task for you. What the fuck, don’t do this. Think of allergy alert dogs—are you really going to wave an allergen in front of someone that might have a deadly allergy just to prove that the dog is “real?” congratulations, your ass is sued.

If you want more helpful facts please hit me up, I’m just really sick and tired of going places with my wife and her service dog only to get the message loud and clear that everyone is nervous and we’re unwelcome, when her dog is the most polite, well-trained, well-MARKED animal you’ve ever seen.

A typical conversation entering 2/3 businesses we went into today:

Person: Ma’am, you can’t have a pet in here. You have to leave. Wife: She’s a service dog. She’s wearing her coat. Person: Oh, sorry. We have to ask. People bring their pets in here sometimes, and we have to ask them to leave, because they’re not allowed. Wife: She’s not a pet, she’s a service animal.

Please spread this. Some people just don’t know. Others think that if they can’t see a disability, it doesn’t exist or need treatment.

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This dog quote poster is available here at Rover99.com

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when u lookin hella fine

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Behaviorist Patricia McConnell has observed that when it comes to dogs and people, “play isn’t what makes our relationship with each other better, play is what creates the relationship in the first place.”Marc Bekoff, one of the leading scientists of animal play, has said, “We train too much and play too little. … Whenever you are playing together, you and your dog learn the most important rules of social interaction: mutual trust, accepting the limitations of the other individual and dealing fairly with each other.”Play is also ripe with opportunities for shared joy. As Mechtild Käufer, author of Canine Play Behavior, writes, during play, you and your dog experience “moments in which two species— human and dog—really become one.”   

> Play develops trust and increases the degree and amount of attention your dog will pay to you. (Particularly if you let your dog win occasionally, including when playing tug.)

> It also develops communication. To get your dog’s attention, hold a toy out in front of you, slap both hands on the ground, play bow or make a quick forward movement.

> Dogs will play longer with humans than with other dogs; they’re also less competitive and will both present and surrender toys to the human more frequently.

> Play signals given by humans are more likely to elicit a response when accompanied by play vocalizations.

> Dogs in multi-dog households are more (rather than less) interested in playing with humans.

> Dogs who frequently play rough-and-tumble games with their humans have fewer problems with separation anxiety and are more self-confident.

> Dogs score higher in “obedient attentiveness” after play sessions than before the sessions, according to researchers Nicola Rooney and John Bradshaw, which suggests that training after play can be highly effective.

> They call it “play” because it’s not goal-oriented. Try not to focus on winning ribbons or breaking records—in that case, it’s more like work, and the positive aspects disappear. 

via

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foods dangerous to dogs:

avocadoes

alcohol

raw bread dough

caffeine

chocolate

grapes and raisins

onions and garlic

macadamia nuts

raw salmon

xylitol (artificial sweeteners)

if you have a dog please reblog this

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The man’s best friend!

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Girls Do Science

Video

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Puppy really enjoys the rain