Worldcrunch
Remember those late-90s Furbies—cute, creepy, and eerily chatty? A programmer recently fused one with ChatGPT, unleashing a chilling plot: AI-powered Furbies bent on world domination. As retro toys return and emotional robots like Ropet emerge, we must ask: are we ready?
From dedicated spas and luxury perfumes to prebiotics and behavioral therapies, how man’s best friend became the target of high-end marketing.
An Argentine writer in Sweden was shocked to see pets as quiet and orderly as people there, quite in contrast with pet owners at home. Did that say all there is to say about the contrasting states of two countries?
The Chinese pet market is booming, driven by young city dwellers who are increasingly reluctant to have babies. Care, food, yoga classes, strollers, specialized detectives and pet-cloning are all part of a 35 billion-euro industry.
As with people, some dogs may be more neurologically prone to anxiety. But canine stress is often mistaken for mischief.
October 29-30 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which carmaker became the latest major company to leave Russia over its invasion of Ukraine? 2. Why did Iran’s anti-government protesters hold a special rally 40 days after Mahsa Amini was killed by Iran police? 3. A day […]
At the mental health center where I work, we have always taken care of the area’s stray cats. Birba had been around for a few years. A few minutes ago, a boy walked in — one of those boys you see in the street, like so many in our city’s Sanità neighborhood. He looked upset. […]
Here are the 10 most-read articles of the past year: Who Is Lauriane Doumbouya, The French Wife Of Guinea’s Coup Leader? During the recent inauguration of new Guinea president Mamadi Doumbouya, the presence of a female French police officer alongside the coup leader grabbed the public’s attention. But little is still known about the new […]
Pushed by a small but influential animal rights party in the Netherlands, the law could also ban keeping birds in cages and force farmers to widen pig pens and grazing areas.
While some cities are plagued by youth gangs and others by encroaching wild animals, one neighborhood of Ottawa is reckoning with a small but very scary cat. According to the Ottawa Citizen, the Glebe area of the Canadian capital has been terrorized by a relentless pet feline aggressor who swipes at peoples’ faces and bullies […]
SERTÃOZINHO — In a simple house here, 330 kilometers northwest of São Paulo in Brazil, Glauber Pereira Souza, 36, is the head of a four-legged family: He owns five dogs, two cats and two rabbits. The youngest member of his household is Preta, a mongrel female who had been run over by a bus, but […]
-Essay- PARIS — Barack Obama’s family searched the country for a dog at the beginning of his presidency. Bo’s first paw steps turned the Obama White House into a home. Is it time now that his successor, President Donald Trump, should also acquire a pet? Caitlin Gibson wrote in the Washington Post that getting a […]
TOKYO — Cats are all the rage in Japan these days. Bookstores are lined with dozens of photo books featuring cute little felines, and they’re popular online too. They also seem on track to surpass dogs as the pet of choice. So why are they stealing so many hearts? There are about 100 titles on […]
BRAUBACH — Pets bring happiness to the lives of their owners. Now, a German Cemetery Association (Deutsche Friedhofsgesellschaft) allows the bond to continue for eternity, offering clients the opportunity to be buried alongside their dogs and cats. Two German cemeteries, in the towns of Braubach and Essen, inaugurated the policy this week that allows humans […]
Munich considers a different kind of police sweep of the city streets.
Man’s best friends have long followed their owners through hard times and stormy weather — and now, even into rehab. Germany’s Schloss Tessin center is the first of its kind in the country and integrates pooches as part of the therapeutical process, Die Welt reports. The center has even been adapted to accommodate its four-legged […]
SHANGHAI — Every summer, the little town of Yulin in southeastern China celebrates the summer solstice by tasting local dishes: lychees (a Chinese fruit) in alcohol, for example, and, perhaps the favorite main course delicacy, dog meat. Dog carcasses are visibly displayed on street stalls — for now. But last year, animal rights activists began […]
Zurich-based group Zürcher Tierschutz launched a campaign earlier this year to set a quota for the country’s cats, deeming them a threat to other wildlife, including small mammals, reptiles and birds. However, since the campaign began, cat lovers have been pawsitively up in arms about it. The group estimates there to be 1.4 million cats […]
A woman from Treviso in northern Italy, who left her neighbor in charge of her five cats while she went away for a few days, returned home to a rather grim surprise, as reported by Italian news site Quotidiano. One of the cats — which had required daily medication — died while the owner was […]
China’s annual “Dog Meat Feast” in the southern city of Yulin has sparked disputes between dog eaters and dog lovers, some cases even turning physical. Read the full story here. Photo: Whoisgalt
Photo: Mauricio Macri via Facebook The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, has said he wants to “congratulate” dog owners every time he sees them pick up after their dog on the street, and thinks it “unfair” that they should not be differentiated from those who leave streets “littered” with poop because “they pick up […]
Dogs are adorable. Granted. But sadly, as it turns out, some of them need a helping hand to attract new humans to them. A project by Hungarian artist Sarolta Bán aims to “help dogs with images,” by photoshopping different scenarios to really bring their personalities out and tell their stories. You can check out the […]
MILAN — The economic crisis isn’t affecting just bipeds. Our furry four-legged friends have also been struggling, as many have been abandoned or neglected when their families no longer had the resources to care for them. Italy has launched its first food bank for animals to help with this problem, thanks to the volunteer group […]
BERLIN – It’s an animal story with a happy ending, five years in the making. A Berlin woman who’d lost her tabby cat “Pauley” in 2008 had an almost unthinkable surprise waiting for her at the capital’s Tierheim animal shelter. “When I got the letter a few days ago from the shelter saying my cat […]
LA STAMPA, LIBERO QUOTIDIANO (Italy) Worldcrunch MILAN – Fido has an appointment with the vet but your boss just scheduled a last-minute meeting? No worries, let Pet Taxi take care of it for you, says La Stampa. Pet Taxi is an initiative started by Farmina Pet Food in collaboration with SCIVAC (Society of Italian Vets) […]
LA STAMPA (ITALY) Worldcrunch BUCHAREST– A public service campaign in Romania is trying to prevent pedestrian deaths by showing how some stray dogs in Bucharest are street smarter than humans. Say WHAT!? Yes, really. You can scroll to the bottom of the page to see the video. But first, you might want to remember all […]
ISTANBUL – Mornings around nine, when shop owners on Galip Dede Street open their doors, dozens of cats appear out of nowhere. They know it’s breakfast time. Not right away: the men first have to unpack new merchandise, stock the shelves, and check the till. But then they put out bowls of water for the […]