Senior pug in faux hoop skirt win’s country’s biggest dog Halloween contest

Gracie, Gone with the Wind

More than 250 dogs turned out for the 20th Annual Dog Run Halloween at Tompkins Square Park, the East Village dog park that got New York City started on dressing up its dogs. The contest is arguably the biggest and silliest in the country. It’s all about the elaborate costumes and floats, which locals spend weeks making.

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Jay Continutes Relentless Battle Against 3rd Floor Cat

Cat gives blue jay the bird

The eggs have hatched in the fire escape nest built by blue jays on Fifth Street in Manhattan, but that hasn’t stopped the blue jay father from obsessing over a cat that lives down the block.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujjLakFGv0&hl=en&fs=1]This video compared to the last one shows why you should use a tripod.

The tabby is no threat to him or his brood. But the blue jay is out there every afternoon that I’ve checked and some mornings, too.I’ve also seen the cat hanging out by the window, waiting for his entertainer to show up.

I don’t really understand the feeding procedure. The mother blue jay sometimes gapes for her mate. And she also picks up something from the nest and eats it herself.

To see more animals go to animaltourism.com

Improbable Battles in the Animal Kingdom this Week

Some improbable animal battles this week.Praying Mantis v. HummingbirdThe hummingbirds in this video already hate the praying mantis. They bicker with him and kick him in the head. Their prejudice is well-founded: the mantis lunges at the bird. In slow mo, it seems like the bird gets off. But there is a long-running war and the mantis sometimes wins. The outcome is so improbable, there’s a discussion on Snopes debating whether it is possible.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep6vmpcUQR8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]Shark v. Ring

Veterinarian Chip Gardener grabbed a nurse shark ensnared by a frisbee ring and freed it. Gardener was diving near the wreck “The Princess Anne” off Palm Beach with his friend John Dickinson, who joked on CBS that his focus was just framing the shot.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wULWiAVdRxs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]

Chicken v. FoxA young fox broke into a hen house in Basildon, Essex, UK, and was pecked to death by the rooster Dude and his hens Izzy, Pongo and Pecky, the Daily Mail reports. Even if he survived the bites, he would have died of embarrassment over the attack.

To see more animals go to animaltourism.com

Oh, the Silly Things We’ll Do To Rescue a Cute Kitten

Skip about 40 seconds into this video from Wildlife Education and Resource Center and you’ll get to see some grown women dressing up as a giant (though somewhat disheveled) bobcat and playing with a bobcat kitten. The women rub themselves in bark and sticks to get a nice earthy, non-human scent. Then the lucky ladies step into this homemade costume, which has been pre-scented with bobcat urine.

The WERC center in Morgan Hill, CA (near San Jose), pioneered the technique in 1994. It’s all in an effort to prevent the kittens from getting used to the idea of hanging around humans. These lynx turn out fine–as long as they don’t stumble upon a mascot convention.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsts86_WeMs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]

To see more animals go to animaltourism.com