Lydia Ramsey
at 08:47 AM Mar 20 2015
Nature // 

In February, California resident Frank Lucido filed a class-action lawsuit claiming Beneful, a dog food by Purina, made his dogs sick. In his complaint, he alleges the dry food was the reason his three dogs, which were living in separate houses, all fell ill or, in the case of his 8-year-old English bulldog, died. More than 3,000 other pet owners have joined the lawsuit after liver failure and other intestinal issues arose in their dogs.

Kelsey D. Atherton
at 09:30 AM Mar 3 2015
Robots // 

Sony made the Aibo virtual home companion for seven years. For a piece of consumer technology, that's an eternity, but even by the truncated standards of a dog's lifespan it is far too brief. Now, their robotic pets discontinued but beloved, Aibo owners are greeting the end of the technology's lifecycle in a powerfully human way: funerals. For robot dogs.

Sarah Fecht
at 09:29 AM Mar 3 2015
Science // 

When I was learning to play the cello in high school, my cat Stella used to hide under my bed and yowl pitifully. I like to tell myself we just had different tastes. And there's probably something to that. Whereas humans like music to fall within our vocal range and have a tempo similar to a human heartbeat, those noises probably sound like demonic torture rituals to a cat.

Lydia Ramsey
at 09:56 AM Feb 17 2015
Nature // 

It turns out your dog really can tell when you're having a ruff day. Research conducted at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna shows that dogs can read human expressions and figure out how you're feeling. It's the first to conclude that animals other than humans can pick up on detailed emotional facial cues.

Kelsey D. Atherton
at 10:28 AM Feb 11 2015
Robots // 

One parking lot in Massachusetts is witness to a tremendous amount of robo-evolution: outside the office of Boston Dynamics, where the robot-building company routinely tests its latest creations.

Francie Diep
at 09:31 AM Feb 6 2015

Be careful at the dog park! There are now anti-vaccination pet owners. Well, they've probably been around for a while, but today, New York magazine published a short story featuring a few veterinarians who have noticed increasing numbers of owners who are reluctant to get shots for their furry friends. Among the illnesses for which folks are refusing immunizations are canine distemper and parvovirus, both of which may be fatal. Luckily, in almost all states, rabies shots are required by law for pets, and some state laws say they'll impound those that go unvaccinated. So presumably cats and dogs are still getting those.

davemosher
at 08:03 AM Jan 12 2015
Gadgets // 

Motorola's Scout5000 is perhaps the most advanced dog collar we've seen yet. Where you might expect a name tag, the Scout5000 has what is essentially a smartphone.

 
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