Coved-19 Happy And Sad Again: Animal Edition

Desperate monkeys look for food in Lopburi, Thailand. Tourists would
always feed them, but now they're gone, chased home by the
coronavirus. Locals have been trying to help by leaving food out
for at least some of them. 

From what I've read, most animals don't get the coronavirus that is alarming everybody around the world right now.

That doesn't mean the disease has no effect on them. After all, anything that happens to humans can affect animals.

I have two of no doubt zillions of examples in this post.

First, the sad.

One of the charms of Lopburi, Thailand is the thousands of monkeys that roam the streets and buildings and temples in the region.

It turns out the monkeys' main supply of food is tourists, who kindly give them treats as they visit. The coronavirus has dried up tourism everywhere, including Thailand.

Now, the monkeys are incredibly hungry. They're viciously fighting each other over food, and running around in gangs through town, frightening people.

Locals have begun leaving food out for the monkeys to help get them through this crisis.

Now the (relatively) happy:

Wellington the penguin checks out the fish tanks at the Shedd Aquarium
in Chicago. The aquarium is closed to the human public due to the
coronavirus, so animals living there were given tours. 

The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, like so many other attractions is closed to the public while we try to whether the coronavirus pandemic.

Well, somebody's got to tour the place, so why not let the penguins there have a look-see, since humans aren't currently in the way.  I'm very partial to penguins, by the way, so this is my kind of story.

"Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals.....introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviors," aquarium officials told the Chicago Tribune. 

One penguin, named Wellington, seemed particularly fascinated by the fish.

We all need distractions like this to get us through what I'm calling the plague weeks.

Here's a clip from CBS News about the penguims:

Mr. Rogers' Widow Gets The Best Surprise On A Hospital Visit

Newborns at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania childrens'
hospital got dressed up like Mr. Rogers on
World Kindness Day back in November

OK, time for a little sweetness.

Back in November, the widow of Mr. Rogers was invited to visit a Pittsburgh womens' hospital as part of World Kindness Day.

Mr. Rogers was among the kindest people the world has even know, so the visit seemed appropriate.

Mrs. Rogers was led into the nursery, where newborns relaxed and recovered after entering this world.  What Mrs. Rogers found hand to be quite familiar to her, and would make us all go "Awwwwwww."

All the newborn  were dressed in red cardigans, little ties, comfortable pants and sneakers.  I guess that was the perfect way to dress for Pittsburgh's newest neighbors.

As anyone who knows and loves Mr. Rogers knows, that's how he was dressed as he greeted us at each episode, when it was always a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

The mom of one of the newborns said she watched Mr. Rogers as a kid and his message of kindness and acceptance stuck with her.

She and her husband said those are the values they want to instill in their newborn daughter. I guess Mr. Rogers' legacy lives on, huh?

Here's a nice news clip of the event from CBS Pittsburgh:

Just Because We Need It: Dog Gets Great Gift, Everyone Happy

Cash, left, meets his new, young best buddy Jennings
at Christmas, making everyone happy 

It's been a trying 2017 to say the least, so the last post of this year, or at least something close to the last post, should go like this one. Just ot make us feel better.

In Ortonville, Michigan, Cash, a 12-year-old Golden Retriever, also had a bad 2017. His best friend, a fellow dog in the household named Rosie, passed away.

Cash mourned. He was getting older and this was too much. He lost all his energy after Rosie's death, and pretty much slept close to 23 hours a day.

That is until Christmas. Cash's human companion, Marie Ahonen, decided Cash needed a new companion to get him back to his old self.

It was a Christmas present: "It'll be our Christmas present to our family - that was our first thought. Then it just kind of piqued in my mind that this will be Cash's present," Ahonen said.

The idea worked. "(Cash) just got so excited and his paws were going a million miles an hour and I'm so excited, like this is what he needed," Ahonen said.

The gift for Cash was a Golden Retriever puppy. In the video,  Marie's husband, Jay, brings in a box and Cash immediately knows something cool is inside. Cash opens the box, and there's the puppy.

Cash immediately came back to life. The puppy looks confused at first, but then at the end decides he's game.

The puppy's name is Jennings (named after Waylon) At last report. Cash and Jennings were gettin along famously, and Cash was indeed back to his old, pre-2017 self

Let's hope the same for the rest of us.

Here's the fun, cute video:

Video Proves Dogs Rescued 2016 And Will Rescue 2017.

A dog happily blows bubbles in its water dish
as part of a compilation video showing some of
the best dog moments of 2016

I love the compilation video of the Dogs of 2016 at the bottom of this post, and you will, too.

I'm biased because I love dogs, but even people who are not particularly into dogs will get some smiles and maybe even be a touch moved by the video.

The clips prove that dogs can be a great stress reliever, even in difficult years like 2016.

The video ends with a message that we should all take to heart: "No matter how challenging 2017 gets, remember the dogs will always be good."

Maybe we should all learn from the dogs.

Watch:

Boy And His Duck Are Best Buddies And Give Us A Needed Smile

Jonny and Nibbles hang out in the pool together.  

In a world filled with bad news, bad politicians and general negativity, I have to sometimes post something that makes me and hopefully other people get a quick smile.

This is one of those instances.  The mother of a California duck named Nibbles died before it hatched.

As The Dodo notes, Nibbles ended up imprinting on Jonny Toschi, now 10, as if the kid were Nibbles' parent. The arrangement created a beautiful friendship between boy and duck.

For more smiles watch the video at the bottom of the post when Nibbles sees that Jonny has gotten out of school and they can be together again.

There's a whole Facebook page featuring the Adventures of Jonny and Nibbles.

Awesome!  This is one duck dynasty I can enjoy.

Here's the video:

Gorilla Does Pretty Little Dance To Cheer Up Your Weekend.

This gorilla is a darned good
 ballet dancer 

A gorilla is going to charm you by playing like a baby, then gracefully dancing like a ballernina in the video within this post.

Just because a little cuteness never hurt anyone.

Note in the video below that Lope, 3 years old, tilts his head and gracefully sets his arms just right, exactly as if he was a professional ballet dancer. This guy is good!

Lope lives at theTwycross Zoo in Leicestershire,  England, and like many human kids, likes to twirl around and dance and have fun.

We should all do that!

Here's the video, though you'll have to click on "Watch On You Tube" once you get into the video because of some copywright thing. Totally worth doing it, though.

Dancing Dog Named Ginger Rogers Sashays Her Way Into A New Home

Ginger Rogers now has a new home, thanks to
some very cute dance moves.

A dog named Ginger Rogers, given that moniker for a reason that will soon become apparent to you, knows how to sell herself.  

She was in a shelter, up for adoption, when she noticed people come in.

So she did a little dance behind her cage that was so irresistible that somebody adopted her.

Of course, Ginger Rogers wasn't truly "dancing" but trying to get much needed attention. She wanted out of the shelter and into a permanent home.

Whatever, it worked.

Orange County Animal Services put out this message on Facebook after the Ginger Rogers video went viral:

"Ginger Rogers danced her way into hearts yesterday when her video was shared on social medial. It's been viewed more than 100,000 times and shared on multiple news outlets...Miss Ginger was adopted earlier today and she will soon be raising the roof under her own roof."

So congratulations to Ginger and her new human companions. I hope there's lots of dancing in your household for years to come.

Here's the video:

This Three Year Old Is Way Smarter Than You

This little girl can recite the whole Periodic Table. She's 3.

OK, kiddies! Recite the entire Periodic Table to me!

Hello? Anyone? Nobody?

Well, we have three year old girl named Brielle to the rescue. She recently appeared on Ellen DeGeneres' show to demonstrate her prowess with the Periodic Table. Yep, this little kid knows all the elements.

She also knows all the state capitols, all the countries in Europe and Africa, and the names of all U.S. Presidents.

No, I can't do that, either.  Brielle explains herself by saying, "My little brain just remembers!"

Here's the charming video:

This Curmudgeon Is Still A Sucker For Sentimental Christmas Ads

This little girl wants to make friends with the man
on the moon in the John Lewis 2015 Christmas ad  

A rite at the start of the Christmas shopping season is the new holiday ad from the British retailer John Lewis.

This year's version is out. As always, the ad is one of the rare bright spots in the frustratingly treacly Christmas season.

True, the annual John Lewis ads are pretty over the top sentimental, too, but at least they're well made.

Last year we had the little boy who helped his toy (or real!) penguin find true love on Christmas.

This year's John Lewis ad is almost, but not quite as good, but still worth a watch. 

Now we have a girl named Lily who spots what appears to be a lonely older gentlemen living on a desolate stretch of the moon.

Lily wants to make contact with him, at least to wave a hello, but how?  She also wants to send him a Christmas gift, but again, how?

Spoiler: Things get figured out very nicely, thank you.

Here's the video:

Beagles Watch The Seasons Change, Adorably

Maymo and Penny check out the changing foliage
before playing in the fallen leaves.  

It's Friday, I don't feel like getting into any kind of heavy analysis, so let's just watch this nice video with beagles Maymo and Penny.

The photographer cleverly positioned them in the same spots as foliage season progresses, so you see Maymo and Penny literally watch the colors change.

Then the leaves fall, and the two dogs have a wonderful time playing in the leaf piles.

Maybe we should all just skip work today and play in leaf piles, too!

By the way, Maymo has quite a YouTube channel with many videos of other beagle derring do, too

Here ya go with the autumn one:

Baby Owl Dances To Monster Mash Because It's Halloween

Oakley the owl, right, and his stuffed counterpart
grove to "The Monster Mash."  

This video is a few years old, but you can't beat a baby owl dancing to Monster Mash on Halloween.

The baby owl is named Oakley and he liked to cuddle with his favorite stuffed owl.

Oakley was raised at the Eagle Valley Raptor Center in Kansas and has since been released to the wild.

Watch:

Little Girl Calls 911 For Ill Father; The Call Is Priceless

Part of the conversation between Savannah, age 5 and
a 911 dispatcher she called when her father became ill.  

I'm not sure which TV show this is from, but the host plays parts of a 911 call placed by a five year old girl named Savannah

Her father was having chest pains and couldn't breathe well.

She did an excellent job taking care of her father and talking to the 911 dispatcher while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, but she also tried to be a fashionista in the process.

You'll hear the fashionista bit when you listen to the call. Remember, you MUST always be fashion forward, even in an emergency.

Savannah handled a scary situation with aplomb, so we salute jer. She kept reassuring everyone, "So far, so good," which were nice updates.

Oh, and her father pulled through just fine.

Awesome! Watch/Listen to this video:

Little Girl Catches Big Fish With Little Barbie Fishing Pole, We All Smile And Cheer

Little Avery is joyous after landing a five pound
bass with her little pink Barbie fishing pole.  

This viral video making the rounds this week is going to be one of those classic videos of all time that people will remember, kinda like Rainbow Guy, Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent audition and "Leave Britney Alone!"

Here, a little girl named Avery manages to haul in a big fish with her tiny pink Barbie fishing pole, as her dad offers encouragement.

It's just the sweetest moment and no wonder the video is viral and all the media outlets, including my little micro media patch here, is featuring it.

Heres the video in case you missed it. You'll smile all weekend after watching it. I promise.

This Blog Goes To The Dogs Again

The Fort Worth Dog Train in action  

Being a dog lover, you have to put up with me offering dog news every now and again.

But dog news is almost always fun.

Case in point: A guy named Eugene Bostick, 80, owns a horse barn on a dead end street around Fort Worth, Texas.

People sometimes abandon dogs there, and he kindly takes them in and offers them food and shelter.

Bostick knows dogs need activity and fun, so he likes to take them to a nearby creek. But how to get them there.

Well, all aboard the doggie train! Here's the video from 2013, and then there's one more great doggie video to share after that:



In the other bit, a man named Scott Moore said at first, he kept his new baby away from beagle, named Buddy, because he didn't want either to get hurt.

But finally it was time for the kid and Buddy to have a meeting.

See for yourself, but it looks like this first meeting went well. Awwww!!!!

Gorilla And Toddler Have Fun Together

A toddler and a baby gorilla have a fun day with
each other recently at an Ohio zoo.  

This viral video has been on a lot of the news sites, but I can't resist putting it here, too.

It shows a baby gorilla playing hide and seek with a toddler.

The gorilla is on one side of a glass enclosure, the kid is on the other side.  This was at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio.

But they form a nice, quick bond, proving that all kids love playtimes. The video will make you smile.

Watch:

Dogs Can't Figure Out This Music, Either

These dogs try like hell to comprehend
the odd music they hear. Give up, puppies, it's just odd.  

Saturday cuteness:

Malamute pups tilt their heads to try to comprehend the music they're hearing in this video uploaded two years ago, but just now going viral.

Dogs tilt their heads when trying to understand something they hear that's unfamiliar.

The theory is, it helps sound waves get into one ear or the other, and maybe that will help them make sense of what they're hearing.

In this video, it's to no avail. The music in the background is strange and annoying, so I found myself tilting my head, too:

Duracell Batteries Tugging On Heart Strings?

You need batteries for those flashlights as you make your way home in the dark from tonight's Fourth of July fireworks display?

Go get some Duracell batteries. But before you do, watch their ad. Somehow, a battery ad managed to make me a little weepy.

A little girl receives a special Teddy bear from
her father in a charming new Duracell ad. 

Most advertisements annoy me, so when I find one that's actually kinda compelling, I highlight it.

In the Duracell ad, which you can watch below, a man deployed overseas sends his daughter back home a teddy bear. The bear has recorded message from Dad that plays when the daughter squeezes the bear.

Everytime she gives Teddy a squeeze,  her father's voice comes out and says, "I love you, baby girl"

This goes on for awhile. The ad demonstrates how long Duracell batteries are supposed to last and how important they are.

The Duracell ad is based on a true story. Apparently, people with Duracell were doing market research in peoples' homes when they encountered this arrangement.

At one place, they asked the kids to bring out their favorite battery operated toys. They expected things like toy cars and such, but a girl brought out a teddy bear that had her father's voice.

It turned out Dad was Robert Nilson, a Navy air traffic controller, who put together a battery powered teddy bear to play messages from him to his daughter, says television station WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Nilson said the Duracell ad is pretty close to reality.

Though the Nilson family experienced the scenario in the Duracell ad, , actors stand in for the scene during the commercial, of course.

Here's the sweet ad:

Today's Dog Cutenss: Golden Retrievers Grow Up

If you need a dose of doggie cuteness, somebody filmed two golden retrievers running down a hallway for dinner at various times over nine months from when they were puppies to just about adults

One of those SQUEEEE! videos:

Lazy Saturday: Cuteness Overdose With Baby And Puppy

Just because I'm lazy on this Saturday morning, I'm not putting much effort into this blog. Later, maybe.

Instead, I present you with more sleepiness. A puppy tries to guard a sleeping baby, but is a little overpowered by the baby's restfulness.

Here's your overdose of schmaltzy cuteness for the day:

Bad Mood? Use This Video As Go To For Better Feelings

Here's a brief video that's gone viral of two eight month old twin girls pretty much enjoying their mom's singing to them.

The kids have pretty good moves for their age, too.

Watch: