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The Pet Lovers Favorite Online Blog |
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Well, according to a survey conducted by the American Kennel Club (AKC), it's good ol' Snoopy!
The survey, conducted in celebration of the AKC's 125th anniversary this year, brings together dogs from diverse backgrounds for a look at how dogs have been woven into every aspect of American culture from film and literature to sports and art.
Here are some of the survey results:
One of the wonderful things about living in the western world is the abundance of "things" that we have the good fortune of having. While we all like getting presents in the holiday time, it's probably safe to say that most of us have more "stuff" than we really need. 
We chose the "Smiles" program operated by World Vision (worldvision.com.au), as it is focused on helping the poorest of the poor, with items that are sustainable, and help break the brutal cycle of poverty. As animal lovers, we choose gifts of farm animals, which help the communities by providing not just food, but also wool, milk & eggs to sell and donkeys and cattle to help till the earth and cart goods. 
Although the economic conditions have been tough this year, we are proud to say that we have been able to maintain our tradition of giving "just a little bit more" each year. This year, our selected gift was a Stable full of animals (click here to view). This gift will go to a community in Australia's close neighbor, East Timor and comprises of two donkeys, two cows, two goats, four ducks, and six chickens with chicken feed.
Recently some of the staff from VetShopOnline had a horseriding experience on one of our local beaches. Sheri, Julie (a friend of Sheri's), Michele and myself went for an early morning ride on one of our beautiful beaches and Barb, another staff member opted for a beach walk. Sheri, an experienced rider rode Jaibaru, Julie another experienced rider rode Solly, Michele, a novice rider rode Larry who was an absolute angel for her. I rode Austin who was a cheeky five year old. It was a perfect morning with the sun shining and the ocean as blue as the sky above. There is something about riding a horse on the beach to get you back in touch with nature. Australia is known worldwide for its beautiful beaches with long stretches of white sand and gorgeous blue oceans. We are based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and have many beautiful beaches. Some of our beaches are horse and dog friendly. I regularly take my golden retriever, Ellie to my local dog friendly beach on a Sunday afternoon for a swim. What a wonderful way to finish off a weekend. Above is a photo of our horseriding experience.
I recently had two weeks vacation at Airlie Beach, Queensland which is one of the stopovers for visiting our beautiful Great Barrier Reef. Though I didn't actually go to any of our islands this trip, (years ago I spent a great deal of time exploring the Great Barrier Reef islands while cruising on a 40 ft yacht with my husband and two young children), I did visit the Mackay region hinterland which boasts beautiful waterfalls and great walking tracks. Eungella National Park has a lovely river called Broken River that meanders through it. Whilst visiting Eungella National Park, I was fortunate to see one of the resident platypii up early one morning searching for his breakfast. I thought I would like to share this with you as platypii are very shy animals and not many Australians have had the opportunity to see them in the wild. It was very exciting seeing him fossicking around. I managed to get a good shot of him swimming and check out the photo above of him surfacing with a lazy ole turtle sunning himself on the log.
Platypus Information
Bill like a duck, tail like a beaver, it has fur and lays eggs. The Platypus is certainly one of the most extraordinary animals found in Australia. It lives in burrows dug into the banks of lakes and streams in Eastern Australia and Tasmania. Although its bill resembles that of a duck, it is quite different - it is pliable, like soft, moist rubber and very sensitive. The Platypus feeds mainly on tadpoles, small fish, larvae and water snails which it sucks up like a vacuum cleaner. When at the surface, the Platypus opens its nostrils and eyes, both of which are closed under water. This shy creature has very sharp eyesight. It is rarely seen in the wild and some have suggested that is because it doesn't like to be laughed at - but the truth is it prefers a quiet life.
A cat has become such a well-known user of a Devon (England) bus service, that its drivers know where to let him off. 
Farming men in particular, can find it hard to reach out for help in tough times, and so Beyond Blue has a number of initiatives targeting men in rural communities.
VetShopOnline is constantly on the look out for VetShoppers who are out there making a difference in society and the community. I am pleased to announce that we have spotted one. Recently we interviewed Deborah Albert, long time VetShopOnline customer, as our first VetShopper.
Deborah is a surgeon from Florida with a passion for animals. She is an outgoing,
adventurous person, who loves her pets. At home, Deborah has nine adopted animals plus an elaborate salt water fish aquarium. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Big Cat Animal Sanctuary. She has been shopping with VetShopOnline for a number of years.
A couple of years ago, Dr Mark and I were looking for a charity to support each holiday season. 
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