Last week, the first ever Internet Cat Video Festival was held, where thousands of nominated videos were culled down into CATegories that included comedy, drama, animated, and documentary. As part of the event, the Walker Art Center's website was translated into "LOLCat speak." The fest also included "People's Choice" videos that were voted on by the public. The winner of the Golden Kitty Award, Henri 2, Paw de Deux, was announced live at the festival. - By Joslyn Gray

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Exercising can be tough, even for dogs -- but they need to get in shape, too!

We got celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson to show us some dog-friendly workouts that will help get both us and our dogs in shape. Gunnar may be known for working with famous humans, but it turns out he's got some tips for getting our dogs involved in our workouts as well.

He showed us three exercises that will help get us in shape while letting our dogs play: a squat toss, lateral hops, and a backpedal -- all of them with dog-specific variations.

To see more of Gunnar, check out his new online fitness and weight-loss program, The Gunnar Challenge, where he offers personalized workout tips, meal plans and daily workouts.

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By WebVet.com

Can reading to a dog raise children's reading levels? According to studies on the subject a young student's reading scores can advance significantly - two to four grade levels - by reading to a dog for just 20 minutes a week throughout the school year (40 weeks).

The American Library Association estimates that there are 27 million functionally illiterate adults in the United States. The national "America Reads'' program notes that 40 percent of fourth graders read below their grade level, and that children who don't master reading by the third grade risk falling further behind.

Children who read to dogs have less absenteeism, visit the library more often, and improve their grades on report cards. Also, children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. Pets can also teach children empathy and compassion.

Getting kids excited about reading

"We didn't invent the concept of a child reading to a pet, but we were the

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By Leslie Goldman

Mike*, 14, strode into the fence-enclosed paddock of Reigning Grace Ranch in northeast Scottsdale, AZ, and dared any horse to approach him. Removed from his home by authorities when he began following in his parents' drug-dealing footsteps, the spiky-haired eighth grader had been ricocheting around the foster care system for more than three years. Nobody wanted to deal with the kid. Photo by Reigning Grace Ranch

Except Joshua's Dream. The 6-year-old Thoroughbred (and great-grandson of Secretariat) had been severely mistreated during his years on the racetrack, pumped full of speed-enhancing steroids and forced to run on an injured front leg. He was slated to be euthanized following a tendon blowout during a 2011 race, when Amanda and Christopher Moore brought the onyx-colored gelding to their ranch for rehabilitation. Now Joshua's Dream stood among 25 other rescuees, including Shiloh, a former show horse whose owners had embedded razor blades in her front hooves

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By WebVet.com

An appropriately-named border collie lived up to her moniker last week after protecting her owner from a cougar attack inside their home. Vicious came to the aid of 35-year-old Angie Prime after the emaciated cougar came into their house in search of food.

Prime was sitting on her couch with her Pomeranian Chihuahua puppies when the cougar entered her living room -- after walking in through an open screen door.

"It was definitely surreal," Prime told the Toronto Sun. "We looked at each other and had a moment. It was, holy (expletive) there's a cougar in my house."

Top 10 animals that attack pets | Webvet

As Prime began to scream, Vicious sprang into action, chasing the large cat out of the home and up a nearby hill.

Angie, who is four-foot-two and weighs just 78 pounds, sustained a few scratches before Vicious came onto the scene. "She got one paw on me and I got three punctures on my upper thigh from her claws," she said.

Wildlife officials eventually found the...Read More »