Black Fur-iday: Morning Zoo November 9 2011

Sarah D. Bunting

The Chicago band Mannequin Men's Ethan D'Ercole talks to Marah Eakin about his super-soft pet chinchilla. (The AV Club)

The American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards gala airs this Friday on the Hallmark Channel! (Pawesome)

Pet detectives in Glasgow, Scotland plan to use mugshots of dogs to identify owners who don't pick up after their pooches. (Daily Record)

Therapy pets help patients overcome physical and emotional traumas in East Texas. (KETK News)

Do baby chicks share your taste in music? How researchers found out. (Scientific American)

Will your pet get gifts this holiday season? A recent poll says more than half of owners buy their pets presents -- and those owners spend an average of $46 on pet loot. (They also buy their fellow humans gifts "from the cat." Glad I'm not the only one!) (Washington Post)

And if your kids asked Santa for a pony, you can get them one -- sort of. Today's adoptable pet du jour is more of a sponsorship: the Ocracoke ponies of Cape Hatteras. For just $27, you can "adopt" Little Doc, Luna, or Oops. (National Park Service)

A supermodel, a quarterback, a toddler, and a freezing Yorkie. (People Pets)

Sometimes it's bratty food snobbery -- but sometimes, your cat isn't eating because she's sick. How to tell the difference (and make store-brand canned food more appealing for the Queen). (Sacramento Bee)