Pet owners are always looking to make sure that their four legged friends are safe and sound. It only makes sense, right? Our pets look to us for food, shelter and care. If we are not going to look out for them, who will? Now that Himalayan salt lamps are steadily rising in popularity, pet owners have been looking into the potential benefits that they have to offer.

These benefits are numerous to the owner but are these salt lamps truly safe for the pet? It is a question that certainly deserves answering. They might be a great addition to the home but these advantages could come at a cost to your pet. In a best case scenario, the lamps clean the air in the home and allow us to get a good night’s sleep. 

They are also said to offer a marked improvement to our serotonin levels. One woman has a horror story to offer about her cat and it is disconcerting, to say the least. The hidden dangers of these lamps need to be exposed, so that no other pets are forced to suffer from a similar fate. That’s what makes this story such an important one to pass along and share with fellow pet owners.

After all, there are no shortage of people out there who are probably blissfully unaware of the issues that these lamps present. They reside at the intersection between home decoration and vital self care. It is easy to see why so many pet owners have already fallen under their spell. Maddie Smith was forced to wake up to a pet owner’s worst nightmare recently.

Her cat was not behaving in her usual manner. Something was wrong with poor Ruby but Maddie was not sure what it was. Initially, she believed that the cat was simply feeling chilly. She tried her best to warm up Ruby and left for work. Unfortunately, the cat’s condition slowly started to worsen. By the time Maddie was able to come back home, she could tell that something was seriously wrong with the cat.

When she took the animal to the vet’s office, the connection between her condition and the Himalayan salt lamp that was being used had been revealed. Humans must avoid excessive exposure to salt and pets experience the same risk factors. These lamps release a sizable amount of salt into the air, causing pets to go through all sorts of harmful side effects.

If Maddie had not brought her pet to the vet’s office when she had, we shudder to think of what may have happened next. Lamp owners need to take the proper precautions going forward. It all starts with proper lamp storage. The lamp cannot and should not be kept in an area that pets have easy access to. The owner should be storing the salt lamp far away from their animal.

Maddie’s Facebook post about the matter was shared far and wide. She wanted to make sure that other pet owners did not make the same mistake as she did. It is easy to see how these errors happen, though. We mean well and we try our best to keep our homes looking and feeling nice. The last thing that any pet owner wants is to hurt their best friend.

Please do your part to assist other pet owners who might be experiencing similar issues by sharing this story. If you know someone who owns a pet and a Himalyan salt lamp, this is your chance to set things right. Ruby may have been licking this lamp excessively but she is going to be OK now! Let’s do our part to make sure that other pet owners do not have to learn this lesson the hard way. 

Sitting down on the toilet and then realizing there is a snake in there. It’s a scene from a horror movie and can be anyone’s worst fear. Snakes hiding in toilets are becoming more and more common.

The latest story making the headlines is from Mike Green in North Carolina, who says he has pulled six snakes out of his toilet in the past four years. This is not the only example. Country singer Brett Eldredge recently shared that he walked in the bathroom where he was staying on vacation in the Bahamas and found a snake in the toilet bowl. There are plenty of stories of pythons hiding out in toilets in Australia.

There is a reason why this is happening. A former plumber and curator of reptiles at the Los Angeles Zoo is sharing the reason. He says that snakes are sleek animals and it’s easy for them to fit into tight spaces in their current environment. Snakes feel more at home when they are in a dark, tight space. When they get into a pipe, they feel good about it and it’s easy to navigate through the sewer system and then find their way up the pipes into someone’s toilet. Snakes get in through the ventilation pipes on the roof. Since the bathroom plumbing is usually connected through the ventilation pipes the snake slithers its way through the system and into the bathroom. It’s easy for snakes to slither up anything that will lead them to the roof, such as a tree. If you have a tree that is close to your roof and the ventilation pipe then it can increase your chances of having a snake in the bathroom

If you are wondering what to do if a snake gets in your toilet, know that flushing it away won’t work. If you do find a snake in your toilet then call animal control. Animal control can help you get rid of the snake but can also identify the snake. While the good news is that most snakes are harmless, there is a chance you could have a dangerous one. Don’t be a hero and handle it yourself, just in case it is dangerous.

If you want to avoid snakes in your toilet, there are simple things you can do. Find a way to make sure the ventilation is covered but that it is still able to do the job it is intended to do. By having some sort of block, such as wire covering and mesh, it not only prevents snakes from getting in but also other pests, like rats. You can also install a roof vent hood. These hoods help protect the venting and keep any creepy pests out. Who would have thought that you actually needed to take care of issues on the roof in order to prevent snakes from slithering through the pipes? If you are truly worried then you can invest in a multi-flap that fits over the toilet pipe and allows waste and water to exit but keeps critters out.

Keep in mind if you live in an area that is prone to snakes then this issue may be more common and you may already know how to deal with it. Many snakes that find their way into a toilet are not native to the area where they were found. It’s likely they escaped or were let free by their owners that no longer wanted them and they choose your pipes as a nest. Many snakes aren’t able to survive in the main sewer pipe for very long since there can be relatively low temperatures below the ground where pipes are located, making it unlikely that they actually set up their home in a main sewer line.

Occasionally, even if you don’t live in the country, you may have a mouse in your house. While the best answer to getting rid of a mouse would be to have a cat, there are other ways to get rid of mice without having to buy the dreaded snap traps and killing the little visitor. It’s best to take care of the problem sooner rather than later so you don’t have to worry about more mice popping up. Just with a quick Internet search, there are tons of different ways and anecdotes to get rid of mice the humane way. It seems the problem is harder to solve than you would think it is. Take a look at some of the popular suggestions and see if they will actually work to get rid of the mouse problem.

Dryer Sheets

This seems like a pretty simple solution. Mice don’t like the smell of dryer sheets and so it deters them from hanging out. Dryer sheets get mixed responses and some even notice droppings right next to the dryer sheet the next day.

Peppermint Oil

This is also a pretty easy suggestion and essential oils seem to be a cure-all for just about everything else. This doesn’t seem to work either but will make the home smell good. Mice also hate spicy scents and garlic so you can use this too instead of peppermint, but peppermint can be a better scent in the house.

No-Kill Trap

While there are plenty of suggestions to just kill the mouse, many people want to do the humane thing. There are no-kill traps where you can add some peanut butter to lure the mouse in. These can sometimes work but if the mouse never goes in, you are just out of luck.

Block Holes with Steel Wool

While this is a popular suggestion, it’s not always feasible. If you fill the holes where the mouse is getting in then the mouse has to leave since there is no way to get in. If you live in an old house then this is just not be possible.

Glue Traps

There are some horror stories about glue traps, including rats getting stuck to one. Many people think it’s a bad idea to try these but while the traps may be prebaited, there is no guarantee that your mouse will set foot on it. People were once able to just put peanut butter on the glue trap and that was enough to lure the mouse in.

Once you have the mouse humanely trapped the key is getting the little guy free. Using oil can help lure him off the trap first. After you get him free, you can send him off to an area far away from your house. It can be a lot of effort to humanely trap the mouse and set him free. While you can use regular traps and kill the mouse, you can also use sticky glue traps with some added peanut butter if you want to put in the effort.

When releasing the mouse, be sure to release it far away from the house. If you don’t then the mouse is going to find its way back to your home. If you see one mouse then there may be others still around. Be sure to set your trap again to catch any after the first mouse. If the trap is empty for a week or two then it may be worth it to seal up the holes to prevent any new ones from getting in and having to go through this process more than once.

It’s not uncommon to see a lot of weird things walking down some streets in Nevada. However, you may have thought your eyes were playing a trick on you when you saw a pigeon that was wearing a small sombrero or cowboy hat. While you may think it was just one of those dessert mirages, it’s not.

There have been sightings of a pigeon wearing a sombrero in Reno and then a number of pigeons in Las Vegas wearing cowboy hats. The city manager of Reno thought it was just adorable and funny. However, she was in for a rude awakening when she shared the pigeons on social media and then was attacked by animal rights activists. One of the Las Vegas pigeons that had a tiny hat glued to its head died. Activists are working to get the word out that regardless of how cute a pigeon with a hat on his head looks, it’s not a laughing matter.

The pigeons in Las Vegas were being spotted in mid-December. While the pigeons weren’t all wearing the same hat, the proximity of the sightings had many people believing it was the same group of people or one person that was responsible. The Internet was exploding with these pictures and there were even people getting tattoos of the cowboy pigeon. These people had a serious commitment to something funny but may be feeling a bit of regret when they learn the practice of gluing hats on pigeons is cruel.

When the pigeons were first spotted, the staff at Lofty Hopes, an animal rescue, wanted to track down the pigeons in order to try and remove the hats. Since the pigeons were all spotted wearing the hats for several days, the staff determined the hats were glued to their heads. The staff then worked on trapping the pigeons but it wasn’t an easy task. The staff named the pigeons in order for them to be easy to track. They went by Cluck Norris, CoolamityJane, and Billie the Pidge. Eventually, Cluck Norris and Billie the Pidge were caught and the volunteers and staff members could take a look at the damage that was done. At first, Billie allowed them to work on removing the hat. As the volunteers got to work, it was clear how much glue there was and how much damage was caused to the bird. Cluck allowed them to do the same thing and for him, the damage was even worse. The staff at Lofty Hopes later shared on Instagram that Billie the Pidge had died from an undetected illness. The staff shared that the hat could have interfered with the pigeon being able to dislodge small insects that gathered under it. Pigeons are active groomers and they don’t just groom themselves but also others in the flocks. Since pigeons have an extremely fragile respiratory system, the fumes from the glue could have contributed to slowly poisoning the bird. There are a number of things that could have gone wrong thanks to this prank.

Lofty Hopes is now working on tracking down the sombrero bird in Reno. The city manager is also doing her part to spread the word about the birds. She said while it is fun, it’s still inhumane and the birds are suffering. She said she doesn’t want the same thing to happen here with Billie dying. In the meantime, Lofty Hopes is still working on finding Coolamity Jane. They have kept a close eye on her but haven’t been able to trap her. The goal is to get the hat off as quickly as possible.

Humans just don’t appreciate dogs as much as they should. Tracey McCoy and her son were at their home in Oklahoma City when her worst nightmare came true.

McCoy’s security cameras were going in broad daylight and a strange man was seen going through the side door and entering the home. At first, McCoy thought that it was her older son. She was in the home at the time with her son, Nathaniel, who is blind.

The intruder walked right into the home as if he belonged there and owned the place. The intruder didn’t know that he was about to be greeted by Dubai, the family’s Great Dane mix, who weighs 133 pounds.

Dubai isn’t normally a vicious dog. In fact, he’s very friendly and docile. Dubai at first didn’t even do anything to this unwanted visitor and allowed him to say hello and pet the dog. Just as Dubai and the intruder were becoming friendly, McCoy walked into the kitchen and screamed. Dubai jumped into action and realized this was not a wanted guest and his owner was absolutely terrified by this stranger in the home. Dubai attacked the intruder and escorted him out by the rear end with his teeth. McCoy was able to watch the suspect run away and then come back moments later while he was in the back of a patrol car. Luckily, the police were able to snatch him out quickly before he was able to break into another home that didn’t have a trusty dog waiting to defend his owners. The suspect, Robert Ward, was positively identified by McCoy and is now facing a first-degree burglary charge but he was not armed.

This isn’t the first time a Great Dane has been able to spring into action and help its owners. There are countless stories of Great Danes protecting their owners and even helping an owner carry some groceries. While Great Danes aren’t usually thought of as service dogs, they are actually a perfect candidate for a service dog due to their size. The Service Dog Project has been training these large dogs to help war veterans and assist children with having a better quality of life. The Great Dane has stamina that was once needed to chase down bears and wild boars and they also have the strength and courage to stand up to predators, which was useful in the McCoy family case.

The Great Dane can be the perfect breed for a service dog because of its gentle personality and giant size. Dogs that are being used as balance support for the owner need to be large and about 65% of the person’s weight and 45% of the height. It takes a tall and strong dog to give confidence to someone who needs help to walk and support to regain balance if they start to fall. Great Danes serve this unique purpose. Great Danes may be large but don’t really require that much experience. Just a few walks a day are needed so it’s even better to pair this breed up with someone who has limited mobility. Great Danes can be trained to do specific tasks, such as hold open doors, turn on light switches, pull wheelchairs, and pick up dropped objects. Of course, they don’t need to be trained to protect their owners from intruders and will be happy to step in when needed.

While Dubai may not be trained to be a service dog anytime soon, he fulfilled his duty to the McCoy family and is getting lots of attention and treats for saving lives and property.