A mini Yorkshire Terrier from New Jersey has achieved a big world record. Last week Guinness World Records named Lucy, who weighs 2.5 pounds, the world's smallest working dog.  Lucy works as a therapy dog through the Leashes of Love program. She makes rounds each week, visiting hospitals and nursing homes and working with disabled children, Moorestown (NJ) Patch reports. Leone Montufar met Lucy moments before the dog was to become homeless. The Yorkie's previous owner was taking Lucy to an animal shelter when she had a chance meeting with Montufar, who adopted the tiny dog immediately. 

Watch the charming video to see how a curious cat discovers Christmas. Courtesy of Simon's Cat.

Watch the video to see a special holiday greeting starring a dog who eagerly awaits Santa.

Most dysplastic dogs are born with normal hips but due to their genetic make-up and other factors the soft tissues that surround the joint develop abnormally causing a partial dislocation of the joint in which the bones become out of alignment, but the joint itself is intact. Dr. Anthony Cambridge is board certified in veterinary surgery. In the video he talks about what Hip Dysplasia is and how to recognize if your dog has this problem. The information is not meant to replace the advice of your regular veterinarian. Has your dog been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia? What treatments have worked…

Everyone has an opinion about the best potty training method for puppies. The most popular methods are newspaper or pee pad training, crate training, and routine walking. Do you have a preferred method? Why do you think your method works well? Do you have advice for dog owners struggling with potty training?

Joseph and Elizabeth Pond want their family to get farm-fresh eggs from backyard chickens, and they've started a legal fight that's ruffling feathers. They don't live on a farm. They live in a Cobb County subdivision. According to Section 134 of the Cobb County ordinance, you need at least two acres to keep chickens on your property. The Pond family yard is smaller, but that's not stopping Joseph Pond's efforts to change the ordinance. He already has the Polish chicken, the Rhode Island Reds and the Black Copper Morans as family pets and providers of fresh eggs. The Ponds' two children, …

By Melissa Sanders My Yorkie Suga was potty trained as a puppy on newspaper, and I walked her on a regular schedule. She seemed to wait for our walks to potty, so I quit using the newspaper. Over the years, she would pee in the house now and again, always on carpet or a bathmat. Suga, 7, is still not housebroken. I am at my wits end. I have tried everything. I crate her at night and when I am gone for more than an hour, which helps but doesn't solve the problem. Suga still pees on carpet occasionally. I want to start using pee pads because I believe, at this point, she will not stop peeing …

Cia Johnson, DVM in the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Animal Welfare Division, discusses cat declawing and the AVMA's policy on the accompanying video. Declawing is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is so closely adhered to the bone that to remove the claw, the last bone of your cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes." The website Cat Scratching Solutions provides insight into why cats scratch and solutions. You can teach your cat to use a scratching post, trim the front claws, or employ …

Aural hematoma looks terribly painful, and it is. The swelling of a dog's earflap is often caused by chronic allergies and ear infections. Often it does not heal without treatment, causing your dog to fling his or head head and further trauma to the ear. Hematomas in the earflaps (aural hematomas) causes swelling that is created by a broken blood vessel after bleeding has occurred inside a tissue. An untreated ear infection leads to head shaking which breaks a blood vessel within the earflap. The earflap may partially or completely swell with blood and block off the ear canal. The earflap …

If you attended Saturday's Cobb County Animal Control (CACC) Adopt-A-Thon, you might have met their new veterinarian Amy Belew. The veterinarian position was approved by County Commissioners in February. Belew started June 1 as the county’s first full-time, on-staff veterinarian with an annual salary of $79,800. She comes to the county shelter from Holcomb Bridge Animal Hospital in Roswell where she practiced for more than two years. Belew will be doing approximately 18 spay and neuter surgeries daily, according to CACC officials. Spaying and neutering pets helps control the animal population…

The Cobb County Animal Control (CACC) Shelter kicks off their race to win the ASPCA $100k Challenge by presenting a Adopt-a-Thon on Saturday, August 6, and you can help.  What's better than kids, dogs, and summer family fun? The festivities include vendors, food, music, animal rescue groups, police K-9 demonstrations, raffles, special adoption rates, and more. You'll also get a chance to meet the county’s first full-time, on-staff veterinarian, Dr. Amy Belew. Belew, 38, whose roots are in Cobb, comes to the shelter from Holcomb Bridge Animal Hospital in Roswell where she practiced for more …

Human drugs have long been used to treat the disease in animals, but now vets are using another human tool, the continuous glucose monitor, to develop treatments for dogs and cats, reports MSNBC. The monitor, which is surgically implanted under the skin, tracks the concentration of a sugar called glucose in the blood. As in humans, pets with high blood glucose levels experience extreme thirst, frequent urination and fatigue. Left untreated, high blood sugar can cause blindness and kidney failure. With a continuous glucose monitor, doctors and their human patients can get a more detailed …

America's VetDogs is the premier organization providing assistance dogs to disabled veterans and active military personnel and the only 501 (c)(3) dedicated to this mission. Active-duty personnel or veterans with a diagnosed disability can apply for an assistant dog through the Military Therapy Dog program. That includes PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), TBI (Traumatic brain injury), and physical disabilities such as vision impairment, amputations, spinal chord injuries, seizure disorders, etc. A Military Therapy Dog refers to a dog trained to provide physical, occupational, or emotional…

Summer weather, outdoor activities, and loud noises from fireworks  can affect your cat or dog. The following tips will help keep pets safe and healthy from the Fourth of July to Labor Day. Can my dog get sick at a picnic or barbecue? Keep your pooch away from greasy or fat-laden food. Fat-laden food causes upset stomach, or worse, pancreatitis or colitis that requires veterinarian care. If your dog ingests a corn cob, an intestinal blockage can occur.  A skewer, if eaten, can puncture the intestine which is a medical emergency. Do pets get sunburn? Some dog breeds can sunburn. White-haired …

In this National Geographic video, Cesar Millan helps a family expecting a baby train their aggressive dog named Oscar.

Suffolk County, New York, has created the nation's first animal abuse registry. It requires people convicted of cruelty to animals to register or face jail time and fines. It is modeled after the sex offender registry to protect children. The Suffolk County registry resulted from the awareness that brutality against an animal is an indicator of possible violence against people, according to experts and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).   According to the FBI, "classic" cases of serial killers, like Jeffrey Dahmer, had early histories of animal abuse. The FBI takes the connection …

Watch this video of an owl and a cat playing outdoors. Have you ever known of an unusual between animals? Share with us in the Comment Box below.

It may sound unbelievable, but according to am MSNBC article, chickens are becoming popular pets. Are chickens a good pet choice? Hens lay fresh eggs. The eggs can turn a profit depending on how many chickens you have.  Most people have hens only which lay eggs regardless of whether or not a rooster is around. If you want baby chicks, you will need a rooster. Chickens are relatively easy to care for, social, and when raised from a chick as a family pet they bond with people. They like to eat ticks and mosquitoes, which is great bug control. There are issues to be concerned about.  Rodents are…

Cornea ulcers may be shallow or deep. The injury is caused by many things, such as the scratch of a stick, a bee sting, or an infectious bacteria. When the outermost layer of the cornea has been scratched or torn, the area becomes painful. Your pet will squint. His or her eye will tear. Veterinarians call this reflex blepharospasm. Corneal ulcers are painful. They itch. Your pet's rubbing of the affected eye will cause the symptoms and injury to worsen. A discharge may accumulate in the corner of the eye, by the nose.  The white of your pet's eye (sclera) becomes bloodshot. Once the damaging …

Hip dysplasia is regarded mostly as a genetic disease that directly affects the hip joints of dogs, which is the bone structure that attaches the dog’s body to the hind legs. The hips joints contain two ball and socket joints, in both animals and humans, one for each leg. Hip dysplasia happens if the two joints don’t match in form and shape, or if one grows abnormally. Hip dysplasia occurs during a young dog’s growing stages. It may affect both the left and right hips, causing severe discomfort. Watch this video to learn the symptoms, and what you need to do if your dog has hip dysplasia.