Wild Animal Wednesday! The Spring Peeper Has Arrived!

The Spring Peeper is a familiar amphibian friend here in the Northeast.  The Peeper starts making an appearance right around the beginning of the Spring season and can be recognized by it's high pitched "peep peep" call.  Chances are you know what I am talking about, but if not- roll down your car window next time it rains (or right after it rains) and you will hear the chorus of Peepers.  I really love these little tree frogs, their call is pretty soothing and the are absolutely adorable!  They are really small- usually no larger than a paperclip!  After a rain, especially in a wooded area or by a vernal pool, you can see them jumping in the streets (be careful)!  If their size doesn't give them away immediately, they also have a very distinct X marking on their backs. 
(photo courtesy of  http://www.sciencecenterct.org)

To listen to the sounds of the Spring Peeper click on the Youtube video below.

Meet Our Staff!

Ann has been a trusted Best Friends employee for four years now. At Best Friends, she has taken on a supervisory role as our Activities Coordinator, overseeing and administering the daily activities provided to our pet guests, including daily walks and playtimes. She is always reliable and excellent at paying attention to small details. Ann is an energetic and talkative person that dogs and cats naturally flock to. She’ll even tell them stories, and we’re pretty sure they understand her! Ann has extensive experience caring for households with a large number of pets, including dogs, cats, birds, small animals and elderly pets.

Ann now offers in home pet care! She offers midday doggy walks as well as over night stays! Check out our Home Care Website for more details! or Stop by! If you would like more details give us a call at 203-849-1010!

Monday's Funny Video of the Week! Pitbull Loves Chicks- Happy Easter!

Sharky the Pitbull doesn't know why his breed gets such a bad rap! Just watch how gentle and sweet he is in this series of short videos with little chicks and bunnies! Happy Easter- We love you Sharky!!

Wild Animal Wednesday! Run for the Wild!

April is almost upon us- so sign up for the Run for the Wild at the Bronx Zoo and support tigers.  The Run for the Wild "Make Tracks for Tigers" is a 5K run and a Family Fun Run that takes place in the Bronx Zoo on April 24th.  All participants will get to spend the day at the zoo after the race is over.  Tiki Barber who was there last year will be hosting the race and running along with everyone, don't you want to run with him?  If you haven't started training yet, what are you waiting for?  The tigers are depending on you!  If you would like to read more about why the tigers need our help click here.  To sign up for the race, visit the WCS website. 

St. Paddy's Day Camp Fun!!

Our dogs had a blast at the St. Patrick's Day Doggy Day Camp Party!  Just check out these hilarious photos!! 

Monday's Funny Video of the Week! Hilarious Cat Song "Mean Kitty"

The "Mean Kitty" song is great!  At first I wasn't sold on the name, but it's harmless, and really funny!  The singer is awesome, and you can tell that he really loves his cat- but Sparta the "mean kitty" really steals the show!

Pet Photo Day with Geoffrey Tischman!

Don't miss our Pet Photo Day with the wonderful pet photographer Geoffrey Tischman!  Make an appointment for your pet's photo session today!  Call 203-849-1010 to set it up and for more information.  The event is on Saturday May 8th from 8am-4pm at the Norwalk Best Friends Pet Care.  Your sitting fee of $25 will be donated to Bully Breed Rescue.  Don't forget to get your pet groomed before the photo shoot- you will recieve $10 off a grooming when you sign up for the pet photos.

Check out some of Geoffrey Tischman's work at his website http://www.tischmanpets.com/!  You won't be dissapointed. 

Wild Animal Wednesday! Alpaca Learns to Surf!!!!

Wow, this is one of the coolest stories I have seen in a while.  Domingo Pianezzi, a Peruvian surfer, has trained children and even dogs to surf for years, but has recently taken on a greater challenge- training an Alpaca named Pisco to ride the waves.  Watch this video- It is pretty awesome!! 



To read more about this story visit Telegraph.co.uk

Best Friends Interview with The Cute Pet Gazette!

During the Edison Super Pet Expo Danielle the manager from our Windsor, NJ location was interviewed for the "How Cute is Your Pet" segment of The Cute Pet Gazette.  This is a great interview loaded with awesome information on Best Friends Pet Care.

Monday's Funny Video of the Week! St. Paddy's Day Cat!

No wonder all of the snakes fled from Ireland!  Ranj the cat scared them away.  This is a cute one to get us all in the mood for St. Paddy's Day.  Irish or not, St. Paddy's Day is a fun day to celebrate no matter what your background.... just ask Ranj the cat!  Enjoy :)

Wild Animal Wednesday! Summer Internships at the Bronx Zoo

Calling all teens!  Here is your chance to get up close and personal with the amazing animals at the Bronx Zoo.  The program is great for young adults (13-17 years of age) who are interested in a career working with animals.  It is a three week program that costs $1500.  In that three weeks you will experience:

• See animals up-close.
• Meet a diverse group of zoo professionals including zoo-keepers, field biologists, and exhibit designers.
• Work in the Children's Zoo and Camel Barn animal faciltities.
• Gain a unique look at what it takes to run a world-famous zoo.
• Explore Tiger Mountain, where they will observe an enrichment or training session led by keepers.
• Observe behaviors of gorillas in the Congo Gorilla Forest and lemurs in Madagascar
• Survey more than 1,000 butterflies in our Butterfly Garden.
• Conduct field ecology studies in some of the Zoo's hidden natural areas.

While the activities sound like a lot of fun, anyone interested should be willing to put in a lot of effort and hard work.  Working at a zoo or with animals in general can involve rigorous activity.  There are sessions available in June, July and August.  To learn more about the Internship program visit the Bronx Zoo Website. 

Monday's Funny Video of the Week! Staticky Cat!

I'm not sure why this video is so funny.. but it is!  It cracked me up.  Meet Nosey the staticky cat and his pesky balloon! 

Wild Animal Wednesday! The Return of the Fisher Cat

Fisher cats have been pretty rare in Connecticut until recently.  Their presence in our state dwindled in the early 20th century as they were hunted for their fur, as well as a lack of habitat due to increasing development.  Nowadays (due to reforestation and other factors) they seem to be making a come back, and for those of us with small dogs and outdoor cats- we need to be careful. 

The Fisher cat is not a cat at all, it is in the same family as the weasel.  They resemble a cross between an otter and a weasel or fox.  They typically have a long body with dark brown or black fur, and a long thick tail.  The fisher cat is a carniverous nocturnal mammal who has been known to hunt small mammals.  It is one of the only species that hunts and kills porcupines.  And despite its name, the fisher cat barely ever eats fish!  The scariest thing about the fisher cat is it's call.  If you are woken up in the middle of the night by a blood curdelling scream (similar to a woman or baby screaming) it is probably the fisher cat.  You can hear their eerie calls on Youtube. 

The problem with these animals is that they tend to be on the aggressive side.  If you see one, the best idea is to stay away from it.  They have become a nuissance as well, attacking small pets in our area, cats especially.  If you live in a wooded area, you might want to be careful letting your cat or small dog in the yard unattended. 

To learn more about the fisher cats visit ct.gov. 
(photo: Daniel J Cox & home.mcn.net/~wtu/fisher.html)

Monday's Funny Video of the Week! Kitten Mittons- Its Always Sunny

If you watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia you should get a good laugh out of this ridiculous commercial that the character Charlie did on the show. Of course, this is not real, it's just a joke. Charlie is my favorite character, and I think this is just too funny. Kitten Mittons has been a big hit on the web, so if you haven't seen it, I hope you have a little chuckle.