pets

A 3-Year Old Boy Armed With a Blowtorch Burnt Down His Neighborhood

Yesterday, a 3-year-old boy and his dog decided to go for a morning stroll through the neighborhood. Only this walk involved a blowtorch and some $5,000 in property damage. Kids today really know how to have fun. It’s a miracle, of course, that the kid came out unhurt. But this will definitely be a story…

Tech News Kwame Opam May 7

The Navy SEAL Team 6 Dog Is a Bigger Badass Than You

The word circulating among news outlets is that a single dog was involved in the Osama bin Laden raid. According to the UK Sun, dogs (typically German Shepherds) involved in Navy SEAL operations are usually strapped with armor and cameras to sniff for explosives, attack armed foes and provide valuable intel for soldiers. Heavily armoured…

Biology Adrian Covert May 5

Fire Trucks Are Being Outfitted with Oxygen Masks for Pets

Pets are cute! But very helpless, especially so during times of emergency. So what happens when they’re stuck in a fire and suffering from smoke inhalation and, well, need oxygen? Fire trucks in Denver are starting to get pet-specific oxygen masks to pump that good stuff into them. These masks aren’t new, veterinarians have been…

Tech News Casey Chan Apr 21

Pet Horse of the Future (1905)

The dawn of the Automobile Age made a lot of people wonder what would come of the horse. In the year 1900 author John Elfreth Watkins even predicted the complete eradication of all animals, aside from the few that we might keep in zoos. Some thought a new era of machines would quickly make animal…

Tech News Matt Novak Apr 13

Report: your pets are walking deathtraps

Can owning a dog or cat be classed as a dangerous activity? Judy A. Stevens PhD. and colleagues at The Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, of the US National Center for Injury Prevention and Control have completed their report – Dogs and cats as environmental fall hazards – which is published in the Journal of…

io9 Martin Gardiner - Improbable Research Feb 20

Hamster-powered mecha offers its pilot protection from nosy cats

Designer I-Wei Huang (aka Crabfu) was so inspired by Theo Jansen’s kinetic sculptures that he built a hamster-powered walker. Says Crabfu of the walker and its furry test pilot, Princess: Princess is a tiny little thing, much smaller than what I had imagined and prepared for. I was afraid that her weight wouldn’t be enough…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Feb 6

16,500 year old cemetery reveals the pets we kept before dogs

A burial site recently uncovered in Jordan is the oldest ever discovered in the Middle East, at least 1,500 years older than any other cemetery previously discovered. But it’s not just its great age that makes it special – the cemetery also reveals what animals humans kept as pets long before the domestication of dogs.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Feb 2

This is For Anyone Who’s Ever Tried Photographing a Black Dog Before

The book In Almost Every Picture #9: Black Dog follows one family’s struggle in capturing their black pup’s face over the years. Compiled by Erik Kessels, it’s the ninth book in a series of hilarious amateur photography-plights. [Lensculture via Brainpickings]

Biology Kat Hannaford Jan 14

Dog Has a Vocabulary of 1,022 Words

Most dog-owners flush with pride if their canines perform a trick for a treat, but Chaser the border collie has learned over 1,000 words for his toys. Don’t believe me? There’s video below. Two psychologists introduced the dog Chaser to a new toy, repeating its name over and over again. When the pile of plush…

Biology Kat Hannaford Dec 23

An experiment in dog telepathy, circa 1920

Chances are you’ve heard of Clever Hans, the horse who could perform arithmetic. But have you heard of early 20th century experiments in dog telepathy? Here’s a snapshot of one such ridiculous experiment. From Weird Experiments: In this telepathy experiment between human and dog Karl Krall (on the right) tried to detect the thinking radiation…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Nov 30

12 Pets Hard at Work on Computers

Family harassing you for “always being on that Gizmondo site”? Here’s one for them—pets using computers. See Granny, tech’s not all bad! Aww! Plus, this bonus photo of my Effie, hard at work on her iBook. [AnimalsLook]

Biology Kat Hannaford Nov 26

Laterality in canine cradling

Scenario: You are cradling a dog. Do you hold it on your left side or on your right side? This question has recently been studied in detail by Professor Ernest L. Abel, Ph.D., of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Department of Psychology, at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. The professor scoured a…

io9 Martin Gardiner -- Improbable Research Nov 21

Sleepy Kitten Causes Kitchen Fire By Napping On Toaster Oven

The theory that technology and pets aren’t the best mix is supported by a recent incident in Port Townsend, Washington. In that town, a sleepy kitten caused a kitchen fire by napping on top of a toaster oven. Apparently the feline was merely trying to find a spot where it wouldn’t be bothered by the…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Nov 9

The Birdcage Aquarium Duplex, Where the Fish Live in Fear and the Birds Live in Frustration

How cruel we humans are. Not content to tempt our domesticated birds and taunt our domesticated fish by keeping predator and prey in the same household, we felt compelled to engineer this fiendish habitat which brings them face to face. Constance Guisset’s thermoformed aquarium surrounds the tip top of a birdcage which also serves as…

Biology Kyle VanHemert Nov 8

Why Bother Vacuuming the Floors When You Can Just Vacuum the Dog?

So goes the thinking behind Dyson’s Groom tool, which connects to most of their vacuum cleaners and sucks up loose hair and dead skin. I’m guessing it could be used on other animals too—my cat better watch out. The retractable bristles on the brush are made from steel, so when the tool’s button is pressed…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Nov 4

Halp, Apple Genius! There’s a Hamster in My iMac and it’s Chewing All the Bits!

Of the few iMac hamster cages we’ve seen before, this one just takes the seed-biscuit. Gutted and then added with a Rotastak-like tube, its hamster-tenant turns the cogs and occasionally eats some bits. Watch the video here: [Gizmodo Japan] https://gizmodo.com/imac-hamster-cage-for-sale-on-ebay-5359949

Biology Kat Hannaford Sep 22

This Doghouse Is Nicer Than Your House House

It’s one lucky pooch whose gets to live in this 2.5-meter tall replica of Matsumoto Castle, with one impressively handy owner. Won’t you please join me on a guided tour? The video, unfortunately for this monoglot, is in Japanese, but I can give you a few details. The house took six months and about $600…

Tech News Brian Barrett Sep 20

Dog Bed Made From Tennis Balls Provokes Chewy Dreams

My bulldog already emits enough nocturnal pleasure spackle when sleeping on a normal dog bed. I can only imagine what he’d do with a bed made from tennis balls. Fortunately, at nearly $300, I’ll never know. [HughHayden.com]

Tech News Joel Johnson Sep 8

Squirrel Falls Victim to High-Tech Bird Feeder

Don’t want vermin stealing from your bird feeder? Then do what this family did, which is to motorize the bottom of it, should something heavier than a bird (e.g. a squirrel) infiltrate. Watch what happens to the unsuspecting critter inside. Update: Via an email from a reader, more information… the bird feeder is called the…

Biology Matt Cherette Sep 7

PetRescuers iPhone App Helps Reunite Lost Pets With Their Owners

The PetRescuers iPhone app sounds pretty basic—It’s got a way to enter information about lost pets and a search to identify a pet you may have found—but it has the wonderful potential to reunite many pets and owners. Basically, if you happen upon a lonely looking pet you could check the app to see if…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Aug 25

A 3-Year Old Boy Armed With a Blowtorch Burnt Down His Neighborhood

The Navy SEAL Team 6 Dog Is a Bigger Badass Than You

Fire Trucks Are Being Outfitted with Oxygen Masks for Pets

Pet Horse of the Future (1905)

Report: your pets are walking deathtraps

Hamster-powered mecha offers its pilot protection from nosy cats

16,500 year old cemetery reveals the pets we kept before dogs

This is For Anyone Who’s Ever Tried Photographing a Black Dog Before

Dog Has a Vocabulary of 1,022 Words

An experiment in dog telepathy, circa 1920

12 Pets Hard at Work on Computers

Laterality in canine cradling

Sleepy Kitten Causes Kitchen Fire By Napping On Toaster Oven

The Birdcage Aquarium Duplex, Where the Fish Live in Fear and the Birds Live in Frustration

Why Bother Vacuuming the Floors When You Can Just Vacuum the Dog?

Halp, Apple Genius! There’s a Hamster in My iMac and it’s Chewing All the Bits!

This Doghouse Is Nicer Than Your House House

Dog Bed Made From Tennis Balls Provokes Chewy Dreams

Squirrel Falls Victim to High-Tech Bird Feeder

PetRescuers iPhone App Helps Reunite Lost Pets With Their Owners

Laptops Are About to Get Very Exciting Again… Thanks to Nvidia

Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen) Matches Black Friday Discount, With Even Limited Edition Colors at Record Low

Go Titan Hunting in a Clip From This Week’s ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ (Exclusive)

In Medical First, a Single Therapy Knocked Out 3 Autoimmune Diseases at Once

Gen Z’s Use of AI Is Plateauing as Youth Feel Less Hopeful About the Tech

If You Have an iPad, Apple Pencil Pro Is Now Cheaper on Amazon Than Buying Direct From Apple

Finally, a First Look at Brad Bird’s New Animated Sci-Fi Detective Movie

Two LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon Sets Land at All-Time Lows, Including the Dark Version

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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