AUBURN — It took some coaxing, and more than a few treats, but Brynnlee finally decided that Santa Claus wasn’t such a bad guy. Flanked by the human members of her family, the 9-month-old German shepherd cautiously sniffed Santa’s outstretched hand. Inched forward cautiously. Sniffed again. Then lightly licked Santa’s nose. “Who’s a good girl?” […]
pet feature
Animal Tales: An alpaca life
GRAY — Although they were longtime animals lovers, John and Carol Furman barely knew what an alpaca was when they they stepped inside a New Gloucester alpaca show in 2009. They just thought the show sounded fun. They came away alpaca converts. Today, the couple owns Roberto, Domingo, Dania, Elizabeth and Max. They have 39 […]
Animal Tales: Students run pet food pantry
Katrina Dailey, transitions coordinator for the Margaret Murphy Center, came up with the idea for the pet pantry after hearing about a pet food charity program in Augusta. The Lewiston-Auburn center already had a relationship with the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society — some students liked to volunteer there — so she approached shelter leaders about […]
Arson investigator who works like a dog
YARMOUTH — Nose down, tailing wagging, it took Shasta less than two minutes to find the few drops of gasoline hidden in the old burned-out building. Behind the staircase. Next to the beat-up sofa. She hit on each spot twice — sitting, then nosing at the ground when senior fire investigator Danny Young insisted, “Show […]
Animal Tales: Water world at Argo
LEWISTON — It has all the elements of a good soap opera: Intrigue. Murder. Memorable characters. The fact those characters are tropical fish doesn’t put off anyone. “There’s a lot of action. You know what? Everybody likes the action,” said Jason Levesque, CEO of Argo Marketing. “Everybody comes in here and they watch the fish.” […]
Animal Tales: Cooking for canines
AUBURN — After thousands of dogs got sick and hundreds more died from eating recalled dog treats, Shasta Moschetto worried about what her dogs were eating. So she turned on her oven and started baking. “I wanted to make a treat that I knew myself was healthy and what was in it,” she said. She didn’t want […]
Animal Tales: Magician’s real trick is managing the chaos around a bunny
LEWISTON — The children started clamoring as soon as “Amazing Lou” stepped onto the stage at the Lewiston Armory one afternoon this spring. “I want the bunny!” one said. It didn’t matter whether his magic trick involved a hat or a paper bag. “Is there a bunny in there?” one asked. More than 100 children […]
Animal Tales: Hair to help fur
LEWISTON — Facial hair advocates, rap music and Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston don’t typically go together. But for one night this month, they will. On April 25, the Maine Facial Hair Club, a Portland-based group dedicated to “promoting positive facial hair awareness through community involvement,” will host Rap for Pets, a one-night event […]
Animal tales: A home for backyard chickens
AUGUSTA — Bill Carey and Karen Barker rescue unloved chickens. Most were backyard egg layers — until those eggs stopped coming. Some were headed for the dinner table. At Barker and Carey’s house, no one is dinner. “These birds all think I’m Daddy,” Carey said. “When I walk out I just yell to them; I […]
Animal Tales: Puppy class
LEWISTON — Buddy jumped for attention. Little Picshu tried to engage giant Gizmo in a wrestling match. Toby hid behind a chair. It’s not the typical YWCA class — there was a distinct lack of pool water and an abundance of fur — but it’s becoming a popular one. Puppy training. With a little owner […]