The Animal Blog

You'll really appreciate this one if you're into the extreme sports.

Here's a video of a skate-boarding bulldog:

See what I mean? Totally extreme. This dog is already better than I could ever be on a skateboard.

He probably wouldn't agree to it because it would take away from his "extreme" image, but I would like to see that dog in pads and a helmet for safety's sake.

There's a new king of the waves in town, and his name is Buddy the Surfing dog:

Buddy is from Southern California, the surfing capitol of the world. His versatility on the water allows him to ride the short board, the long board, and the body board.

This pup is clearly serious about surfing, and has ridden this wave of success onto sponsorships and even representation by an agent (athough who in So Cal doesn't have an agent?).

Click on the link below from CBS 3 in Philadelphia for a news story featuring Buddy:
http://cbs3.com/video/?id=28711@kyw.dayport.com

And don't forget to visit Buddy's official website.

Hollywood has taught us how smart and talented monkeys can be. But one message that our favorite movies do not convey is how deadly monkeys can be!

Watch the video above for footage of this monkey performing:

• spinning kick
• roundhouse kick
• high kick
• escaping his attacker
• and breaking a board

Yikes!

New York City is well known as one of the most diverse cities in the world. Of course, with a population of around 8 million people you would expect as such.

Over the past week, NYC residents have been spotting their newest neighbor: a manatee. Last week I showed you a couple of stories concerning out of place gators (1, 2) and not but one week later another native Floridian is spotted in a foreign land. What's the reason for this mass animal exodus from Florida? We shall see.

But the real question is not why did this manatee migrate from Florida, but is this newest NYC resident a Yankee fan or a Mets fan. How about we take a poll?

Yankee fan: He's a (explitive deleted) Yankee fan! Oh and A-rod (explitive deleted) sucks!
Mets fan: Go to (explitive deleted) you (explitive deleted) Yankee Fan! He's a (explitive deleted) Mets fan! Oh and A-rod (explitive deleted) sucks!

Hmm... Inconclusive. Perhaps I should have taken a more scientific approach to this polling.

Click below for the entire article on WNBC.com:
Manatee Spotted In NYC, Far From Home

"What's the stupidest thing you've ever done in your life?... a couple of fat, bald, hairy Slavic dudes, and the headliner, Ginger the Wrestling Bear... George Plimpton... Even my mild-mannered and very proper grandfather was standing along the boards of the arena pounding the glass... The trainer had been smashing watermelons... Ouch."

Yes, there's no need for my stupid commentary on this article.

Click below for the entire article on SLAM! Sports:
Bearing it all for Ginger - the stupidest thing I've ever done

The would of extreme sports dogs is beginning to explode. In the last month, we've seen a surfing dog and a skateboarding dog. Today, I bring to you skateboarding dog number 2:

You're going to have to watch this one twice, because the first time you'll be up on your chair dancing!

Click here for more dog videos.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for overcoming adversity and winning the World Series in an impressive fashion.

So, what are Cardinals around the world doing in celebration?

Fluttering around in some water of course!

COMPLETE WITH HARD-CORE MUSIC!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

...but NOT for animal cruelty.

Despite having sworn statements from his federal trial attesting to the acts he committed, the Surry County DA is not pursuing animal cruelty charges.

It's ridiculous to watch the DA dodge questions in the ESPN link below (watch the video):

Virginia grand jury indicts Vick on dogfighting-related charges

The rational is apparently that he doesn't want to be seen as "hopping on board" with the same charges pressed by the federal prosecutors. The animal cruelty charges could have exposed Vick and his counterparts to up to an additional 40 years in prison.

Skateboading dogs no longer impress me. Skateboarding and surfing dogs are awesome!

... of the list of MLB teams with animal mascots. Baseball season is in full swing, and here's the run-down for 2008:

And for the stat fans out there, it looks like animal-mascot teams are lagging for 2008:

• Average animal team rank: 18.7
  
• Average non-animal team rank: 14.3
  
• Average animal team value: $401 million
  
• Average non-animal team value: $497 million

Source: ESPN