Dogs sniffing hopefully at cafe tables are a common sight the world over-but in Sweden, one restaurant chain is serving up a dedicated menu for canines, complete with imitation beer. Man’s best friend can now sup on cod or organic beef at Avenyfamiljen in the western city of Gothenburg, with non-alcoholic “dog beer”, made from beef stock, set to be added to the menu.
“For a couple of years we’ve allowed dogs into our restaurants-the next step was to offer water bowls, and now we also offer a special dog menu,” restaurant boss Tobias Hamberg told AFP. “Most dogs prefer the beef, and they usually take their meals on the floor near to the feet of their owners,” said Hamberg.
Like a few other eateries around the globe that offer up pet treats, Avenyfamiljen and two other restaurants from the same chain are hoping the move will attract custom from diners who just can’t bear to leave their furry friends at home. Doggy meals at Avenyfamiljen, which the restaurant buys ready-made from a company in Stockholm, will set the owner back 50 kroner (5 euros, $6).
Japanese Spa Offers ‘Exorcism’ For Your Dog
Japanese dog spa has taken pet pampering to a whole new level by offering “exorcisms” for their furry guests. The D+Kirishima spa not only offers the latest in formal kaiseki doggy-owner dinners and spa baths together (yes, together in the same bath), but also a package called the “Pet Dog Exorcism Plan.” A senior Shinto priest will come to the spa to conduct a ceremonial blessing to rid your pup of bad spirits and pray for its future health. The ceremony is especially suggested for dogs in their “unlucky health years.”
“Seven-year-old, 10-year-old, and 13-year-old dogs need to be careful of their health, as it’s easier in those years for them to gets diseases of aging,” according to the spa’s pitch for the package. The exorcism for your dog is celebrated along with its owner at the Shingariyu shrine within the hotel. It takes 30 minutes and costs $430-room and pet-owner dinner included.
‘Werewolf’ Cat Discovered
A rare, “werewolf” cat was discovered in South Africa under a bush-instead of meowing at the moon. The kitten is a Lykoi-a new breed of mostly hairless feline that has a rare genetic mutation that causes them to behave more like dogs, and grow patches of fur that give them a lycanthropic appearance-found last month by an animal rescue group in Cape Town.
“He’s got the look of a wolf, but the physique of a cat,” said Animal Rescue manager Mandy Store. “We thought he might be a sphinx crossbreed, but he’s got a lot of physical differences from cats. He’s quite incredible.”
Once the cat passed all his tests for diseases, the rescue group brought in an American veterinarian that specializes in Lykoi cats to determine if he was part of the rare breed. The vet concluded that many of his qualities-including his spotty black and gray fur and his tendency to act more like a dog-made him fit the criteria to officially be considered a Lykoi. The green-eyed cat is now one of just 35 other cats recognized as members of the breed in the world.
“He’s playful like a dog. He’ll look you in the eyes with a sense of great attachment, unlike most feral cats,” Store said. “He’ll even drag his blanket around with him. It’s like he doesn’t know how to be a kitty.”
Cat Turns On The Faucet… Humane Society Disaster
Curiosity may not have killed the cat in this case, but it certainly did cause a whole lot of damage to the Florida Humane Society in Pompano Beach. A frisky feline known to play in sinks apparently turned on a water faucet at the nonprofit’s shelter, left it running full blast for 17 hours, and flooded the place. The Humane Society got a call at 7:15 a.m. informing them that water was running out the back door of the facility.
Staff members initially assumed a water pipe had burst. But when they got inside to survey the situation, they discovered the mess was caused by a water faucet in a cat room that had inexplicably been turned on. Although none of the cats has confessed, there is a 6-month-old suspect. The Humane Society is not naming the cat and it’s possible there was collusion from others, but there’s one in particular that probably had something to do with it.
