Pet Scoop: Puppy Survives Ride in Car’s Engine, Comfort Dogs Travel to Arizona
Published on July 08, 2013
July 8, 2013: We've scoured the Web to find the best and most compelling animal stories, videos and photos. And it's all right here.

Rescue Crew Frees Stuck Pup
A couple drove about four miles in South Florida on Thursday, and when they parked, they discovered that a puppy was stuck under the hood of their PT Cruiser. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews responded and quickly freed the dog from in between the car’s steering mechanism and one of its axles. "They worked like an Indy 500 pit crew," said spokesman Mike Jachles. "In less than two minutes they had the wheel up, had some parts apart, and were able to extricate the dog without injury." Officials still aren’t sure whether the puppy was a stray, or how he wound up in the car’s engine, but said he didn’t appear to have outward injuries. After it was rescued, the pup was given water and taken to a vet. — Watch it at NBC Miami
Starfish See With Their Arms
While scientists already knew that starfish had eyes, they weren’t sure how they worked. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that the animals can see using eyes at the tip of each arm, which have photoreceptors. In an experiment, they placed starfish with and without eyes on sand, and found that the ones who could see quickly navigated their way to a food-rich coral reef. The findings were reported in the journal the Society for Experimental Biology. Researchers say it may help them understand how eyes in other animals evolved. — Read it at Discovery News
Backyard Chickens Abandoned at Shelters, Critics Say
City dwellers who like the notion of raising their own chickens are discovering it’s not as easy as they thought, and are bringing the birds to overwhelmed shelters and sanctuaries, say their critics. But advocates of backyard chickens say a few negative incidents shouldn’t give the practice a bad name. The Farm Sanctuary, which is headquartered in Watkins Glen, N.Y., has 225 chickens at its three facilities waiting for new homes — and that’s only half of the number they expect to have this year. — Read it at NBC News

Dogs Spend Weekend in Arizona
Two teams of K-9 Parish Comfort Dogs traveled from Chicago to Prescott, Ariz., for the Fourth of July weekend to visit the city that’s mourning the loss of 19 Hotshot firefighters who died trying to stop a wildfire. They spent time in the private homes of the fallen firefighters’ families and made stops at fire stations and the memorial to the firefighters. The dogs and their handlers also offered comfort to people who lost their homes to the blaze and are staying in shelters. — Follow the dogs on Facebook
Volunteers Help Turtles Get to Sea
Last week, more than 100 endangered loggerhead sea turtles were born on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean. When the turtles hatch, they crawl toward the brightest light they see, which is usually the moon over the ocean. But conservationists were concerned that these babies would instead crawl toward the lights of a nearby airport. So, a big group of volunteers descended on the beach to form a human wall, blocking the airport lights. “We give them ample space to crawl and form a line all the way down to the ocean, so they stay on path,” said Dr. Sue Willis, the program director of Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire. — Watch it at Yahoo News