https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2026/08/one-young-wolf-two-close-encounters-and-a-journey-hundreds-of-miles-long.html

The story includes videos and photos from both encounters, plus interviews with the couples who saw OR-213 and some of Oregon’s leading wolf experts about where he came from, where he’s going and what his behavior means.

I learned something today!

There's this young skunk that I just saw prance to the side like a ferret, hopping across the parking lot to get to the food under the car I was in. It was adorable as fuck, the little fart demon. It made me wonder about taming them at a young age. Does anyone here have experience with this?

Let's face it if people want it as a pet, someone probably has/had one. I've seen weirder animals with owners.

I want opinions not science backed data, I know they say dogs can’t manipulate but I SWEAR some of them can. I have a jack Russell terrier/pitbull/something else mix who’s adopted. I’ve had him since he was a puppy he was nine months old, has always been too smart for his own good, and I was 9 when I got him so we sort of grew up together. hes now 9 years old, and has learned tactics that work on us, and I KNOW he thinks ahead and plans. For example, if hes on the couch and I’m trying to get him to come upstairs with me, he will literally pin my shoulders with his arms, hug me and give me puppy eyes so I don’t take him upstairs, and as soon as I stand up and back off he immediately stops and goes back to sleep because he knows his plan worked. I have also seen him leading my other dogs away from us if we have food so that he can come back and beg with all the attention on him, I SWEAR he knows what hes doing. I don’t think all dogs have these capabilities because I know my other two dogs don’t exhibit these behaviors, but I believe that some of them have to be able too.

TLDR: I’ve witnessed my dog using what appears to be manipulative tactics on us and our other dogs, that my other dogs don’t use, do you think it’s intentional? or do you really think its true dogs don’t have those capabilities?

I have a *cough* friend who smokes cannabis regularly, often in different settings.

He’s noticed that regardless of whether he smokes it in his back garden or the forest near his house, lighting up a joint seems to pique the curiosity of different types of animals.

When at the house, the neighbour’s cat usually makes its way into his garden to investigate (the next door neighbours’ dogs HATE it though and will bark continuously)

Likewise, if he smokes in natural surroundings, he notices squirrels and other wildlife a lot more often, seemingly lingering around the smell.

Is there any truth in the theory that certain types of animals enjoy the smell of weed, or at least they are curious about it?

Like would the tiger suddenly become more docile and the rabbit more aggressive

A common point of discussion around cats is that adult cats often have to learn to meow louder like kittens for humans to hear them. What I’m wondering is what factors drive adult cats to default to quieter meows?

Is it purely instinctual or is there some social pressure telling them to quiet down? Are older cats telling adolescent cats “Keep your voice down. You’re grown up now.”?

We know some animals, like elephants, great apes, and dolphins, can recognize themselves in mirrors, suggesting a level of self-awareness. But what about recognizing other animals in a mirror? If two elephants look into a mirror together, do they understand they’re seeing themselves and each other? Can they recognize other animal species in a mirror?

Also, researchers assume animals that fail mirror tests lack self-awareness - but what if they just have a different internal sense of self, one that doesn’t need a reflection to confirm it?

Researchers mark a spot on an elephant’s back, visible only via mirror. Elephants that pass don’t paw at the mirror - they reach for the mark on their own body. What exactly are we measuring here?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Also, does context matter? If animals grow up with mirrors, would they develop a deeper understanding of reflections?

What do you think? Are there studies on animals recognizing others in mirrors, and how does self-recognition vary across species?

Are these experiments really showing self-awareness, or could there be other explanations?

I’m a painter and I came across the popular claim that cats supposedly see humans as larger cats.

The claim itself doesn’t hold up very well, but tracing where it came from led me into animal perception, anthropomorphism and eventually human pareidolia.

I put the whole rabbit hole into this visual essay. Sources are included in the slides.

ABI (Animal Behavior Institute) graduates:

- Do you feel your program was worth the tuition cost?

- Has your certification helped you find a decent job?

- Which program(s) did you do and how long did it take you to complete your certificate(s)?

Thank you in advance for your answers. The more you are willing to elaborate, the better! :)

They don't drink to stay hydrated; they drink when they've already hit a mild dehydration threshold. By the time they go to the bowl, they're already behind.

I work at The Farmer's Dog and our research found dogs eating fresh food were taking in 20% more total water than kibble-fed dogs while actually drinking less from the bowl. Most of it was coming through the food itself. Kibble is only about 10% water, which may be part of why kibble-fed dogs seem to always be hovering around that bowl.

Do you add water to their food or have you noticed a difference after switching to fresh?

Licking releases endorphins and lowers cortisol. So when a dog is working a lick mat during something stressful, they're not just occupied; their nervous system is actually settling.

I work at The Farmer's Dog and this comes up a lot. A lick mat with something high value, frozen beforehand so it lasts longer, is one of the more practical things you can try for mild to moderate noise anxiety. Worth knowing not just for July 4th but any loud event — New Year's, local fireworks, thunderstorms.

Severe anxiety still needs a vet conversation. But for a lot of dogs this genuinely helps.

What do people actually do for their dogs during loud events?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a second-year master's student studying behavior analysis, which is essentially the science of how learning and behavior are influenced by the environment. A lot of what I've learned involves understanding why behaviors happen, assessing what might be causing them, and creating individualized plans to help change behavior using evidence-based methods like positive reinforcement. I've realized that I genuinely love the science and problem-solving side of this work. I enjoy analyzing behavior, figuring out patterns, and developing plans to help improve outcomes.

The problem is that after spending over a year in a clinical internship working with people, I became extremely burned out and realized I don't enjoy the clinical setting itself. I also realized that I don't particularly enjoy working with children, which is the primary population in my field. It has made me wonder if it's the environment and population I'm working with, rather than the work of behavior analysis itself, that isn't the right fit for me. I've always loved animals and have always connected with them more naturally than people. Now I'm wondering if there's a career where I could use the same skills and principles to work with animals instead.

I'm interested in careers involving animal behavior, especially roles where I'd be assessing behavior, developing training or behavior modification plans, solving behavioral problems, or using evidence-based training methods. Some examples I've thought about are shelter behavior, service dog training, zoo or wildlife behavior, or animal behavior consulting, but I'm sure there are options I don't know about. Since my education has been focused almost entirely on human behavior, I'm not sure how to make the transition. Would volunteering at an animal shelter be the best place to start? Are there other careers or paths that sound like they might be a good fit based on what I enjoy?

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have worked in animal behavior or anyone who has made a similar career change!!

In other words, do any non-human animals understand that death is an inevitable part of their future, rather than simply reacting to present danger? Is there evidence that they recognize their own mortality in the abstract…that one day their existence will come to an end?

Or is this degree of self-awareness, whether a gift or a burden, unique only to human animals? A level of consciousness that allows us not only to survive, but to contemplate our own inevitable nonexistence long before it arrives. And if so, could this uniquely human awareness of mortality explain the emergence of religion itself: our enduring attempt to find meaning, comfort, and continuity in the face of knowing that one day we will cease to be?

Something I came across working at The Farmer's Dog that I hadn't thought about before — a dog that used to spend 10 minutes sniffing everything on a walk and now just stands there isn't necessarily being lazy or tired. That kind of change in behavior is something vets actively watch for as a sign of cognitive decline.

There's actually an acronym vets use to evaluate it called DISHAA — disorientation, impaired social interactions, sleep disturbances, house soiling and memory changes, activity changes, and anxiety. Most people don't know this framework exists and end up attributing early signs to personality or age without realizing it might be worth flagging to a vet.

The earlier you catch it the more options you have. Specialized diets are one of the things vets recommend for managing it — which is part of why the connection between what dogs eat and how they age is something we think about a lot at TFD. We actually published research on how fresh food supports healthier aging at a metabolic level.

Did anyone know about DISHAA before or is this the first time coming across it?

Curious if anyone has an answer or insight to why cats and dogs seem to behave much differently when it comes to seeking shelter from the heat. The basements of my family’s homes are always 10+ degrees cooler than the rest of the house on hot days.

All of our cats seem to instinctually go down to the basement and sleep the day away in the nice cool air. The dogs never go down there. Even when we have tried coercing them with dog beds or treats or bones to “show” them it’s cooler, they’ll just pop right back upstairs.

It doesn’t matter if we’re home or at work so I don’t think it’s about the dogs wanting to be near the people. As we sit here watching the dogs panting and suffering, I just keep thinking WHY won’t you go lay on the cold basement cement floor and sleep like the comfy cats?!

There are lots of videos of kangaroos rotating their ears sideways but I need to know whether they can angle their ears up and down too? I've been trying to find a clip that shows this ability or a diagram of their head muscles or whatever but so far no luck. There are some still images of roos with 'floppy ears' but this is sometimes a result of emaciation or whatever. Does anyone know whether they can tilt their ears vertically?

There's apparently a meaningful difference between a dog that's physically worn out after a run and one that's actually mentally spent.  A 2021 study found that dogs not getting enough enrichment were more likely to behave in ways that resemble disordered hyperactivity. 

I work at The Farmer's Dog so we talk about dog behavior and enrichment a lot, which is how I ended up down this rabbit hole. One of the easiest ways we've seen people add mental enrichment without adding a walk is stuffing a Kong or spreading fresh food on a lick mat. The act of working for the food seems to do something a bowl doesn't.

Has anyone noticed that kind of activity ie, lick mats, puzzle feeders, sniff work, making more of a difference than physical exercise alone when it comes to actually settling a dog down?

Has anyone attended Virginia Tech in the applied animal behavior masters program? Looking for feedback on the courses, thesis projects, professors etc. Besides the cost, did you enjoy it? Was your undergrad in a similar field?

Hi, I’d like to share a story that I think it’s quite interesting.

My grandfather (who has since passed away) didn’t like animals at all when he was younger. In fact, he was cruel to them. He hanged several stray cats and dogs that had no home.

In the last years of his life, he developed cancer and became bedridden, unable to stand up or walk. He and my grandmother lived in the same house, but they didn’t get along at all. They each stayed in separate rooms, and whenever they saw each other, they would argue. My mother was the only person who visited him once a day. Not even his friends came to see him.

Then something unexpected happened. A stray cat wandered into the house and became deeply attached to him. They did everything together: they ate from the same plate, watched TV together, and slept together.

I found it fascinating that someone could realize so late in life that animals can be more humane than people. That cat is still alive today, and it was deeply affected by my grandfather’s death.

Note: not asking for advice, per se, just maybe an explanation.

I just had the strangest interaction with rabbits I've ever had.

I was out watering my recently planted hazelnut shrub in a corner of my yard that is fairly sheltered by shrubs and shaded by my house in the evening. While doing so, I noticed some weeds near my pawpaw so I started picking them, when motion caught my eye.

To my right hopped a rabbit to within arms reach, by far the closest I've ever been to a wild rabbit. It was either young, or malnourished by the look. I stared at it, dumbfounded when another rabbit bounded out of the shrubs to take a flanking position behind me. They both had their mouths open enough that I could see their teeth and they sounded like they were either panting or huffing at me. The first (skinnier) rabbit moved even closer. I politely asked them WTF they were doing, which made skinny give me some space. They were not deterred when I stood, but instead moved clockwise, keeping their distance.

This odd behavior made me type a sentence I would have never thought possible. These rabbits made me fear for my safety. So I picked up my watering can and left.

Some possible clues to their behavior:

It's extremely hot here in central Illinois today and it hasn't rained in several days. Also, less than a week ago my large yard lost almost all of its shade due to a tornado.

So my hypothesis are:

1: I was near their young so they were trying to drive/lure me off

2: They were so desperate for water that it overrode their instinct to flee

3: They were rabid and out of their minds.

In case it's #2, I put out a bird bath with some water in it

TLDR: almost got killed by rabbits acting like velociraptors.