I mean, when I decided to marry my husband, I had to be sure he loved animals too and that he would appreciate my love for them and to help them and this planet we call Earth!

That goes for all animal lovers, I believe – How long have those “Love Me, Love My Cat” T-shirts been out? Since at least the 70s, I think!

Anyway, I say all of this to say that I stumbled upon a cool website today for Equestrian Singles called equestrian cupid.

Basically, horse lovers get to meet up with horse lovers and find someone they could fall in love with based on this thing we all have in common – loving animals – in this case, people who have a passion for horses!

I usually surf right past sites like this – dating sites, that is – well, because I’m married, but also because I think a lot of them are bogus or x-rated and I don’t appreciate that, so I would never forward someone over there.

Also, some of them are very expensive to join, from what I hear from some of my frustrated, single friends. This site is different – they have a FREE sign-up.

However, this one was too unique to me and I thought that many of my horse lovers out there could find that someone special!

Let me know if you do – I love being cupid! LOL…

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I hope you enjoyed this Equestrian Lover post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Make sure you don’t miss out on your Exotic Animal Lover Updates!

Technorati Tags: horse lover, equestrian singles, equestrian, horse singles, equestrian cupid, equestrian dating

Meet Fellow Horse Lovers! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I don’t know about in your area, but in our area of Niagara Falls, Canada, the pet stores are putting their foot down!

When I went in to get fish food the other day, I noticed that their “resident” bunny that’s been there for a while was nowhere to be seen.

I always say hello to him before I leave because he’s just so darn cute!

I asked one of the girls where he went and she said that he was in back. I asked her why, and she said that they are not allowed to sell “seasonal” animals.

For a specified amount of time before and a short time after each Holiday that has something to do with an animal, they won’t sell that animal.

For Example: Bunnies, ducklings or chicks around Easter, or black cats around Halloween.

Actually, that’s a great idea…

More often than not, these animals are bought and then not properly taken care of afterwards.

They were an impulse buy for the children and once the occassion has passed, they are no longer neat and fun, plus they grow up to be adult animals. They become neglected pets.

Before feeling the urge to buy a baby chick for your child at Easter, just think…that baby chick will grow up to be a bonafide chicken!

What are your pet stores doing to control Holiday pet purchases?

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I hope you found this Unusual Pet post interesting on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Go ahead…Just get a bunny poster instead – You don’t have to feed it (LOL):

Art Poster Print – Blue Dutch – Artist: Richard Murray – Poster Size: 14 X 16 inches “Blue Dutch” by Richard Murray High quality art poster. DirectForSale sells over 300,000 different art posters. Browse our store and shop for all your Art posters with DirectForSale. This Blue DutchPoster is made with High Quality Poster paper and is made for years of enjoyment. * Poster Size: 14 X 16 inches. * Primary poster color=cream. * Secondary poster color=Navy. Note: This item is not available for express shipping.

Technorati Tags: bunnies, chicks, baby chick, rabbits, black cats, Easter, pet stores

Pet Stores Not Selling Seasonal Animals is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Conservation Status:
Sheep are a domesticated, farm animal the world over…

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Sheep Rule – Tales From The Roads Of Ireland
By Miriam Susong

“There are sheep in the road!” she screamed. “What?” I replied. With her voice ten octaves higher, my daughter Sarah yelled, “There are sheep on the road!” Calmly, I retorted, “I don’t see any shee . . .p!” “Wow, that was a close one,” I exclaimed as I slammed on the brakes. Sure as anything, there were sheep in the road. They were really on the side of the road, but from where my daughter sat, I guess they looked like they were closer to the middle of the road. There was a fold, (I guess you call them a fold . . . they did in Biblical times). They had big x’s painted on them. Pink x’s. Blue x’s. Someone we met explained that the color of the x’s designated what farm the sheep belonged to.

Sheep lover that I am, I stopped the car and I begin to say softly, “Here, sheep. Come to over here to me.” My daughters laughed at me when they heard what I had said to the sheep. But the kid in me wanted to pet one of the sheep. The sheep could have cared less if I had come all the way from America to pet them, let alone almost take their life away as I was mastering driving on the opposite side of the road. They stayed far back from the fence and barely gave me a glance. Moral of the story? Watch out for the sheep! I am sure you have heard about the sheep in Ireland. They are not storybook kind of sheep where the shepherd is seen holding his staff in his hand. They are real honest to goodness sheep who rule the road. So, if you don’t want to be wearing a wool coat with an “x” on it, go slow, and remember, “Sheep Rule.”

Miriam Susong, has been a Registered Nurse for over twenty years. She has worked mostly in the hospital setting. Miriam has long recognized the stress of nursing and the need to do something about it. She would self medicate with a getaway every few months. She would come back refreshed and renewed . . . able to be happy about her work again. Recently, Ms. Susong created a web site http://www.justgottagetaway.com in which she plans getaways for people who just love to getaway. Her specialty is planning surprise getaways. As a nurse, she knows how to care for and about people. This is evident in her planning getaways for others.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Sheep-Rule—Tales-From-The-Roads-Of-Ireland&id=500975

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I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this picturesque Sheep Calendar for 2008! Only $12.99:

“Calendar 2008: Sheep”“Simply the best Sheep calendar published. Featuring superb photography, you will enjoy this Sheep calendar throughout the year, each month has a different picture. Overall size of the Sheep wall calendar, when fully opened, is approximately 12” x 24”. Get one for the home, office or they also make a nice gift.”

Technorati Tags: Ireland, sheep, mammals, bovine, Aires, European animals, farm animals, herbivore, travel, bovine

Sheep Rule! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Odocoileinae
Genus: Rangifer
Species: R. tarandus

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Conservation Status:
This is a species of least concern! Congratulations on this one, Planet Earth!

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Caribou/Reindeer in Alaska
By Michael Russell

Reindeer are domesticated caribou in North America and are mainly bred for meat production. Although there are seven subspecies of caribou, Alaska only has the Barren ground subspecies. Wild caribou are called reindeer in Europe; they are the same species as normal caribou; however, there are some differences between the two of them. Reindeer or caribou have heavier bodies and shorter legs due to different breeding methods; this helps produce the most meat. Wild caribous’ legs are longer with smaller bodies, which provide for a more efficient migration.

Caribou are a species of deer and both males and females have antlers; males weigh 400 pounds and females weigh 200 pounds. Caribou can live to 15 years old in their habitat and to 20 years old in captivity. They have a thick coat during the winter and it sheds in the spring, but still shields them from water. Fur that repels water is useful when herds travel through large rivers. Their hooves are concave and their edges harden when winter arrives which help them walk on icy surfaces. They soften during the summer for walking on spongy tundra. There is a tendon in a caribou’s ankle, which alters the hooves when walking. This causes the hooves to gain a larger surface area while on spongy tundra.

Alaska has more than 30 distinct herds with an estimated 1,000,000 caribou scattered throughout the state. Many live in tundra areas and mountain habitats near the forest where they migrate.

Caribou often migrate to find food and herds travel long distances quite often to find new food sources. Smaller herds do the opposite and only travel short distances or stay in the same area. During the summer, caribou eat many kinds of herbaceous plants but when winter arrives, they travel to winter grounds. These grounds contain lichen and scrub, which are food for caribou in winter.

The most highly migratory land animals are caribou; herds can have up to 10,000 animals, which travel more than 50 miles each day during migration. Caribou travel every year during summer and winter and they generally search for calving grounds in spring. Different herds live separately in the summer on calving grounds and they join up to travel to the winter grounds. When they reach winter grounds, they scatter and reconnect when they go back to the calving ground.

Female’s, which are pregnant, give birth a few days after each another while on the calving grounds. This increases the number of calves in a herd; once born, they must quickly move to avoid wolves, golden eagles and bears. They can stand on their feet an hour after they are born and can outrun a human after a day. Because many calves are born from different herds, each one has a better chance of surviving predator attacks. A predator can only take a few calves at a time while hunting. Sometimes a confusion effect occurs; this happens when a predator has trouble focusing on one animal within a herd.

During the rut or breeding season, males compete to determine breeding rights. They defend their space from other males aggressively and begin breeding. They use a lot of energy and do not eat much during this time, so they generally are in poor condition when the breeding season ends. Older males are at risk if they are in this condition when predators are around.

The caribou population in Alaska is managed and stable; the state controls hunting and subsistence use. Over hunting, diseases and predators cause the caribou population to decrease.

Michael Russell – Your Independent guide to Alaska.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Caribou/Reindeer-in-Alaska&id=335934

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I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Get these gorgeous little Rudolph The Reindeer Christmas Ornament for your Amazing Christmas Tree this year:

Glass Ornament ‘Reindeer’ Red-nosed Rudolph the Reindeer rests inside this glass Christmas tree ornament, ready to share in the joy of the season. 4 3/8 inch x 4 3/8 inch x 3 1/8 inch high.

Technorati Tags: caribou, reindeer, Alaska, Arctic animals, Canadian animals, North American animals, farm animals, mammals, Christmas

Caribou/Reindeer…Just In Time For Christmas! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Did you see the news article about the stowaway piglet, nicknamed Andrex, that survived being stuck in a toilet roll delivery truck in Ilkestone, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom? He is too cute!

Check out the article here:

Stowaway piglet survives toilet roll ordeal

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Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus

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There are 14 species of pig:
1. Sus barbatus
2. Sus bucculentus
3. Sus cebifrons
4. Sus celebensis
5. Sus domestica
6. Sus falconeri
7. Sus heureni
8. Sus hysudricus
9. Sus philippensis
10. Sus salvanius
11. Sus scrofa
12. Sus strozzi
13. Sus timoriensis
14. Sus verrucosus

I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Piglets are one of thee cutest baby animals around…Check out this adorable poster, just in time for those Pig Lovers for Christmas! Only $29.99:

Lynn Stone Posters Prints – Piglet Art Photographic Print – Artist: Lynn Stone – Poster Size: 16×12Choose from over 300,000 high-quality prints, posters, pre-framed art, photos, original art and photographs. Browse all your favorite Lynn Stone posters, art prints and framed art at Art.com, the World’s # 1 Art Print and Poster store. Title: Piglet Artist: Lynn Stone Size: 16×12 inches Photographic Print Usually ships in: 24 Hours

Technorati Tags: pig, piglet, exotic animal news, animal news, farm animals, mammals, omnivore, unusual pets, Andrex

Piglet Survives Toilet Roll Ordeal As A Stowaway is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover