Most pet owners will probably have a tail (ha ha!) or two to tell about their animal’s crazy antics, so we’ve compiled a list of a few of the silliest mishaps and happenings we can find! If you know of any more ridiculous animal tales than these, why not let us know all about it and you might find your story featured right here!

Though this first tale isn’t entirely of the pet variety depending on how you choose to look at it, we thought it would make a nice little introduction. Meet Zorro, a six year old zebra shark desperate for a new love. He was shipped off to the Seal Life London Aquarium on Valentine’s Day with hopes he would get together with their resident female sharj Mazawabee. In order to encourage some lovin’, marine experts have been attempting to encourage some underwater activity by playing seductive tunes like Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. Sadly, as of yet there have been no signs of any action, but research does suggest that fish can both hear and appreciate different tunes and melodies! Sh(ark!)ocking!

This next one is particularly mad! At the Bremerhaven Zoo, Germany, the introduction of a group of female penguins to a flock of male penguins was dropped after gay rights groups protested splitting up ‘homosexual’ penguin couples. Zoo director Heike Kueck insits there was never any intention to forcibly separate the penguins and even if they wanted to, they couldn’t force them to be interested in females!

Now we’ve mentioned heroic pets before, but this particular pooch really deserves an extra special mention. A pet dog rooting around in the forest in search of food for her puppies apparently stumbled upon an abandoned newborn, picked it up, carried it across a busy road, through a barbed-wire fence and laid it beside her own puppies. According to the dog’s owner, the dog lay beside the baby and took care of it until it was spotted by someone. The baby was later taken to hospital.

So there you have some fascinating pet stories to remind you why we love our crazy animals so much!

If you’re a dog lover, the chances are you have a particular breed that just makes you go weak at the knees. You probably even own one of that breed or would one day love to. This week we’re going to take a look at some of the UK’s most popular dog breeds and try to work out why that is! Read on to see if your perfect pooch is part of the party!

1. Labrador Retriever – aside from this being a very pretty pup, the Labrador retriever is one of the most loyal, most loving, caring and affectionate dog breeds out there! Their good nature make them wonderful family pets. They do require training from an early age like most dogs and can be wayward, but if given the right amount of love and attention, they make friends for life.

2. English Springer Spaniel – this dog is very gentle and even-tempered. Not only that, but they are incredibly intelligent animals capable of learning very quickly. Their tails never seem to stop wagging, making them one of the most cheerful, life-loving dogs out there!

3. German Shepherd – a lot of people might think ill of this misunderstood pup, but German Shepherds make excellent companions. They are very active dogs, are keen, courageous and also very strong. If owners make it clear who is in charge, they make for excellent family pets and will guard and protect their loved ones with their lives.

4. Boxer – these are exceptionally loving and friendly dogs, despite their slightly intimidating appearance. They are very curious and energetic and will keep their owner as fit as they are! They bond with their family and are very affectionate and sociable.  They are also very well known for getting along with children, making them the perfect family pet!

These are just a few of the UK’s most popular dog breeds, but if you’re interested in finding out about more, visit the UK KC website.

You probably have a couple of animals in mind when we say ‘heroic pets’ to you. Lassie, Skippy, Black Beauty and maybe even White Fang if you’re from that generation. They’re all animals with an uncanny ability to communicate with humans, thus able to let ‘Old Man Tom’ know when some hapless child has fallen to the bottom of his structurally unsafe well again.

Well, we doubt that the animal actors behind the heroes could really save any lives, but there are a few plucky pets out there who really deserve the praise for showing limitless bravery in the face of adversity. Take Trackr for instance, the German Shepherd responsible for finding the last survivor of the tragic events of 9/11.  He was so successful during his time as a rescue dog that he was even cloned not once, not twice, not three times, but a staggering four times.

Then there is the miraculous story of a dog that appeared from nowhere to save the life of a man risking being gorged to death by a bull in Spain! The man in question had just about given up on his life when the pup raced onto the scene and launched itself at the bull to free its victim and even continued to attack even after the man had scrambled free. Thanks to the dog, the man escaped relatively unharmed.

It’s not just dogs that are capable of  being heroic, either! Winnie the cat is responsible for saving the life of her family when a gasoline powered water pump was leaking an odourless gas into the house. Their 14 year old son lay unconscious next door while Winnie pawed, nudged and wailed at her owners to wake them up. If it hadn’t been for Winnie sensing something was wrong, they would never have survived.

One of the most heart-warming stories of an heroic pet is all about Lulu, a pot-bellied pig that tried desperately to raise the alarm when her owner’s mother was taking care of her and suffered a massive heart attack. Not-so-little Lulu ran into the street and spread herself out in the middle of the road to stop oncoming traffic, returning to the house every so often to check on JoAnn until she finally got someone’s attention. They followed Lulu to the door and discovered JoAnn unconscious. If it hadn’t been for her, JoAnn would surely have died.

It just goes to show how invaluable our animals really are. They’re more than just our companions, they’re our friends and in some instances, our rescuers!