Prince William and Kate Middleton just added to their young family – though not in the way recent rumors may suggest. Nope, Wills and Kate’s family member is instead of the four-legged variety: a months-old pup.

Following speculation they had adopted a chocolate Labrador retriever, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the latest royal dog was actually a male cocker spaniel. The couple were snapped walking with their new pooch on a wet and windy Newborough Beach last month (above).

The curmudgeonly so-and-sos at the Palace won’t release the name of the dog (goodness knows why – security protocol?), or explain why a cocker spaniel was chosen. All we proles were really told was that the male pup came from a litter through a family connection. Expect a lucrative magazine cover shoot of Will and Kate’s new furry friend any time soon.

The royal family and dogs have always gone hand in hand, of course. Prince Charles and Camilla adopted a Jack Russell Terrier named Beth last year, but easily the most famous royal dogs are Queen Elizabeth’s corgis.

The monarch’s love of corgis began in childhood. King George VI introduced the first corgi into his family in 1933, a dog named Dookie. A young Princess Elizabeth got her very own corgi, named Susan, a few short years later, and bred the dogs until 2009 – indeed, many of the corgis in the Queen’s family have Susan as their ancestor. Yes, even the royal dogs are born into a life of privilege.

Will and Kate’s New Puppy Breed Revealed is a post from: The Inquisitr

If this doesn’t touch your heart, you have a heart of gnarled, twisted oak.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported on the discovery of Petunia, an 11-year-old dog who went missing from her home in Virginia when she was three.

Yep, that’s eight years (56 in dog years!) Petunia spent apart from her family, but just as amazing is the distance she managed to travel in that period. See, Petunia was found in California, over 3,000 miles away in an animal shelter. You may commence baaaaawing … now.

Authorities said that Petunia went missing around Thanksgiving in 2003, and was never found despite an expansive search. Yet the American Staffordshire terrier (a breed that can live until 16 or 17) recently showed up at an animal shelter in Sacramento, California, where she was registered as a stray.

And just to make sure it is her, a scan of a microchip found in Petunia linked her to Virginia-based veterinarian clinic in Virginia. The clinic was contacted by the California animal shelter, and in turn got in touch with Petunia’s owners. Who, I imagine, had a bloody good baaaaaw themselves.

The aim now is to get the intrepid mutt home for Christmas. It’ll be a long and perhaps lonely trip for Petunia, but the California animal shelter is on the case. Man, who wants to be at that reunion?

See also: More happy endings!

Dog From Virginia Found in California, Eight Years After Going Missing is a post from: The Inquisitr

Your dog is supposed to be your best friend. Well, until your dog shoots you with a gun.

A 46-year-old dog owner from Brigham City, Utah was shot from behind by his “loyal canine” during a duck hunting.

The best friends were traveling in a boat when the man stepped out to a shallow marsh to set up decoys for the targets. His 12-gauge shotgun was left resting across the bow of the boat.

County Sheriff Deputy Kevin Potter reported that:

“The dog did something to make the gun discharge. I don’t know if the safety device was on. It’s not impossible the dog could have taken it off safety.”

The report added that the dog must have jumped on the boat’s bow and hit the gun, resulting to the accidental firing. About 27 pellets of birdshot hit the man’s buttocks. The man was able to call 9-1-1 after the incident.
The hunter was transported to Brigham City Community Hospital where doctors removed the bird shot. He was eventually released to recover.

There is no word if the man and dog are still best friends.

Dog Shoots Best Friend is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Florida woman who left 10 $100 bills in an envelope for her husband to deposit when he returned home quickly learned that it was a bad idea when her husband realized the bills were missing. It turns out that the family’s dog Tuity decided to snack on the bills and envelop, quite literally devouring $1000.

Speaking about the missing money the husband told the St. Augustine Record:

 “I thought somebody broke in originally.”

Christy Lawrenson added:

“She ate the bill, the envelope … everything.”

After some thought the couple gave Tuity just enough peroxide to puke up the money and then pieced together the bills.

It turns out that even after chomping on the benjamins nine of the bills were still good enough to be returned for new tender at their local bank branch, although one of the $100 notes was missing an important section and could not be returned.

In a last ditch effort to get back their final $100 bill the couple has sent the money to the US Treasury with an note explaining exactly what happened to the tender and they are currently awaiting a response from the government.

Their note to the Treasury might possibly be the first “my dog ate my homework” equivalent that the agency has received.

Have you ever had a family pet eat something of value that you left sitting within their grasp? Share your stories in our comments section and remember that leaving edible objects around your home is an invitation for a pet based meal attempt.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Dog Eats $1,000 Then Pukes Up $900 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Los Angeles City Council has amended its city’s barking law imposing heavy fines on owners of dogs that bark excessively, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A dog’s barking is considered excessive if it lasts for 10 minutes or more. It is also excessive if a dog barks intermittently for 30 minutes or more within a three-hour period. Penalties would range from $250 for first offense, $500 for second offense and $1,000 for third offense.

Brenda Barnette, general manager of the Animal Services Department, in citing the fines as reasonable said:

“If a dog hears somebody or something and barks, that’s a good thing. That’s a warning. If a dog just stays ut and barks and barks, that’s really not reasonable.”

Jose Sigala, president of the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council’s board, said that the fines are steep and would affect a lot of working-class neighborhoods.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to sign the amended ordinance.

It’s time to train your dog to bark silently.

Dog Barking is Expensive in Los Angeles is a post from: The Inquisitr

So you think you are pretty tough huh. Well, I’m betting that you probably wouldn’t be willing to punch a black bear in the face in order to save your dog eh.

Unlike you, or me most likely, a lady by the name of  Brooke Collins didn’t think twice about it when it came to saving the life of her pet dachshund by the name of Fudge when it was being pinned down by a black bear in the yard of their home in Alaska.

Besides the fact that the idea of living somewhere where a black bear could casually meander through one’s backyard is unsettling to say the least but to actually confront the bear and punch it in the face is one hell of a brave thing to do.

Collins said she didn’t see the bear outside when she let the dogs out around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. She said Fudge just darted out and the barking could be heard almost instantly. She said that barking was “the most horrible sound in the world.”

Collins said when she looked outside she saw a bear was crouching down with Fudge its paws and was biting the back of the dog’s neck.

“That bear was carrying her like a salmon,” she said.

She said she almost instinctively went up and did the first thing she thought of. She punched the bear’s face and scooped away her dog when it let go.

It all happened too fast to really think about but she had flashes of hearing about how some animals will back off from a punch to the nose, she said.

She said her boyfriend Regan O’Toole came out upon hearing the screaming. O’Toole said the bear already looked startled from being punched at that point. He said the animal went down the driveway and into the bushes to the mountain as he ran toward it.

via Juneau Empire

Other than a few scratches it seems that Fudge came through the ordeal okay and probably really thankful for having an owner like Brooke Collins.

Think you’re tough? Try punching a bear in the face. is a post from: The Inquisitr

On August 6, 2011 30 American soldiers where killed when the helicopter they were riding in was shot down in Afghanistan by Taliban fighters. One of those soldier’s was Navy SEAL U.S. Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson.

During the service honoring the soldier Tumlison’s dog, Hawkeye, walked up to the casket and laid down in front of it heaving a big sigh.

Tumlison’s cousin, Lisa Pembleton wrote on Facebook that Hawkeye was Tumlison’s loyal pet and refused to leave his side during the funeral. The following looping time lapse video was shot during the service.

Even in death a dog’s friendship is unwavering.

via Discovery and IsViral

If this doesn’t touch in your heart then you don’t have one is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember that little do who ended up lost at sea for three weeks following the earthquake, and the tsunami that followed it?

Well it turns out that the dog, whose name is Ban, was reunited with her owner following an incredible rescue at sea,

Kleenex line-up at the left there folks.

via Geekosystem

Your Aww Moment of the Day – Tsunami Dag reunited with owner [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Are you too busy, too lazy or too scared to play with your dog? Or perhaps they love the rain and you just don’t. Whatever the case may be the Autofetch Motion Pet Ball makes it much easier for your pet to amuse themselves throughout the day.

The ball is operated by placing some of your dogs favorite treats in a hollow spot in the ball, then just letting plugging in two AAA batteries and letting the gyro-drive do the rest of the work, moving the ball throughout your house or yard as your pet attempts to free their treats.

Dog may be mans best friend, but the Autofetch might just well become your dogs best friend. [SlipperyBrick]

Autofetch Motion Pet Ball. The Perfect Gift For Lazy Dog Owners is a post from: The Inquisitr

Man’s best friend, the dog, has been an inseparable part of our world for a very long time. They are also great survivors under all kinds of conditions and this is no different in Moscow. As we all know dogs are pretty smart but the idea that the stray dogs in Moscow have figured out how to become modern day commuters is pretty amazing.

It appears that these stray dogs spend their nights in the suburban shelters that they have created from empty buildings and then travel the subway to the city center where their for scraps is more productive. they have done this after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train. They also have figured out how to pick the quietest carriages on the subway train.

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow. They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

Source: Nothing To Do With Arbroath

Moscow subway goes to the dogs [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Man oh man I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for being careless with the Wii remote and killing the family puppy – that would really suck. Such is the case though in Marquette Michigan where Ozzy a five-month-old miniature Sheltie who got smacked with one of the Wii remotes. Kathy White the owner of Ozzy said that they had just gotten the Wii for Christmas and were playing a bowling game on it. Apparently the puppy got all excited watching them play and jumped up at the same time as she moved the remote and connected with the puppy’s temple.  Bad luck in that this hit to the temple is what killed Ozzy instantly

Her first instinct was to call her neighbor, Pene Honey, for help.

"I was brushing my teeth and my husband handed me the phone," said Honey, "and I put it to my face and it was Kathy and she was screaming that she killed Ozzy and to come over right now."

Honey says she picked up the lifeless dog and felt for a pulse.

"I just waited to see if he would breath, and his heart was racing and racing and then it slowed and then just stopped, and that’s when I gave him a breath in his nose," she said.

After four or five breaths, Honey says Ozzy coughed and woke up. 

White then rushed him to the vet, where she found out he had severe brain swelling and was in cardiac arrest. After a couple weeks of recovery, White says he’s almost back to normal.

Source: WIS TV

Additional video on the station website

Puppy killed by Wii remote then revived by family is a post from: The Inquisitr

Is it a bird? is it a plane? No! It’s a pitbull stuck in your engine. This California man explains how he discovered the dog under the hood, complete with ugly-ass dog picture goodness.

Man Finds His Engine Has More Bark is a post from: The Inquisitr