Cuteness Overload — Cuddling Animals

Are you ready to see some adorable animals cuddling with other animals, children or stuffed animals? In some cases, the animals getting cuddly with one another are not even of the same species.

These photos were all collected from my Pinterest animal board. (Individual attribution can be found there.)

An unexpected friendship.

Even squirrels enjoy a stuffed animal friend.

The Frenchies I care for cuddle one another but not usually in this position, facing each other.

I would have liked to have seen the scenes that preceded this shot.

“You are mine. I mark you with my face.”

An odd couple, for sure. I’d really like to know how this happened.

“So what about what the cartoons say about us being enemies?”

“Hi there, Neighbor. Long time no see.”

The meeting of two babies of different sorts.

The picture of serenity

Their sideways hug is so human-like.

Squirrel family love.

We are family.

Smooch!

YouTube for Animal Lovers

15 Different YouTube Channels to Enjoy for Cute and Funny Dogs, Cats, Birds, Hamsters and More.

Watching pets on Youtube can be relaxing and peaceful whether you are a pet owner or not. It’s one way to enjoy some very endearing animals. It wouldn’t be practical for most of us to own one of each of the animals featured below, but Youtube brings us closer to observing all of their funny antics.

These videos are good therapy if you need relaxation. I have used them to unwind when I have headache or have trouble sleeping. Some of these videos are real life adventures with pets and owners while others are pure fantasy — creative stories with animals doing “human” things. Others offer good information for pet owners. A few of these channels have varied content that don’t all fall into one of those categories, although the examples I selected are entertaining.

The videos are of varying length, some short and some a bit longer. You may want to save some to watch later or create a playlist.

Crusoe the Dachshund

Crusoe the Dachshund is involved in a lot of story episodes with his sidekicks, sister Daphne and cousin Oakley. Voice actors speak for the doggos as they go about some very human activities. In this episode, Oakley has a date with a Yorkie and gets a little dating advice from Crusoe and Daphne.

Other episodes include some parodies of movies like Home Alone, Jurassic Park and Ghostbusters, police and crime adventures, hobby fun, obstacle courses, birthday celebrations and more creative content than I can name.

SIMI TV

This channel combines miniature making and fun with hamsters. First, you watch as the Youtuber creates cardboard miniature sets and then enjoy as his hamster interacts with and has fun exploring the set. In this episode, the little hamster has fun on a cardboard playground equipped with seesaws, swings and motorized merry go round, with plenty of hamster snacks sprinkled here and there. In other episodes, the hamster visits a miniature hotel, Tom and Jerry style house, sushi bar and more.

Vlog After College (with Corgi Gatsby)

Gatsby the Corgi has more real life adventures with his owner Ryen. In fact, Ryen’s vlogs can contain all kinds of content like cooking and recipes, ukulele playing and fitness. Still, Gatsby is a big part of each vlog, and you can enjoy watching these two play in a park or at home, go on walking adventures, go shopping for dog toys, even cooking dog-friendly meals or enjoying a burger splurge.

Aaron’s Animals

Aaron’s Animals seems to be creative stories told with real animals but with the help of some special effects and animation. Videos feature cats, a pug dog, ducklings and a mouse. The stories are pretty varied from “A dog and cat road trip” to a cat cooking show and many more fun episodes.

Emma Massingale (With Mini Ponies)

Below is one of the more whimsical videos on Emma Massingale’s channel, where two dogs, a cat, a pig and a miniature pony get the spa treatment, including nail treatments, facial masks and hot stone massage. Emma has more content along this line but also features more down-to-earth adventures with her animals like hiking with her mini ponies or rafting while pulled by black stallions.

Topi the Corgi

Topi the Corgi does a variety of human activities on his channel. These might include acting as a lifeguard or a surgeon, working in construction or as a police officer. His occasional sidekicks are these two little long-haired chihuahuas who join him in the camping fun below.

Tucker Budzyn

This golden retriever’s videos are all captioned hilariously with the new dog lingo of the Internet. On this channel, you can watch as he tries new foods and treats, interacts with new toys or does quirky behavior (like trying to climb in the bath tub with his owner.) Reading his inner commentary is half the fun. In the episode below, I enjoyed seeing him interact with a mechanical toy roach where it seems he can’t decide whether he wants to attack it or run away from it.

The Secret Life of My Hamster

The “dangerous” hamster maze in the video below might look suspiciously like animal cruelty at first glance, but this contraption with all its traps is made from harmless cardboard. Other videos from this channel feature creative mazes, obstacle courses, races and even a parkour course for hamsters. A few of these have gaming themes like Minecraft and Super Mario Brothers.

Griffin the Frenchie

Griffin the Frenchie and his sister Haru have a variety of interesting experiences with their owners. They try out different snacks, show off how well trained they are as well as their behavior quirks, try out strange gadgets for dogs or explore a 24 hour dog grooming cafe, among other things. They also try intellectual puzzles and obstacle courses. In the video below, the two Frenchies enjoy a kiddie pool, some bubbles and watermelon.

Erin’s Ark

Erin has a lot of adorable animals in her care including guinea pigs (about 11 of them,) skinny pigs, bunnies, gerbils, hamsters, a dog and a cat. That might sound like animal hoarding, but Erin lives on a farm, and all of her animals have quality hutches and homes, lots of space and plenty of tender loving care. Erin has some informative videos for owners of small animals, but I find it peaceful to watch her go about her routine with the animals, feeding all of them or making changes to their abodes.

Peekaboo Parrots

There have been several parrots of different varieties on this channel, but the star seems to be Bowie, the Indian ringneck parakeet. He has a voice just like Elmo, and one of his favorite phrases is “Tickle, tickle,” because that’s what his owner tells him when she scratches his head. The doggy of the household, Pai Mei, has his own channel.

What About Bunny

This amazing sheepadoodle named Bunny has been trained to use buttons to communicate. The buttons are from Fluent Pet and pronounce words when they are pressed. They are arranged in interlocking tiles on the floor. There are other video examples that better introduce the system, but I thought this particular video below gives pretty good evidence that Bunny understands what she is communicating.

Major Hamster and Friends

Major Hamster and Friends is another channel that combines ingenious contraptions, story telling and animals. In this one, Major Hamster runs in his wheel, sending out marble missiles against the tank army of his frenemy, the cat. Videos show a variety of challenges for Major Hamster and his friends with mazes, obstacle courses, remote control cars and contraptions involving dominoes and marbles with adventures themed after dinosaurs, robots, zombies, volcanoes and more. Major Hamster’s friends include a cat, dog, chinchilla, rat and bunny.

Tiny Hamster Official

One of the major themes on this channel is tiny food. You can watch this hamster feasting on tiny burritos, tiny barbecue or in this video, tiny tiki party fare, and in fun, miniature settings. Although “hamster” is the only animal listed in the channel’s title, you will find a few others here including bunnies, a chameleon and a hedgehog.

Bini the Bunny

Bini the Bunny has been trained to do a number of cool tricks like paint, play basketball with a small ball and net, work a dustbuster style vacuum cleaner or a small vending machine that dispenses carrots. You can also watch the channel for helpful information on keeping a bunny as a pet.

I hope I have introduced you to some fun animal viewing on Youtube. Please, tell me which of these is your favorite.

Happiness is Two Warm Golden Retrievers

It's a DoggyDog World

Charles Schulz said, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” I agree with him. The happiness extends to full grown dogs … even two full-grown large Golden retrievers.

 

SusanwithtwoGoldenretrievers
Casey, me, Amber, Photo by Linda Smith Pursley

I do some sitting for other people’s dogs, and for the past three days, it’s been with two six-year-old Golden retriever sisters named Casey and Amber. I don’t want to suggest by the title that I have a particular prejudice towards Golden retrievers. I watch other breeds and mixes of breeds, and I love all of the doggies in my life. Even so, there’s a lot to love about Goldens. They are gentle, even-tempered and loving, intelligent, loyal and playful.

From my very first meeting with them, they were eager to meet me and love me. It reminds me of Pixar’s Dug the Dog from the movie Up. (I’m pretty sure Dug is a Golden retriever.) Dug loves his master, Carl Fredricksen, from the moment he meets him.

Amber and Casey both nosed at each other in their eagerness to get to me and receive some attention, a theme that stayed through the three-day stay to come. Amber, the sister with the darker, deeper coat, pranced in place, her toenails clicking against the floor, and whined at me, while Casey mostly succeeded in pushing her sister to the side. Soon, I had Casey’s front paws on my torso. Some people would consider “jumping up” to be bad dog behavior, but I understood it as friendliness and love, mixed with a lot of enthusiasm.

TwoplayfulGoldenretrievers
In the foreground, a distracted Amber. Behind her, a distracted Casey and me. Photo by Linda Smith Pursley

Giving the dogs equal attention was a challenge. Casey had a habit of pushing her sister away in order to get undivided attention for petting and affection. Sometimes, I managed to sit in the recliner and pet a different dog with each hand. Casey often had a way of wriggling herself and pushing her sister to the side. Often, she did a full rotation and leaned her butt against me, and I would talk to them, saying, “I have Casey’s butt and Amber’s head,” as I petted each. Once situated this way, Casey liked to sit between my feet or even on them. I didn’t mind this foot warmer, and I supposed she wanted me to be able to pet her back and sides, which I did. Amber, pushed aside, would complain with her voice and, perhaps, giving up, lie down in another part of the room.

Lookatthecameradoggy
Casey, me, and Amber distracted with cuddles. Photo by Linda Smith Pursley.

I discovered one way to keep them both content was to sit on the floor between them. At one point, I had Amber’s head on my lap, and Casey lying with her full length against my right leg. I sat with them for quite a while, lavishing them with petting and affection. They were both quite happy and calm in this situation.

TwoGoldensplaying
Casey, me, and a playful Amber who wants me to hold her paw. Photo by Linda Smith Pursley.

Both girls liked to give me their paws and let me hold them, and I sometimes serenaded them with a line or two of Beatles parody, “I want to hold your paw.” I’m not sure what they thought of my serenade, but they listened very seriously.

Letmeholdyourpaw.png
Casey, me, Amber, Photo by Linda Smith Pursley

Their owners had warned me that I would have Golden alarm clocks during my stay. That was another funny situation. Every so often, during the night, there were Golden noses on the edge of my bed until I whispered for them to go back to their own beds. In the early morning, bouncing and wriggly noses returned to the edge of the bed. As their patience for me to be up diminished, they were like children on Christmas morning. The noses were wriggling among my layers of covers — it was cold — to find my face and give me morning kisses. Later, front legs and paws joined noses on the edge of the bed.

So, I got up around 7:30 — as the owners predicted — and gave them breakfast and let them out. How could I be upset with all of that enthusiastic affection? Happiness is a warm puppy or a full-grown dog … or two.

 

My 10 Latest Pinterest Pins

 

MiniHorse

  1. This lovely miniature horse who looks like he is ready to tango with that rose in his mouth.

I melt every time I see photos of miniature horses. All animals seem more adorable in miniature, even baby elephants, who, after all, are not very miniature, only small by comparison to full-grown adult pachyderms. This guy — why do I assume he’s a male? — seems particularly fluffy and huggable. I admire his somewhat Einstein-ish hairdo. I have never “met” a miniature horse in person, but my sister-in-law has visited a miniature horse farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and that seems like a lot of fun.

PhotoshoppedBirds
This photo is taken from tumblr.com.

2. These birds who seem to be made out of rainbow sherbet and cotton candy.

When I first saw these birds in my Pinterest feed, I thought “Can these be real?” I have seen lots of different tropical birds with striking color patterns but never any with this array of rainbow pastel colors. I soon learned that this is Photoshop art, because the original photo also appeared in my feed.

NaturalBirds

3. The original more natural photo of the “rainbow” birds.

Even knowing that the rainbow birds have been Photoshopped, I still appreciate both photos. The natural birds still have that sweet pose where they are cuddling and perhaps grooming one another. The rainbow version is well-done and represents fantasy birds we might like to design if we could customize them.

I don’t know if I would want to own a bird. I hear they are high maintenance pets, and it probably wouldn’t work with my life right now. I do enjoy watching others care for their birds and especially enjoy varieties that can speak. If you can, check out an Indian ringneck parakeet named Bowie who is a YouTube star. He has an adorable Elmo-like voice, especially when he says, “Tickle, tickle.”

My mystery novels and stories seem to be populated with more and more animals. Jack Donegal has his beagle, George. Grace Darby has her Corgi, Shelley. Ellen Danforth, Jack’s friend and neighbor, has an orange tabby cat named Van Gogh. Several works in progress have more and more animals, not always cats and dogs.

Germancastle

4. This mysterious, fog-ensconced castle somewhere in Germany.

Some people might find this scene creepy due to the fog. To me, it’s a peaceful scene, beautiful but somewhat mysterious. It could be a scene from a fairy tale or a historical adventure or mystery.

MusicBoxCollage
This photo is taken from inspirationlane.tumblr.com.

5. This photo collage that is a conglomeration of things I like.

I wasn’t sure whether to pin this one on a board I have for “Music Boxes” or one called “Vinyl and Victrola.” It’s an interesting image that could work as a writing prompt, perhaps, for a fantasy story. It seems to have a steampunk feel to it. The old record player is beaten and rusty and seems like an old attic find. The white blurs might suggest motion, but they also seem to suggest dust. It makes me think of an old dusty thing brought to life and attracting life by mysteriously drawing the butterflies.

1952Pontiac2dhtp
This photo is from Rex Gray’s flickr.com.

6. This classic sea green 1952 Pontiac two door hardtop car.

I like the looks of a classic car. Car design in past decades, with a few exceptions, seems to be more creative. The color is fantastic. Most cars I see on the road today are neutrals like black, white, gray and tan. Although not labeled so, I believe it is a Chieftain Catalina. I like the curvature of the fenders, the elongated back end and the chrome details.

LadyinLavender

7. This lovely lavender lady in a field of lavender.

I added this pin to a board called “Romantic Photography.” There is something pleasing about this woman out in nature, in a flowing dress that matches the natural environment around her. She carries a backpack stuffed with lavender. What will she do with it? Press them in the pages of a book? Make soap? Make sachets? I’ve even seen recipes for baked goods using lavender.

AnimalOddCouple

8. This golden retriever and pelican who just want to cuddle in spite of the fact that they are completely different species. 

I have to wonder what led up to this Kodak moment. What made these two animals decide to become friends? Did they play together before they curled up together for a nap? How exactly did they know the other had friendly intentions?

VintageCokeBottle

9. This vintage Coke bottle

It looks Victorian to me, but it may not be that old. I saw similar bottles online that were made in the ’70s for a 75th anniversary of certain bottling plants. It still makes me think of Gibson girls in old Coca Cola ads.

DollhouseScene

10. This romantic shabby chic dollhouse miniature scene.

I’ve always liked miniatures. I inherited that from my mother. My female friends tell me that I am very girly, so I like very feminine things like this scene. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to design the home spaces in my fictional worlds in 3D. It’s funny that the home spaces in my fictional worlds in Action Men are mainly man caves, but those are fun too. There may not be much shabby chic design there. Instead there are video games, antique but masculine toys and quirky things like bubble chairs and couches made from car parts … not to mention a robotic device for playing fetch with the dog.

Are you a Pinterest collector? What do you like to collect on Pinterest? Which of the things in this list interested you the most?