Horace the monkey knows what he likes — and what he likes is making friends.

​But things weren't always so good for Horace.

"He came to us when he was very young," Sarah Carter, founder of the Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary in Zimbabwe, told The Dodo. "His mom had been hit by a car on a very busy highway. He was found sitting on her body, on the side of the road. He's lucky that he got picked up by the right person, who then brought him here."
He started off so tiny and helpless.

Still, you could tell he was glad to be safe.

Horace joined a group of other orphans rescued by the sanctuary, which cares for rescued animals both wild and domestic.
That's when his friend-making all began.

"Since we had so many orphans at the time, and not enough hands, we had to raise everyone together," said Carter. "They just formed this relationship, which is great."

Horace isn't the only monkey like him at the sanctuary. Still, he seems to prefer spending his time around the creatures he grew up with.

​With the comfort and support of his new companions, Horace continued to grow in both body and spirit.

Source: The Dodo / Stephen Messenger

When a pet gets sick and doesn't have much time left, many incredible families will create bucket lists to make the animal's last days his very best. Bucket lists often happen for dying dogs — but this time, it's a hamster who's getting the adventure of a lifetime.
Robin Williams is a 2-year-old longhaired Syrian hamster, also known as a teddy bear hamster, from Chicago. He lives with his mom, dad and two bunny siblings, Poppy and Pippin. He fits right in with them.

"He weighs almost a whole pound and is probably the biggest hamster people have ever seen," Robin's mom, Arden, told The Dodo. "People often mistake him for a guinea pig."
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The three siblings do absolutely everything together and never once has Robin seemed out of place. It seemed the threesome would be together forever — until forever got cut short.

Recently, Robin's family found out some tragic news: He has a tumor taking up most of his abdomen, and it can't be removed without risking his life. While the news is devastating, Robin's family has decided to make sure that his last days are his absolute best. He has already been on many trips and adventures throughout his life, and thanks to his new bucket list, he's about to embark on quite a few more.

No one knows exactly how much time Robin has left, so he's going to keep on adventuring until his time his up. Some of the items still left on his bucket list include: take a selfie at "The Bean," eat a Chicago hot dog, give LOTS of kisses to his bunny siblings … and be featured on The Dodo! Luckily, we were able to help Robin out with that last one.

​Robin may be dying, but his family and friends are making sure that he goes out as the happiest, most loved hamster there ever was — and that's all that really matters in the end.
"He has been a huge part of our life," Arden said, "and all we want to do is make the rest of his the best it can be." 

Source: The Dodo

The house was already billowing smoke by the time Officer Robert Breitfeller arrived. Neighbors told him there was no one inside the Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, home — except for a pit bull puppy.
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Breitfeller didn't hesitate, according to a the Stroud Area Regional Police Department. The front door was smashed down — and Breitfeller disappeared into the haze. Several anxious moments later, he emerged with a frightened puppy clinging to his chest.

'Smokey,' as officers called him, was soon returned to his owner, unharmed by the fire. But we wouldn't blame the puppy if he clung a little longer to his hero's chest.

There is, after all, a big warm heart in that uniform.









Source: The Dodo/ Christian Cotroneo

It could have been a tragedy, but an anonymous hero was there to save to day.
Earlier this month, Lima, Peru, resident Lorena Castro captured the dramatic moment when a police officer halted several lanes of traffic to save a stray kitten from being hit by a city bus.

Castro says she was on her way to Lima's city center when she spotted the helpless 1-month-old kitten on the highway.
"I was about to get out of the car to pick her up when the motorcycle cop passed by," Castro told Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. "[He said,] 'Stay in the car. I'll take care of it.'"
After bringing Castro the kitten, the officer reportedly declined any reward (preferring to remain anonymous) and went back to work.

Other than having a few fleas, Castro says the kitten is in good health — all thanks to one police officer's compassion.

Source: The Dodo / Hudson Hongo

Dogs alone are very cute creatures that always makes us feel so happy by just looking at them, babies too. The studies have showed that dogs are like 2-years old child, so imagine if both those cute creatures had a relationship? YES, CUTENESS OVERLOAD. So if you are having a baby soon, or just did you must give them their life partner. And if you’re not convinced, here is a short video to prove why you should get a puppy for your baby. 

It can be pretty exciting when we finally get to meet those we look up to, and one dog got to experience exactly that during a family trip to a Disneyland.

Max, who was on an outing with the family to Disneyland, came face to face with his dog idol — Pluto. Everyone reacts differently when meeting their heroes, and this dog's reaction was pretty much perfect.

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by the cuteness of an animal that you felt as if your whole world was about to fall apart? Well, that's what happened to this sweet little boy once he got to cradle a (very confused) Chihuahua in his arms.This little boy just couldn't stop crying — and it wasn't because he was afraid of the small dog.

In the video below, uploaded by Mia Anelli, CEO and founder of INsight Animal Rescue in Los Angeles, the kid says his reason for sobbing is simply because "she's so cute."

Meanwhile, the tear-inducing Chihuahua has absolutely no idea what's going on.

When Penny's family brought home a baby, they might've been a tad worried about how the family dog would react to a new human in her home. But in reality, they had nothing to fear.

When Penny's little brother finally came home, Penny, a doting and loyal Shiba Inu, immediately fell in love with him — and took it upon herself to show him how to cuddle, among many other important life lessons.

Wherever her new baby brother goes, that's where Penny goes, too. If the little guy is being held by someone else, well, Penny tags along. She even whimpers when he starts to cry.
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He only just arrived, but it seems like this little boy is already the luckiest little brother in the whole world.

Source: Thedodo.com / Caitlin Jill Anders

Poignant? Life-changing? Humorous? Which books should you get for that animal lover on your holiday list?

Here, I share a list of my favorites and include expert advice with suggestions from library professionals across the country.

Are your favorites here? If not, share them in the comments section below!

1. All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot (aka James Wight). I treasure the way Wight weaves his observations of people and animals into clever tales that show life’s humor, sadness, pain, and joy.
2. Ball by Mary Sullivan. “For a wonderful children's picture book, I recommend this award-winning and nearly wordless story,” says Anne Ayres, Chicago Public Library children's librarian and part of a family with three people, two cats, and one dog.
3. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White with illustrations by Garth Williams and Rosemary Wells. I admit I didn’t read this until I was an adult. I wanted to know why a story about a pig and a spider could be such a beloved children’s classic. Now I know.
4. ​Chet and Bernie mystery series by Spencer Quinn. “I love (love-love-love!) this series of eight books by Spencer Quinn,” says cat and dog owner Katy Linehan, Chicago Public Library librarian. “Chet is a K-9 dog who flunked out of K-9 school and went to work with Bernie, a former cop working as a private detective. The books are narrated by Chet and told from his point of view. They are light mysteries (not gory or overly violent) and also quite funny. Start with the first book Dog on It, although they probably could be read out of order. I've listened to all of them, except the very newest one, on audiobook book CD and the narrator, Jim Frangione, is absolutely fantastic.”
5. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Loving our Cats: Heart Warming and Humorous Stories of Our Feline Family by Jack Canfield. “These are heartwarming, amusing, inspirational, and occasionally tearful stories about our best friends and faithful companions,” says Lurine S. Carter, coordinator of Children/Teen Services for the Detroit Public Library. 
6. Dinosaurs from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick with illustrations by Kwanchai Moriya. It’s beautifully illustrated in bold colors, says Carter, and not only gives the names of the various dinosaurs, but also pronunciation help to guide children as they learn fun facts.
7. The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind by Ken Foster.“Anyone who has rescued or fostered dogs will enjoy this memoir,” says Kyleen Kenney, Chicago Public Library librarian who has two shelter dogs of her own. “Foster, a shelter dog lover and pit bull rescuer, has made it his life's work to ‘see’ the strays that most people ignore.”
8. Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page is nonfiction and one of “any” books by Jenkins that Carla Kozak, youth collection development specialist for the San Francisco Public Library, enjoys and highly recommends.
9. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer. Carter enjoys this adventure tale about a girl who must save a group of bonobos and herself from a violent coup.
10. Four books by Kate DiCamillo. It was hard to choose just one from this great storyteller so Kozak suggests these award winners and I have to agree: The Tale of Despereaux, a fantasy story of a misfit mouse; Because of Winn-Dixie, all you really need to get through life is a good dog; Flora and Ulysses, a squirrel, a girl, a vacuum cleaner, and the power of poetry; and the series of beginning chapter books about the pig, Mercy Watson.
11. Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop by Susan Lurie and Alexina B. White with photographs by Murray Head. “Wonderful photographs accompany a joyful poem: Squirrels just want to have fun,” says Kozak.
12. Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? by Bill Martin Jr. with illustrations by Michael Sampson. Carter says this book has a great give-and-take between a dawdling kitty and its mom. “It has beautiful illustrations and you can’t help but love this cat with its always friendly disposition. It’s comical. It rhymes. I love this book,” she says.
13. Making the Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa, MD.“As a permanent resident of the Steer House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island, Oscar is your typical cat in all ways except one: He seems to possess the uncanny ability to sense when the end of life is near. This story offers insight into the connection between animals and humans and about the lessons we learn if we allow ourselves to listen and let go,” says cat and dog owner Stephanie Kitchen, a Chicago Public Library librarian.
14. Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner. Kozak enjoys this book about an imperious cat that meets its match when tiny aliens team up with insects. She says she particularly loves the stunning illustrations and the three non-human languages.
15. Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands by Katherine Roy. “This is a beautiful, interesting, appropriately bloody, and extremely informative book about an important predator,” says Kozak.
16. Norman, Speak! by Caroline Adderson and illustrated by Qin Leng. Kozak enjoys this charming, multicultural story about a family that loves its rescue dog, but feels it isn’t too bright because it’s not learning commands. “Then they realize the dog is very well-trained—to respond to Chinese commands,” says Kozak. “So, the family enrolls in a Chinese language class.”
17. The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk by Sy Montgomery with photographs by Keith Ellenbogen, is a nonfiction standout, says Kozak.
18. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I love this bittersweet story based on the life of a real gorilla who existed for almost 30 years in a mall zoo. Told from his perspective, it looks at the relationship of animals and humans. 
19. Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed is the very favorite animal book of Lynn Lobash, manager of reader services at the New York Public Library. “This children’s book is the story of an unlikely friendship that makes me cry every time I read it,” she explains.
20. ​The Search by Nora Roberts. “As an adult fiction read that is a rollicking romp for a dog lover, I would recommend this romantic suspense about an imperiled dog trainer named Fiona,” says Ayres.
21. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt with illustrations by David Small. Kozak and I both recommend this book. It’s a heart-wrenching tale of a mistreated hound and an abandoned cat and her kittens as they struggle to escape a vicious man woven with a parallel story about a shape-shifting ancient water snake.
22. Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer Holland.The unexpected friendships of a cat and a bird, a mare and a fawn, an elephant and a sheep, and more make this book one that Carter recommends.

Source: AAHA.org / Maureen Blaney Flietner