Ready, Set, Score! Puppy Bowl VIII Is Coming!

It's that time of year again! Forget about the Super Bowl; Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl promises to be as irresistible as ever this Sunday, February 5th. Best of all, the game will feature an all-rescue line up. The puppy players, plus the kittens in the kitty half-time show and the new piggy pep squad team members, are from a range of more than 20 animal shelters and rescue groups, including Furever Dachshund Rescue, NYC Animal Care & Control, the Pennsylvania SPCA, and Go Boxer Rescue. Get all the details about the game by clicking here. Go puppies!

Onyx The Hero Dog Embraces Life On Three Legs

After unimaginable suffering, Onyx is on the rebound. The one year old lab was found by Kern County Animal Control last September, tied to a wooden post with a bloody severed hind leg.

"It literally looked like it had been chopped off with garden shears," recalls Dr. Daniel Slaton, a veterinarian at Los Angeles' Westlake Village Animal Hospital. "I remember it distinctly, the night he got here. I didn't think he was going to make it. I thought he was going to pass before I could even go to surgery. He was just so dehydrated, septic, his body was in shock because of the infection on his leg. I had never seen anything like it."

In fact, Onyx had endured a horrific home-amputation at the hands of his former owners after he was purportedly hit by a car. The couple was charged with felony animal cruelty and sentenced to jail time and three years of probation.

Thankfully, Onyx's harrowing story has a very happy ending. He made such a deep impression on Dr. Slaton that the vet adopted him. With lots of TLC, Onyx has made a full recovery and he is now a happy-g0-lucky tripod. His latest hobby is surfing in the pool at the Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa.

"He's a whole new dog. You couldn't even imagine that this dog went through what he went through," Dr. Slaton told reporters.

Since Onyx's tale of survival and perseverance is so inspiring, he is training to be a therapy dog for children and adults with disabilities. "We thought he would be a good story for kids who have lost limbs and are handicapped. There is a brighter side and you can actually live and have a good quality of life," said the tripod's proud dad, Dr. Slaton.

Video: Three-legged dog hangs ten: wwlp.com

New Year, New Resolutions: Ten Things You Can Do In 2012 To Help Animals

Hello and Happy New Year everyone! I was feeling inspired to share the list of New Year's resolutions for animals that I made a while back. Feel free to add your own!

1) Adopt your next furry friend from a shelter or rescue group. With millions of homeless cats, dogs, and critters in our country, you are certain to find the perfect companion. Petfinder (www.petfinder.com is a great place to start; you can search by zip code and narrow the results by breed, age, gender, etc. There's even a feature that allows you to find special needs pets, which is an option we always encourage!

2) If you encounter a stray dog or cat, consider stopping to help if the circumstances are safe enough. You could very well save a life. The Humane Society of The U.S. has some good guidelines for rescuing strays: click here to check them out.

3) Please don't patronize pet stores that sell puppies! The overwhelming majority of these dogs originate in puppy mills, inhumane breeding kennels that sacrifice canine health and comfort for profit. Remember, reputable pet shops and supply stores don't sell puppies!

4) Turn your trash into treasure by donating items to your local animal shelter. Old towels and blankets, baby gates, bedding, and even cardboard paper towel tubes can all be put to good use helping homeless animals.

5) Make 2012 the year that you microchip your companion animals if you haven't already. Although microchips are not entirely foolproof, they significantly increase the odds that your pet will be reunited with you if he or she becomes lost.

6) Report cruelty. Because animal cannot speak for themselves, we must advocate for them. Trust your instincts - if you suspect that an animal in your community is being neglected or mistreated, speak up by contacting animal control.

7) Do your part to reduce pet overpopulation - spay and neuter your companion animals and encourage others to do the same.

8) Forgo fur. The Majority of fur sold in the U.S. comes from unregulated farms in China where animals like foxes and raccoon dogs are kept and killed in agony. If you don't want to support cannibalism, electrocution, and commercial cruelty, choose faux or forgo.

9) Be an advocate for a chained dog. In far too many circumstances, dogs are kept chained outdoors, ostensibly to guard the home in which they should live. Dogs are pack animals by nature, so depriving them of companionship, exercise, and interaction is especially inhumane. Furthermore, chained dogs often end up becoming anxious and aggressive. If there is a chained dog in your neighborhood, please consider sharing a letter from Dogs Deserve Better with the owner. You can also contact animal control to see if they can intervene. In some parts of the U.S. (such as California), it is actually illegal to keep a dog chained or tethered for prolonged periods of time.

10) Sign up to volunteer or foster with your local animal shelter. You can have fun, meet other animal lovers, and get lots of puppy love while helping orphaned pets find loving homes!