So, what happens when you mix a dog’s fascination of its own tail with its habit of chasing shadows? The dog behavior in this video, which was posted to the r/WhatsWrongWithYourDog subreddit.

Redditor Jeremybearemy noted, “The more he enjoys the game, the harder it gets; it’s self-regulating.”

Jaymez82 added, “Dumb dogs are the best dogs. Smart dogs are trouble.”

But Redditor 1810nard was quick to point out that this dog wasn’t actually dumb. “One of my collies…used to stalk his shadow, so we asked the vet about it. Apparently, it’s [intelligent]. He’s making up his own game [because] he’s bored.”

Others noted that chasing shadows, while seemingly cute at first, can quickly become dangerous dog behavior. MaryJanesMan420 said, “It looks like fun and games, but unfortunately, the mental state of the dog during this engagement isn’t the healthiest for them.”

Redditor Top-Requirement4460 agreed, adding, “They start to become obsessed with it, and the behavior becomes compulsive and neurotic, even after removing the initial stimuli.”

“Had a friend’s dog get bloody paws from digging at its shadow while on… concrete,” Redditor ASDFzxcyTaken reported.

Of course, you can’t always believe everything you read on Reddit, so how much truth is there to this?

According to Positive Pets Dog Training, it is possible for these cute, playful dog behaviors to turn into obsessions. A dog who chases its own shadow incessantly is indicative of a dog who is anxious or frustrated. This can be common in both herding and working dogs, which need physical stimulation more than many other groups.

Dog behaviorist Cesar Millan notes on his site:

“When dogs have fixations and obsessions…it usually means one of two things: that they have unreleased energy they need to get rid of or they have an insecurity of some sort.”

If your dog has suddenly become fixated on its shadow, evaluate its living arrangements:

• Does your dog have enough room to play and run around, or are they often kept in a small, confined space?
• Does your dog get enough exercise?
• Does your dog get enough mental stimulation?

Changes to their living space and daily routine can lessen their frustration and get at the root cause of this activity. (And who doesn’t love taking their dog for more walks?) It’s also important not to encourage this behavior — when on a walk with your dog, keep their attention, so they’re looking around and not just down at their own shadow.

There are other measures you can take — such as using a cone collar — but you should always consult a professional first before trying such measures.

A puppy occasionally becoming fascinated with and chasing shadows as they’re learning to explore the world isn’t anything to be super worried about — but if these behaviors are allowed to become engrained, it can lead to an obsession down the road (especially if your dog isn’t getting enough mental or physical stimulation).

Of course, sometimes training your dog can go a little bit beyond “sit” and “stay.” Have you trained your pup to return dog toys to their rightful spot (instead of leaving them at the bottom of the stairs for you to trip over)? What about their dog food — does it stay in their bowl or in their mouths, instead of sometimes scattered about the floor in their zeal to eat? And then there’s this cane Corso, who just might be the politest dog in the world.

Posted to the r/rarepuppers subreddit, this video features a dog who laps up its water in a refined, dignified sort of way and then — at its pet parent’s command — wipes its face on the nearby towel.

Redditors were amazed, to say the least, since most had pets that tend to make a huge mess of things. “My lab drank like a hippo and left a trail in her wake,” Redditor Major-Blackbird said.

User Twitter-isnt-News joked, “My dog wipes his face after drinking water also, except he does it on my pants leg.”

Redditor PamIllise agreed, noting that they don’t know where their border collie “stores so much water” for her “impressive water trail.”

And some pups clearly enjoy messing with their favorite humans. Redditor Sultanpeppers reported, “Need this for my ridgeback; he takes one last mouthful and slowly drops it all over the house.”

In short, pet parents would love to teach their dogs how to perform this genius trick.

How to teach a dog drinking water to wipe its face

Redditor adrianbull posed the question, noting that this training technique is “impressive.” User eatpraymunt theorized that this dog was taught a modified chin rest.

A chin rest is when dogs learn to rest their chin on your hand or a target of your choosing. It’s a valuable tool for a pet parent, particularly when you need your dog to hold still (say, if you’re applying eye drops, ear drops, grooming your pup, or need them to be stationary and calm at the vet’s office).

Once your dog has learned the maneuver, it wouldn’t be so hard to teach them to use a towel placed over their food bowl after taking a drink of water, as the pet parent in this video seemed to do.

When it comes to the commands you should teach your dog, we all know about sit, stay, and roll over. But if you dislike puddles around your dog’s water bowl, consider adding this neat little maneuver to your repertoire. Not only will it make for a cleaner house, but you’ve now taught your dog a trick that will delight guests and Instagram followers alike.

We’ve all been there. Whether you’re looking for a pet app, one to help you design the interior of your home, or just a game of solitaire to play, you can’t seem to find one with decent reviews or that works the way you want it to. Luckily the team at RentCafe, a nationwide apartment search website, combed through Android and iOS apps to find the best of the best (after all, we all know how tough being a pet parent who lives in an apartment can be).

The best pet apps for pet parents

How did RentCafe draw its conclusions? First, they eliminated any apps that weren’t on both Android and iOS (sure, you probably only use one, but most good apps cater to both kinds of phone users). Then, they eliminated any that weren’t designed for pet parents, but were actually meant for veterinarians.

After that, all of the apps were ranked based on a 100-point system, giving weight to different aspects of the apps’ features and design:

• iOS rating: 20 points
• Android rating: 20 points
• Easy navigation & clean design: 10 points
• iOS number of reviews: 10 points
• Android number of reviews: 10 points
• iOS price: 10 points
• Android price: 10 points
• Available on iOS & Android: 5 points
• Number of downloads: 5 points

The results? The top ten pet apps and their respective scores follow:

1. Chewy: 100 points
2. Rover: 98 points
3. Puppr: 91 points
4. Dogo: 90 points
5. BringFido: 89 points
6. Tractive: 87 points
7. Good Pup: 82 points
8. Whistle: 76 points
9. Wag Labs: 76 points
10. Every Doggy: 76 points

More information is available at RentCafe’s site — for instance, while Wag Labs got a total of 76 points, it got significantly better (and more) reviews for its iOS app than its Android app (a five-star rating with 43,500 reviews vs. a three-star rating with 7,300 reviews, respectively). If you’re an iOS user, you probably don’t care about Android ratings so much.

Of course, the best pet apps aren’t all about the ratings. No one is denying that Chewy is a great app if you need food, treats, or toys for your pup, but if you’re looking for a pet sitter, it won’t do you much good. As such, RentCafe also broke down the top apps into different categories:

• Pet-sitting: Rover
• Pet monitoring & tracking: Tractive
• Pet health: Whistle
• Pet care: DogLog
• Pet training: Puppr
• Traveling & shopping for pets: Chewy

Being a pet parent isn’t easy, but having the right tools at your fingertips can make it a little less stressful. With these pet apps, you’ll be well on your way.

One other thing you don’t have to deal with if you have an indoor cat? Your pet interacting with outdoor animals… unless they come onto your porch, that is. We all know dogs aren’t usually fond of squirrels (after all, there’s even a TV Tropes page about it), but this video isn’t about Fido; this time, it’s cat vs. squirrel.

Set to the background noise of the cat’s pet parents’ laughter as well as an old episode of The Office (we don’t imagine Angela would find any of this funny though), this brazen squirrel practically dares the poor kitty to catch them (knowing full well they’re safely behind both a mesh screen and a glass door). As Redditor WasteCan6403 put it, “That squirrel knows he’s untouchable.”

Still, this poor cat valiantly stalks its prey, following its movement across the screen door, and even getting in a couple of good jumps (if only that pesky glass wasn’t in the way).

Some Redditors were convinced a dog would have gone even more berserk. Redditor mimzynull said, “My doggo would have gone straight through the glass and mortally injured herself to try to get that squirrel… Cats are so much more chill.”

Meanwhile, Redditor haumea_jouhikko noted that cats can be just as wild. “My cat would 100% have gone through that window,” they said. “All 10 kg of chonk would never be allowed to see that squirrel.”

While both cats and dogs have a reputation for chasing squirrels, we think haumea_jouhikko has a good point — regardless of what type of pet you have, if you think there’s a chance your dog or cat might try to break glass to get to a squirrel, maybe it’s time to invest in some curtains.

While the focus of this video was on the cat’s standoff with the squirrel, one eagle-eyed Redditor did notice another enemy of the kitty.  Redditor qinghairpins queried whether the cat’s hammock was being used for plants, and DarkNovella, who posted the video, answered in the affirmative.

“She tries to eat them if I put them anywhere within her reach,” they explained. “To the right, she has a massive cat tower so she’s not too upset about it.”

Cats are great, but they do have a tendency to try to eat anything from plants to squirrels if given the chance. Want to keep them safe (and sane)? “Out of sight” is a good rule for pet parenting.

Posted to both the r/AnimalsBeingGeniuses subreddit and the r/FunnyAnimals subreddit, this video features a cat who has learned how to work the office water cooler (we won’t lie: Our break room conversations would be a lot more fun if a cat were involved). This adorable cat stands on their tippy toes, just barely able to reach the nozzle, and then drinks to their heart’s content. The sound you don’t hear on the video, but absolutely hear in your head watching this cat drinking water? Mlem, mlem, mlem.

The internet, of course, found it both adorable and concerning.

Huge_Dentist7633 proclaimed, “Face it people, cats are brilliant.” Redditor TheMoistTeaBag, however, noted, “I find this very scary for some reason…”

And they weren’t alone, with many Redditors chiming in with predictions for what cats will learn to accomplish next. The guesses ranged from using can openers, freezers, and coffee machines to lethal drones and nukes. For our part, our money is on kitchen appliances and not world-ending weapons. While we don’t doubt that cats are smart enough to take over the world, it’d honestly probably end up being too much work for them — better to get us to do it and snack on that tuna instead.

As GreenLoctite joked about the video, “What? That water on the floor? No, not my problem. I was just drinking my water. You are the servant, get the mop.”

To be fair, the kitty did seem interested in lapping up the water from the water cooler’s tray, and someone did helpfully place a towel at the base of the cooler (leading us to believe that this is probably a routine trick for this cat).

Some were worried about kitty’s safety, with Wendellrw noting, “I hope the heater isn’t turned on for the hot water nozzle.” But Redditor CommonConfusables was quick to remind them: “Hot water nozzles usually have a safety feature that requires holding a button and then pulling the tab. It requires two hands or talented fingers.”

(Of course, we don’t really put anything past cats when they put their minds to something.)

Others just wished their cats were this committed to staying hydrated. “If my cats could actually drink this much water, I’d put a dispenser in every single room.” IllegallyBored lamented.

Cats need about ½ cup of water per five pounds of body weight daily (though this intake can be gotten through other means, such as wet cat food, which is typically 70-80% water). Still, if your cat isn’t getting enough water, they might be like the one in this video and prefer a running stream of water to a bowl — and there are certainly cat water fountains you can get to help your cat reach their water goals. (Or you can just invest in a water cooler, set up a camera, and enjoy.)

According to a Forbes Advisor survey, dog parents spend approximately $730 per year on their pups. Nearly half of respondents said the majority of the expense goes to dog food, while some 28% attributed the most expensive costs to vet bills and vaccinations.

This is pretty troubling when you consider that 63% of survey respondents reported they would have trouble paying a surprise vet bill in today’s economic climate; Some 42% said a vet bill of $999 or less would cause them to go into debt, while 28% reported that a smaller bill of $499 or less would do the same. Finding an affordable vet is clearly an important task.

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to know how much your dog or cat could cost in vet bills. Forbes Advisor analyzed pet insurance claims data from July 2017 to June 2020 to get the results. This data reflects what pet insurance companies paid, which is typically 70-100% of the total vet bill, not including the deductible.

The results?

• Regardless of breeds, the average pet insurance claims are higher for cats than dogs ($355 versus $306, respectively).
• The dog breed with the highest vet bills — with an average pet insurance claim of $425 — was the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, followed by the Rottweiler ($401) and the Dogue de Bordeax ($395).
• Meanwhile, the dog with the least expensive vet bills — $226 on average — was the Australian Labradoodle. Runners up included the Miniature Goldendoodle ($230) and the Shichon ($241).
• The cat breed with the highest medical cost was the Siberian Forest cat, which has an average insurance claim of $457, more expensive than the most expensive dog breed. Coming in second and third place were the Bengal ($404) and mixed breed medium haired cats ($403).
• The cat breed with the least expensive vet bills was Burmese at $216, followed by Himalayan ($287) and Persian cats ($317).

You can find the full list of dog and cat breeds in Forbes Advisor’s analysis to see where your pet stands.

Dogs and cats can be expensive, and while some can be more expensive than others, we love them all the same. After all, whether they’re snuggling up to us on the couch, stealing our favorite spot in bed, ready for a game of catch, or entertaining us with their silly antics, they bring so much more to our lives than a vet bill or two.

Posted to the r/AnimalsBeingDerps subreddit, this video features a woman dancing with three little owls — to varying degrees of success. (Regardless of their dancing skills, these are some of the cutest owls we’ve ever seen.)

The video starts out with the woman moving her head to the beat of “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys, and she’s quickly followed by the owl in the middle and on the right. Our friend in the middle seems quite taken with the view, not once looking away from the camera once the song begins.

The owl on the right — the first to “dance” — demonstrates the most movement, but also gets distracted by something off-camera halfway through. Hey, we’ve all been there. Sometimes, you’re having a good time on the dance floor, but the call of a high-top table and bar snacks is too strong. (And despite whatever was attracting this owl, they still tried their best to complete the routine.)

The owl on the left, however, never even lifts their head from its perch atop the woman’s arm — this bird is not here for any of this. (Let’s be honest — we’ve all been there, too.)

This behavior did, however, make it a fan favorite among Redditors. YukikoBestGirlFiteMe noted,” I love how the one on the left doesn’t even bother.”

DrKyoushu added,” “Me at every enforced company ‘fun’ event.”

Redditor cantfindmykeys mused, “He’s the most punk of the bunch. Not gonna conform to the trend.”

Why do owls bob and weave their heads?

So technically, what these owls did isn’t really dancing. Owls bob and weave their heads regularly — this time, they just happened to match it up (sometimes) to music. According to the National Audobon Society, this is totally normal behavior for a lot of birds of prey.

Owls’ eyes are in a fixed position, meaning they can’t move their eyes around the way humans do. Instead, an owl will move its entire head, enabling it to judge its surroundings and figure out where things — namely prey — are located. (Which, uh, makes us a little bit worried about what, exactly, the owl on the right was looking at when the video clip ended.)

It should also be noted that owls are definitely birds of prey — which means that Harry Potter lied to all of us and they should never be taken in as pets. (If you’re looking for a bird companion, there are plenty of other great options, whether you’re living in a cramped apartment with thin walls or would like a pet with the prettiest song.)

Or don’t. Just watch this hilarious video of a husky, which shows exactly that. (Spoiler: Husky howling has nothing on this noise.)

First, it has to be said that leaving your dog alone in the car is a bad idea, especially in extreme weather conditions. It’s so easy for dogs to overheat (and worse), and if you come back to angry bystanders and a couple of cops, you really shouldn’t be surprised (and that’s certainly not the worst-case scenario). However, the windows of this car are rolled down enough to allow air in (but not enough for the husky to escape), and we’re going to assume that this dog’s pet parents are the ones filming the encounter and were just doing this for a quick 30-second video.

This particular husky is doing exactly what all of us want to do when we run to the store for a quick errand only for our partner, parent, kid, or friend to waste 15 minutes chatting with someone they see in the parking lot when we’re so close to completing our mission and getting home to watch some more Netflix: They honked on that horn and didn’t let up.

At first, it looks like the husky is just discovering the horn — and clearly enjoying the ruckus they’re creating — but the best part is when the dog looks over at his filming family as if to say, “Yes, this commotion is because of you. Can we go already?”

Who needs husky howling when the car will do that for you?

Redditor WitchBitchBlue noted, “The husky realized the car has a button to sing the song of his people for him.” Dr_Auf added, “And it’s even louder and more annoying.”

Redditor DefinitelyNotAliens reported that this isn’t a singular phenomenon. “My brother’s husky mix was in the car with my dog. I went into a store for under two minutes. I roll windows way down (if a dog was having an emergency you could reach in, but I’m assuming nobody will break into a car with around 160 pounds of dog in it) and go in,” they said. “I come back out and Loki has moved all 100 pounds of his silly self from the back to the front seat and is backward with his chest against my driver’s seat and his butt on the steering wheel… as my dog is sitting at alert, guarding against this weird noise. Meanwhile, Loki… is [making] my Subaru sing the song of its people.”

The car horn — it’s clearly the next step in the evolution of husky howling.

We’ll be honest: As cute as our pets are, it can get a little annoying sometimes (especially if the can you happen to be opening is for your own dinner). That was, of course, until we saw this video of eels during feeding time at an eel farm. Now, we’ll happily take Fido and Ms. Whiskers any day of the week.

Posted to the r/AbruptChaos subreddit, this video shows what happens during feeding time at an eel farm. It all starts out innocently enough, with a large chunk of food dropped into the water. But, just like Fido, the eels pounce, instantly swarming the food until you don’t know where one eel ends and the next begins — and it all starts to look like something out of a horror movie.

“This looks like a Princess Mononoke demon,” Redditor onthatgas proposed, earning the top comment. Ninjanerd032 responded, “In Japan, they farm and eat a lot of eel. So, I imagine the Japanese creator(s) of Princess Mononoke could have been inspired by this.”

Redditor Savings-Principle-26 joked, “There are some Bond villains out there with sweaty palms watching this,” and bluenoessutherland added, “I’m thinking it probably is a bad idea to fall in.”

What are the eels eating?

 One major question that many Redditors have is what, exactly, the eels are eating (given that it looks a little more like something you’d pick up with a scooper and place in the trash than actual food). Eels in eel farms are fed a mixture of fish meal, wheat, soybean meal, and fish oil.

One eel farmer acknowledged in an interview with Business Insider that feeding the eels in a way that ensures all get enough nutrients can be a difficult task.

While the job is hard, it’s also lucrative: These eels are being raised to be sold to restaurants — they’re considered a delicacy, and one kilogram of baby eels can cost around $35,000. A meal with an adult eel in it can cost up to $91. (One consequence of the high demand? The Japanese eel was classified as endangered in 2014.)

So, maybe it’s best to skip the kabayaki (a dish made with eel) and order a pizza instead. (Just watch out for your dog begging for those table scraps.)

So, what’s a pup to do? This friendly dog seems to have found an answer: Walk to school with the kids, ensuring their safety as they cross dangerous streets.

We can’t tell you how much we love this video, which was posted to the r/AnimalswithJobs subreddit. As a group of schoolchildren readies themselves to cross the street (in the crosswalk, of course), this friendly dog bounds over to traffic, barking at the cars to ensure they remain stopped. Once satisfied that the drivers don’t plan to go anywhere, the self-appointed crossing guard dog moves back over to the kids, walking with them.

And when one white vehicle ignores the children in the crosswalk and just continues driving? Our dutiful pup gets angry, unleashing a torrent of barks at the offender.

Then the dog gets back to his job — helping the group of students — and once they’ve safely crossed, readies for the next group. In this particular situation, the dog puts itself between the kids and a car — yet another white vehicle. This vehicle has stopped, but inches up closer to the crosswalk as the kids pass, anticipating being able to move once the street is clear. Well, our crossing guard isn’t having any of that, using both their body and their barks to keep the vehicle in place and the kids safe.

Do all dogs like children?

The behavior of this particular dog isn’t that uncommon — there are many dog breeds known for being great family pets, specifically because of how well they can get along with kids. However, it isn’t naturally a given that your dog and your child will get along right away. There are some things you can do to help that process along, so your child sees your pup as a lovable, friendly dog (and vice versa):

Supervise your dog’s time with your kids

Both dogs and children can be cranky or irritable, and they’re not always great at expressing their emotions (or understanding the other just wants to be left alone right now). Make sure you’re around while they’re still getting to know each other to avoid any disasters.

Make sure your child knows how to respect dogs

Pulling their tails, sticking fingers in their eyes, and pulling their ears isn’t cute behavior and it needs to be stopped. Likewise, your children might genuinely love their dog, but don’t realize the pup isn’t appreciative of their super-tight hugs. It’s your job to ensure kids know how to interact with dogs appropriately.

Reinforce positive behaviors in your dog

When your dog has a good moment with your child, give them a treat so they knows they did a good job. You should also be sure to train them how to be around kids — much like your child shouldn’t pull their ears, dogs shouldn’t chase after every kid they see either.

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to having a pup who loves kids as much as our resident crossing guard.