A street musician captivated spectators thanks in part to his unusual musical partner – a stray dog. Sergei Ivanovich was playing the clarinet in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, when he says the dog simply joined in.
“[He’s] not mine, he just came up when I sat down and began to play the first note,” Sergei told a local newspaper.
People took photos and filled his box with bills and begged Sergei to bring the dog home, which he appeared to have done even though he said he already had a dog.
Here’s the video of Sergei and his surprise musical guest.
Bella and Tarra had an amazing interspecies friendship that lasted 8 years. Tarra the elephant became best friends with Bella the dog at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee over a decade ago. Bella wandered onto the 2700-acre sanctuary as a stray and called it home.
“Bella lived on her own as a stray in the Sanctuary area for who knows how long before she and Tarra found one another,” wrote the Elephant Sanctuary on their YouTube channel.
One day Bella met Tarra and the rest was history. The pair became inseparable. They played together, ate together and often slept in the same barn.
According to the Sanctuary, Bella trusted the 8,700 pound Asian elephant so completely she let Tarra stroke her stomach with her foot and caress her with her trunk
Bella gives Tarra a belly rub. Elephant Sanctuary/YouTube.
In 2010, Bella suffered a severe spinal chord injury, most likely from an awkward twist while running or jumping. Bella couldn’t walk or even wag her tail. Tarra wouldn’t leave her friend’s side for the three weeks. The elephant stood right outside the sanctuary office where Bella was recovering.
“She just stood outside the balcony – just stood there and waited,” co-founder Carol Buckley told CBS. “She was concerned about her friend.”
Then one day, while Bella was recovering, sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella onto the balcony so she and Tarra could see each other. “Bella’s tail started wagging. And we had no choice but bring Bella down to see Tarra,” Blais said.
Tragically, in 2011 Bella was believed to have been killed by coyotes. Tarra found Bella’s body and carried her to the barn where they often spent time together. Robert Atikinson, the CEO of the sanctuary said at the time, “The idea that she couldn’t leave that body and brought it back home is just heartbreaking, but so inspiring.”
After Bella’s death the other elephants helped Tarra grieve. Atikinsosn said the elephants spent more time with Tarra and were extra nice and made gestures like giving her a portion of their food.
Elephant Sanctuary/YouTube
Tarra now spends her time with her elephant friends. The elephants are all retirees and rescues from circuses and zoos. They sanctuary shared on their YouTube Channel that “Tarra is doing well, she and Shirley have become much closer over the past couple of years. We often see them together on our elecams.”
Reflecting back on Tarra and Bella’s friendship they said, “A friendship between a little stray dog and an Asian elephant is certainly unusual, and we can’t say why they seemed to relate so well to one another…but they did, and their story of friendship is awe-inspiring.”
In memory of Bella and Tarra’s friendship, the Elephant Sanctuary established The Bella Fund – a memorial fund to honor Bella’s life here at The Sanctuary and her friendship with Tarra.
A bachelor party turned into an unexpected puppy rescue for 8 men in Tennessee recently. The rescue operation began on the first day when they were cooking bacon in a cabin in the woods and a skinny dog suddenly appeared at their front door.
The men befriended the dog who turned out to be sweet and friendly and wouldn’t stop wagging her tail. They noticed she was dehydrated and malnourished and must have recently had puppies, but that her milk had dried up. After they gave her some food and water she began to lactate again, which indicated to them she was a new mother.
Trevor Jennings
When they noticed that she was very protective in one area in the woods they went to investigate and they discovered a big hole – it was her den – and inside were seven puppies!
They scooped the puppies out and made sure that their mama knew they meant no harm.
“We set each pup individually down in front of her and she nuzzled their faces and she checked out the pups and to the person holding them, she gave the look of, ‘It’s OK, I trust you,’” Craddock told ABC News. He continued, “Every single one had a big fat belly on them. The mom had given the pups literally everything she had.”
They named the mom Annie and the puppies Knox, Bear, Daisy, Gunner, Brimmy, Finn, and Rose and brought them back home and out of the woods. The puppies were dirty and covered in fleas so the men set to work.
“Well, we’re washing our puppies, because they had all come out of a hole and they were all dirty, so there was a group of rough men going down to go four-wheeling, but instead they are inside washing puppies,” Craddock told Michigan News.
On the third day of looking after the puppies, the men took the money they originally intended for beer and bought puppy food instead. They had decided on a plan of action.
They weren’t about to leave the mama and her pups behind. Instead, the groom and his groomsmen each agreed to adopt a dog and now Annie and her puppies all live within 5 miles of each other.
That’s because the men have homes all close by to each other in Michigan. As for their families, they’re pretty happy with the outcome.
Now that’s what I call a bachelor party to remember!
This is an amazing story of an unlikely hero who helped save a woman’s life. Shannon Lorio’s life was in danger after she had crashed her car on a rural road in Georgia and became trapped inside. As she lay in her wrecked vehicle, a dog approached from out of the woods.
The German Shepherd jumped into the car and began licking the blood off her face. He kept her awake and pulled her out of the car, dragging her over 100 feet back to the road. She was able to flag down a passing car before she collapsed unconscious.
In the video below, Shannon recounts the events around her rescue by Hero that fateful day.
“That dog is always going to have a special place in my heart,” said Shannon. “He’s my hero.
After saving Shannon’s life in 2010, the German Shepherd was taken to the Humane Society where he was named “Hero”. Hero’s owners signed him over and he was adopted by canine search and rescue trainer Heidy Drawdy. He no doubt went on to save more lives!
Share Hero and Shannon’s story with your friends and family!
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December 26, 2025 — Gold Star Distribution has announced a voluntary recall of several FDA-regulated products, including pet foods. The recall follows an FDA inspection that identified insanitary conditions at the facility, including evidence of rodent and avian contamination that could pose a risk to product safety.
For more details, please see the full article on Dog Food Advisor
You’re getting this email alert because you signed up on our website and asked to be notified of dog food recalls.
December 24, 2025 — Consumers Supply Distributing, LLC is recalling 4lb. bags of Country Vet Biscuits (Original Meaty Flavor) and Heartland Harvest Dog Biscuits (Meaty Flavor with Chicken) because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The recall affects bags from lot number 40906513.
For more details and product images, please see the full article on the Dog Food Advisor:
