Pets

UF Researchers Find Dogs Can Learn Dozens of Words

Monday, July 25th, 2011, 6:48pm

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- New UF research finds your dog is as smart as a toddler.

The saying goes "you may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks." But new research shows you can teach it dozens of words.

Researchers at the University of Florida found dogs have the developmental abilities of a two-year-old. The average canine is capable of learning the meaning of 165 words.

The study has been published in the journal of "Learning and Behavior."

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Submitted by Rachel Leitao, First Coast News Staff

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010, 3:27pm

The Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) is reminding pet owners to protect their animals this Halloween.

“While Halloween is really fun for people, it can be truly scary for cats and dogs,” said Leona Sheddan, executive director of the Jacksonville Humane Society. “Many animals get sick or go missing during holidays, especially ones like Halloween when families are repeatedly opening the door to trick-or-treaters.”

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Submitted by Rachel Leitao, First Coast News Staff

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010, 10:11am

USA Today - By the early 1990s there were only 20 to 25 Florida panthers left out of what was once a large and thriving population – and those that remained were sickly and inbred, destined for extinction within 20 years, experts estimated. So in 1995 conservation managers moved eight wild-caught female pumas from Texas to the area – a reintroduction so successful that between 1995 and 2008 a total of 424 panther births have been documented.

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