The Urban Grind

Wealthy animal rights activist, television personality and Huffington Post columnist Wendy Diamond is playing mother of the bride, which in this case is a small dog.

Here’s a picture of the “blushing bride” in her $6,000 gown.

Here’s a picture of the “groom.”

A wealthy animal rights activist is breaking the Guinness World Record for the most expensive animal wedding with a “fairy tail” fete for her pooch at the Jumeirah Essex House. Zelda adds: Apparently there was another one two months ago in Greenwich Village.

A $6,000 custom wedding dress for the tiny Coton de Tulear, a $5,000 sushi spread, and a $15,000 seven-piece orchestra are just a few accoutrements set for the Thursday night puptuals valued at $250,000.

“I know, how goofy is this?” said Wendy Diamond, the pet expert and TV personality throwing the wedding for Baby Hope, her adopted rescue dog. “But it’s for an amazing cause.”

The vendors are donating their services to the black tie gala, which benefits the Humane Society of New York.

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Kleinfeld couture bridal designers Michelle and Henry Roth tailored a two-toned, white French lace-encrusted dress with Swarovski crystals and a silk train for the pint-sized bride.

Floralia Decorators (the Waldorf-Astoria’s florist) has crafted a $5,300 huppah, a canopy, for the mixed-faith service. “Baby Hope is a Jewish dog,” explained Diamond. And TLC’s “Cake Boss” based in Hoboken is unveiling a top-secret wedding cake.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if there will be rabbi conducting the ceremony, since the “bride” is Jewish. And what religion is the “groom?” Will it be like Chelsea Clinton’s wedding to that Marc Mezvinsky person which was conducted by a Methodist minister and a Reformed rabbi?

But seriously, what about helping other human beings?

If Ms. Diamond wants to help animals fine. It’s her money. She can do what she wants with it. But this whole wedding business is meaningless to the dogs. Whatever happened to finding loving homes for dogs currently in shelters?

Flocke the polar bear was hand reared at the Nuremberg zoo when her mother Vera was seen throwing the cub around the enclosure. Here’s a video of Flocke as a small cub.

Now she’s older, and has a new polar bear companion.

Via Ace of Spades

It turns out the Berlin zoo can’t afford a larger enclosure for growing bear.

Despite his celebrity status, Berlin Zoo says he must go by 2010 as it will cost at least £7m to pay for bigger enclosures for him and to find him a future mate.

‘We cannot afford it in such times of economic strain,’ said a spokesman for Berlin Zoo.

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Zoologists are concerned for his mental welfare and fear that because he only knows contact with humans he has developed psychopathic tendencies and is not developed enough to respond properly to a mate’s advances.

Uh, what did they expect? This is a polar bear we’re talking about. It’s not like he would have grown up to become like a Labrador.

I remember when Knut was a little cub. I couldn’t get enough of the videos of his keeper/foster father Thomas Doerflein lovingly feeding and playing with the little bear. Besides which Doerflein was also hot, in a rugged sort of way. So I was shocked to just find out he’s now dead.

Here’s a good video for remembering Thomas Doerflein.

Rest in peace, Thomas Doerflein.

Meet Wilbaer!

Watch little Flocke learn to crawl:

Her name is Flocke, which is German for flake, as in snowflake.

And she already has her own website.

Another zoo in Germany has decided to hand raise a polar bear cub, after they saw it’s mother throwing the baby around, and acting erratically. This video was almost painful to watch:

This little bear’s keepers have started calling her Flocke, which is German for snowflake, and here are more photos. Maybe Flocke can mate with Knut when she gets bigger.

Via Itchmo: News For Dogs & Cats and Tammy Bruce

An 85 pound German Shepherd named Congo is scheduled to be put down for mauling a landscaper. Normally, I believe that when dogs seriously attack and injure people, they need to put to sleep. But this case is the exception for me.

Rivera, a Trenton man, was on the 10-acre, fenced property on Stuart Road to do yard work. The landscaping crew had arrived before 7 a.m., about an hour before they were expected.

James, who was about to take a shower, called out a window to them in Spanish, telling them to get back in their car and wait because the dogs were in the backyard being fed.

While the dogs, two 2 1/2-year-old German shepherds and their four 6-month-old puppies, had not had problems with people on the property before, James said in an interview that he didn’t want them to interfere with the workers. Also, he wanted the workers to wait until he was dressed so that he could tell them what to do, he said.

Instead, Rivera and another worker got out of the car after a few minutes and the dogs began to bark. That worker began to hit the dogs with a metal rake and Elizabeth James, Guy James’ wife, yelled for him to stop. Meanwhile, Rivera, who was afraid of the dogs, grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the ground, causing her to scream. At that point Congo began to bite and scratch Rivera and some of the puppies joined in.

So let’s see. A bunch of workers (most likely all illegal aliens) blatantly ignore what their boss tells them to do and instead start beating the two grown German Shepherds and their pups with a metal rake. Then Rivera, who is afraid of the dogs, decides to use Mrs. James as a human shield, who of course screams. Naturally Congo will protect his owner, as well as the puppies! That’s what dogs do, and that’s why we call them “man’s best friend!” Whoever heard of a dog just sitting quietly as his owner is being attacked?

Frankly, the James family should sue Rivera for assaulting Mrs. James! Congo is a hero! He should be cloned and put all along our Southern border. There should be one of him in every non-doorman New York City apartment. Congo should be in every home in America where residents are not allowed to be armed. And he should be put in charge of Homeland Security, where he would do a much better job than that Michael Chertoff.

Finally, how many of you actually think PETA will get off their behinds and help this heroic dog?

Knut the polar bear turns one today!

This was him as an impossibly cute furry little cub:

And here he is now:

I think he’s still cute.

And here’s a video of his birthday celebration at the zoo.