Free Republic

New York -- With few physical clues to the whereabouts of an escaped show dog, the hunt for the award-winning whippet has entered another realm. About 12 psychics are counseling searchers as they check the heated cargo buildings near where Vivi escaped from a travel cage at Kennedy International Airport, Paul Lepiane, the dog's co-owner, told Newsday for Tuesday editions. "They are telling us that she is alive and they are telling us she is warm," said Honi Reisman, a friend of the dog's owners. "They are saying she's in a building — but there are hundreds of buildings." According...

A couple of weeks ago, my cat Fritz began talking to me. After a lifetime of silence, his comments were surprisingly ordinary: among other things, he mentioned that he’s not very fond of the kibble he eats on a regular basis and would prefer to be on a more nutritious diet. He also said that he would appreciate it if I got him a better scratching post, one that he could really stretch out his back. In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that Fritz was not speaking directly to me, but through Maleah Jacobs, an animal...

We have, in some respects, become a nation of too much. Too much money, too much gluttony, too much time on our hands. The other day I read of children completing sixth grade whose parents pay for limousines to take them to the graduation ceremony. The story mentioned that some kindergartners are also getting the limo treatment. What are these kiddies going to expect when finally they get socially promoted out of high school? Another symptom of excess is the close to irrational way we treat pets. Don’t get me wrong. I like animals a great deal and think they...