Among today’s animal anthropomorphizing news:
Indian girl, 9, marries stray dog in tribal ceremony
A nine-year-old girl has married a stray dog in front of more than 100 people in India.
The tribal custom is intended to protect the child from evil, reports the Press Trust of India.
Karnamoni Hasda married the street dog in West Bengal state’s Hooghly district.
The Santhal tribe believes a child is in grave danger if their first tooth appears on the upper gum.
A canine marriage is said to be the only way of warding off evil. The child can remarry a human after growing up.
The report says Karnamoni’s canine marriage did not take place immediately after her first tooth appeared because her father’s financial problems did not allow for a wedding at the time.
US gyms offer yoga for dogs
A chain of gyms in the US has started offering yoga classes for dogs.
Crunch is offering “Ruff Yoga” at its New York branch and is considering offering it in other locations.
During a recent session in Madison Square Park, the class attracted nearly 20 people and their pets.
“We do the traditional poses. The dogs just get incorporated,” Crunch’s yoga director Suzi Teitelman told Fox News.
Yoga guru Bruce Van Horn says the relaxed state people achieve through yoga rubs off on their animals if they’re nearby during the exercises.
“It actually reduces the stress levels of animals,” Van Horn said. “When people have crazy animals, it’s usually because the people themselves are crazy.”
Donkeys marry in India to please rain god
A marriage between two donkeys has been performed in southern India in the hope it will bring much needed rain.
Residents of Magadi, a Bangalore suburb, gathered at a temple dedicated to elephant-headed god Ganesh to marry off the donkeys
A Hindu priest read from the scriptures and anointed the animals with vermillion, turmeric and sandal-paste while married women garlanded the donkeys.
The donkeys were taken in a procession through the city’s streets and a feast was served to the guests.
The bride, called Ganga, wore a green sari with a glittering gold border while the groom, Varuna, was clad in a white dhoti.
Cows being taught to read in New Zealand
Cows are being taught to ‘read’ in New Zealand in the hope they can save farmers time and money.
Researchers hope they can teach dairy cows to identify which gates to go through to robotic milking machines by using signs.
Scientist Jenny Jago says the cows are already starting to understand what the signs mean.
“We’ve got to the stage where they are using the signs to make that distinction as to which gate they should go through,” she said.
“So what we have to do now is work out what it is in that sign that they are using. Is it the colour that they are using as a cue? Is it the shape that we’re giving them?”
Dogs take to the catwalk in Tokyo fashion show
Poodles, dachshunds and Chihuahuas have strutted down the catwalk at a fashion show organised by a Tokyo department store.
Eight dogs modelled looks ranging from practical to casual and even formal in the 40-minute show at the Mitsukoshi Department Store.
Highlights included a canary yellow raincoat at £45, a Japanese summer robe at £25 and a wedding dress with matching hat at £20.
“It’s the kind of thing that appeals to serious dog lovers,” store spokesperson Satoshi Shimura said.
It was just another day in the spotlight for some of the participants, who paraded in front of a crowd of 60 people.
Momo, a six-year-old Pomeranian wearing a frilly white dress with matching cape, already has television appearances and calendar shoots under her collar, organisers say.
© Associated Press
