On February 24, Jessica Shaw and her friend Diane were on their regular after-work walk when Shaw’s one-and-a-half-year-old Yorkie Oakey was attacked by a cougar. British Columbia has the largest cougar population in the world, the University of Victoria reports. The Conservation Officer Service receives more than 2,500 calls a year from people thinking they spotted a cougar–although many reports turn out to be a different animal. While cougar attacks are considered “rare,” experts recommend staying calm and never running from a cougar in the wild....

In one video that has gone viral, a dog even gives a human a lesson on how to behave in public. In the clip shared on Twitter on Tuesday, a dog can be seen walking down a road as a driver throws an object wrapped in plastic out of their car window. The dog picks up the item in their mouth and drops it back through the window, cleaning up the road....

The 17-month-old pup Parker lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and was being looked after by her “aunt”, Alissa DeMarco, while her owner was out of town for the week. While any parent will tell you they don’t have favorites, dogs are a little more fickle with their attention, and research shows that our canine friends will often have preferred people. Dog-advice site Rover says that your pup’s favorite might not always be the primary caregiver....

Chops the dog was evidently not too happy about staying behind while his owners, Jenna Barton and her partner, enjoyed a vacation together. Barton told Newsweek that’s partly down to the lavish treatment he usually receives at home. “He’s spoiled rotten as we treat him like our child instead of a dog,” she said. “He’s staying with our parents while we are on holiday, so he won’t be able to get away with what he usually does while he’s at their house....

Tastes change, however. Urban masses move to the suburbs and buy air conditioners; new immigrants seek the comforts of their own traditional diversions. The beach is still there, but the place my grandfather and father used to visit exists only in sepia-toned photographs. Coney Island is a broken-down old man. Yet there is one day of the year when Coney Island relives its former glory. On July 4, thousands of people gather on Surf Avenue to watch the annual hot-dog-eating competition, an American tradition dating to 1916....

More from CFB Matrix: Dave compiles the top 25 from data scientists and top handicappers It is no surprise Weeks 1 though 4 are the best for favorites from a straight-up perspective, as these are mostly warm-up weeks before conference games begin. According to the data, Weeks 5 and 6 look to be a “feeling out” period for oddsmakers, as they try to balance the early conference and non-conference contests....

The heartwarming footage of a dachshund hiding from his schnauzer pal was posted to TikTok by viickyseco and has already been viewed over 13 million times, with viewers gushing over the animal pairing’s antics. “My dogs play hide and seek,” the accompanying caption reads. Though the idea of two dogs playing a game more commonly associated with human children might seem fanciful, whatever version the two dogs are playing is likely to be of some benefit to their overall well being....

The 75-year-old singer-songwriter has broken her own record for the most hits in the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist, appearing on the list a staggering 109 times. She was also recognized by Guinness World Records for two other achievements on the same chart. She has appeared on it for the most number of decades—seven—and has had 25 number ones on it, which is the most by a female artist....

NFL viewers are left again asking the question after Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips was flagged for a dubious, at best, roughing the passer penalty after sacking Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the third quarter on “Sunday Night Football.” See if you can spot the penalty. MORE: Dolphins vs. Chargers live score, updates, highlights The NBC booth was left without much of an explanation. Rules analyst Terry McAulay said the officials must have decided that Phillips put all of his weight on Herbert when he was bringing the quarterback to the ground, but he still disagreed with the penalty call....

MORE: Dolphins to sign Greg Jennings | Committed to Joe Philbin? Why would a footballer with a hefty paycheck want to moonlight as an Uber driver? Francis’ answer is very simple. “It would be a cool way to get some extra cash,” Francis said, via the New York Daily News. “I’ve been using the app for two years, and every driver I talk to says it really helps supplement their income....

The team has informed season ticket holders who have re-sold the majority of their tickets that they will not be allowed to renew for the 2016 season, the Miami Herald reports. MORE: NFL stars and Star Wars characters, combined | Week 15 predictions Dolphins senior vice president and chief marketing officer Jeremy Walls told the Herald the team is attempting to diminish the influence of ticket brokers and others who buy season plans only to turn around and re-sell individual game tickets — often to fans of the visiting team....

Jennings signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins on Thursday. The contract is worth $8 million, according to multiple reports. MORE: Dolphins remain committed to Joe Philbin Jennings, 31, was released by the Vikings after two seasons. He’ll help fill a void left by departures of Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline. Wallace was traded to the Vikings after two seasons in Miami. Jennings, who also visited the Panthers and Saints, played for Dolphins coach Joe Philbin when Philbin was the offensive coordinator in Green Bay....

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi has now done it two straight weeks. Making only his third career start Sunday, the second-year back out of Boise State shredded the Buffalo Bills defense for 214 yards on 29 carries, with a touchdown. Coupled with his game last week against the Steelers (25 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns), Ajayi becomes only the fourth different running back in NFL history with consecutive 200-yard games, joining O....

Lemon made the remarks during an episode of CNN’s New Day where he discussed Markle’s new Spotify podcast, Archetypes. He praised the Duchess of Sussex for discussing her biracial identity on a recent episode featuring Mariah Carey. During her interview with the singer, Markle said that throughout most of her life she was not treated as a Black woman or a white woman due to being “light-skinned.” “If there’s any time in my life that it’s been more focused on my race, it’s only once I started dating my husband,” Markle said....

I could have made up an answer, just to avoid a potentially tense situation. But I answered honestly, “I’m an advocate for gay and lesbian families.” He looked confused so I gave him a little more information. “I talk and write about the experiences of children growing up with gay and lesbian parents.” I travel frequently for my job, so I’ve been in this situation before. In the best cases, answering this question opens the door to a discussion, regardless of whether the person supports the idea of gay parents raising children....

The stern words from the former Democratic leader who retired in 2017 come as multiple polls show nearly every Democratic 2020 candidate coming in ahead of Trump in a general election. “If anyone thinks Trump can’t be reelected, they better get another thing coming. He can be reelected,” said Reid, before adding, “hope to hell he isn’t.” Reid also took the time to admonish his former Republican colleagues in the Senate for what he called their fear of the president....

MORE: Manning, the GM? | That Manning Gatorade commercial The sports books at SportsBetting Dime even posted odds on where Manning will be in Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season, making either potential broadcast gig (booth or studio) the huge favorites. Here are those numbers: Where will Peyton Manning be in Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season? Broadcast booth: 6/5 Broadcast studio: 7/4 The NY Giants game: 9/1 Working for a non-media company: 16/1 Assistant coach for an NFL team: 25/1 Hunting or fishing: 60/1 Field: 40/1...

Given this history, and Japan’s difficulties fully atoning for its past, Li Ying figured it was time to provoke a public debate about the shrine. The Chinese film director and 19-year Japan resident has just released “Yasukuni,” which won the best-documentary prize at the Hong Kong Film Festival last month. It’s a remarkable, well-balanced work. Yet if powerful right-wing forces in Japan get their way, many Japanese will never see the movie....

Such overt virtue-signaling was silly to many, and was met with near universal eye-rolling. Still, “amen” is a useful word used by Christian and Jewish worshipers for centuries to end their prayers. It is derived from ancient Hebrew, meaning “so be it.” That three letters appear in sequence to reflect a word used to identify gender is less the work of the “patriarchy” than it is the work of religious patriarchs over the millennia....