Under water dogs

Scuba dooby doo: Amazing photos of the dogs who love to play fetch underwater 

This is what you call the underwater doggy paddle.
Photographer Seth Casteel watched a series of pets diving into the water - many chasing a ball - and the result is lost of gnashers, bubbles and some incredible photographs.

Catch the ball: Photographer Seth Casteel specialises in lifestyle pet photography, 'embracing the at-ease mentality of pets on location in the natural surroundings'

Diving deeper: In his work Mr Casteel manages to capture the moment the dogs open their jaws to catch the all-important ball

Dedication: He enjoys working with animals whether he's on location in Beverly Hills photographing a pampered pooch or volunteering at the local shelter taking pictures of dogs and cats to give them a better chance of finding homes

Based in Los Angeles and Chicago, Mr Casteel's agency Little Friends specializes in lifestyle pet photography, embracing the 'at-ease mentality of pets on location in the natural surroundings.
Mr Casteel has worked with a variety of celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Amy Smart, Denise Richards, Perez Hilton and the cast of GLEE.

He enjoys working with animals whether he's on location in Beverly Hills photographing a pampered pooch or volunteering at the local shelter taking pictures of dogs and cats to give them a better chance of finding homes.

Open wide: Some dogs looked more menacing as they bared their teeth to grab the balls

Worldwide praise: The series of underwater photos have had a positive reaction after Mr Casteel posted a few of them on Facebook

Some dogs looked more menacing as they bared their teeth to grab the balls, but a few of them don't even have a ball to chase and just look like they are posing for the shoot.
Some dogs appeared to be better swimmers than others, with a few diving down to the bottom of the pool, while the less adventurous preferred to stay nearer the surface. 
The series of underwater photos have had a positive reaction after Mr Casteel posted a few of them on Facebook. 

Duck and dive: Some dogs appeared to be better swimmers than others,  with a few diving down to the bottom of the pool, while others preferred to stay nearer the surface

Wet and wild: Depending on the breed of dog, some of the subjects looked more comical in the water than others

Crab and tomato pasta

Something easy but a little special for tea.

Crab and cherry tomato pasta with basil and lemon recipe

1. Serves 4

A simple pasta dish that's ideal to make for friends and family midweek.

Ingredients

1. 400g papardelle
2. 2 tbsp olive oil
3. 300g cherry tomatoes
4. 2 x 170g cans white crab meat, drained
5. The zest of 1 lemon
6. 1 tbsp lemon juice
7. A bunch of fresh basil

Method

1. 1. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, then drain.
2. 2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the tomatoes until softened.
3. 3. Add the white crab meat, the lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh basil. Season and stir into the pasta.

Happy Valentines Day

Animal amore! The creatures that show it's not only humans who like to get up close and personal on Valentine's Day

A loving look, an affectionate nuzzle and a smooch here and there  - it can mean only one thing.
With Valentine's Day just around the corner love is well and truly in the air. And it would seem it's not just humans who have come across all doe-eyed and sentimental.
As these adorable pictures prove, the animal kingdom is just as capable of giving humans a run for their money in the love stakes as February 14 approaches.

Snout to snout: These piglets get up close and personal as Valentine's Day approaches

Heart to heart: Two swans form the international symbol of love as they move in for some affection (left) while these Cormorants indulge in a ritual mating dance at their nesting site on Saunders Island, in the Falklands (right)

Give us a kiss: Two hippos move in for a smooch as they court in a mating ritual

These beast of friends all demonstrate their affection for one another with a snuggle, a cuddle or a kiss.

From creature courtships to furry friendships, the animal antics of these partial to each other pairs is heartwarming.
And these mushy mammals prove that love really does come in all shapes, sizes and species.

Wild thing: Two giraffes show their affectionate side as they nuzzle their faces close together

Underwater love: Not even newts are immune to the intoxicating effects of amore

Snuggling: A mating pair of King penguins caress on Gold Beach, South Georgia Island, sub-Antarctica (left) while two lovebirds cuddle up perched on a branch (right)

You nose I love you: Cape ground squirrels 'kiss' in Kgalagadi, South Africa

Coming up for air: Two sea lions cool off in the water as they nuzzle

Badgers

I love badgers.  Therefore this story in the Daily Mail really made me smile.

Sick badger cub found with umbilical cord attached and weighing just 100 grams is nursed back to health

By Tara Brady


When a tiny badger cub was found abandoned and completely helpless it didn't look like she would survive. 
With her umbilical cord still attached and weighing just 100 grams, any longer on her own and she would have died. 
But now the tiny black and white critter has been nursed back to help and has been aptly named Hope.

Critter: The little badger survived being abandoned by her mother and is now doing well

Staff at Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, in Somerset, feed the baby badger through a syringe every two hours around the clock.


It is believed Hope's mum gave birth in a nearby set before taking her offspring into a summerhouse in Crewkerne, Somerset.

Cute: Hope the baby badger is kept warm by animal welfare staff at Secret World

Another injured badger was found next to her but it is not believed she was her real mother.

Alive: Hope is fed through a syringe every two hours around the clock to keep her alive

Mum Kaye James raised the alarm when she went to the summerhouse to collect the feed for her chickens. She said: 'The seed was scattered all over the place and there sticking out from behind our sofa was a long grey tail.'
Secret World has recently launched a £4.4 million Call of the Wild Appeal for a new Wildlife Animal Hospital at the sanctuary.
Author Sir Terry Pratchet helped start the appeal after being wowed by the centre's selfless work.

Tea tonight, very quick to do and quite tasty.  Serves 4, alter quantity to suit number of people

INGREDIENTS

• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• juice 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 3 garlic cloves , crushed

FOR THE COUSCOUS

• 200g couscous
• 85g sultanas
• 250ml hot chicken stock
• 85g pitted green olives
• 400g can chickpeas , drained
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 

Lemon chicken with fruity olive couscous

A low-fat dish of grilled citrus chicken with fresh salad that can be whipped up for a quick supper

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 20 mins
Cook 8 mins

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts by cutting through the thickest part of the breast, stopping 1cm before the edge, then opening out like a book. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic. Pour half over the chicken and marinate for 15 mins.
2. Meanwhile, put the couscous and sultanas in a bowl, then pour over the stock. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 5 mins.
3. Heat a griddle or non-stick frying pan, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook for 4 mins on each side until golden and cooked through.
4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the olives, chickpeas, parsley and the other half of the marinade. Season and serve with the chicken.

Interesting facts about dogs

Did you know this?

• The most popular name for a dog is Max.
• An estimated 1 million dogs in the United States have been named the primary beneficiary in their owner's will.
• Ever wonder why a dog would go in circles before laying down? Pet dogs will circle anywhere indoors, even in their own beds. It's not reasoned behavior, but is instinctive to all canines, domesticated and wild. Dogs in the wild would encircle where they laid-down to be sure that there were no snakes or other enemies and also, it was part of the ritual of make a good resting place (tamping down the ground before they laid down.)
Dogs would also circle before laying down to find what they think is the most comfortable position. Most dogs don't like to lay on a flat surface, that is why they sometimes paw at the same area before laying. A common theory is that in the wild dogs will choose to sleep with their nose blowing into the prevailing wind. That being said, they circle to figure out which way that is. One contradiction to this is a sled dog which will often pad out a circle in the snow and sleep with the wind blowing from back to front so as to stay warm. Dogs circle to mark their scent so they can find that place again.
• Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads of their feet.
• Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible.
• The dachshund is one of the oldest dog breeds in history (dating back to ancient Egypt.) The name comes from one of its earliest uses - hunting badgers. In German, Dachs means "badger," Hund is "hound."
• Every year, $1.8 billion is spent on pet food. This is four times the amount spent on baby food.
• French poodles did not originate in France.
• Inbreeding causes 3 out of every 10 Dalmatian dogs to suffer from hearing disability.
• It has been established that people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
• Scientists have discovered that dogs can smell the presence of cancer in humans
• Seventy percent of people sign their pet's name on greeting cards and 58 percent include their pets in family and holiday portraits.
• 65 percent of pet owners say they have more photos of their pet than of their spouse or significant other.
• The common belief that dogs are color blind is false. Dogs can see color, but it is not as vivid a color scheme as we see. They distinguish between blue, yellow, and gray, but probably do not see red and green. This is much like our vision at twilight.
• Most pet owners (96 percent) say their pet makes them smile more than once a day.
• The name of the dog from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" is Max.
• Chihuahuas are named for the region of Mexico where they were first discovered in the mid-19th century.
• A dog's whiskers are touch-sensitive hairs , they are found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws, and can actually sense tiny changes in airflow.
• 33 percent of dog owners admit that they talk to their dogs on the phone or leave messages on an answering machine while away.
• Every known dog except the chow has a pink tongue - the chow's tongue is jet black.
• The English Romantic poet Lord Byron was so devastated upon the death of his beloved Newfoundland, whose name was Boatswain, that he had inscribed upon the dog's gravestone the following: "Beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of man without his vices.

Horizontal shower

Would you splash out? German company designs horizontal shower which washes you while you are lying down (or you could just take a bath)

Most us us can barely muster the energy to get out of bed and into the shower in the morning.
So imagine if you could extend your nap time by a precious 10 minutes or so - while you were being washed.
German company Dornbracht have actually made it possible to roll out of your bed and into the shower (assuming you sleep in the bathroom) by creating a device which washes you while you are lying down.

Dream or nightmare? Swiss company Dornbracht have actually made it possible to roll out of your bed and into the shower (assuming you sleep in the bathroom) by creating a device which washes you while you are lying down

Inviting publicity photos show a stunning model lying on her stomach under six jets of water.
The idea is that you roll over onto your back half way through the shower and let the jets wash your front.

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It's like a bath that doesn't get cold, and it sounds dreamy in theory - but we can foresee a few problems.
Perhaps the biggest is that lying down makes it so much harder to do the job the shower was created to do - that is, giving you a wash.

Andreas Dornbracht, the company's CEO insists: 'With Horizontal Shower, we are transporting the showering experience into a new dimension'

How much more hassle will it be to soap your back when you are lying on your belly with your face against a stone slab?
Then, of course, there is the space it will take up in your bathroom and the price ('upon application' means expensive).
But the most convincing reason for not splashing out that we can find is the 'beached whale effect'. Most of us will not quite look like the model in the photos while lying on the wet slab under the jets.
Nevertheless, Andreas Dornbracht, the company's CEO insists we'll all be using one of his showers soon.

'Beached whale effect': Perhaps the most convincing reason for not splashing out on the shower is that few of us will look quite look like the model in the photos while lying on the wet slab

He said, a little bombastically: 'With Horizontal Shower, we are transporting the showering experience into a new dimension.
'The result is total relaxation of the kind that is only possible to someone reclining.
'Tension in the head and muscles melt away, everyday stress is rinsed away with the water, body and mind are noticeably revitalized.'
It's the kind of gushing language you'd hear spoken in a spa... suddenly the idea of a horizontal shower seems a lot more attractive.