The Fritz Show

Fritz would like to thank his friends Christine and Laura for being such a big help on Saturday. He would also like to thank his family for always being so supportive.

He, along with Errol Flynn, Zelda, and Lucy (not pictured) would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

puppoween

It's that time of year again! Time for a bit of anthropomorphism as we subject our pets to being dressed up in Halloween costumes.

Today we have Random Boston Terrier Found On Google dressed as Yoda, my dog Scarlett dressed as a rock star, and my sister's puppy Lewi dressed as a clown. Are there any other Land of Cute citizens out there who dress their pets up as well? Picture submissions are welcome.

Queen of Shiba

The Shiba Inu (柴犬, shiba inu or shiba ken) is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan. Inu is the Japanese word for dog, but the "Shiba" prefix's origin are less clear. The word shiba usually refers to a type of red shrub. This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common color of the Shiba Inu is a red color similar to that of the shrubs. However, in old Japanese, the word shiba also had the meaning of "small", thus this might be a reference to the dog's small size. Therefore, the Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog". (Wikipedia)

When they are puppies, shibas look like little teddy bears. They grow to be extremely beautiful and intelligent dogs. They also come in amigurumi form.

Sandwich Buns

Tracey has again provided cute, as seen here in this photo she took at the Sandwich Fair. Thank you Tracey, and thanks to the bunnies for being so cute!

Tracey's New Kitten

He has no name yet, but what a cutie! We like his guy-liner around the eyes - Maybe his name should be something egyptian - like Ra, or Set, or Horace....Congrats Tracey!

Racoon Subway Entrance

Our town has a new subway system, to promote public transportation. Unfortunately, low funding has dictated that it be only available to Racoons. Stops along the line include:
Across the street
Down the block
Near the river
Two blocks away
Near the gas station

Look! Up in the sky! It's a... hovering hamster?

This mini-hamster-turned-superhero was first witnessed flying here. He has since taken up residence in the Land Of Cute, protecting us from all that is scary and non-cute. Soon to be a major motion picture...

Stay tuned next week for the exciting conclusion of Cute Expedition!

Amur Amore

You could call them the littlest versions of the Earth’s biggest cats. Two Amur tiger cubs born at Brookfield Zoo weighed only about two pounds at birth, but will likely gain 400 to 500 pounds by the time they are full grown.

It will be a while before zoo guests get to see the little tigers in person. Right now they are in an off-exhibit maternity den with their mother, Tiara. Keepers have had very limited interactions with the cubs, keeping tabs on them through a camera in the den where the tigers will stay until going outside this fall.

Led go ob by dose

The huskies are back in session at NIU. I think there might even be a football game this weekend. So here are two huskie pups to celebrate the occasion.

Knutey Cutie

We like Knute's rolling gait as he follows his keeper around...the rear view of his big feet...

Don't miss the new polar bear, Hudson, at the Brookfield Zoo.

hey bay-bee

Millions* of baby bunnies are born every day. So how can we at the Land of Cute possibly choose just one or two to feature? Clearly some guidelines must be established. For baby bunnies, a large head-to-ears ratio must be present as well as a large eye to head ratio. Appropriate amounts of fuzziness and aesthetically pleasing coloring are also extremely important. Inquisitive and/or sad facial expressions score big points. Naturally, the rules change quite a bit for adult bunnies, but that is another post for another day.

Do you have any additional guidelines that you feel are important for maximum bunny cuteness? Don't forget to keep submitting names for Monday's Japanese bunny... entries will be accepted all week.

Finally, a shout out to a random genius out there who decided to develop a whole blog dedicated to bunnies: dailybunny.typepad.com/index.html. Please visit. Bask in the cuteness.

* contrived and unverified statistic

I in the multi-prpose room, makin ur toast

This is Media Services' solution to work place anger management.

All dressed up and nowhere to go

This little emperor penguin will grow up to be among the tallest and heaviest of penguins, our favorite flightless bird. These poor birds endure the harshest of arctic conditions and have to walk 70 miles to get food after months of not eating... yet remain unceasingly cute and cuddly.

Macaroni penguins are the most numerous of all the world's penguins. They live in at least 216 colonies at 50 sites in places such as Chile, South Africa, and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is thought that Macaroni penguins were named based on the song Yankee Doodle because of the "feather in their caps."

www.wikipedia.org

Nuts to you

The Abert's Squirrel or Tassel-eared Squirrel (Sciurus aberti) is a tree squirrel that is native to the Rocky Mountains from United States to Mexico, with concentrations found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Durango.

Abert's squirrels are 46-58 cm long with a tail of 19-25 cm. They are strictly diurnal. A number of subspecies have been described including the Kaibab Squirrel.

The Abert's squirrel does not store its food like other North American squirrels. The vast majority of the squirrel's diet consists of parts of the ponderosa pine. Feeding on the tree's seeds and buds in the warmer months, it depends on the inner bark of the tree for nourishment in the wintertime. Consequently, Abert's squirrels are found in coniferous forests with large populations of ponderosa pines.

The Abert's squirrel typically builds its nest in the branches of the ponderosa pine in groups of twigs infected with mistletoe.

History

The Abert's squirrel is named after Colonel John James Abert, an American naturalist and military officer who headed the Corps of Topographical Engineers and organized the effort to map the American West in the 1800s.

unprecedented: two posts in one day

I couldn't conclude Hamster Week without a memorial to Xena Warrior Hamster. She had spirit, she had spunk. She once escaped from her cage for three days during which she had countless adventures (if only she had written her memoirs). Our bunny announced her safe return by thumping, at which time we found Xena back in her cage, sound asleep, cheeks stuffed with food. We miss you, Xena!

on a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair...

The smallest of hamsters is the dwarf desert hamster (genus Phodopus) whose bodies are about 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) long. My motto: the smaller, the CUTER.

real life hamtaro

Continuing the hamster theme...
We visited the new PetSmart last week on "company business." (Okay, so we took a detour while we were supposed to be on company business. Anyway.) They have the cutest small pet section, which includes Panda Hamsters and Dalmatian Hamsters like the ones shown above. Hamsters are delightful pets, and I miss our little hamster friend Xena (rest in peace, warrior hamster).

new addition

My niece, Leela Grace, was born last night. She is perfect in every way (of course). And so cute!

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

This is Ella. She is a long-haired chihuahua puppy. She has blue, fawn, and white coloring. She is from Yorkville, but in 3 weeks will live down the road from me at my parent's house. She enjoys sitting in small, green bowls. In one year, she may be a mommy!

I'm only sleeping...

Vote on the cute - which sleeping kitten do you like better? Kitten in a salad bowl or kitten on the tablecloth? Or are they both just equally cute-a-licious?