Chinese New Year Parade and Festival: Festival-goers might actually enjoy a dry Chinese New Year extravaganza this year. Leave those umbrellas and ponchos as home! more ›

These guys sure are lonely. They could really use a home and family (likes yours!) to call their own. Maybe you would like a little love in your life too, yes? Well, why not adopt one of these lovable, needy, remarkable creatures today. Or tomorrow. Just do it soon! You can visit them at the SF SPCA (2500 16th Street) to see if you're a match. (Hint: you are.) If you have a heart or are in need of some karma, or both, please take a look at these guys. Their eyes are brimming over with sadness because they aren't with you. However, they're just waiting to explode with love and joy all over your life. more ›

SFist contributor Jerry James Stone brings us this eeee!-inducing clip of a bulldog riding a zip line in Costa Rica. Youtube user Garzilly, who shot the video, explains: "I filmed this in June 2010 during our honeymoon stay at Finca Bellavista; a tree-house community located in the southern zone of Costa Rica. Kimbo Slice is the resident bulldog and loves to zipline around the skytrail, a network of zipline trails around the property. Craziest thing I've seen in quite some time." more ›

Rincon Hill. It's more than an onramp. It's also home to a new dog park. Well, almost home to a new dog park. According to LiveSOMA, it's being held up "due to PG&E and getting electricity to the park." But it should open in no time. more ›

In lieu of exploiting microwave-based infanticide or urging the (vile) use of human breast milk in Chubby Hubby, PETA aims for something a little less gross today. At noon, four PETA members dressed as colorful condoms will gather at the corner of Market and Powell streets (a noted for public displays of reason and grace) holding signs that read, "Dogs Can't Use Condoms: Spay and Neuter!" and "Condoms Won't Work: Fix Your Cat!" more ›

Let's start off by stating the obvious: you should never drug your pets. Seriously, don't. It's mean, it could harm or kill your little best buddy, and you could wind up in the lower rungs of Hell for living such a cruel life. That said, this video showing a cat high on Adderall (an ADHD drug) is zany in a sad, poor-little-fella way. more ›

When the state's foie gras ban goes into effect in July of 2012, California restaurants will have to pull the luxurious (yet allegedly cruel) item from their menus. Although producers claim it doesn't hurt the birds -- producers who make anywhere up to $15 million a year for the savory treat -- foie gras is made by force feeding ducks and geese to fatten their liver. When the ban goes into effect, the item will most likely turn into an underground treat for the artisan set. more ›

Setting himself apart from the myriad of food writers in the Bay Area, SFoodie's new-ish editor W. Blake Gray stopped being polite, and just got real. As San Francisco residents sent a petition to the South Korean consulate on Tuesday, one that (bizarrely? rightfully? xenophobically?) asked their citizens to stop eating dogs and cats, Gray shared his own experiences dining on the noted household pets. One time was an accident, the other on purpose. more ›

At some point Thursday morning, pregnant 32-year-old Darla Norpa of Pacifica was mauled to death by her 2-year-old pit bull. Her husband, Greg, returned home around noon to discover his wife "laying in the front yard" with their two dogs standing over his dead wife. The incident occurred on the 500 block of Reina Del Mar Avenue. Officers arrived around 12:15, declaring the woman dead at the scene. more ›

Skullcap-shatteringly brilliant blogger Diane Dorrans Saeks just posted what could possibly be the most important lifestyle piece you will ever read. Why? Because it's about Denise Hale, that's why. And yet? It's also about so much more. Or not. more ›

Sweet Jesus, somebody lost their pet python in Oakland, and put up this frightening lost sign to warn neighbors. The ball python, described as "4 feet long, black & brown, will be looking for "heat sources such as a hot water heater." Sounds terrifying. Might we suggest luring the creature back with rabbit bait? more ›

Lucky for some of you, every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day (along with "Work in Sweats Day"), but for those who work in less pet-friendly environs, this Friday is the official day in which your dog can don his best corporate casual attire and see what exactly you do from 9 to 5. more ›

R&B duo Matier & Ross have word that the San Francisco Animal Control Commission suggests a citywide ban on goldfish sales. While buying pets from puppy and kittens mills are a oneway route to the lower circles of Hell, we're shocked to hear that pet store fish are also a problem. And that truly saddens us. Poor little Nemos. more ›

We're just now catching wind of the fact that, back in March, the federal government quietly changed the definition of "service animal" under the Americans With Disabilities Act to include only dogs and (get this) "small horses" who provide approved types of assistance for those with physical disabilities. San Francisco has for some time embraced a much broader definition of "service animal," including those that provide emotional and psychological support, and the city says it will continue to follow state guidelines in that regard. more ›

As Mission Mission already pointed out, The Chronicle's front page photo today seems -- how can we put this bluntly? -- sexually charged. To say the least. While the shot without the canine would've been erotic as-is, the addition of a voyeuristic pooch (not to mention the model's tight body, open mouth and hand placements) bring the entire thing to another level. Too bad, really. The accompanying article, about sunscreens lack of UVA ray protection, is a crucial one. more ›

Berkeleyside effortlessly tugs our heart strings today with a story about Paw Fund, a clinic for pets of homeless people started by Jill Posener, a photographer and onetime Animal Care Commissioner. Behold: more ›

We're happy to report that no injuries were recorded in the three-alarm fire that captivated every photographer in the Mission on Friday afternoon. According to the Examiner, the fire started around 4:15 p.m. at 506 Capp St and spread to the building next door as well as the building behind it on 21st street. 14 mph winds complicated things, but SFFD had the blaze under control after about two hours and crews were able to rescue both a dog and a bird cage. [SFEx] more ›

Cashing in on the Osama death craze, local pet retailer Best in Show sent out the following mass email this morning. "Osama bin Laden is dead... but Osama Bone Laden is alive and well and living at Best in Show. And he's quickly becoming a collector's item along with out other Bony Babies dog toys." Adorable and timely, yes? The satirical plush play toy has already garnered rave reviews. "My little shih-tzu loves chewing on his Osama Bone Laden doll," said noted civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. (Or not.) To get your own terrorist doll, visit bestinshowsf.com. more ›

Speaking of cultural sensitivity in Dolores Park, the SF SPCA will throw a Chihuahua-themed party in Dolores Park this Sunday, May 1, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. See, due Paris Hilton and her horrible kind, chihuahuas are now disproportionally represented in shelters and rescues. Many of the tiny pooches were abandoned by their whore owners after the mid-to-late '00s small-dog fad faded away. This is where you come in: SF SPCA will have a chihuahua meet-up and adoption booth at Sunday's canine fest. And you should seriously consider bringing one home as a new member of your family. more ›

Gasp! San Francisco has a new hotel... and it's just for felines. It's called Mission: Cats (which, in a startling coincidence, is also the title of your editor's pending autobiography) and it "combines everyone's love of live cat webcams (owners can check in on their cats while they're out of town) with plush digs for your cat to get comfortable in when you're on that much-needed vacation," reports 7x7. more ›

While it's not much more than rumblings at the moment, local animal care attendant Sandra Bernal wants the Animal Care and Control commission to create a database of recorded animal abusers. Unlike say, the sex offender registry, Bernal's database would include those inhumane and hateful human beings convicted of animal abuse as well as those who didn't receive convictions in cases where there wasn't enough evidence to hold up a prosecution. more ›