The document provides a summary of daily pet news stories from April 27, 2011, including Michael Vick speaking out against a dog fighting app, a study finding that female dogs notice size changes in objects better than male dogs, two red-tailed hawks waiting for their eggs to hatch with a live webcam, chemicals in pet dogs' blood linked to chemicals in older furniture, and a pet adoption event breaking records.

1. Rebecca Ford’s Edit Test Rebecca Ford’s Pet Site Edit Test

4. Girls Rule, Boys Drool! The battle of the sexes has spread to dogs, as a new study finds that female dogs may have a leg up in at least one aspect of observation. In a study by Corsin Müller of the University of Vienna, 50 dogs were tested to see if they would notice an inexplicable change in the size of a ball. For example, a tennis ball would roll behind a screen, and come out much larger on the other side. Researchers found that female dogs would stare at the larger ball for longer than they would at a ball of expected size, indicating that they had noticed the change. Male dogs, in contrast, looked at a ball of irregular size for the same amount of time as a ball of expected size. Source .

5. Baby Hawks Could Hatch Today, With the World Watching While we all know why watching the Shiba Inu puppy cam is so addicting, with those itty bitty pups rolling around on their itty bitty bellies, who knew that watching hawks sit on eggs would be just as hypnotizing? At NYU, two red-tailed hawks, Violet and Bobby, have been waiting for their eggs to hatch in their nest on a ledge outside of the Bobst Library. The New York Times put a web cam up there a few weeks ago, and thousands of viewers have been waiting along with Bobby and Violet. Last night, the eggs appeared to be hatching, which means that today could be the day when the hawklings greet the world and smile for their close-up!

7. Pet Expo Breaks Adoption Record Last week, 682 furry friends found new homes. The World Pet Association held its 22 nd annual America’s Family Pet Expo last weekend, resulting in the record number of animal adoptions, organizers reported . The event, held at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., featured stage shows, educational experiences with more than 1,000 animals, pet experts and family-friendly entertainment. It’s considered the largest consumer pet show in the world.

9. I’m Baaaaack! Zeppelin, a long haired black cat, went missing six years ago from Megan Conroy’s home in Reno, Nevada. After searching for a couple months, Conroy had given up hope. Then, a week ago, Conroy’s mother called, frantic. Zeppelin, after being M.I.A. for six years, had returned, sauntering into the house and heading right for the food. Conroy is sure that it is indeed the same cat because of his two distinctive white markings. Maybe black cats are lucky after all. Source .

10. Armadillo May Be Hiding Leprosy Underneath That Shell Not only are they one of the strangest looking animals in the kingdom, but now armadillos are being blamed for spreading leprosy around. Before today, it was believed that leprosy could only spread from human to human, but it turns out that the shell-bearing animal can also carry and spread the disease, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine . In some parts of the South, more than 20% of armadillos are carrying around the disease. Every year, about 100 to 150 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with leprosy.

12. Who dares to wake me? Who iz ze brave man or woman who was stoopid enough to wake me before noon? How dare you! You know very well zat my teeeeny eyes can’t take the harsh light of morning. Az soon az I get my wits about me I will terrorize you with every ounce of my tiny being.

13. Caught in the Act! Ebony and Ivory (not their real names) have kept their clandestine affair a secret for as long as they could…but no more! They’ll now proudly display their love, parading down the streets paw in paw…a dog and cat in love.

14. My parents wanted a girl They say real men wear pink, no?

15. I’ve got something to tell you Listen, Bambi. You’re a great sister, but the older we get, the more we’re drifting apart. And you don’t really look like mom. Or dad. I think…you’re adopted.

16. Do I look fat in this photo? I told you to get my good side, dammit.

18. 9. Swan and Tractor, In Love Love must be blind for Schwani, an eight-year-old swan in Germany. He’s fallen in love with a big, blue tractor. The bird and mechanical beast will waddle and rumble around the grounds together, side by side, wing to wheel. http://youtu.be/-XF9dL1AaZg

19. 8. Red Panda, White Snow http://youtu.be/y6GaPkkGZGw Like a raccoon but way cuter, these little critters playing in the snow will melt your heart.

20. 7. Dog vs. Duckling http://youtu.be/hiy7mHFnU1Y This baby duck gives Spot a lesson on being all bark and bite.

21. 6. Tickle, Tickle http://youtu.be/soU9FnuoFI4 Warning: Extreme tickling can cause extreme laughter in even the tiniest of penguins.

22. 5. Puppy Feed http://www.ustream.tv/sfshiba Six roly poly pups that do little more than eat, sleep and make the most adorable noises in the whole wide world. And you can watch them live. 24/7. Who needs work, family, friends, or a life when you can have that?

23. 4. Zzzzzzzz http://youtu.be/4GRnZWtnoxM Listen, buddy, you try reading “Crime and Punishment” in one sitting and then come talk to me.

24. 3. I got it. I got it. http://youtu.be/bgzpfktxwfc Baby raccoon Tyrone Biggums discovers that he’ll never be able to fully grasp this stuff called “water,” no matter how hard he waves around his teeny tiny hands.

25. 2. Take that, Cesar Millan! http://youtu.be/jCnAjel02lM All these baby puppehs needed was a little lullaby from their favorite big man in a blue shirt. No dog whispering needed.

26. 1. Buckethead There’s a polar bear in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza. http://youtu.be/FJS698KKffM

29. 3. Famous Furry Friends A weekly or monthly photogallery of celebrities with their pets. Ashley Tisdale Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus

39. 6. PATTY KHULY, VMD, MBA Khuly is a veterinarian based in Miami who could have a Q&A column answering pet owners’ questions on the health of their pets. She could also give advice for pet owners on keeping their pets healthy. She currently write a blog for Pet MD called Fully Vetted, so she has blogging experience and could be a great addition to the site.

42. The End I look forward to hearing from you. Rebecca Ford 925.788.0507 [email_address]