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The day started dreary, but as I cruised down Route 7 toward the Shelburne Museum, I noted that not a single raindrop had fallen. My canine cohorts expressed their excitement more audibly, barking noisily before we even got parked. I wondered if museum founder Electra Havemeyer Webb really loved dogs enough to welcome such a commotion for her annual birthday celebration.... Read more

It’s 3:30 a.m. on the summit of Stratton Mountain. The sun won’t rise for another two hours, but scientists from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) have already begun their search for “the canary of the mountains,” more commonly known as Bicknell’s Thrush.

While their coffee percolates inside the Ski Patrol hut, VCE field directors Sara Frey and her husband Juan Klavins open mist nets around Stratton’s high-elevation trails to catch the rare bird, which breeds only in the montane fir forests of the U.S. Northeast and parts of the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec.... Read more

When the St. Albans Artists Guild first approached painter Harald Aksdal of Fairfax with the idea, he had one response: “I don’t have time for this.”

After some thought, he decided the proposal had its upsides: funding for the Guild, exposure for his arts community, and though he can demand thousands of dollars per original work a chance to exercise his talent on a new subject.

Wildlife.

“I had to make the time for it,” Aksdal says. “It’s that special.”... Read more

Cindy Dailey hasn’t been getting much sleep lately. Her mare, named Darros Skippers Itzy Bitzy Nuffin, is 342 days pregnant. When Itzy’s foal is born, it will stand roughly 17 inches at the withers — the last few hairs of its mane. That’s half the size of its mom.

Dailey is a miniature-horse owner and breeder in East Hardwick. And Itzy is not her only charge. Dailey has kept her farmyard full of tiny equines since 2001, with help from fellow owner/breeder Tammie Wetherell.... Read more

The dog days of summer were off to a fresh start Saturday in downtown Burlington. My new puppy was at the vet, but I still took the chance to visit some four-legged friends including Jack Russell terriers, golden retrievers and various mixed breeds at the “Scrub-A-Pup” YMCA fundraiser.

A volunteer named Julia told me that the idea for the dog wash came as a creative alternative to a car wash. Plus, as an organization all about family, it seemed right to include the beloved family pets.

“In case I didn’t want a dog already, now I really do!” added Julia.... Read more

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On June 8, dogs of all shapes and sizes took their owners for a walk Sunday to raise money for the Chittenden Humane Society

Aided by gallons of ice cream and ice water, hundreds of canines and friends went for a stroll despite the sweltering temperatures.

The 14th Annual Walk for Animals raised $57,000 for the Humane Society of Chittenden County.... Read more

Click here for more Summer 2008 Hot List picks.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS) is one of those fascinating local resources that tourists probably know better than full-timers. Its location beside the cutesy Quechee Gorge Village may have something to do with that, but in this case, it’s advisable to follow the wisdom of crowds. You won’t be disappointed.... Read more

Last summer, Lt. Col. Michael Ricci, a National Guard reservist, landed at a hospital outside Baghdad and began treating gunshot wounds and other trauma cases. It wasn’t his usual line of work. Ricci, who started his career at Fletcher Allen Health Care in 1989, is a vascular surgeon. That means he usually focuses on blood vessels, not punctured vital organs.... Read more

Perhaps it was the time of my arrival Sunday morning at Everything Equine, but there were few examples of real, live horseflesh on display. However, the rich subculture of their fans was well represented. I was greeted by a large horse plop on the walkway toward the Champlain Valley Fairground’s Expo Center, which was surrounded by horse trailers for sale and a fried-dough vendor.... Read more

Move over, man’s best friend. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Americans own almost 82 million pet cats — that’s 10 million more felines than canines. Still, other stats from AVMA indicate Fluffy is less likely than Fido to get regular checkups.

Vets who specialize in cats or work in feline-only clinics want to change that. The American Association of Feline Practitioners is currently engaged in an initiative to — according to its website — “champion the cat and elevate its status across North America.”... Read more