LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guide dogs and their handlers have always undergone intense training on dealing with distractions from squirrels to skateboarders. But today's guide dogs have a whole new generation of things to worry about: quiet cars, button-activated walk signals, stroller traffic on handicapped curb-cuts, and a greater likelihood of interacting with other dogs. "It ...

MARYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — In Mane Support's open arena, a pair of miniature horses put students through their paces. Some of the best teachers in this class have hooves. The 18 students, from Maryville College, are getting hands-on experience on how horses can help with processing difficult emotions. That's the purpose of the 5-year-old nonprofit, founded ...

WICHITA (AP) — Officer Allie is retiring after a long and productive law enforcement career. Her bosses hope to find a replacement that's equally skilled at tracking bad guys, finding hidden evidence and greeting hundreds of school kids with a wildly wagging tail. The 9-year-old Labrador retriever is one of several that will soon retire from ...

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Lilly started off as a science experiment and now has turned into a minor celebrity at Hampshire Elementary School. She's a Grow-a-Frog, bought about 10 years ago as a tadpole, who then grew into a frog as the children in class observed. "She was probably as big as a quarter, but we ...

MANHATTAN, Kan.  (AP) — When Gail Litfin graduated in 1986 from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Science, her class was the first to have a 50-50 male to female ratio. When brothers Joshua and Jonathan Kobuszewski graduated in 2006, it was two-thirds women. The brothers, who have joined their father Mike in the Indian ...