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How this California business puts animals to work preventing wildfires

Oct 25, 2023
Shepherdess Land & Livestock offers prescribed grazing services with sheep and goats.
“We use our animals in a very special, targeted type of manner, very different to traditional ranching with grazing animals,” says Cole Bush, owner and operator of Shepherdess Land & Livestock in California’s Ojai Valley.
Paul Mirah Collins

Hiring a cat? This organization can help

Jul 4, 2023
Hard Hat Cats places feral cats in breweries, bodegas and other businesses looking for organic pest prevention.
Dulce, a cat with a history of biting and scratching, was adopted by a Brooklyn brewery as a “working cat” through an organization called Hard Hat Cats.
Courtesy of Hard Hat Cats

Walmart unleashes new pet offerings

Nov 16, 2020
Can the mega-retailer compete with specialty stores in the nearly $100 billion pet sector?
A newly adopted pup gets a belly rub in Escondido, California. More Americans have acquired pets during the pandemic.
Ariana Drehsler/AFP via Getty Images

The "communicate-better-with-your-pet" sector is having a moment

Oct 13, 2020
One company turned a speech pathologist's tool into a product for pet owners.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

California pet stores can only sell rescue cats, dogs and rabbits

Jan 9, 2019
A new law aims to help the state's overcrowded animal shelters.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Backyard chickens have been hip for a while, but building them a $20,000 coop takes the trend to a whole new level

Jul 16, 2018
Backyard chicken keeping has taken off in the Bay Area as residents seek ways to disconnect from technology. Most people spend $1,000 or less on their birds and coops, but a wealthier subset of chicken owners have really gotten into it, in some cases sinking $20,000 or more into fancy heritage chickens and ornate homes […]
Oli Scarff/Getty Images

In Texas, hunting hogs out of a helicopter is big business

May 25, 2018
Feral hogs cause millions of dollars in damage to crops across the U.S.
Coulter Airfield in Bryan, Texas is about an hour and a half northwest of Houston. It's where the helicopter hog hunting business, Helibacon, is based.
Andy Uhler/Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

SeaWorld still trying to rebrand after 'Blackfish'

Nov 15, 2016
The theme park is getting rid of its killer whale performances next year.
People are rushing their children to SeaWorld to see the orca show before it ends next year.
Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego via Getty Images

Six surprising measures on the ballot today

Nov 8, 2016
Yes, marijuana legalization is a big issue for lots of states, but what about other measures that affect the economy?
Voters cast their ballots.
Hill Street Studios