Canadian animal trainer Melissa Millett has a novel way of desensitising the cats she works with: she stages mock film shoots at home.

A dog named Clover is being hailed by Canadian media as a hero for helping her human, Haley Moore, survive a seizure that struck her suddenly during a walk.Dryden Oatway, a driver who stopped thanks to Clover's heroics, said, "It was really impressive, the dog actually blocked my way.

— New York became the first U.S. state to ban the declawing of cats Monday, joining most of Europe, several Canadian provinces and a growing list of American cities that already prohibit a procedure animal advocates call cruel and unnecessary.