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Frederick County Animal Control and Pet Adoption Center currently has 45 animals available for adoption and eight of them are here because their owners moved to assisted living, were admitted to hospice or even passed away. In most cases, a family member took in the pets and tried to find homes but was not able to do so.

If you have a pet, make a plan with family or neighbors now, and keep a card with your driver’s license that lists your pet emergency numbers. Some people keep a pet sitter and veterinary business cards posted conspicuously at home. It’s not a pleasant task to ponder “what if,” but it’s important to do so before you need to.

Sissy and Beau are two Miniature Schnauzers whose owner had a plan. Their former owner’s caretaker arranged for the dogs to be groomed and for vet records to be copied to make it easier for us to find them a good match.

Beau is about 14 years old, so the company of Sissy, who is younger, is important to his easy transition into a new life. We know this means it will take longer to find them a home, but they are doing well at the shelter, so the wait will be worth it. We will share medical records and reduced adoption fees for this pair.

If you have it in your heart to take a chance on a mature pair of cuties, meeting them is the first step to their next adventure.

The post Pets and People appeared first on WTOP.

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION THIS WEEK are CASPER, an 8-year-old male domestic shorthair cat, and BEAU and SISSY, a 14-year-old male and 11-year-old female miniature Schnauzer mix.

Casper is a handsome fellow who arrived at the shelter as stray from Brunswick. He is pure white with light green eyes and has a soft, lush coat. Casper is a social guy and loves to be petted; he will twist and turn with every stroke.

Sissy and Beau are two peas in a pod. Although pint-sized, Sissy and Beau have big personalities. As might be expected, they both have some challenges due to their age but both are quite lively and energetic. They enjoy human attention and being petted and handled. Read more about Sissy and Beau in this week’s Pets and People column.

Meet Casper, Sissy and Beau at the Frederick County Animal Control Center, 1832 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. To view all the adoptable animals at Frederick County Animal Control, visit petfinder.com/shelters/MD103.html. For general questions, call 301-600-1546.

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Today may be National Doughnut Day, but there’s another date lovers of fluffy, sweet indulgences might want to mark on the calendar: July 2. That’s when Taco Bell plans to take its Cap’n Crunch-coated donuts (or doughnuts, whatever) to the masses.

The Associated Press reports that the balls of cream-filled dough, known as Cap’n Crunch Delights, have moved past the testing phase in Bakersfield, CA, and will grace the newly artificial ingredient-free menus at Taco Bells across the country next month.

On that note, Taco Bell says the icing filled throwbacks to Cap’n Crunch Berries cereal will be an exception to that recent rule, as they contain artificial colors, flavors and high-fructose corn syrup.

That’s because when Taco Bell announced it was ditching the preservatives, it declared that co-branded items like the new desert treats/breakfast item and Doritos Locos Tacos wouldn’t be altered.

When Taco Bell first decided to test the calorie bombs, they said the delicacies were meant to appeal to something called “kid-ult,” presumably consumers who consider a balanced meal incomplete without a stream of icing dripping down their chin.

Taco Bell: Artificial ingredients OK for Cap’n Crunch treat [SFGate]

WASHINGTON — Petco says mistakes by its employees led to the death of a golden retriever in one of the company’s Central Virginia grooming salons.

Colby likely died of heat stroke after he was placed in a drying kennel at a Petco in Chesterfield County, reports NBC 12.

However its remains unclear what happened that caused the dog’s death.

In a statement, Petco says that the drying kennel Colby was placed in does not use any heat to dry animals’ fur. But Petco stores have stopped using such drying kennels and staff nationwide will go through remedial training to prevent similar harm to other pets.

Staff involved in Colby’s care no longer work for the pet supplier, according to Petco.

“After a thorough investigation, it’s clear our animal care protocols were not followed when it came to Colby,” the statement reads. “We take full responsibility for what happened in Midlothian, and remain heartbroken over Colby’s untimely passing.”

The post Petco takes blame for death of Va. dog in dryer appeared first on WTOP.

This is a sponsored post by Dr. Elizabeth Arguelles, veterinarian and owner of Just Cats Clinic at Lake Anne Plaza.

Nothing is more frustrating for owners than inappropriate urination, which is the leading cause of feline surrenders. Once you’ve diagnostically ruled out medical reasons for inappropriate urination with your veterinarian, the next step is to isolate what environmental elements are causing your cat’s unwanted behavior. With owner dedication, behavioral inappropriate elimination can be rehabilitated helping you and your cat to have a better quality of life.

What are the behavioral causes of inappropriate urination?

Behavioral disorders that result in urinating outside the litter box generally fall into one of two categories: dislike of or aversion to the litter box and new sources of stress.

Why would your cat start disliking the litter box?

A number of different things might make your cat reluctant to use its litter box. Inaccessibility is one obvious reason why a kitty might start going elsewhere. Other causes could include the following:

• The litter box has not been cleaned frequently enough for the cat’s taste.
• There are not enough litter boxes for all the cats in the household.
• The kitty’s litter box is too small, making it more difficult to use.
• The box has a hood or a liner that bothers the cat in some way.
• The owners are trying a new brand of litter, and the feline simply does not like it.
• The cat prefers other surfaces, such as carpets, potting soil or bedding, over the litter box.

What stressors can cause inappropriate elimination?

Cats like predictability and do not generally react well to stress. Urinating outside the litter box can be your kitty’s way of letting you know that it is not happy with recent changes to its environment. If it’s clear that none of the factors mentioned above are causing litter box problems, then stress could be the source.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Have you introduced a new cat to the household? In addition to causing stress, this change could induce rounds of spraying to mark territory.
• Have you gotten married or had a baby in the recent past? Though perhaps provoking less anxiety than a new feline presence in the house, new humans can also stress out your kitty.
• Have you or any of the other human occupants of your house been gone for an extended period of time? If your cat has gotten used to having you or other people around, temporary or permanent absences can be extremely disquieting.
• Has another pet in your house passed away recently? Cats can be remarkably sensitive to the loss of a feline or canine companion.
• Is there a new cat or dog in the neighborhood that is visible to your feline?
• Have you and your kitty recently moved to a new house? Have you gotten new furniture, drapes or curtains? Have you rearranged the layout of your home? All of these changes are disorienting to your kitty and can lead to inappropriate urination.
• Where are your litter boxes located? Is the box near something noisy like the washer, hot water heater, or HVAC?
• Is another pet stalking them while they are in the litter box?
• Is another person or child in the house messing with the cat while it’s in the box, on the way to the box, or when it’s done?

How can you treat the problem?

If your cat is consistently eliminating outside its litter box, it is imperative that you get control of the situation as soon as possible. Remedying the problem is significantly more likely if the inappropriate behavior has been going on for less than a month and if your cat is only urinating in one or two places in the house. Obviously, the longer the behavior persists, the less probable it is that these conditions hold.

Start by talking to your vet. He or she should offer suggestions regarding two current courses of treatment: changing the way your cat feels about the litter box and administering very mild drugs.Modifying your kitty’s behavior can be done through a combination of aversion therapy and attraction therapy.

Aversion therapy: This course of treatment attempts to make inappropriate elimination an undesirable act for your kitty. There are a number of ways to do this:

• Use a cleaning product that will neutralize the odor in the places your cat has urinated outside the box. Some products simply mask the smell which will not discourage your cat from re-using the same areas. There are numerous products on the market that neutralize cat urine, but our favorites are: Anti-icky Poo, Urine Off, Urine Away, and Fizzion.
• Cover said area with double-sided tape or aluminum foil taped to the furniture or carpet. In general, cats do not like walking on these textures.
• Place orange or lemon peels at the base of any potted plants that your kitty uses as a bathroom. You can also try covering the area with a piece of plastic or cardboard to prohibit your cat from digging in the potting soil.

Attraction therapy: Though a little more difficult, it is possible to convince your feline friend that the litter box is a more desirable location for urination. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:

• Buy a new litter box, preferably one without a hood.
• Make sure you have enough boxes — it should be at least the number of cats you have plus one. For example, if you had 2 cats, you need 3 boxes minimum.
• Clean the box often — daily at the very least.
• Purchase unscented clumping litter. Odd scents can repel cats, and many felines prefer clumping litter to regular clay.
• Place a new litter box near where the inappropriate urination is occurring to encourage your kitty to use it. After several days, move it two to three feet closer to the original location every day until it is back where it belongs. Of course, the time required for the litter box to return to its original location and the number of feet you need to move it each day depend entirely on your cat’s progress.
• Keep the old litter box in its usual location just in case the aversion therapy works and your cat decides to reuse it without additional encouragement.
• Check your placement of litter boxes to ensure they are in quiet places in the house.

Regarding drug therapy, your vet might decide that administering a mild antidepressant and/or anti-anxiety medication may also help reduce stress and correct the unwanted behavior. Additionally there are more holistic therapies that can help to reduce stress and/or marking behaviors. Feliway uses pheromones to help your cat feel more secure and relaxed, which can help reduce stress and urine marking. Zylkene, a supplement derived from casein, a milk protein that has calming properties, can help reduce environmentally induced stress.

Make sure you never:

• Rub your cat’s nose in the urine or feces. This increases stress in cats.
• Yell at your kitty, or carrying/dragging it to the litter box. Again, this is simply going to make things worse.
• Confine it and the litterbox to a small room.
• Use ammonia-based cleaners. Urine contains ammonia and cleaning with ammonia could attract kitty to the same spot again.

If you are struggling with behavior based inappropriate urination and have ruled out medical reasons through diagnostics, you may want to try working with a local trainer or behaviorist to help isolate the problems and figure out the best solution for you and your furry friend.

The post Beyond 9 Lives: Inappropriate Elimination, Part 2 appeared first on WTOP.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man who admitted putting a cat in a dog’s cage to watch it be killed has been sentenced to prison.

The Athens Banner-Herald reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/1MqpgGG ) that 21-year-old Jahmal Anthony Swaby of Athens pleaded guilty in the cat’s death and to threatening a witness who called police. Swaby also pleaded guilty to weapons offenses and receiving stolen property.

Swaby was sentenced to eight years in prison and 12 years’ probation.

Authorities have also said Swaby had a stolen revolver. Swaby was convicted of burglary in 2013 and is not supposed to have firearms. The judge also sentenced him to 12 months of probation after his sentence.

The newspaper reports Swaby’s 21-year-old co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges and has yet to go to trial.

___

Information from: Athens Banner-Herald, http://www.onlineathens.com

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — When a 32-foot replica killer whale buzzed through the water to scare off hundreds of sea lions piled on Oregon docks, onlookers cheered. And then the dummy orca went belly-up.

The motorized fiberglass orca was brought to the seaside town of Astoria on Thursday as a sort of maritime Clint Eastwood called upon to deal with ne’er-do-wells, in this case sea lions crowding onto docks and making it difficult for locals to access their boats.

But the orca’s first day on the job was a flop.

About 1,000 people cheered as the dummy whale — with its human operator inside — took to the water Thursday night. Jim Knight, executive director of the Port of Astoria, said sea lions that were crowded onto the docks became “deathly silent.”

But as a cargo ship passed by, the phony orca started to list from the vessel’s wake. And then the bogus orca capsized.

“Our crew from the port had to go rescue the operator so he didn’t drown,” Knight said.

So what did the sea lions thing about this spectacle?

“They probably think it’s dead now that it’s belly up,” Knight said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”

That was not the first fiasco for the dummy orca — which has been dubbed “Fake Willy.”

The replica whale, loaned by a whale-watching business, was delivered overland on Thursday from Bellingham, Washington. After arrival, the orca’s outboard motor flooded and a replacement had to be found.

Sea lion numbers along the West Coast have grown sharply since they were protected under a 1972 federal law. As water temperatures increase off the coast of California because of climate change, the animals have sought cooler waters to the north in Oregon. The sea lions that have been taking over docks at the Port of Astoria are also attracted by bountiful runs of salmon and smelt in the nearby Columbia River, biologists say.

While the thousands of tourists who visit Astoria each year might find the sea lions amusing, many locals see them as a nuisance. Officials say the sea lions break docks, poop, smell, block access to boats and eat the fish on which the port’s fishing industry and the town’s economy depends.

The Port of Astoria has tried just about everything to keep the sea lions away — including beach balls, colorful tape, chicken wire and electrified mats.

The fake orca was outfitted with recordings of real killer whale calls, especially the “call to dinner” — usually emitted in the wild after they kill a sea lion or seal.

The orca capsized before the recording could be tried out.

On Friday night, the fake orca was on a truck heading back to Bellingham for repairs and to be outfitted with better controls to make it more stable in choppy waters.

It will be back in August when sea lions return to Astoria en masse for salmon-spawning season, said Terry Buzzard, who owns the orca contraption.

Knight, the port’s director, said it’s unclear whether a fake orca can fool Astoria’s sea lions. But he is not conceding defeat. The way Knight looks at it, this whole adventure has drawn attention to Astoria’s problems with the sea lions.

“We’re excited and can’t wait for round two,” Knight said. “The battle is not over. Willy will be back.”

___

AP writers Gosia Wozniacka and Tim Fought contributed to this story from Portland, Oregon.

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This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Rufus, a military pup who hails from the Big Island of Hawaii.

Here’s what Rufus had to say about himself and his dad, TJ.

Hey guys — My name is Lieutenant Rufus Lebowski Stecker, Esq. but you can call me Rufus, or Rufie, or Rufbone, or just Ruf. I was born on Cinco de Mayo 2011 in Hawaii on the Big Island. Met my dad when I was a few months old, he’s pretty cool I guess.

Favorite things include sitting on the porch, meeting babes at the dog park, partying, people watching, jumping on people, shaking my butt, and helping my dad find the best places for brunch. At the park I like to herd all the dogs and run up to all the ladies and allow them to pet me. Also, I like to play in the fountain then get covered in sand, really show my dad who’s boss.

Walks are cool, but I go nuts if I see a squirrel or bunny. I promise I’m gonna snap that leash one day and catch one! I do enjoy catching flies at home, and I’m really good at it. I like hangin outside Trader Joe’s while dad is shopping, get to meet some cool peeps that way.

I’m not too crazy about most foods or treats as I’m really watching my figure (gotta look good for the park), but I love watermelon, it is my fave. I also like bacon or whatever meat pops is making.

Well, gotta go, time to head to the park. See ya there!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Arlington and Northern Virginia.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — An escaped peahen wandering through Annapolis has evaded all efforts to capture it, rendering the efforts of neighbors, plumbers and gardeners to so far be futile.

The Capital reports (http://bit.ly/1FsFL07) the peahen escaped Crownsville’s Hidden View Farm about a month ago and was recently spotted two miles away in Annapolis.

Numerous attempts by local residents to catch the bird proved unsuccessful Tuesday.

The farm’s owner Richard Bradshaw says residents should not feed the bird because she will be less likely to return to her home.

Thus far the peahen has resisted some treats — the ones left inside baited cages.

The search was suspended around sundown Tuesday and was scheduled to resume Wednesday around Heritage Harbour.

___

Information from: The Capital, http://www.capitalgazette.com/

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — An Annapolis couple says their real estate agent knew their future home was infested with snakes but sold it to them anyway.

The Capital Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1HElhBY ) that Jeff and Jody Brooks filed a $2 million lawsuit two weeks ago. They say their family was driven out because the home was crawling with snakes.

The Brookses purchased the house in December. They seek more than four times the home’s price in their lawsuit against real estate agent Barbara Van Horn, Champion Realty and ex-homeowner Joan Broseker.

The Brookses say exterminators found black rat snakes, snakeskins, dens, tunnels and feces.

The lawsuit says a snake inspector determined the house was infested and unsafe for children.

Van Horn declined to comment to the newspaper. An attorney for Van Horn and Champion Realty says the company doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

___

Information from: The Capital, http://www.capitalgazette.com/

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Volunteer Alen Mosley helps Middletown Elementary student Kate Stamper release a baby trout into Middle Creek during Middletown Elementary School’s Trout Release field trip Wednesday morning. Twenty-five elementary students were joined by 50 Middletown High School students for the daylong event. The trout were grown and released with the help of the nationwide Trout in the Classroom program.

The post Around Town: Middletown schools release trout appeared first on WTOP.

PIKESVILLE, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore County Department of Health is warning the public about a rabid fox.

The health department said it was notified Tuesday that a fox recovered from a neighborhood in Pikesville May 29 has tested positive for rabies.

Officials say any person or pet which has been bitten, scratched or licked by a fox in the area between May 15 and May 29 is at risk and should be checked.

Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other warm-blooded animals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. The symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, fear of water, an inability to move body parts, confusion and loss of consciousness.

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WASHINGTON — If you’re bored with the same old vending machine sodas, there’s a store in the area where you can take your tongue on a soda pop safari.

The North Market Pop Shop in Frederick, Maryland sells more than 225 different kinds of soda, most of them sweetened with cane sugar and packaged in glass bottles.

“The craft soda scene in general is expanding, and it’s like a scavenger hunt all the time,” says owner Michelle Schaffer, who often travels to Pennsylvania to pick up sodas from distributors.

Schaffer bought the shop from a previous owner in 2013, and recently moved it to a larger space two doors down from its original location on North Market Street.

Running the shop is quite a change from her former life.

“I am a biochemist by training, so I used to work in the lab.  And while that was a lot of fun and very intense, not a lot of people smiled and were very happy most of the time.  I am a happy person, and really wanted to make more people happy.”

The Pop Shop’s inventory includes sodas that have been around for 100 years or more, as well as more recent creations.

“I do a lot of talking about sodas as if they are fine wines, but we don’t like to be too pretentious about it,” Schaffer says.

One of the classics she carries is Moxie, a soda created in the late 1800s with a name that has become a word for strength.

“It was actually first formulated by a doctor who used it as what they call a brain softener,” Schaffer says.

Hers is the only shop in Maryland where you can find Moxie in glass bottles.

I taste-tested Moxie, and found it to be like a cola with a medicinal taste that lingers in your mouth, a taste Schaffer says some people — especially people from Maine — just love.

Another soda I sampled, Blueberry Birch Beer from Reading Draft Company, had a toothpaste-like smell but a great taste and fun blue color.

Other sodas I tasted and would recommend: Blenheim Ginger Ale; Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer; Grape Nehi; Real Soda Company’s Chocolate Covered Maple Smoked Bacon Soda; and Reed’s Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer.

Schaffer also sells Surge, a soda made between 1992 and 2001 that was re-released just last year.

At the Pop Shop you can buy a single soda, mix and match to create your own six pack and special order large numbers for weddings and other events.

And soda pop isn’t the only thing on the menu.

Schaffer says the shop has the best ice cream in Frederick.

Trickling Springs Creamery makes it, and the folks behind the counter are happy to mix you up a milkshake or soda float.

Also served here are all-beef hot dogs with toppings, so you can make it a meal.

One thing Schaffer doesn’t do is serve her sodas with ice.

“You don’t put ice in a craft soda because it dilutes the flavor,” she says.

The post Md. shop offers hundreds of fizzy flavors of pop under one roof appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — While Discovery won’t bring back the giant inflatable shark to decorate its downtown Silver Spring building for this year’s “Shark Week,” the media company does want the public’s help deciding how it should decorate the headquarters.

“Chompie” was last used in 2012. For 2015’s “Shark Week,” which premieres July 5, Discovery plans to use a massive mural. The mural will decorate the south facade along Colesville Road, reports Bethesda Magazine.

Choose your Chompie! Vote to determine how the @SharkWeek mascot will make a splash @ our HQ: https://t.co/9GQkU2NtMh pic.twitter.com/pYsASAmUlu

— DiscoveryComm (@DiscoveryComm) June 4, 2015

Discovery Communications tweeted out a link to the survey where fans vote on the three designs. They’re called “Love Bites,” “Jawsome” and “I heart Shark.”

Click here to take the survey.

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WASHINGTON — Animal Control officers are letting a Fairfax County neighborhood know about a rabies risk in the area Thursday.

Officers are handing out rabies information to residents in the Rose Hill area after a dog was bitten by a rabid fox in the 4400 block of Upland Drive last week.

The dog was vaccinated and there were no other exposures to the fox, Fairfax County police say.

Get more rabies information on the Fairfax County website.

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There’s something about the intense chocolate flavor and gritty texture of brownie batter that makes it irresistible. Continuing their series of exotic Oreo flavors, Nabisco will try to capture this flavor in the form of Oreo “creme,” between two standard chocolate-flavored cookie wafers.

S’Mores Oreos have hit the shelves as this year’s “summer” theme cookie, so perhaps it was inevitable that news of another one would leak, even though Nabisco vowed this spring to stop advance notice of new flavors from leaking online.

The Impulsive Buy notes that the cookies surfaced at a recent trade show in Chicago, as well as from disparate sources online. Don’t worry: this is probably not another hoax, and the cookies will join their buddies on the entire shelving unit crammed with different flavors of Oreos that you can now find in most grocery and discount stores.

COMING SOON: Limited Edition Brownie Batter Oreo Cookies [The Impulsive Buy]

It’s the stuff of nightmares: Fearing that the walls of your home are crawling with snakes, only to find out that no, this isn’t a bad dream, there are actually reptiles infesting the house you live in. That was the reality for one Maryland family who’s now suing their home’s previous owner and the real estate agent behind the sale, claiming both parties knew the house was chock-full of snakes before they sold it.

At first, when the family’s four-year-old son saw a three-foot black snake hanging from the facade of their new home in Annapolis, his parents thought it was a good thing, reports the Washington Post. They’d spotted a snake’s shedded skin in the house months ago and thought this meant they could get rid of the home’s snake problem.

But a week later, they found a seven-foot black rat snake. Then they found another, and another and so on until it was clear that there was a definite snake problem that wasn’t going away.

They called in a contractor and a snake inspector who gutted the basement and told them the house was snake-infested and as such, not suitable for children. The family moved into a relatives home after living in their new house for only four months.

They’re now suing the previous owner of the house and her daughter, the real estate agent who sold the home to them last year, claiming they knew the house was infested with snakes and hid it from the family in order to make the sale.

When they heard rumors from neighbors about a possible snake issue, they approached the real estate agent who allegedly “assured” the family that the prior rental tenants were people who didn’t want to pay rent and had mocked up a picture of a snake at the property to get out of the lease.

The agent allegedly had a pest-control company do a “snake away” treatment, and during inspections the family didn’t see any snake activity. That was just part of an act, the suit alleges.

But after finding snake upon snake, it seemed the infestation was all too real. The lawsuit is seeking a combined $2 million in damages, claiming the snake infestation was so bad that an inspector spotted snake “highways” in the basement walls that the serpents used to slither around the home in.

“It was a house we could make into our dream home,” the mom says, though those hopes soon turned into worry. “We had a fear that [a snake] would go into our daughter’s crib and, like the movies, wrap itself around our baby girl.”

Though black rat snakes aren’t venomous, the family says they’ve had severe respiratory problems due to living with an “excessive amount of snake feces.” The distinct smell those snakes leave behind means the family can’t move back, the mom says, as the smell can bring more snakes slithering.

“Unfortunately, that’s us, we’re the snake family. . . . We’ve learned more about snakes than we’ve ever wanted to know,” she said. “We just want them to let us start over and take the house back.”

The real estate agency’s lawyer declined to comment to the Washington Post, due to the ongoing litigation.

This Md. family says their ‘dream home’ is infested with snakes [The Washington Post]

Toilet paper, giant jars of mayonnaise, enough shampoo to last a year: These are all items one might imagine being on a list for a quick trip to Costco. One thing we generally don’t expect: a new car. But that’s exactly what consumers are picking up at the warehouse store.

Bloomberg reports that Costco has quietly climbed the list of top car retailers – selling nearly 400,000 vehicles of all makes and models at its stores across the country last year – putting it right behind the No. 1 car seller AutoNation.

However, purchasing a car on your next trip to Costco won’t be the same as doing so at your local car dealership. In fact, a recent car buyer tells Bloomberg that the experience was void of the typical haggling and upselling one might expect.

The other out-of-the-ordinary aspect: the big discount. The man says he spent $39,000 on a new Toyota Highlander, about $4,000 less than the recommended price.

The relatively stress-free and discount-laden process is all because Costco’s foray into selling cars isn’t really about selling cars, Bloomberg notes.

Instead, it’s all about the members. The company moves the vehicles through an auto-buying service called Affinity Auto Group. Costco uses its massive membership to leverage local dealers selling through Affinity into offering exclusive discounts.

For example, Costco and General Motors offer buyers a store gift card of $500 and a non-negotiable price for most vehicles. The deal led to the sale of some 43,000 vehicles at the retailer in the last part of 2014.

To ensure that dealers maintain the discounts they’ve promised the store, Costco sends in a team of mystery shoppers.

Perhaps the most bizarre part of Costco’s sales strategy: Much like its unprofitable practice of selling rotisserie chickens to keep members loyal, the retailer doesn’t actually make money on the car sales it helps broker. Instead, Costco only offers the discounted vehicles to attract and keep members.

While it was once difficult to get carmakers to sell through Costco, the company says it now has a waiting list of dealers.

Costco Moves the Metal [Bloomberg]

When you need to use some Cottonelle toilet paper, do you find that the sheets feel just a bit narrower in your hand? Probably not: that’s the sneaky nature of the Grocery Shrink Ray. Rolls of Cottonelle Ultra toilet paper lost just a fraction of an inch from each square, but that adds up to a big loss in square footage in a whole package.

The first example comes from Chris, who happened to notice the change while at work. The change wasn’t much: just .2 inches in one direction and .14 in the other, but this results in 8 square feet less toilet paper per package.

You’ll notice the “touch of cotton” on the label of this variety: we learned last year that Cottonelle toilet paper never contained any cotton until 2013.

There’s some good news in all of this, though: Chris points out that at least the price came down slightly along with the quantity of TP. At his store, at least.

Why does the old package declare that the sheets are “wider,” anyway? Wider than what? Did Sayori mix up the old and new packages, and this type of TP was widened?

Oh. Wider than the unnamed leading brand. Well, then.

Prince William County crime report Washington Post These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. BRISTOW AREA. ASSAULT. Rushing Creek Ct., 12600 block, 2:54 a.m. May 19. During an argument at a residence, a woman assaulted a male ... and more »

DC Animal Watch Washington Post These cases were handled by the Washington Humane Society, which operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW, and the District's, at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, call 202-723-5730 or go to www.washhumane.org. and more »

Thanks to automated payments and online banking, many of us rarely (if ever) write checks, but millions of Americans still pull out their checkbooks every day to pay their bills. Because they might not always have enough money in their accounts on the day they write those checks, some folks will postdate their checks so that they aren’t deposited or cashed until after that date. Unfortunately, the fact is that there’s generally no actual obligation to honor the date on a check.

Although it might not seem right for a bank or credit union to disregard the date written on a check, they aren’t legally required to honor the request to postpone processing a transaction unless certain conditions are met by the check issuer.

Consumerist reader M. recently learned this the hard way when her bank processed a postdated check several weeks before she’d intended.

M. had sent the check to a car dealership to cover the remaining $1,500 payout resulting from turning in a leased vehicle ahead of schedule.

“Since we were still short a few hundred dollars, why not cover most of the payout, and send a postdated check for the rest later on,” she tells Consumerist. “[The dealer] would deposit the postdated check as stated, right?”

Wrong. And because the bank processed the check before the date she’d written, M.’s account was overdrawn and she was hit with fees by her bank.

While it certainly wasn’t illegal for M. to provide a postdated check, it also wasn’t illegal for the dealership to deposit the check or for the bank to take out the funds needed to cover that check, regardless of the date.

That’s because once a check is signed it becomes legal tender, and, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, banks and credit unions can generally use their own discretion when deciding when to process a check – all without regard to the check’s printed date.

The only way to possibly prevent a postdated check from being processed early is to let everyone involved know in advance — and in a format that goes beyond just postdating the check.

Of course, even this preventative measure isn’t full proof, as rules governing banks vary from state to state depending on the two types of notification given, the CFPB says.

In some states, if a consumer gives the financial institution reasonably timed written notice about a postdated check before the check is received, then the notice is valid for up to six months.

That means the bank must wait to cash the payment until the date stated on the paper or until six months is up, whichever comes first.

But if the consumer gives oral notice to the bank, the institution must only wait 14 days before processing the note – even if that happens to be before the date on the check.

Additionally, the only time a bank can be held liable for processing a postdated check before the indicated date is if that notice is still valid. In which case, the CFPB says the institution may may be on the hook to cover damages such as the cost of overdrafts and other fees.

Consumer advocates who spoke with Consumerist say that while there are several reasons someone might think it’s a good idea to use a postdated check, it’s not generally recommended.

Pamela Banks, senior policy counsel for our colleges at Consumers Union, tells Consumerist that sending a postdated check can be an indicator to the recipient that the check-writer is in dire financial straits. She says that many people who end up falling into predatory lending traps like payday loans have also used postdated checks to try to stave off debt collectors.

Instead, consumers could seek alternative measures such as a small-dollar loans from a credit union or community bank, inquire about a pay advance from their employer or work out a payment plan with the company or individual they are paying.

In addition to understanding the risks and potential issues with providing a postdated check as payment, consumers should be cognizant that it is illegal to intentionally write a bad check.

In M.’s case, it appears it was indeed “at the bank’s discretion” to process the payment when it was received. Still, she tells Consumerist that the bank in question agreed to remove the overcharge fees incurred as a result of the situation.

While fast food gets a lot of negative attention for serving up less-than-healthy burgers, fries, chicken, and McRib meat, Whoppers and Big Macs have nothing on many of the meals you’ll get at a typical chain restaurant. Just about every item on the latest list of casual dining calorie bombs would be enough for a full day on its own.

Previous Xtreme Eating Award winners:

• 2014
• 2013
• 2011
• 2010

This is according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, whose annual Xtreme Eating Awards have the effect of simultaneously making us really hungry and saying no to the extra cheese sauce.

The 2015 awards don’t just include some usual suspects like Cheesecake Factory, Uno, Red Lobster, and Outback, but also represent the growing trend of build-your-own meals — where your meal is made up of 2-3 smaller dishes — being offered by a number of chains.

Without further ado, here is this year’s list from the CSPI:

(1,570 calories; 960 calories)

What does it say about a meal when a burger with seven patties and seven slices of cheese (plus fries) has a lower calorie count than several other items in the 2015 awards.

The burger itself is only (only!) 1,330 calories, which makes the 240 calories for the french fries seem like an afterthought. Though these two items will slap you with 47 grams of saturated fat and 4,570 mg of sodium (about 3 days’ worth).

If you want that shake to wash down your seven patties, be prepared to account for another 960 calories on the treadmill. And let’s not forget about the additional 21 grams of saturated fat and 590 mg of sodium.

(1,740 calories)

No Xtreme Eating list is complete without ye olde Cheesecake Factory. In fact, this is just the first of two entries for the chain where cheesecake might be the healthiest thing you order.

The Warm Apple Crisp — with apples, “delicious crispy nutty topping,” two scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce — at the Factory beats out any cheesecake slice on the menu, with 1,740 calories, 2.5 days worth (48 g) of saturated fat, and and 32 teaspoons of sugar, most of which is added. You could actually eat two slices of the Cheesecake Factory’s Original Cheesecake and get the same result.

(1,990 calories)

This IHOP omelette is “loaded with spicy chorizo sausage, roasted peppers, onions & pepper jack cheese,” and “topped with a citrus chili sauce & sour cream and served with a fresh grilled serrano pepper.” And if it were just the omelette alone, you’d be looking at 1,300 calories.

But, being IHOP, it comes with three buttermilk pancakes, which would be enough for breakfast on their own. Throw on syrup and you’ve eaten just about an entire day’s worth of calories, more than two days of saturated fat (42 g), three days’ worth of sodium (4,840 mg), and enough cholesterol (1,035 mg) for two to three days.

“You might as well have ordered a McDonald’s Big Breakfast (scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuit, and sausage) with three Sausage McMuffins and five packets of grape jam on the side,” writes the CSPI.

(2,020 calories)

It’s just a vanilla shake with some pineapple, right? Well, yes… plus salted caramel, pie crust pieces and whipped cream — enough to fill a 32 oz. cup.

In addition to crossing the 2,000 calorie line, you’ll get three full days of saturated fat (61 g) more the four days of trans fat from the pie crust, and around 29 teaspoons of added sugar.

CSPI says that one of these desserts is equal to the calories in four (4) Dairy Queen Banana Splits.

(2,190 calories)

Uno’s deal lets customers pick any two items from a selection of five salads, four pastas, and three pizzas for a dozen dollars.

CSPI ordered up the Baked Ziti & Sausage Pasta, whose 720 calories should have been more than sufficient by itself, and the miniature version of the restaurant’s Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza. At 1,470 calories, that second dish is more than double the pasta plate, pushing your total calorie count to nearly 2,200, with 49 g of saturated fat, 5,420 mg of sodium.

“It’s like eating three Pizza Hut Pepperoni Lover’s Personal Pan Pizzas,” writes CSPI.

(2,370 calories)

Here we are back at the Factory for its second entry in this year’s awards. This time, it’s for a pasta dish described as, “Parmesan crusted chicken served over pasta with mushrooms, peppers and onions in a spicy New Orleans sauce.”

CSPI says the food alone, weighs about 1.5 lbs, and between the pasta and all the breading on the chicken it’s basically a big pile of sauce-covered flour that, with the New Orleans sauce (which apparently uses butter and heavy cream), you’re well past a full day’s calories, with a whopping 80 g of saturated fat and 2,370 mg of sodium.

“For those numbers, you could have had two Fettuccine Alfredos plus two breadsticks at Olive Garden,” explains CSPI.

(2,400 calories)

You could eat three 10 oz. ribeye steaks (and three sides of garlic mashed potatoes) from Outback and come up with the same calories as this meal.

It’s not just the 1,400-calorie piece of prime rib; it’s also the dressed baked potato and wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, along with the little loaf of bread and butter you get.

Even if you only eat half that piece of bread with just a bit of butter, you’re looking at a total of 2,400 calories, 71 grams of saturated fat, and 3,560 mg of sodium.

(2,500 calories)

Another build-your-own entree, with the obvious focus on meat meat meat. For their 3 Meat Plate, the CSPI chose the Polish sausage, pork ribs, and beef brisket. (They could have also selected from pulled pork, barbecue honey ham, spicy cheddar sausage, and turkey or chicken breast.)

Diners also get to choose two sides, so CSPI went with fried onion tanglers and mac & cheese, to accompany the included roll, pickles, and onions, and their 32. oz sweet tea (free refills).

If you’ve never been to on of Dickey’s more than 400 locations, you might not know that the chain offers customers free soft-serve ice cream cones during their visit (no refills on the ice cream, sadly).

Throw that party on a platter all together and you get an astounding 2,500 calories, 49 g of saturated fat and 4,700 mg of sodium, plus 29 teaspoons of (mostly added) sugar.

“It’s like having three Big Macs with five Vanilla Cones” from McDonald’s, says the CSPI.

(2,710 calories)

When it came time for the CSPI to build its own trio of dishes at Red Lobster, they went for three different shrimp menu items — Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut shrimp, Walt’s Favorite shrimp, and Linguine Alfredo with shrimp.

Of course you get a side and salad, so CSPI went with the old standbys of fries and a caesar salad. Tossing in just a single Cheddar Bay Biscuit, the meal came out to 2,710 calories, 37 g of saturated fat, and 6,530 mg of sodium.

CSPI calculates that this is equal to eating an 8-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe chicken with four sides of mashed potatoes with gravy, four pieces of corn on the cob, and eight packets of “buttery spread.”

“This nutritional shipwreck from Red Lobster exemplifies the kind of gargantuan restaurant meal that promotes obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases,” said CSPI registered dietitian Paige Einstein. “If this meal were unusual, that would be one thing, but America’s chain restaurants are serving up 2,000-calorie breakfasts, 2,000-calorie lunches, 2,000-calorie dinners, and 2,000-calorie desserts left and right. Abnormal is the new normal.”

UPDATE: A rep for Red Lobster takes issue with the CSPI’s choices in creating its own combination.

“CSPI’s Xtreme Eating Awards hone in on just one atypical combination and as a result inaccurately portrays the nature of this menu item,” reads a statement from the restaurant chain. “CSPI was dishonest when they neglected to reference other possible combinations, guest choice and the lighter options available.”

In this month’s Recall Roundup for consumer goods, a laptop battery recall expands, mason jar night lights melt, and a friendly toy policeman is not as friendly as he initially appears to be.

Babies & Kids
OXO Nest Booster Seats – straps may loosen, which would allow a child to fall out. There have been five reports of loose straps, but no injuries.
IKEA PATRULL KLÄMMA and PATRULL SMIDIG Pressure-Mounted Safety Gates – Gates may not stay in place. There have been eighteen gates out of place worldwide, and three children injured.
Baby’s Dream cribs and other baby furniture – Violates lead paint standard.
IKEA Crib Mattresses – Existing recall expanded; mattresses pose an entrapment hazard.
Roberta Roller Rabbit Children’s Pajama Sets – Do not meet flammability standard.
Goochie Goo Garbs Children’s Sensory Grab Garb Blankets – A wire used in the blanket’s ribbon may become exposed and scratch a child.

Toys
Police Press and Go Toy Vehicles – Policeman figurine’s hat can pop off and poses a choking hazard. There has been one report of a detached hat.
H-E-Buddy Kaleidoscopes (H-E-B) – End pieces may pop off and pose choking hazard. No incidents reported.

Tools
Earthwise Cordless Electric Lawn Mowers – Mower may start when the ignition key isn’t in the “start” position, which is very dangerous.
Whistler Jump&Go Portable Jumpstart and Power Supply – Fire hazard. There have been 45 overheating units reported, and 18 fires.

 

Furniture
Cost Plus World Market Twist Swivel Stools – The spot where the seat is welded to the center pole may break, causing a seated person to fall off. There have been 12 reports of broken stools, but no injuries.
Franklin Power Reclining Furniture – Switch used to control the furniture may overheat and cause a fire. The company has reported two switches catching fire and three smoking in furniture showrooms.
La-Z-Boy Recliners – May tip forward instead of reclining.

Clothing
Gena Accessories Silk Scarves – Do not meet flammability standard.

Electronics
Lenovo ThinkPad Notebook Computer Battery Packs – Expanded recall. May overheat or catch fire. Four incidents reported; one user was burned.

Appliances

John Wood oil-fired water heaters – risk of fire
Viking Gas Ranges – Oven may turn itself on. There have been 75 reports of this happening, including three reports of burns and four fires causing property damage.
Kenmore Elite Gas Ranges (Sears) – Burner may go out while gas is still on, which can lead to a fire or explosion. No incidents reported.
Kenmore Elite Slide-In Ranges (Sears) – Stainless steel edge below the control panel poses a laceration hazard. One user required stitches after cutting herself on this sharp edge.
Premium (brand) four-cup espresso makers – Water reservoir cap may fail, causing steam burns or the cap popping off unexpectedly. One user was burned while using the appliance.
Shark Powered Rotator Lift-Away vacuum cleaners – Electrified wand may become detached from the rest of the vacuum, which could give the user electric shock. 62 incidents reported, but no injuries.
Sweet Heat Hair Dryers – Dryers don’t have an immersion protection device, and could electrocute the user if dropped in water.

Decor
Mason Jar Night Lights (Christmas Tree Shops) – plastic around the light’s base may melt, posing a fire hazard. Two lights have melted, but no fires reported.

Vehicles
Youth Model Can-Am All-Terrain Vehicles – do not meet speed or parking brake regulations for ATVs, depending on model year.
Pedego Electric Bicycle Batteries – May overheat and catch fire. There have been six fires reported, but no injuries.

Sports & Outdoors
ORTOVOX Avalanche Transceiver – May not actually send an emergency signal, even if it appears to be on and working normally. Fortunately, no one discovered this during an actual avalanche.
GT Fury Mountain Bicycles – Front wheel hub may break, causing brakes to fail. There have been two reports of broken hubs, but no injuries.
Gerber Cohort Folding Knife – locking mechanism may not work, and knife may open. Six people have reported lacerations when this happened, and two required stitches.
Rocky (brand) Rubber Hunting Boots – Snake guard may not protect against snake bites. A contractor for the company was bitten by a snake while demonstrating the product.
TenPoint and Wicked Ridge Crossbows – May fire even with the safety engaged, which is dangerous. There have been 19 reports of arrows fired with the safety on.
Trek Bicycles with Quick-Release Lever – Lever may malfunction; three people were injured, one of whom is now paralyzed.
Snow Peak Japanese Axe – Handle may shatter. There have been three reports of this happening, but no injuries.
Felt Cruiser bicycles – Brakes may fail. There have been 26 reports, but no injuries.
Hyland Bicycles and Aluminum Fenders – May break during use. One user reported a spine injury resulting in nerve damage after a fender failed.

Kitchen
Urban Outfitters “cheeky” teacups – Cups are labeled as microwave-safe, but have metal accents. There has been one report of a sparking teacup in the microwave. Here is a dramatic re-enactment (which contains swear words) of what that might look like.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s annual three-day free fishing weekend starts Friday.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says no fishing license will be required to wet a hook in state waters Friday through Sunday. Designated stocked trout waters are an exception. Freshwater and trout licenses will be required there.

All fishing regulations including size, season, catch limits, and gear restrictions will remain in effect.

The post Virginia’s 3-day free fishing weekend starts Friday appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — It seems like just yesterday the nation’s capital got the news that the District of Columbia was home to not one, but three bald eagle families. In the 12 to 13 weeks since they’ve hatched, the eaglets have gone from fuzzy little chicks to full-sized fledglings, ready to take off.

Dan Rauch with the DC Department of the Environment has been looking in on them once a week and says they’re doing great. There are two eaglets in the nest at Blue Plains, one in the nest on the grounds at St. Elizabeth’s in Southeast D.C. and Junior at the National Arboretum in Northeast D.C. where Rauch is driving this reporter to the site for a look.

When Rauch arrives to the spot nearest the nest on the grounds of the National Arboretum, he’s met by Sue Greeley, an agricultural and science technician with the National Arboretum in Northeast D.C.

Greeley greets Rauch with a present of sorts: she’s found a primary feather from one of the adult eagles. But it’s not really a gift. 

“You cannot collect, own, possess or take, even the ‘molted’ ones like this one,” she says.

Instead the feather, like any other find from the nesting eagles, will be shipped to the National Eagle Repository, a division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Colorado, for collection and study.

Rauch and Greeley explain that bald eagles “molt” or shed their feathers continuously, a few at a time, unlike ducks who “drop” their feathers all at once. By molting continuously, Rauch says, eagles never lose their ability to fly. If eagles can’t fly, they can’t hunt and if they can’t hunt, they can’t eat.

Rauch and Greeley point out the bald eagle’s nest at the arboretum which is visible through a break in the treetops. Junior, as the lone fledgling at this location is called, is sitting on a limb alongside its nest. That made Greeley nervous. The fledgling had done that despite Monday’s strong winds and heavy rains. She worried the young bird would get blown out of the nest, but Rauch wasn’t too concerned. He noted Junior’s wings looked strong.

Greeley explained that Junior wasn’t a name that had anything to do with the bird’s sex. It’s impossible to tell gender without getting beak and talon measurements, something which is impossible to do without handling a bird at that age. So the moniker is just a convenient name for now.

Picking up his camera and zooming in on the bird, who’d gone from a bundle of gray fuzz to a full-sized eagle without the white head of an adult, Rauch said, “This one looks ready to go at any time.”

Then, there was a flurry of activity and Rauch narrated: “Here comes an adult in right now — with a fish!”

Junior hopped back into the nest to eat the lunch dad just delivered. Still looking through his camera, Rauch described what he was seeing.

“You just saw when he hopped down into the nest — beautiful wing structure, all the feathers are in.”

Rauch was encouraged by how the young bird was carrying its wings. Some young birds let them droop and don’t seem comfortable with their new found growth. Rauch says the wings grow fast and are filled with blood. They’re heavy and some young birds look a bit ungainly. Not Junior though. The fledgling held its wings at rest just as an adult would.

Juvenile bald eagles can be distinguished from mature ones because they have the dark bodies of adults without the distinctive white heads. Rauch says they look like their cousins, golden eagles, which, like bald eagles, remain protected but are no longer endangered.

Rauch says it could be days — or any minute — before Junior and other eaglets in the other nests in D.C. take off. Then they’ll spend an additional few weeks sticking close to the nest with their parents. But there are challenges ahead.

“It gets really tough after this actually. Only about 50 percent of eagles survive their first winter, and only about one in eight make it to adulthood,” says Rauch.

The post Fledgling bald eagles ready for take off in D.C. (Photos) appeared first on WTOP.

The post Mary Lee, the great white shark appeared first on WTOP.

Otherwise healthy two-year-old dogs generally don’t drop dead with elevated body temperatures, and that’s what happened to the beloved Golden Retriever of a woman in Virginia while the animal was at Petco for a routine bath and grooming. The dog’s owner claims that a store employee left her pet for too long in a heated dryer cage, but Petco now says that they don’t heat dryer cages for safety reasons.

Dogs do have higher normal body temperatures than humans do, which is what makes them nice to cuddle with. The owner of this dog, Colby Jack, says that a veterinarian explained to her that the dog’s body temperature was higher than normal even 45 minutes after his death, which made the vet suspect heat stroke.

Petco has released a statement about this incident, saying that they’ve suspended the employee who was in charge of the dog who died, and explaining that while they use dryer cages, those cages aren’t supposed to be heated.

Here’s Petco’s full statement on the situation, which was sent to TV station WTVR.

All of us at Petco remain deeply upset by Colby’s passing. We have strict protocols in place to ensure the well-being of pets in our grooming salons, and we take it very seriously when those protocols are not followed. The groomers involved have been suspended while we complete a thorough investigation, and we are in contact with the pet parents and coordinating with local Animal Services to understand what happened in this terrible situation. It’s important to know we do not use heated dryers in any Petco grooming salons, and we can confirm there was no heat used in the drying process during Colby’s groom, but other details are still being investigated. Our thoughts continue to be with Colby’s family at this difficult time.

The dog’s owner wants to press charges against the store if possible, and is angry that the store let her dog suffer and die. “It sickens me that they can let something like this happen,” she said in an interview with TV station WTVR. “How could he not suffer? He was in a cage for God knows how long.”

Petco says ‘no heat’ used in cage dryer that family claims killed golden retriever [WTVR]

Remember the long, long-ago of, er, just last week when we thought Hot Topic was planning to buy the parent company of online specialty retailer ThinkGeek? Well, now they’re not. A mysterious new suitor showed up just a few days later, and it appears they have the better bid. And so, Geeknet today announced that their brief fling with Hot Topic is over, and they will be joining up with GameStop instead.

That’s the news from Geeknet this morning. Geeknet CEO Kathryn McCarthy said of the deal, “Our Board and management team believe this transaction is in the best interest of Geeknet and its stockholders.” She continued, “As a part of GameStop’s family of brands, Geeknet will be well-positioned to achieve our goals of increasing our brand awareness and expanding our product offerings.”

GameStop CEO Paul Raines had an equally bland statement to offer, saying, “This acquisition creates value to all stakeholders involved. The addition of Geeknet is an important expansion of our global multichannel platform and we are excited to leverage their product development expertise to broaden our product offering in the fast-growing collectibles category and deepen relationships with our existing customer base.”

Both Hot Topic and GameStop have overlapping interests with ThinkGeek’s target audience. The former sells lines of licensed apparel and accessories that dovetail with ThinkGeek’s offerings. The latter still primarily sells games and consoles — though for how much longer, who can say — to an audience who are also likely to be interested in related paraphernalia from ThinkGeek.