I know, I know. You’re thinking, Dave, how can this be a good news extravaganza with no animal stories?. Don’t worry. They’re here. Let’s start with a story that’s in my neck of the woods. Press Democrat: How Safari West’s owner saved the preserve’s animals from the Santa Rosa fire: “His epic tale — the story of a man who saved a thousand animals from relentless flames with nothing more than a winding chain of garden hoses — has become almost biblical.”

+ “As the ceremony started, to everyone’s surprise, it was the dog who came in when the bridal chorus began to play.” A stray dog crashed a wedding. And then things got really feel-goody.

+ “I’ve got two exams coming up, one sit-down and one take-home, neither of which I’m looking forward to. With all that stress around the corner, this is a nice small distraction.” A university brought in a petting zoo to calm students’ nerves during exam time. (Sadly, it had a paradoxical effect on students studying to become veterinarians).

+ Bad: Looking weird. Worse: Having someone take a photo of you looking weird. Disaster: That photo goes viral. Meet Hammy, the deer with a purple hammock on his head.

+ There are rescue dogs. And then there’s Chi Chi, the Golden Retriever retrieved from a dumpster.

+ Tired: Having a rescue dog. Wired: Having a rescue dog and a rescue turkey. (Full disclosure: I sort of enjoyed this, but I’m a vegetarian so I won’t have to think of it while deciding between white and dark meat on Thursday.)