Animals

A yummy retirement party for Matka, the explosives-sniffing dog
For the past eight-and-a-half years, Matka has worked with a Minnesota State Patrol trooper, patrolling the marble halls at the State Capitol in St. Paul. She started her training as a youngster, around 14 months, and on Tuesday, she retires.
Monarch population, host plants hurting from climate change. Expert shares how to help
A years-long drought pattern, winter whiplash and warming temperatures are all hurting the vulnerable species, according to University of Minnesota Professor Emilie Snell-Rood, who studies monarchs and other pollinators.
Miniature poodle named Sage wins Westminster Kennel Club dog show
The miniature poodle won the top prize Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, in what veteran handler Kaz Hosaka said would be his final time at the United States' most prestigious canine event. After 45 years of competing and two best in show dogs, he plans to retire.
Westminster dogs are ‘poetry in motion’: A Minnesotan judge’s reflections on the prestigious dog show
Barbara Selton from Bloomington is a masters obedience judge at the Westminster Dog Show. Best in Show will be announced Tuesday evening.
A seafood bounty lures sea lions to S.F.'s Pier 39 in numbers not seen in 15 years
It's a popular rest stop for sea lions, but the docks at the tourist hot spot these days are unusually packed out with the slippery residents. Conservationists are buoyed by the surge in visitors.
Hobbyist photographer snaps photo of extremely rare bird in 1st U.S. sighting
Michael Sanchez was testing out his new camera when he happened upon a feathered subject. The blue rock-thrush he photographed on the coast of northern Oregon last week has excited the birding world.