Unleashed - A blog for animals and the people who love them by Baltimore Sun reporter Jill Rosen

Afternoon awwwww: Panda in a tree

A giant panda named Huaao plays on a tree in the snow at a zoo in Yantai, China.

Ravens Joe Flacco campaigns for Baltimore Humane Society

Joe Flacco is giving a little star power to area animals in need.

Pictures: Prizes signed by Joe Flacco

Pictures: 10 ways to get ready for the Ravens playoff game

Pictures: Ravens fans' superstitions

Pictures: Baltimore celebrities with Fu Manchu mustaches

Drug-sniffing dog case heads to Supreme Court

Register your dog, win jewels

Goodness knows how many unregistered pets are running around Baltimore.

Afternoon awwwww: Hungry otter

Mmmmm. Snack fish.

Dogs and kids -- not all that different, study finds

You know how when someone compares dealing with their dog to dealing with a baby and all the parents in the room give them the stink eye?

Reward offered for info in shooting death of Maryland puppy

Following on the heels of the shocking shooting death this week of a Maryland puppy, The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward.

Judge: Kitty litter commercials stink

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York judge has ordered a cat litter manufacturer to temporarily stop airing "literally false" commercials claiming its product leaves litter pans less smelly than one made by a competitor.

The most popular pet name of 2011? Bellaaaaaaaaa!

Damn you, "Twilight."

Afternoon Awwwwww: Who's the plush toy?

Someone here is a cuddly plush toy here. But who?

Invinc-i-cat survives two rounds in the gas chamber

When they were handing out the whole "nine lives" package, one Salt Lake City cat apparently got seconds. Maybe thirds.

Missing four years, family embraces its long-lost pup

When their dog disappeared four years ago, the Willey family of Owings Mills searched and searched. They combed their neighborhood, they called everyone they could think of and then they called them again. For months.

Afternoon Awwwwww: Snow snout

I suppose that soon enough, our pups right here in Maryland will have a chance to dip their little snouts in a fresh mound of snow.

Waterless cat bath? Our reviewer gives it a try

Anyone who has a cat -- or knows even the slightest thing about kitty behavior -- knows that the idea of washing a cat is a bad, bad, baaaaaaad idea.

Harford Humane Society seeks variance for new dog park

As the Humane Society of Harford County works to build a bigger dog park at its Fallston location, a prominent developer who owns a large, adjacent parcel is prepared to protest the proposal as the Harford County government investigates whether its existing park is even legal.

Family reunited with dog lost for four years

A family was reunited over the holidays with their dog that had been missing four years.

Collared today: Boomer and Riley

NAMES: Boomer and Riley

Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals: Who does the dog pick?

It's been a long regular season of Ravens football. And our little Teddy has been there all the way, picking great wins and, well, a few losses that had didn't leave his kibble sitting too well.

Getting a cat ups allergy risk in adults

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While having a cat as a kid may protect against future allergies, getting one in adulthood nearly doubles the chances of developing an immune reaction to it -- the first step toward wheezing, sneezing and itchy eyes.

Collared today: Tab

NAME: Tab

Sarah Palin calls Obama's Christmas card with Bo 'odd'

Sarah Palin, it seems, finds the Obama family Christmas card featuring First Dog Bo something less than appropriate.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns: Who does the dog pick?

We're down to the last two games in regular season.

President Obama shops for Bo's Christmas present

Lots of pets will be getting presents for the holidays this year.

Collared today: Loki

NAME: Loki

BARCS to loan out pets for the holidays

Baltimore's largest animal shelter joins 'Foster a Lonely Pet' program

Advisory panel calls for end to most experiments on chimpanzees

Medical experiments on chimpanzees are largely unnecessary and should be rare, concluded a report released Thursday from special panel of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academies of Science.

Baltimore Ravens vs. San Diego Chargers

The Ravens are looking really good and, well, so is Teddy.

'Tail Lights' is on at Howard Symphony of Lights

In what's become a Howard County holiday tradition, tonight the Symphony of Lights display is letting dogs in.

Collared today: Copper

'Pit bulls' seized in cruelty cases face difficult transitions

Michelle bears three small white scars on her black nose, another above her left eye and marks on both her front legs — left by metal grips of a device used to hold her still for forced breeding. A tear in her lower lip has healed nicely after surgery.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis: Who does the dog pick?

Teddy, you just might be back on track.

Jill Rosen is a reporter at The Baltimore Sun. Through her years writing news and feature stories, animals have found their way into a surprising number of them. There was the Baltimore condo that wanted to unmask a mystery pooper through doggie DNA tests. There was a harrowing first-person account of trying to make homemade pet food. There was the Maryland service that would rent drug-sniffing dogs to suspicious parents.

Growing up, Jill's mother -- obsessed with spotless carpet and Lysol scented air -- refused to allow her and her sister to get a pet with fur. So Jill made do with goldfish named Bob and Fingle. As an adult, she worked her way up the pet food chain -- first came a Japanese fighting fish named Ichabod, then a wild rat terrier named Wendel who she shared with a roommate, and now she's proud to share her Baltimore home with sweet rascal kitties Leo Sesame and Pumpkin and Teddy Bean, the legendarily loveable rescued pup.