Sassy the miniature horse brings Northlanders happiness where ever she trots.

New findings could explain why failures in the control of bed bug infestations are so common.

Some owners will attest that their pet is as placid as any canine breed can be, but that is not saying very much. Many an owner of a normally docile dog knows it is not completely reliable.

Animal rights group says octopus whose escape made headlines around the world was probably going crazy in its tank.

The Duchess of Cambridge is delighted by orphan elephants in India.

Dogs may no longer be able to travel on the back of cars on public roads without being secured under proposed changes to animal welfare rules.

COMMENT: You say your dangerous dog is a teddy bear? I say you're wrong, writes Raybon Kan.

Professor believes those who keep canine killers deserve to face manslaughter count.

Inky's done a runner - and his escape involved remarkable ingenuity, lots of thinking and a tunnel of course.

Compared to dogs, cats get a bad rap when it comes to friendliness and approachability. Many a dog lover will try to tell you cats just aren't as loveable.

Children at a South Auckland hospital enjoyed a morning of pet therapy, spending time with cuddly new friends.

What were these kiwi up to one sunny Stewart Island day? We're not exactly sure. One thing we do know - they're out past bedtime.

Caged Chicken Farms - and Auckland's skyline.

WATCH: They don't look like much, but these tiny trap-jaw spiders found only in NZ and southern South America are the Beauden Barretts of the arachnid world.

Bottlenose dolphins could disappear from the Bay of Islands if nothing is done to halt a decline apparently caused by too much interaction, a report warns.

There was too much sun, swimming, eating and zooming about in Jaguars and private helicopters, but Instagram diva Toast the dog took the Hamptons last summer and lived to write about it.

This is how bad rhinoceros poaching has gotten in Africa: Increasingly, people who want to prevent the animals' extinction are relying on airlifts to save them.

Warning: Content may disturb. Animal advocacy activists have released shocking undercover footage from a colony egg farm that shows dead hens rotting in their cages and dying hens trapped beneath perches.

Watch: Police in San Francisco locked down a busy bridge to pursue a tiny dog who was on the run.

Longest living resident at Wellington zoo dies.

The owners of a dog which died on Friday are wondering if their pooch has fallen victim to an unknown illness that killed another dog and affected three others last month.

National Geographic has started an ambitious project to document all 12,000 species in captivity - many of which are endangered.

Just metres away, a giraffe spreads its front legs wide and lowers its long neck for a drink.

Most dogs love water but some love it more than others (and are better swimmers). Here's our list of pooches that love a splash:

Westport residents are outraged a local fisherman allegedly dumped a sizeable dead stingray at North Beach earlier this week.

Source: Sky 1

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE - Mohawk the lion, one of Kenya's most famous big cats, was fatally shot by wildlife rangers after they ran out of tranquilisers.

Mohawk the lion, one of Kenya's most famous big cats, was fatally shot yesterday by wildlife rangers.

The three-legged bull mastiff cross walks around with armour, in the form of a custom-made brace.