Samantha
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samanthakm.bsky.social
Samantha
@samanthakm.bsky.social
180 followers 120 following 1.8K posts
New here. She/her. Disabled. Always tired (no really, severe ME/CFS). Animal lover. #Uglydogs
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samanthakm.bsky.social
For when you return to your phone - I took these last month and meant to send them to you!
Miniature donkey foal who came to say hello. Miniature donkey foal with mum and another donkey in the background.
November 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
After finally getting rid of the cursed party hat and a little bit more playing with new toys, everyone is exhausted and it's birthday nap time.
Dexter lies half on a blanket, half on the carpet, surrounded by his new toys. He is still wearing his happy birthday badge and is all worn out. Clara lies on a red blanket, all legs and ears. The Highland coo and cheese doughnut are next to her. She is cream crackered! Tato finally pulls the sparkly party hat off. His birthday badge is still on his collar, but he's not bothered about that. Clara holds a Christmas pig and looks slightly forlorn.
November 15, 2025 at 9:08 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
After dinner, Dexter got his very own birthday pupcake! (The bottom half was reluctantly shared with Clara).
Dexter eats the top half of the birthday pupcake whilst wearing his party hat. Dexter attempts to eat the entire birthday pupcake whilst wearing his party hat and badge. Dexter pulls the wrapper off the birthday pupcake. Dexter is very smiley whilst wearing his party hat and badge.
November 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Then we went to the shop and got lots of new toys and treats and attention!
A selection of new toys are laid out on a blanket. There is a cheese flavour doughnut chew, a squeaky Christmas pig, two fluffy balls with eyes, a bottle of Pawsecco, and a Highland coo. Clara is holding the blue googly eyed fluffy ball and is a bit googly eyed herself. Tato is holding the pig between his paws and has the yellow eyed fluffy ball next to him. He looks pretty happy with the arrangement. Dexter is lying down receiving gentle belly rubs, wearing his happy birthday badge on his collar. He is much happier about the badge than the party hat.
November 15, 2025 at 8:52 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Happy birthday to Dexter! The weather cleared up enough for us to have a brief potato adventure with the party hat.
A muddy golden retriever gives side eye whilst wearing a sparkly gold party hat with a pink pom pom. He is panting from playing and rolling in the mud and his giant tongue is hanging out of his mouth. A blurry, happy golden retriever with a waggy tail is getting attention from a man, whose arms and legs are visible. The dog is still wearing the sparkly party hat. A clean golden retriever is wearing the party hat and smiling with his tongue out slightly. A slightly blurry photo of the golden retriever is the party hat and a yellow lab mix whilst they are still on their leads and waiting impatiently for fun times.
November 15, 2025 at 8:44 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Happy birthday WeRateDogs! Tato is 10 today, too!
He says you can have his party hat if you want.
A white faced tiny golden retriever sits in front of a human on some wet grass. His tongue is out and he is wearing a gold glittery party hat with a pale pink pom pom on the top. It is his 10th birthday today.
November 15, 2025 at 6:33 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Ooh I will have to have a look for dog friendly cakes at the pet shop. To go with the glittery party hat we will make him wear (briefly). We bought it for when Clara turned 10 in Feb and she was so. angry.
Disgruntled yellow lab mix stares with deep disappointment and barely contained rage. Her eyes are wide and her ears are down, with the bottom of a glittery party hat just visible on the top of her head. This was on the 15th Feb. She has not forgotten. She will not forgive. Same yellow lab mix is wearing the cursed glittery party hat in the woods for her birthday outing. Leaf litter is visible around her. One ear is squonk, as is her custom. The hat curses us, not her. She will have her revenge.
November 15, 2025 at 2:28 AM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I'm so sorry lovey, please have a potoroo cuddle puddle from me.
Top down view of 3 potoroos huddling together.
November 12, 2025 at 11:03 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
So they are sometimes called bearcats but aren't related to bears or cats, they're actually viverrids. We don't know what binturong means because the language it's from is extinct.

The popcorn smell is from a chemical in their scent gland/urine, which is the same as popcorn. Boots family in alt.
Binturong face in bright sunshine behind glass. Her ear tufts are pointed down in the same direction as her fur, so are difficult to spot, but her gorgeous brown eyes are illuminated perfectly. This is Coco, Boots grandma. A blurry, zoomed in photo taken from behind the glass, of a teeny tiny brand new binturong baby. This baby is Niffler, who is Boots dad. The baby bintlet is curled up small, but a greyish face and white ear tips are visible. A photo of a man cradling a very large, adult binturong in his arms like a baby, whilst tickling its tummy. The binturong's tail is wrapped around the man's neck and its knife hands are visible. Photo of a woman sitting, open mouthed, as a large adult binturong stands across her shoulders with its tail wrapped around her neck and begins climbing down her towards the small bowl of fruit she holds in her hands.
November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Same! Can you spot Potato?

(Clara farted at me for daring to hold a phone in her vicinity).
Clara, a yellow lab mix, is lying on a pale grey duvet with one ear stood up at a jaunty (sleepy) angle. There is a vaguely orangey reddish floof on a green carpet behind the corner of the bed. If you squint it looks like a tiny golden retriever.
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I needed this today and I thought that you might too.

Drusilla's (zoo) isn't on here, and I know that Insta links can be hit or miss for some people, so I have downloaded and uploaded for you all, because everyone deserves a bintlet video.

Mwah 😘

#UglyDogs
November 7, 2025 at 1:37 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Here's the thing. It's pretty cute. I think the design itself might have been from Pinterest and then added on to and tweaked? I don't know, it's pretty old.

Anyway, you do need a smart dog to take you places. Some dogs are naturally followers, to put it politely.
Wood burned design of a paw print and lots of dog related items saying "any dog can be a guide dog if you don't care where you are going". The design is framed with lots of tiny, simple drawings of different dog breeds.
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I'm so grumpy today. I had to do two things earlier this week and have slept for a couple of days, but have been super grumpy when I'm awake and I don't know why! I'm not even in enough pain to justify why I'm so uncomfortable in my skin.

Here's an iguana who wants to fight my wheelchair.

Mood.
November 6, 2025 at 7:48 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I don't have the dogs with me right now for a pet photo, they've gone to bed. What about a world lemur day photo, which is only belated in my country and right on time over there?
Red ruffed lemur sits up leaning against a fence, sunning its dark belly. Its hand is outstretched in the typical lemur 'meditation' position. The other arm is draped casually behind the fence.
November 1, 2025 at 12:14 AM
samanthakm.bsky.social
This was just whilst we were waiting. He's a big boy.
October 30, 2025 at 9:37 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I feel like everyone might need a snow leopard pumpkin video.

Here is one courtesy of Northumberland Zoo (not on here, as far as I can see).

Enjoy, #UglyDogs 😊
October 30, 2025 at 7:38 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Clara would like to know who said she's asleep and why they're lying about her...

Right after this brief period of resting her eyes.
Yellow lab mix from very close up with her eye closed and her head drooping slightly. Yellow lab mix with her eye barely open. If she was a cartoon, the matchstick holding up her eyelid would have fallen out.
October 28, 2025 at 7:29 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Birbs. The entertainment (what little I gift you from my now very foggy brain) is in the alt text.
A flock of several (too many) peafowl are walking across the grass, past buckets and bowls. They are greyish brown in colour with green/blue necks. I have not googled if this means they are all peahens or if they might be some of this year's male chicks, because I am lazy. A very large vulture with pale to dark grey plumage sits on a bench in front of a sparse crowd. It's not the biggest species of vulture, but it is very impressive. I think it might be a white backed vulture because it has a white neck, but I don't know for sure because my brain has stopped working. I definitely used to know this. Sorry. A pelican is standing on a perch with its giant weird feet curled around the wood. Its neck is bent backwards so you can't really see the head, just the giant beak sticking straight out to the side, like it has impaled itself through the neck. It's an odd and creepy angle. I'm not sure if this is the one that tries to bite people through the netting of the aviary. The same pelican is sat on the same perch, but this time blurred with motion. Its head is visible now, pointing downwards with its beak wide open, maybe to preen the wet feathers of its body, maybe to try to swallow an invisible creature whole. Someone should Photoshop a clearly-too-large animal in its mouth.
October 28, 2025 at 12:31 AM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Several years ago we wrapped Clara and Tato's harnesses in tinsel and they didn't mind that at all. Festive bandanas are also acceptable to both, and Tato doesn't mind a jumper, so we could probably get him to wear a Christmas jumper.

Santa hats/antlers don't last long here either.
A blurry, cropped screenshot of a yellow lab mix licking her nose, rapt with attention to something off-screen (probably a ball) and a tiny golden retriever. Both dogs are sat on bright green grass and are wearing gold tinsel wrapped around their black harnesses. The same yellow lab mix and tiny golden retriever are sat on a blue patterned rug in front of a small bookcase. They have gold tinsel wrapped around their harnesses, but have black, undecorated leads attached. Both dogs have their mouths open, excited to go out for a walk.
October 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Happy birthday! Please enjoy this birthday binturong 🥳
A black fluffy binturong sticks out a small pink tongue, whilst standing over a birthday cake made of fruit.
October 25, 2025 at 9:08 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
Confused potato. Is also toasty croissant.
A sugar faced golden retriever is curled up in a sleepy circle.
October 16, 2025 at 9:37 AM
samanthakm.bsky.social
P.S. I have fed but have not pet. Because of innards to outtards. Also, I am meals on wheels.

Photos stolen from my own insta.
Screenshot from Instagram of two painted dogs, close to a chain link fence, which they will be fed through. They are staring intently at a bucket (out of shot) and their giant Mickey Mouse style ears are pricked up. Screenshot from Instagram of a zookeeper with a bucket of meat, leaning to give a man wearing a cap and a woman sat in a wheelchair, pieces of meat with their tongs. Three painted dogs in a large zoo enclosure are on the other side of a chain link fence, waiting impatiently to be fed. Screenshot from Instagram of a very close up shot of a painted dog through a chain link fence. His nose is centred in a hole and he is looking straight at the camera. He is super cute.
October 15, 2025 at 3:40 AM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I don't want to spam people with dimly lit sloth videos, but what Mac says, goes!

This is a carefully managed zoo encounter, that Santiago is free to participate in or leave at any time. Sloths are not pets.
October 2, 2025 at 6:09 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I would like to suggest that you should be equally excited about the possibility of stealing a brown hyaena for you - look:
(Also stolen due to memory cards, also foreshadowing).

www.instagram.com/reel/DM4wj_b...

www.instagram.com/reel/DO-WP2P...
Screenshot from Instagram from Hamerton Zoo Park. An adult brown hyaena is looking back over their shoulder. The look is a mixture of sass and/or concern. Screenshot from Instagram from Hamerton Zoo Park. A photo announcement of the birth of new brown hyaena cubs. This photo is of an adult hyaena with its face very close to a tiny blob of cub. It looks like it is either about to lick or pick up the tiny baby with its mouth. Screenshot from Instagram from Hamerton Zoo Park. Tiny baby hyaena cub is slightly less tiny, but still very small. The baby is flopped against the entrance to the indoor den, doing a heckin concern. This photo might be from a story I heard about how the cubs struggled to get back indoors from how tall the step was, and needed a little step putting out for them. Of course, it might not be, but it's fun to share.
September 26, 2025 at 2:29 PM
samanthakm.bsky.social
I don't have my millions of aardwolf photos with me ATM, so I've had to steal some from the zoo (foreshadowing).

Also, head to insta for their birthday announcement video:

www.instagram.com/reel/DLHGbG2...
Screenshot from Instagram, from Hamerton Zoo Park. Three aardwolf heads pop up, looking in the direction of the camera. Screenshot from Instagram from Hamerton Zoo Park. A tangle of striped aardwolf bodies is captured through the window of their indoor den, the light hitting the puddle of fur and ears.
September 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM