Animal Rentals Blog

DID YOU KNOW? Right after his participation in Woodstock, Illinois last week to celebrate Groundhog Day, Woodstock Willie traveled to Rockford, Illinois. Willie took part in the “Take A Swipe At Breast Cancer” where Illinois Bank and Trust presented a check to the Crusader Clinic for the Pink Ribbon Awareness Campaign. These fantastic people made a donation every time a customer used their “Pink Ribbon Debit/Credit Card”. ANIMAL RENTALS is proud to have participated in this worthy cause. PLEASE LIKE, SHARE, AND COMMENT

ANIMAL RENTALS very own “weather guru” WOODSTOCK WILLIE battled the 5th worst blizzard in Chicago history and made his yearly trek to Woodstock, Illinois. After a few speeches and stories WILLIE, with some help from his driver Mark, announced to the festive audience that, “YES, I saw my shadow today and YES, there will be 6 more weeks of Winter”. Regardless of the forecast, WILLIE spent the rest of the morning posing for pictures and did interviews with CHANNEL 7 and THE NORTHWEST DAILY HERALD. Though the weather was frightful, the crowd was delightful. See you next year people of Woodstock.

 ANIMAL RENTALS has been the source for animal models   for photographers, modeling   agencies, booking agents and   production companies in search for the perfect animal to compliment products they are promoting.  Their clients are looking for well behaved     professional models because as they are  quick to say in the advertising circles, “Time is money”.  Calls are made to potential models followed by emails, interviews and auditions.  Some will make it, but many will receive a simple reply of  “Don’t call us. We’ll call you”.

ANIMAL RENTALS contacted their friend “Denise” who has a well trained female Shetland Sheepdog named “Gia”, who would be used as a “prop” in a photo shoot involving a sofa protector.  The shot called for the little dog to sit still on a sofa.   This is very difficult for any animal to do as they are in a unfamiliar area with bright lights and strange people all around.   There was concern that this would be a lengthy shoot.

On January 23rd, Denise walked into the studio with Gia.  They set the scene and took some “test” shots”. Satisfied with the results, the final photos were taken.  Before you could say “sofa protector” they had the picture they wanted. The job started at 10:15 and was completed at 10:35.

This is just another reason why ANIMAL RENTALS is the professional’s choice for professional animal models.

ANIMAL RENTALS is always looking for new talent.  Contact us at [email protected] if you have a pet that you feel could be the next super model.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody!

I am tired but happy from my big New Year’s Eve night out with dad and lots of fun, dancing and new friends.  I would love to be sleeping right now, but dad says I need to make a New Year’s Resolution and share it with everyone so that I stick to it…so here I am, writing to you all about my New Year’s Resolution.

Ok, honestly, I don’t get the whole New Year’s Resolution thing.  Dad says it’s a promise you make to yourself so that you have a guideline and a plan to follow for the upcoming year.  Well let me tell you, a monkey brain doesn’t work like that.  Lol!  We live for the day…actually we live for the moment.  A monkey’s motto is “Do whatever feels good!”  We don’t do a lot of planning.

The above was written on January 1st.  Today is January 27th.  This is the perfect illustration to my point.  I have been “doing whatever feels good” for the last few weeks and totally forgot about finishing my blog post!  Talk about living in the moment – hahahaha!

Dad says I have the emotional maturity of a two year old child.  I’m not sure that’s a compliment, but I suppose it is true.  Us monkeys get easily excited and easily distracted.  It is such a big, wild, wonderful world out there how can anybody NOT get caught up in the thrill of the moment sometimes?  It is so easy to do!

Ok so back to the New Year’s Resolution.  Mine this year is to spend more time telling you all about my wonderful exotic animal friends and family at Animal Rentals and about all the fun we have living and playing and working together.  Sometimes I get so busy traveling around with dad to our College Entertainment shows, or working locally doing our Animal Shows, Petting Zoos and other fun events, that I forget to get online and share our stories with all of my wonderful human friends out there across the country.  Bad Mindy!  Lol.

The really exciting news that you may have already noticed, is that this year I am sharing my blog space with my human and exotic animal friends of Mindy’s Menagerie, and letting them post here too!  So one day you might read a post from me, another day a post from someone on our staff, and another day maybe even one from Casper the Albino Burmese Python or Cleopatra the Serval Cat or Mrs. Clean the Hairless Rat.  You never know who is going to want to pop in as a guest star here on my blog, so be sure to check back often and get to know us all better in 2015!

If you have looked at any pictures of SAHARA the FENNEC FOX you will usually see her perched comfortably atop someone’s shoulder.  SAHARA calls it, “being on top of the world”. Or you may find her snuggling contentedly in the arms of a delighted and equally contented bystander.   “My happy place” she will tell you.  Wherever she is, SAHARA is happiest when she is with people.  But if people are not available, her friends at ANIMAL RENTALS are just as good.

People comment all the time about SAHARA’S sweet disposition and very laid back nature.  She will pose for pictures, be petted and handled with little resistance.  POKEY the PORCUPINE knows the true nature of the sly little fox, calling it her “Dr. Jekyll side.  All goodie two shoes and with a happy smile on her face. It’s when we return to ANIMAL RENTALS that the happy go lucky Dr. Jekyll turns into the crazy Mr. Hyde. She transforms into who she really is, a Fennec Fox.”

A noted animal behaviorist wrote that the Fennec Fox is active 15% of the time, cuddly 20% of the time and asleep the rest of the time.  Evidently, they never met SAHARA.   This party girl lives to play and entertain. While the other animals rest and wind down from the activities of the day, SAHARA is busy searching for rubber balls, rope toys and rubber squeaky toys.  Her shouts of “LETS PLAY” fill the building and are quickly answered with replies a bit too harsh to print. Unfazed, SAHARA spends the next hour playing fetch alone, chewing on rope toys and purposely walking by each animal’s pen while biting down hard on the hated rubber squeaky toy all the time thinking, “That will show them”.

Everyone tolerates SAHARA because they know that is her nature. And as all animals know, you can’t change your nature.  They won’t admit it, but her energetic and happy personality is contagious.  Even “SHERMAN” the stoic faced, slow moving RED FOOT TORTOISE steps it up a little bit when he sees her playing.  And was that a smile on his face?

"BUGSY" & SOME OF HIS FRIENDS

BUGSY, not his real name, is the self-appointed leader and spokesperson for the  gang of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches  that comprise the “insect only” members of  Mindy’s Menagerie. He says his name is taken from “that 1940′s gangster you see in all the old crime movies” and not because he in fact is a bug. That movie gangster  was portrayed as sneaky, underhanded and a bit of a ham, which just happens to fit the nature of BUGSY and his companions.

ANIMAL RENTALS very own “PIWACKETT” the SCARLET MACAW thoroughly enjoyed the Southern hospitality offered from the students of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA in Mobile, AL on January 14, 2015. Along with Chi-Chi the Chinchilla, Sahara the Fennec Fox, Cuddles the Tarantula and other members of the renowned “Mindy’s Menagerie”, the afternoon was filled with fun, education and of course many “selfies”.

ANIMAL RENTALS is firm in their belief that only by offering people the extraordinary chance to interact with exotic animals in a personal manner, can they foster the caring for and the conservation of our world’s animal kingdom.

Ever wonder how animals are able to do the things they do in a movie or commercial?   Recently ANIMAL RENTALS was commissioned for a commercial involving a black cat running across an alley.  Sound easy? Remember, this was to be done at 11:00 pm on a very cold, wintry Chicago night in an alley at The Redhead Piano Bar on Ontario street.  Mobile dressing/hub trailers lined the street while a police car blocked the end of the alley to keep traffic out.  How would a cat possibly perform in this unfamiliar location and with all these distractions?

Carol, a well known cat trainer, brought a team of 3 black cats; FLUFF, MUFF and RUFF.  They live indoors, but are trained to perform outside if necessary. Owing to the low temperature and for the safety of the cat, the shot had to be done quickly.  Trained to sit where they are placed, all three cats sat still allowing the crew to get the first shot of a cat sitting in an alley.  A short break followed, allowing Carol three minutes to rehearse the second shot.  MUFF was to run from one side of the alley to the other.  To do this, a carrier was set out of camera range where MUFF was needed to go.  Setting her down a couple of feet from the carrier, a command KENNEL was spoken and MUFF went into the carrier. Did you know that  cats can be trained to recognize words?  After a moment to praise and reward her performance, the process was repeated until the required length (12 feet) was reached.  MUFF was ready.

With a call of  “Action”.  MUFF was placed at point A (the starting point) and her carrier placed across the alley at point B.  MUFF is trained to walk behind her trainer, but since  they wanted her running, Carol had to run through the camera shot so MUFF would follow her and run into her carrier.  Eight takes were filmed with MUFF performing flawlessly.  Satisfied that they had what they needed, the filming ended.  It was midnight.

MUFF-FEMALE MOSTLY BLACK TORTOISE SHELL

All three cats and our wonderful trainer Carol needed baths when they got home as they had soaked up a lot of dirty alley water.

Great job everyone!

ANIMAL RENTALS starts the new year on the college circuit with a visit to the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN ALABAMA in Mobile, Alabama on January 14th.  Looking forward to getting back on the road and visit all our friends.  Our audiences just love the “hands-on”, face to face, hold me in your arms action that our Exotic Petting Zoo offers.  Follow our adventures on this blog or on Face Book at Animal Rentals or Mindy the Monkey.