CVS PHARMACY RECEIPT DOG TOY 25" funny humor playtime stuffed collectible pun

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Seller: sidewaysstairsco ✉️ (1,180) 100%, Location: Santa Ana, California, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 203735860082 CVS PHARMACY RECEIPT DOG TOY 25" funny humor playtime stuffed collectible pun. Check out my other new & used items>>>>>>HERE! (click me) FOR SALE: A too cute and too funny toy for your furry companion "CVS FURMACY RECEIPT" DOG TOY BY CVS PHARMACY/BARK DETAILS: A CVS Pharmacy receipt your dog can play with! Teach your pet the value of saving and playtime with this adorable "CVS Furmacy Receipt" dog toy. Created by Bark (makers of the BarkBox) this pet toy celebrates the comically long receipts and/or coupons that customers receive at CVS Pharmacy stores. The true length isn't shown in the photos as the receipt dog toy is partially rolled up. A hook & loop (velcro) circle assists in keeping the receipt completely rolled up. The toy receipt is filled with puns and wordplay that are sure to make you laugh as your dog has a blast. The CVS Furmacy "chewpons" include: Double Stuffed DOGOS (Double Stuffed Oreos), Sparkling Toilet Water (sparking water), PlayQuil Cat Allergy Pills (Nyquil medicine). Ideal for thrashers and chewers, this dog toy is a long Whip-N-Flip receipt that is filled with a Crazy Crinkle and a large Squeaker (in the "roll") to get your pet engaged in play. The "CVS Furmacy Receipt" is the ideal length for canines who like to shake, flip, whip, fling and pull their toys. For all dog sizes! Makes a great gift for pet parents! Dimensions: Flat Receipt Portion: approx. 22-1/8" x 3-1/2" Flat Receipt Portion With Roll: approx. 25-1/8" x 4-1/8" CONDITION: New with packaging. Packaging has some pen markings. Please see photos.  *To ensure safe delivery items are carefully packaged before shipping out.*  THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK. *ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.* "The dog or domestic dog, (Canis familiaris[4][5] or Canis lupus familiaris[5]) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf which is characterized by an upturning tail. The dog derived from an ancient, extinct wolf,[6][7] and the modern grey wolf is the dog's nearest living relative.[8] The dog was the first species to be domesticated,[9][8] by hunter–gatherers over 15,000 years ago,[7] before the development of agriculture.[1] Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals[10] and gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.[11] Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior, and the human-canine bond has been a topic of frequent study.[12] The dog has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.[13] Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship, therapy, and aiding disabled people. This influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of "man's best friend.".... Taxonomy Further information: Canis lupus dingo § Taxonomic debate – the domestic dog, dingo, and New Guinea singing dog In 1758, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus published in his Systema Naturae, the two-word naming of species (binomial nomenclature). Canis is the Latin word meaning "dog,"[14] and under this genus, he listed the domestic dog, the grey wolf, and the golden jackal. He classified the domestic dog as Canis familiaris and, on the next page, classified the grey wolf as Canis lupus.[2] Linnaeus considered the dog to be a separate species from the wolf because of its upturning tail (cauda recurvata), which is not found in any other canid.[15] In 1999, a study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) indicated that the domestic dog may have originated from the grey wolf, with the dingo and New Guinea singing dog breeds having developed at a time when human communities were more isolated from each other.[16] In the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005, the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft listed under the wolf Canis lupus its wild subspecies and proposed two additional subspecies, which formed the domestic dog clade: familiaris, as named by Linneaus in 1758 and, dingo named by Meyer in 1793. Wozencraft included hallstromi (the New Guinea singing dog) as another name (junior synonym) for the dingo. Wozencraft referred to the mtDNA study as one of the guides informing his decision.[3] Mammalogists have noted the inclusion of familiaris and dingo together under the "domestic dog" clade[17] with some debating it.[18] In 2019, a workshop hosted by the IUCN/Species Survival Commission's Canid Specialist Group considered the dingo and the New Guinea singing dog to be feral Canis familiaris and therefore did not assess them for the IUCN Red List.[4] Evolution Main article: Evolution of the wolf Location of a dog's carnassials; the inside of the 4th upper premolar aligns with the outside of the 1st lower molar, working like scissor blades The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event occurred 65 million years ago and brought an end to the dinosaurs and the appearance of the first carnivorans.[19] The name carnivoran is given to a member of the order Carnivora. Carnivorans possess a common arrangement of teeth called carnassials, in which the first lower molar and the last upper premolar possess blade-like enamel crowns that act similar to a pair of shears for cutting meat. This dental arrangement has been modified by adaptation over the past 60 million years for diets composed of meat, for crushing vegetation, or for the loss of the carnassial function altogether as in seals, sea lions, and walruses. Today, not all carnivorans are carnivores, such as the insect-eating Aardwolf.[5] The carnivoran ancestors of the dog-like caniforms and the cat-like feliforms began their separate evolutionary paths just after the end of the dinosaurs. The first members of the dog family Canidae appeared 40 million years ago,[20] of which only its subfamily the Caninae survives today in the form of the wolf-like and fox-like canines. Within the Caninae, the first members of genus Canis appeared six million years ago,[14] the ancestors of modern domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, and golden jackals. Domestication Main article: Origin of the domestic dog The earliest remains generally accepted to be those of a domesticated dog were discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany. Contextual, isotopic, genetic, and morphological evidence shows that this dog was not a local wolf.[21] The dog was dated to 14,223 years ago and was found buried along with a man and a woman, all three having been sprayed with red hematite powder and buried under large, thick basalt blocks. The dog had died of canine distemper.[22] Earlier remains dating back to 30,000 years ago have been described as Paleolithic dogs but their status as dogs or wolves remains debated[23] because considerable morphological diversity existed among wolves during the Late Pleistocene.[1] This timing indicates that the dog was the first species to be domesticated[9][8] in the time of hunter–gatherers,[7] which predates agriculture.[1] DNA sequences show that all ancient and modern dogs share a common ancestry and descended from an ancient, extinct wolf population which was distinct from the modern wolf lineage.[6][7] Most dogs form a sister group to the remains of a Late Pleistocene wolf found in the Kessleroch cave near Thayngen in the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, which dates to 14,500 years ago. The most recent common ancestor of both is estimated to be from 32,100 years ago.[24] This indicates that an extinct Late Pleistocene wolf may have been the ancestor of the dog,[8][1][25] with the modern wolf being the dog's nearest living relative.[8] The dog is a classic example of a domestic animal that likely travelled a commensal pathway into domestication.[23][26] The questions of when and where dogs were first domesticated have taxed geneticists and archaeologists for decades.[9] Genetic studies suggest a domestication process commencing over 25,000 years ago, in one or several wolf populations in either Europe, the high Arctic, or eastern Asia.[10] In 2021, a literature review of the current evidence infers that the dog was domesticated in Siberia 23,000 years ago by ancient North Siberians, then later dispersed eastward into the Americas and westward across Eurasia.[21] Breeds Main article: Dog breed Further information: Dog type Dog breeds show a range of phenotypic variation Dogs are the most variable mammal on earth with around 450 globally recognized dog breeds.[10] In the Victorian era, directed human selection developed the modern dog breeds, which resulted in a vast range of phenotypes.[8] Most breeds were derived from small numbers of founders within the last 200 years,[8][10] and since then dogs have undergone rapid phenotypic change and were formed into today's modern breeds due to artificial selection imposed by humans. The skull, body, and limb proportions vary significantly between breeds, with dogs displaying more phenotypic diversity than can be found within the entire order of carnivores. These breeds possess distinct traits related to morphology, which include body size, skull shape, tail phenotype, fur type and colour.[8] Their behavioural traits include guarding, herding, and hunting,[8] retrieving, and scent detection. Their personality traits include hypersocial behavior, boldness, and aggression,[10] which demonstrates the functional and behavioral diversity of dogs.[8] As a result, today dogs are the most abundant carnivore species and are dispersed around the world.[10] The most striking example of this dispersal is that of the numerous modern breeds of European lineage during the Victorian era.[7] Biology Anatomy Main article: Dog anatomy Skeleton A lateral view of a dog skeleton All healthy dogs, regardless of their size and type, have an identical skeletal structure with the exception of the number of bones in the tail, although there is significant skeletal variation between dogs of different types.[27][28] The dog’s skeleton is well adapted for running; the vertebrae on the neck and back have extensions for powerful back muscles to connect to, the long ribs provide plenty of room for the heart and lungs, and the shoulders are unattached to the skeleton allowing great flexibility.[27][28] Compared to the dog's wolf-like ancestors, selective breeding since domestication has seen the dog’s skeleton greatly enhanced in size for larger types as mastiffs and miniaturised for smaller types such as terriers; dwarfism has been selectively utilised for some types where short legs are advantageous such as dachshunds and corgis.[28] Most dogs naturally have 26 vertebrae in their tails, but some with naturally short tails have as few as three.[27] The dog's skull has identical components regardless of breed type, but there is significant divergence in terms of skull shape between types.[28][29] The three basic skull shapes are the elongated dolichocephalic type as seen in sighthounds, the intermediate mesocephalic or mesaticephalic type, and the very short and broad brachycephalic type exemplified by mastiff type skulls.[28][29] Senses Further information: Dog anatomy § Senses A dog's senses include vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and sensitivity to Earth's magnetic field. Another study has suggested that dogs can see Earth's magnetic field.[30] Coat Main article: Coat (dog) Dogs display wide variation in coat type, density, length, color, and composition The coats of domestic dogs are of two varieties: "double" being familiar with dogs (as well as wolves) originating from colder climates, made up of a coarse guard hair and a soft down hair, or "single," with the topcoat only. Breeds may have an occasional "blaze," stripe, or "star" of white fur on their chest or underside.[31] Premature graying can occur in dogs from as early as one year of age; this is associated with impulsive behaviors, anxiety behaviors, fear of noise, and fear of unfamiliar people or animals.[32] Tail There are many different shapes for dog tails: straight, straight up, sickle, curled, or corkscrew. As with many canids, one of the primary functions of a dog's tail is to communicate their emotional state, which can be crucial in getting along with others. In some hunting dogs the tail is traditionally docked to avoid injuries. Health Main article: Dog health Some breeds of dogs are prone to specific genetic ailments such as elbow and hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, pulmonic stenosis, cleft palate, and trick knees. Two severe medical conditions significantly affecting dogs are pyometra, affecting unspayed females of all breeds and ages, and Gastric dilatation volvulus (bloat), which affects larger breeds or deep-chested dogs. Both of these are acute conditions and can kill rapidly. Dogs are also susceptible to parasites such as fleas, ticks, mites, hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and heartworms, which is a roundworm species that lives in the hearts of dogs. Several human foods and household ingestibles are toxic to dogs, including chocolate solids, causing theobromine poisoning, onions and garlic, causing thiosulphate, sulfoxide or disulfide poisoning, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, and xylitol.[33] The nicotine in tobacco can also be dangerous to dogs. Signs of ingestion can include copious vomiting (e.g., from eating cigar butts) or diarrhea. Some other symptoms are abdominal pain, loss of coordination, collapse, or death.[34][page needed] Dogs are also vulnerable to some of the same health conditions as humans, including diabetes, dental and heart disease, epilepsy, cancer, hypothyroidism, and arthritis.[citation needed] Lifespan Further information: Aging in dogs The typical lifespan of dogs varies widely among breeds, but for most, the median longevity (the age at which half the dogs in a population have died and half are still alive) ranges from 10 to 13 years.[35][36] The median longevity of mixed-breed dogs, taken as an average of all sizes, is one or more years longer than that of purebred dogs when all breeds are averaged.[35][36][37] For dogs in England, increased body weight has been found to be negatively correlated with longevity (i.e., the heavier the dog, the shorter its lifespan), and mixed-breed dogs live on average 1.2 years longer than purebred dogs.[38] Reproduction Main article: Canine reproduction A female dog nursing newborn puppies In domestic dogs, sexual maturity happens around six months to one year for both males and females, although this can be delayed until up to two years of age for some large breeds, and is the time at which female dogs will have their first estrous cycle. They will experience subsequent estrous cycles semiannually, during which the body prepares for pregnancy. At the peak of the cycle, females will become estrous, mentally and physically receptive to copulation. Because the ova survive and can be fertilized for a week after ovulation, more than one male can sire the same litter.[13] Fertilization typically occurs two to five days after ovulation; 14–16 days after ovulation, the embryo attaches to the uterus and after seven to eight more days, a heartbeat is detectable.[39][40] Dogs bear their litters roughly 58 to 68 days after fertilization,[13][41] with an average of 63 days, although the length of gestation can vary. An average litter consists of about six puppies.[42] Neutering Neutering refers to the sterilization of animals, usually by removing the male's testicles or the female's ovaries and uterus, to eliminate the ability to procreate and reduce sex drive. Because of dogs' overpopulation in some countries, many animal control agencies, such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), advise that dogs not intended for further breeding should be neutered, so that they do not have undesired puppies that may later be euthanized.[43] According to the Humane Society of the United States, three to four million dogs and cats are euthanized each year.[44] Many more are confined to cages in shelters because there are many more animals than there are homes. Spaying or castrating dogs helps keep overpopulation down.[45] Neutering reduces problems caused by hypersexuality, especially in male dogs.[46] Spayed female dogs are less likely to develop cancers affecting the mammary glands, ovaries, and other reproductive organs.[47][page needed] However, neutering increases the risk of urinary incontinence in female dogs[48] and prostate cancer in males[49] and osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, cruciate ligament rupture, obesity, and diabetes mellitus in either sex.[50] Inbreeding depression A common breeding practice for pet dogs is mating between close relatives (e.g., between half and full siblings).[51] Inbreeding depression is considered to be due mainly to the expression of homozygous deleterious recessive mutations.[52] Outcrossing between unrelated individuals, including dogs of different breeds, results in the beneficial masking of deleterious recessive mutations in progeny.[53] In a study of seven dog breeds (the Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Cairn Terrier, Brittany, German Shepherd Dog, Leonberger, and West Highland White Terrier), it was found that inbreeding decreases litter size and survival.[54] Another analysis of data on 42,855 Dachshund litters found that as the inbreeding coefficient increased, litter size decreased and the percentage of stillborn puppies increased, thus indicating inbreeding depression.[55] In a study of Boxer litters, 22% of puppies died before reaching 7 weeks of age. Stillbirth was the most frequent cause of death, followed by infection. Mortality due to infection increased significantly with increases in inbreeding.[56] Behavior Main article: Dog behavior See also: Dog behavior § Behavior compared with other canids Dog behavior is the internally coordinated responses (actions or inactions) of the domestic dog (individuals or groups) to internal and external stimuli.[57] As the oldest domesticated species, dogs' minds inevitably have been shaped by millennia of contact with humans. As a result of this physical and social evolution, dogs have acquired the ability to understand and communicate with humans more than any other species and they are uniquely attuned to human behaviors.[12] Behavioral scientists have uncovered a surprising set of social-cognitive abilities in domestic dogs. These abilities are not possessed by the dog's closest canine relatives or other highly intelligent mammals, such as great apes, but rather parallel to children's social-cognitive skills.[58] Unlike other domestic species selected for production-related traits, dogs were initially selected for their behaviors.[59][60] In 2016, a study found that only 11 fixed genes showed variation between wolves and dogs. These gene variations were unlikely to have been the result of natural evolution and indicate selection on both morphology and behavior during dog domestication. These genes have been shown to affect the catecholamine synthesis pathway, with the majority of the genes affecting the fight-or-flight response[60][61] (i.e., selection for tameness) and emotional processing.[60] Dogs generally show reduced fear and aggression compared with wolves.[60][62] Some of these genes have been associated with aggression in some dog breeds, indicating their importance in both the initial domestication and later in breed formation.[60] Traits of high sociability and lack of fear in dogs may include genetic modifications related to Williams-Beuren syndrome in humans, which cause hypersociability at the expense of problem-solving ability.[63] Intelligence Main article: Dog intelligence Dog intelligence is the dog's ability to perceive information and retain it as knowledge for applying to solve problems. Studies of two dogs suggest that dogs can learn by inference and have advanced memory skills. A study with Rico, a Border Collie, showed that he knew the labels of over 200 different items. He inferred the names of novel things by exclusion learning and correctly retrieved those new items immediately and four weeks after the initial exposure. A study of another Border Collie, "Chaser," documented his learning and memory capabilities. He had learned the names and could associate by verbal command over 1,000 words.[64] Dogs can read and react appropriately to human body language such as gesturing and pointing and human voice commands. One study of canine cognitive abilities found that dogs' capabilities are no more exceptional than those of other animals, such as horses, chimpanzees, or cats.[65] One limited study of 18 household dogs found that they lacked spatial memory, and were more focussed on the "what" of a task rather than the "where".[66] Dogs demonstrate a theory of mind by engaging in deception.[67] An experimental study showed compelling evidence that Australian dingos can outperform domestic dogs in non-social problem-solving, indicating that domestic dogs may have lost much of their original problem-solving abilities once they joined up with humans.[68] Another study revealed that after undergoing training to solve a simple manipulation task, dogs faced with an insoluble version of the same problem look at the human, while socialized wolves do not.[69] Communication Main article: Dog communication     Dog sounds (0:14) Menu 0:00 A dog making noises and barking Problems playing this file? See media help. Dog communication is how dogs convey information to other dogs, understand messages from humans and translate the information that dogs are transmitting.[70]: xii  Communication behaviors of dogs include eye gaze, facial expression, vocalization, body posture (including movements of bodies and limbs), and gustatory communication (scents, pheromones, and taste). Humans communicate to dogs by using vocalization, hand signals, and body posture. Ecology Population The dog is probably the most widely abundant large carnivoran living in the human environment.[71][72] In 2013, the estimated global dog population was between 700 million[73] and 987 million.[74] About 20% of dogs live as pets in developed countries.[75] In the developing world, dogs are more commonly feral or communally owned, with pet dogs uncommon. Most of these dogs live their lives as scavengers and have never been owned by humans, with one study showing their most common response when approached by strangers is to run away (52%) or respond aggressively (11%).[76] Little is known about these dogs, or the dogs in developed countries that are feral, strays, or are in shelters because the great majority of modern research on dog cognition has focused on pet dogs living in human homes.[77] Competitors and predators Although dogs are the most abundant and widely distributed terrestrial carnivores, feral and free-ranging dogs' potential to compete with other large carnivores is limited by their strong association with humans.[71] For example, a review of the studies in dogs' competitive effects on sympatric carnivores did not mention any research on competition between dogs and wolves.[78][79] Although wolves are known to kill dogs, they tend to live in pairs or in small packs in areas where they are highly persecuted, giving them a disadvantage facing large dog groups.[78][80] Wolves kill dogs wherever they are found together.[81] In some instances, wolves have displayed an uncharacteristic fearlessness of humans and buildings when attacking dogs to the extent that they have to be beaten off or killed.[82] Although the numbers of dogs killed each year are relatively low, it induces a fear of wolves entering villages and farmyards to take dogs and losses of dogs to wolves have led to demands for more liberal wolf hunting regulations.[78] Coyotes and big cats have also been known to attack dogs. In particular, leopards are known to have a preference for dogs and have been recorded to kill and consume them, no matter what their size.[83] Siberian tigers in the Amur river region have killed dogs in the middle of villages. This indicates that the dogs were targeted. Amur tigers will not tolerate wolves as competitors within their territories, and the tigers could be considering dogs in the same way.[84] Striped hyenas are known to kill dogs in their range.[85] Diet See also: Dog food A Golden Retriever gnawing on a pig's foot Dogs have been described as omnivores.[13][86][87] Compared to wolves, dogs from agricultural societies have extra copies of amylase and other genes involved in starch digestion that contribute to an increased ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet.[11] Similar to humans, some dog breeds produce amylase in their saliva and are classified as having a high starch diet.[88] However, more like cats and less like other omnivores, dogs can only produce bile acid with taurine and they cannot produce vitamin D, which they obtain from animal flesh. Also, more like cats, dogs require arginine to maintain its nitrogen balance. These nutritional requirements place dogs halfway between carnivores and omnivores.[89] Range As a domesticated or semi-domesticated animal, the dog is nearly universal among human societies. Notable exceptions once included:     The Aboriginal Tasmanians, who were separated from Australia before the arrival of dingos on that continent     The Andamanese peoples, who were isolated when rising sea levels covered the land bridge to Myanmar     The Fuegians, who instead domesticated the Fuegian dog, a different canid species     Individual Pacific islands whose maritime settlers did not bring dogs, or where dogs died out after original settlement, notably the Mariana Islands,[90] Palau[91] and most of the Caroline Islands with exceptions such as Fais Island and Nukuoro,[92] the Marshall Islands,[93] the Gilbert Islands,[93] New Caledonia,[94] Vanuatu,[94][95] Tonga,[95] Marquesas,[95] Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Rapa Iti in French Polynesia, Easter Island,[95] the Chatham Islands[96] and Pitcairn Island (settled by the Bounty mutineers, who killed off their dogs to escape discovery by passing ships).[97] Dogs were introduced to Antarctica as sled dogs, but were later outlawed by international agreement due to the possible risk of spreading infections.[98] Roles with humans Domestic dogs inherited complex behaviors, such as bite inhibition, from their wolf ancestors, which would have been pack hunters with a complex body language. These sophisticated forms of social cognition and communication may account for their trainability, playfulness and ability to fit into human households and social situations. These attributes have given dogs a relationship with humans that has enabled them to become one of the most successful animals today.[99] The dogs' value to early human hunter-gatherers led to them quickly becoming ubiquitous across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship and aiding disabled individuals. This influence on human society has given them the nickname "man's best friend" in the Western world. In some cultures, however, dogs are also a source of meat.[100][101] Pets Siberian Huskies are pack animals that still enjoy some human companionship It is estimated that three-quarters of the world's dog population lives in the developing world as feral, village, or community dogs, with pet dogs uncommon.[102][page needed] "The most widespread form of interspecies bonding occurs between humans and dogs"[103] and the keeping of dogs as companions, particularly by elites, has a long history.[104] Pet dog populations grew significantly after World War II as suburbanization increased.[104] In the 1950s and 1960s, dogs were kept outside more often than they tend to be today[105](the expression "in the doghouse" - recorded since 1932[106] - to describe exclusion from the group implies a distance between the doghouse and the home) and were still primarily functional, acting as a guard, children's playmate, or walking companion. From the 1980s, there have been changes in the pet dog's role, such as the increased role of dogs in the emotional support of their human guardians.[107][page needed] People and their dogs have become increasingly integrated and implicated in each other's lives[108][page needed] to the point where pet dogs actively shape how a family and home are experienced.[109] There have been two significant trends occurring within the second half of the 20th century in pet dogs' changing status. The first has been "commodification," shaping it to conform to social expectations of personality and behavior.[109]The second has been the broadening of the family's concept and the home to include dogs-as-dogs within everyday routines and practices.[109] A vast range of commodity forms aims to transform a pet dog into an ideal companion.[110] The list of goods, services, and places available is enormous: from dog perfumes, couture, furniture and housing to dog groomers, therapists, trainers and caretakers, dog cafes, spas, parks and beaches and dog hotels, airlines and cemeteries.[110] Dog training books, classes, and television programs proliferated as the process of commodifying the pet dog continued.[111] The majority of contemporary dog owners describe their pet as part of the family, although some ambivalence about the relationship is evident in the popular reconceptualization of the dog-human family as a pack.[109] Some dog trainers, such as on the television program Dog Whisperer, have promoted a dominance model of dog-human relationships. However, it has been disputed that "trying to achieve status" is characteristic of dog-human interactions.[112] Pet dogs play an active role in family life; for example, a study of conversations in dog-human families showed how family members use the dog as a resource, talking to the dog, or talking through the dog; to mediate their interactions with each other.[113] Increasingly, human family-members engage in activities centered on the dog's perceived needs and interests, or in which the dog is an integral partner, such as dog dancing and dog yoga.[110] According to statistics published by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association in the National Pet Owner Survey in 2009–2010, an estimated 77.5 million people in the United States have pet dogs.[114] The same source shows that nearly 40% of American households own at least one dog, of which 67% own just one dog, 25% two dogs and nearly 9% more than two dogs. There does not seem to be any gender preference among dogs as pets, as the statistical data reveal an equal number of male and female pet dogs. Although several programs promote pet adoption, less than one-fifth of the owned dogs come from shelters.[114] A study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare humans and dogs showed that dogs have the same response to voices and use the same parts of the brain as humans do. This gives dogs the ability to recognize human emotional sounds, making them friendly social pets to humans.[115] Workers Dogs have lived and worked with humans in many roles. In addition to dogs' role as companion animals, dogs have been bred for herding livestock (collies, sheepdogs),[116][page needed][13] hunting (hounds, pointers)[117][page needed] and rodent control (terriers).[13] Other types of working dogs include search and rescue dogs,[118] detection dogs trained to detect illicit drugs[119] or chemical weapons;[120] guard dogs; dogs who assist fishermen with the use of nets; and dogs that pull loads.[13] In 1957, the dog Laika became the first animal to be launched into Earth orbit, aboard the Soviets' Sputnik 2; she died during the flight.[121][122] Various kinds of service dogs and assistance dogs, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs and psychiatric service dogs, assist individuals with disabilities.[123][124] Some dogs owned by people with epilepsy have been shown to alert their handler when the handler shows signs of an impending seizure, sometimes well in advance of onset, allowing the guardian to seek safety, medication, or medical care.[125] Athletes and models See also: Conformation show People often enter their dogs in competitions, such as breed-conformation shows or sports, including racing, sledding and agility competitions. In conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, a judge familiar with the specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for conformity with their established breed type as described in the breed standard. As the breed standard only deals with the dog's externally observable qualities (such as appearance, movement and temperament), separately tested qualities (such as ability or health) are not part of the judging in conformation shows. Food Main article: Dog meat Dog meat is consumed in some East Asian countries, including Korea,[126][page needed] China[100] Vietnam[101] and the Philippines,[127] which dates back to antiquity.[128] Based on limited data, it is estimated that 13–16 million dogs are killed and consumed in Asia every year.[129] In China, debates have ensued over banning the consumption of dog meat.[130] Following the Sui and Tang dynasties of the first millennium, however, people living on northern China's plains began to eschew eating dogs, which is likely due to Buddhism and Islam's spread, two religions that forbade the consumption of certain animals, including the dog. As members of the upper classes shunned dog meat, it gradually became a social taboo to eat it, even though the general population continued to consume it for centuries afterward.[131] Dog meat is also consumed in some parts of Switzerland.[132] Other cultures, such as Polynesia and pre-Columbian Mexico, also consumed dog meat in their history. Dog fat is also reportedly believed to be beneficial for the lungs in some parts of Poland[133][134] and Central Asia.[135][136] Proponents of eating dog meat have argued that placing a distinction between livestock and dogs is Western hypocrisy and that there is no difference in eating different animals' meat.[137][138][139][140] In Korea, the primary dog breed raised for meat, the Nureongi, differs from those breeds raised for pets that Koreans may keep in their homes.[141] The most popular Korean dog dish is called bosintang, a spicy stew meant to balance the body's heat during the summer months. Followers of the custom claim this is done to ensure good health by balancing one's gi, or the body's vital energy. A 19th-century version of bosintang explains that the dish is prepared by boiling dog meat with scallions and chili powder. Variations of the dish contain chicken and bamboo shoots. While the dishes are still prevalent in Korea with a segment of the population, dog is not as widely consumed as beef, pork and chicken.[141] Health risks Further information: Dog attack, Canine vector-borne disease, and Dog bite prevention In 2018, the WHO reported that 59,000 people died globally from rabies, with 59.6% in Asia and 36.4% in Africa. Rabies is a disease for which dogs are the most important vector.[142] Significant dog bites affect tens of millions of people globally each year. Children in mid-to-late childhood are the largest percentage bitten by dogs, with a greater risk of injury to the head and neck. They are more likely to need medical treatment and have the highest death rate. [143] Sharp claws with powerful muscles behind them can lacerate flesh in a scratch that can lead to serious infections.[144] In the U.S., cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 falls each year.[145] It has been estimated that around 2% of dog-related injuries treated in U.K. hospitals are domestic accidents. The same study found that while dog involvement in road traffic accidents was difficult to quantify, dog-associated road accidents involving injury more commonly involved two-wheeled vehicles.[146] Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) eggs in dog feces can cause toxocariasis. In the United States, about 10,000 cases of Toxocara infection are reported in humans each year, and almost 14% of the U.S. population is infected.[147] Untreated toxocariasis can cause retinal damage and decreased vision.[148] Dog feces can also contain hookworms that cause cutaneous larva migrans in humans.[149][150] Health benefits Walking a dog Dogs suffer from the same common disorders as humans; these include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and neurologic disorders. Their pathology is similar to humans, as is their response to treatment and their outcomes. Researchers are identifying the genes associated with dog diseases similar to human disorders, but lack mouse models to find cures for both dogs and humans. The genes involved in canine obsessive-compulsive disorders led to the detection of four genes in humans' related pathways.[10] The scientific evidence is mixed as to whether a dog's companionship can enhance human physical health and psychological well-being.[151] Studies suggesting that there are benefits to physical health and psychological well-being[152] have been criticized for being poorly controlled.[153] It found that "the health of elderly people is related to their health habits and social supports but not to their ownership of, or attachment to, a companion animal." Earlier studies have shown that people who keep pet dogs or cats exhibit better mental and physical health than those who do not, making fewer visits to the doctor and being less likely to be on medication than non-guardians.[154] A 2005 paper states "recent research has failed to support earlier findings that pet ownership is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a reduced use of general practitioner services, or any psychological or physical benefits on health for community dwelling older people. Research has, however, pointed to significantly less absenteeism from school through sickness among children who live with pets."[151] In one study, new guardians reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition. This effect was sustained in those with dogs through to the end of the study.[155] People with pet dogs took considerably more physical exercise than those with cats and those without pets. The results provide evidence that keeping pets may have positive effects on human health and behavior and that for guardians of dogs, these effects are relatively long-term.[155] Pet guardianship has also been associated with increased coronary artery disease survival. Human guardians are significantly less likely to die within one year of an acute myocardial infarction than those who did not own dogs.[156] The health benefits of dogs can result from contact with dogs in general, not solely from having dogs as pets. For example, when in a pet dog's presence, people show reductions in cardiovascular, behavioral and psychological indicators of anxiety.[157] Other health benefits are gained from exposure to immune-stimulating microorganisms, which can protect against allergies and autoimmune diseases according to the hygiene hypothesis. The benefits of contact with a dog also include social support, as dogs cannot only provide companionship and social support themselves but also act as facilitators of social interactions between humans.[158] One study indicated that wheelchair users experience more positive social interactions with strangers when accompanied by a dog than when they are not.[159] In 2015, a study found that pet owners were significantly more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than non-pet owners.[160] Using dogs and other animals as a part of therapy dates back to the late 18th century, when animals were introduced into mental institutions to help socialize patients with mental disorders.[161] Animal-assisted intervention research has shown that animal-assisted therapy with a dog can increase social behaviors, such as smiling and laughing, among people with Alzheimer's disease.[162] One study demonstrated that children with ADHD and conduct disorders who participated in an education program with dogs and other animals showed increased attendance, increased knowledge and skill objectives and decreased antisocial and violent behavior compared with those not in an animal-assisted program.[163] Cultural importance Main articles: Cultural depictions of dogs and Dogs in religion Further information: List of fictional dogs Cerberus, with the gluttons in Dante's Third Circle of Hell. William Blake. Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.[164] In ancient Mesopotamia, from the Old Babylonian period until the Neo-Babylonian, dogs were the symbol of Ninisina, the goddess of healing and medicine,[165] and her worshippers frequently dedicated small models of seated dogs to her.[165] In the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, dogs were used as emblems of magical protection.[165] In China, Korea and Japan, dogs are viewed as kind protectors.[166] In mythology, dogs often serve as pets or as watchdogs.[166] Stories of dogs guarding the gates of the underworld recur throughout Indo-European mythologies[167][168] and may originate from Proto-Indo-European religion.[167][168] In Greek mythology, Cerberus is a three-headed, dragon-tailed watchdog who guards the gates of Hades.[166] In Norse mythology, a bloody, four-eyed dog called Garmr guards Helheim.[166] In Persian mythology, two four-eyed dogs guard the Chinvat Bridge.[166] In Welsh mythology, Annwn is guarded by Cŵn Annwn.[166] In Hindu mythology, Yama, the god of death, owns two watchdogs who have four eyes. They are said to watch over the gates of Naraka.[169] In Christianity, dogs represent faithfulness.[166] Within the Roman Catholic denomination specifically, the iconography of Saint Dominic includes a dog, after the hallow's mother dreamt of a dog springing from her womb and becoming pregnant shortly after that.[170] As such, the Dominican Order (Ecclesiastical Latin: Domini canis) means "dog of the Lord" or "hound of the Lord" (Ecclesiastical Latin: Domini canis).[170] In Christian folklore, a church grim often takes the form of a black dog to guard Christian churches and their churchyards from sacrilege.[171] Jewish law does not prohibit keeping dogs and other pets.[172] Jewish law requires Jews to feed dogs (and other animals that they own) before themselves and make arrangements for feeding them before obtaining them.[172] The view on dogs in Islam is mixed, with some schools of thought viewing it as unclean,[166] although Khaled Abou El Fadl states that this view is based on "pre-Islamic Arab mythology" and "a tradition to be falsely attributed to the Prophet."[173] Therefore, Sunni Malaki and Hanafi jurists permit the trade of and keeping of dogs as pets.[174] Terminology     Dog – the species (or subspecies) as a whole, also any male member of the same.[175]     Bitch – any female member of the species (or subspecies).[176]     Puppy or pup – a young member of the species (or subspecies) under 12 months old.[177]     Sire – the male parent of a litter.[177]     Dam – the female parent of a litter.[177]     Litter – all of the puppies resulting from a single whelping.[177]     Whelping – the act of a bitch giving birth.[177]     Whelps – puppies still dependent upon their dam." (wikipedia.org) "A dog toy is a toy that is specifically for dogs to play with. Dog toys come in many varieties, including dog bones, puppy toys, balls, tug toys, training aids, squeaky toys, discs and frisbees, plush toys, and sticks. Dog toys serve different purposes. Puppies, for instance, need toys they can chew on when they are teething because their gums and jaws become very sore and chewing on things provides them relief.Playing with different toys also, encourages exercise, which benefits the pet's overall health; stimulate dogs' minds; discourage problem behavior resulting from boredom and excess energy; and promote dental health. There are a wide variety of dog toys on the market that are designed for different purposes and depending on the dog's characteristics such as size, activity level, chewing habits, and play style. ... Multifunctional Labrador pup with plush squeaky toy, ball, and knotted rope that can be thrown, tugged or chewed Some toys can serve multiple functions for dogs to interact with, combining common play behaviors into a single toy. Some can adapt to other toys and objects, and be combined by the dog owner to create new toys for dogs to play with. Whereas a hard ball is not well-suited for chewing, and a plush toy is difficult to throw, wrapping the ball in a plush exterior creates a toy that can be thrown and chewed on. Such toys may provide more entertainment value for dogs and their owners. Distraction toys Kong dog toy can be thrown, stuffed with treats, or chewed These toys can be useful for extremely active dogs who need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. Some examples are food delivery toys, Kongs stuffed with dog food, frozen peanut butter and/or treats, chew challenge toys, and puzzle toys.[1] Bones The term "bones" can include animal bones as well as manufactured bones and dental bones. Animal bones offer a lot of chewing potential but the true nutritional benefits are derived from the soft tissues attached to the bone such as meat, cartilage, fat and connective tissue, not from the bones themselves.[2] There are dangers associated with animal bones, including broken teeth and possible ingestion of large fragments of bone which can cause serious injury or death.[2] It is important to supervise dogs when they are chewing bones and make sure to remove the bone when it is reduced to a size that could possibly be swallowed. Make sure dogs have plenty of fresh water. Latex and rubber Main article: Chew toy Latex and rubber dog toys are great for dog entertainment. With these kind of toys, dogs that are aggressive chewers have a safe way to satisfy their biting instincts. These toys also help keep dogs' gums and teeth clean and healthy. In general, hard rubber bones and other latex dog toys help improve dogs' overall oral hygiene.     Blue bone-shaped toy manufactured in China     Labrador retriever with rubber squeaky toy resembling a baby's pacifier Sticks Dogs often enjoy gnawing on small tree branches and pinecones. Sticks can also be thrown for the dog to retrieve but this is not recommended due to potential health problems that can develop, including punctures in the mouth. Dog owners should consult their veterinarians if they have any doubts over whether a toy is safe. Balls Pup with pink tennis ball Balls of all shapes and sizes help keep dogs active and fit. They are a great way to play, and exercise a dog at the same time.[3] Safety Dogs should always be supervised when chewing edible rawhide toys Dog toys are not safe if small pieces can be chewed or pulled off as these could be swallowed by the dog. The toy should also be adequate for the dog, taking into consideration their size and activity levels. When choosing a dog toy, it is important that pet owners choose those made with non-toxic materials. Dog owners should avoid giving their dogs objects with small parts that could be chewed off and ingested (such as cooked chicken bones)." (wikipedia.org) "A squeaky toy, squeak toy, squeaker toy, or squeeze toy, is a soft, hollow toy made from flexible materials such as rubber or vinyl, and usually equipped with a small device known as a squeaker.... How it works Squeaky toy in the shape of a submarine sandwich When the toy is squeezed, air is forced through the squeaker, resulting in a high-pitched sound, such as a squeak, or the sound of a toy horn or whistle. The tone and duration of the sound may depend on the size of the squeaker, the amount of air squeezed out of the toy, and the speed with which it is squeezed. When the toy is not being squeezed, it resumes its normal shape and re-inflates. Air returning into the toy through the squeaker may or may not make a sound, depending on the design of the squeaker and the speed at which air re-enters. The high-pitched noise produced by squeaky toys quickly attracts the attention of infants and small children, while their soft, squeezable nature makes them safe for young children to handle. Squeaky toys are also popular with pets, and examples shaped like bones or small furry animals are commonly marketed for dogs. History The first squeaky toys were simple rubber balls which produced a high pitched noise when air was squeezed through a hole, without a special noise maker. Later examples contained a metal noisemaker known as a "whistle disk." Brightly colored rubber squeaky toys molded in various shapes became common during the 1940s. Later examples were molded from durable vinyl, and plastic squeakers replaced metal whistles.[1] Squeaky toys may be modeled after popular cartoon characters, or used as promotional advertising. There are squeaky toy collectors, and published guides with typical selling prices.[1] Nature's squeaky toys A western kingbird. Small animals are sometimes compared with squeaky toys. A particularly apt example is the desert rain frog, the subject of a widely viewed video titled "World's Cutest Frog," regularly described as making a noise like a squeaky toy. The resemblance is enhanced by the fact that the frog vocalizes by inflating its body, and then exhaling (relatively) large quantities of air, as if being squeezed.[2] The calls of certain birds have also been compared to squeaky toys; in particular those of the western kingbird, Mississippi kite, and sulphur-bellied flycatcher of North America, and the blue nuthatch of southeast Asia. In popular culture Several squeaky toys play prominent roles in Pixar's Toy Story movies. The three-eyed alien toys first encountered in the claw machine at Pizza Planet are squeaky toys; they appear in all four films, and rescue the other toys from an incinerator in Toy Story 3. Another squeaky toy character is Wheezy, a penguin with a broken squeaker in Toy Story 2. Consigned to a yard sale, his rescue by Woody sets in motion the remainder of the movie's plot. Henry Dagg used squeaky toys in the shape of cats to build a "katklavier" (cat organ). This unusual instrument came to public attention in 2010, when Dagg used it to perform Over the Rainbow at a charity event held by Prince Charles. Both the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were reduced to tears of laughter by the performance." (wikipedia.org) "A chew toy is designed to be chewed by animals for purposes of stimulation and relief from boredom.[1] The act of gnawing on a chew toy is meant to be soothing and to assist small animals, like puppies, in event of easing the pain when breaking in their adult teeth as the chewing process releases feel-good chemicals from the brain.[2] There are several different types of chew toys, including rawhide, wood, paper and mineral. Chew toys are commonly associated with dogs, though they are also used by birds, rodents, and rabbits. In addition to providing entertainment, chew toys allow the animal to work out anxiety and boredom by being occupied with chewing a toy. Chew toys also distract small animals from chewing on other "forbidden" items, and they assist in maintaining healthy teeth.[3] A similar toy called a teether is also given to human children as a soothing tool for inflamed gums during teething. ... Rawhide A dog with a rawhide chew toy. Rawhide chew toys are most often associated with dogs, though rawhide toys are plentiful in the bird toy section of most pet stores. Rawhide is suitable for all animals except vegans, as it is made of animal skin. Rabbits, which only eat vegetation, cannot have rawhide toys because their digestive systems cannot process them. This is a rather sturdy kind of chew toy and it can take weeks or even months for a small animal or bird to destroy. Examples of rawhide chew toys are twists and rawhide bones. Chew toys made of leather are not recommended for dogs as they cannot be properly digested in the stomach and may cause blockage in the intestines.[4] Wood Wood chew toys are made of a safe, non-poisonous, softer wood and are often coated in bright, vegetable-based dyes or paints. Wooden chew toys are given in place of the wood that small animals would find in the wild. They are a safe alternative for a small animal owner to purchase if the owner has no knowledge of the trees and shrubs growing in their area. They are generally used as either small rodents toys or rabbit toys. Wooden chew toys help to keep teeth trimmed down, preventing eating difficulties in pets and unnecessary trips to a vet for teeth clipping. An example of a wooden chew toy is the commercial product toy ropes Paper Paper chew toys are made of non bleached non-toxic paper. They are an inexpensive, or often free, option for small pet owners and can provide hours of stimulation and play for small animals. One common paper chew toy is an empty toilet paper tube. These can double as tunnels for very small rodents, and can also be used as modified piñatas for larger small animals. Wadded up newspaper pages, old spineless books, and the commercial product Chubes are other commonly used paper chew toys. Mineral Mineral chew toys are made of flavored animal-safe minerals. These range from flavored fruit-shaped blocks for birds to ice-cream cone shaped mineral treats for rabbits. They also come shaped as bowls with fluffy minerals inside. A common mineral chew toy is the cuttlebone, a toy for birds that helps to keep nails and beaks trimmed and healthy. Rubber A dog eating treats out of a Kong, a rubber chew toy. There is a variety of rubber chew toys for dogs on the market that are molded into different shapes. Some of them are hollowed so that treats can be placed in them. This way, the dog has to "work" to get a treat. " (wikipedia.org) "CVS Pharmacy, Inc. (stylized as Heart corazón.svgCVSpharmacy, previously CVS/pharmacy) is an American retail corporation. A subsidiary of CVS Health, it is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.[6] It was also known as, and originally named, the Consumer Value Store and was founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1963.[7] The chain was owned by its original holding company Melville Corporation from its inception until its current parent company (CVS Health) was spun off into its own company in 1996. CVS Pharmacy is currently the largest pharmacy chain in the United States by number of locations (over 9,600 as of 2016) and total prescription revenue.[8][5][9] Its parent company ranks as the fifth largest U.S. corporation by FY2020 revenues in the Fortune 500.[4] The parent company of CVS Pharmacy's leading competitor (Walgreens) ranked 19th for the same time period.[10] CVS sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through their CVS Pharmacy and Longs Drugs retail stores and online through CVS.com. It also provides healthcare services through its more than 1,100 MinuteClinic medical clinics[11] as well as their Diabetes Care Centers. Most of these clinics are located within or outside CVS stores.... Overview A "shield" logo typical of early Consumer Value Stores, c. 1965 CVS Pharmacy used to be a subsidiary of Melville Corporation, where its full name was initially Consumer Value Stores. Melville later changed its name to CVS Corporation in 1996[12][13] after Melville sold off many of its nonpharmacy stores.[14] The last of its nondrugstore operations were sold in 1997.[12] Former CEO Tom Ryan has said he considers "CVS" to stand for "Convenience, Value, and Service".[15] During the company's days as a regional chain in the Northeast, many CVS stores did not include pharmacies. Today, the company seldom builds new stores without pharmacies and outside of New England is gradually phasing out any such shops. Any new non-pharmacy store is usually built in a more urban setting where another CVS with a pharmacy exists within walking distance such as downtown Boston, Massachusetts or Providence, Rhode Island. These stores usually lack a pharmacy and a photo center but carry most of the general merchandise items that a normal CVS Pharmacy carries such as health and beauty items, sundries, and food items.[citation needed] Acquisitions and growth A CVS storefront typical of the mid-20th century, as shown in the company's 1971 annual report 1960s The name "CVS" was used for the first time in 1964. That year, they had 17 retail locations, and 40 stores five years later.[16] In 1967, CVS began operation of its first stores with pharmacy departments, opening locations in Warwick and Cumberland, Rhode Island. CVS was acquired by the now-defunct Melville Corporation in 1969, boosting its growth.[17] 1970s     This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) By 1970, CVS operated 100 stores in New England and the Northeast. In early 1972, CVS introduced America's first refillable plastic bottle[citation needed] - with its CVS private-label shampoo. Customers paid $.79 for a bottle of CVS private-label shampoo and when they returned the empty bottle and cap, could buy another bottle of the same shampoo for $.69 (a 10 cent saving). This practice created a cause-related repeat-purchase cycle, wherein the customer saved $.10 as they bought another bottle of CVS shampoo and avoided using (and CVS producing) a new plastic bottle. Each initial PVC bottle, flip-top cap and label cost CVS $11.5 cents. Thus, the process paid for itself and CVS empowered customers to make a greener purchase decision and reduce their carbon footprint. In 1972, CVS acquired 84 Clinton Drug and Discount Stores, which introduced CVS to Indiana and the Midwest. By 1974, CVS had 232 stores and sales of $100 million. In 1977, CVS acquired the 36-store New Jersey-based Mack Drug chain. 1980s The chain had more than 400 stores by 1981. Sales reached $1 billion in 1985, partly due to the pharmacies being added to many of CVS's older stores.[16] In 1980, CVS became the 15th largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., with 408 stores and $414 million in sales. In 1988 CVS celebrated its 25th anniversary, finishing the year with nearly 750 stores and sales of about $1.6 billion. 1990s In 1990 CVS acquired the 490-store Peoples Drug chain from Imasco, which established the company in new mid-Atlantic markets including Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In 1994 CVS started PharmaCare Management Services. The parent company decided to focus on CVS in 1995, selling off Marshalls and This End Up. The following year, they let go of Footaction/Footstar, Meldisco, Linens 'n Things, and KB Toys. The company, then decided to change its name from Melville Corporation to CVS Corporation. In 1997, Bob's Stores were also sold, and CVS nearly tripled its 1,400 stores after purchasing the 2,500-store Revco chain. CVS bought 200 Arbor Drugs locations in 1998, opened approximately 180 new stores, closed about 160 stores, and relocated nearly 200 existing stores from strip malls to freestanding locations. In 1999 CVS acquired Soma.com, the first online pharmacy, and renamed it CVS.com. The same year, CVS launched their CVS ProCare Pharmacy for complex drug therapies.[16] In 1990 CVS bought the 23-store Rix Dunnington chain. In 1993, CVS withdrew from the southern California market. Formerly traded as MVL on the New York Stock Exchange, the company now trades as CVS. 2000–08: Acquisition of Eckerd and other acquisitions A CVS Pharmacy (Store #6240) in Southside Place, Texas (Greater Houston) that was formerly an Eckerd. CVS bought Stadtlander Pharmacy of Pittsburgh from Bergen Brunswig/AmerisourceBergen in 2000.[16][18] As of December 2009, CVS Caremark had over 7,000 locations.[19] In 2004 CVS purchased 1,268 Eckerd drug stores and Eckerd Health Services, a PBM/mail-order pharmacy business, from J. C. Penney.[20] Most of the former Eckerd stores, which were converted to CVS stores by June, are located in Florida, Texas, and other southern states. Because JCPenney credit cards were accepted at Eckerd locations, CVS continued to accept them until July 2014. A CVS Pharmacy on Canal Street in Downtown New Orleans Typical CVS in Coventry, CT. A typical 2000s CVS in Coventry, Connecticut. On January 23, 2006, CVS announced that it had agreed to acquire the freestanding drug store operations of supermarket chain Albertsons.[21] The deal included the acquisition of 700 drug stores trading under the Osco Drug and Sav-On Drugs banners, mostly in the midwestern and southwestern United States (with a concentration of stores in southern California and the Chicago area), and was formally completed on June 2, 2006.[22] Transition of Sav-On and Osco stores to the CVS brand was completed by December 2006. CVS now dominates the southern California market. Also included were Albertsons Health'n'Home (now CVS Home Health) durable medical equipment stores. Approximately 28 CVS Home Health locations are present in Arizona, California, and the Kansas City area, representing CVS's first venture into the specialized DME market. CVS had previously operated stores in southern California but completely withdrew from the market in 1993. CVS sold virtually all of the locations to Sav-On's then owner American Stores, who operated them under the name American Drug Stores. Many of the stores CVS gained in January 2006 had been the stores it owned prior to 1993. Before their re-acquisition, these stores were operated under the name Sav-On Express (the Express name was used to help customers identify these stores that did not carry all the lines of merchandise as compared to the larger, traditional Sav-On Drugs locations). CVS now operates over 6,200 stores in 43 states and the District of Columbia.[23] In some locations, CVS has two stores less than two blocks apart. On July 13, 2006, CVS announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Minneapolis-based MinuteClinic, the pioneer and largest provider of retail-based health clinics in the U.S. MinuteClinic operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of CVS Corporation. MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by board-certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are trained to diagnose and treat common family illnesses such as throat, ear, eye, sinus, bladder, and bronchial infections, and provide prescriptions when clinically appropriate. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as flu shots, tetanus, and Hepatitis A & B. The clinics are supported by physicians who collaborate with the staff. There are over 550 locations across the United States, most of which are within CVS Pharmacy locations. On November 1, 2006, CVS announced that it was entering into a purchase agreement with Nashville-based Caremark Rx Inc., a pharmacy benefits manager. The new company is called CVS Caremark Corporation and the corporate headquarters remains in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The new pharmacy services business, including the combined pharmacy benefits management (PBM), specialty pharmacy, and disease management businesses, is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The new CVS Caremark Corporation is expected to achieve about $75 billion in yearly revenue for 2007. The merger was formally completed on March 22, 2007.[24] Tom Ryan, CVS's Chairman and CEO, remains president and CEO of the combined company, while Caremark's president and CEO, Mac Crawford, is Chairman of the Board.[24] On November 7, 2007, Mac Crawford stepped down as Chairman of the Board for CVS Caremark. He was replaced by President and CEO of CVS Caremark, Tom Ryan.[25] On August 12, 2008, CVS Pharmacy announced that it would acquire Longs Drugs for $2.9 billion. Walgreens made a counteroffer but dropped it. The deal closed October 30, 2008.[26][27] Longs Drugs stores outside Hawaii were rebranded to CVS Pharmacy by the summer of 2009. 2012–present: Acquisitions and conversion to CVS Health Logo until 2016 CVS inside Target. (Warwick, RI) A normal CVS location inside Target located in the Warwick Mall. In 2012 CVS Caremark received 59 percent of Rhode Island's tax credits.[28] On July 14, 2014, it was announced that CVS Caremark would acquire the Miami-based Navarro Discount Pharmacies when the deal closes, the 33 stores will remain untouched and will stay under the Navarro name.[29] On September 3, 2014, CVS Caremark changed its name to CVS Health and announced that it would stop selling tobacco products.[30] On October 25, 2014, CVS Health disabled near field communication NFC payments, disallowing customers from using Apple Pay or Google Wallet payment methods. A reason was not immediately given. Analysts suggested that it was a way to favor the MCX system, which was still under development, and of which CVS was a founding member.[31] They eventually re-enabled NFC on their registers after the MCX system failed to take off. On May 21, 2015, it was announced that CVS Health would acquire Omnicare, Inc. the leading provider of pharmacy services to long-term care facilities, for $98.00 per share in cash, for a total enterprise value of approximately $12.7 billion, which includes approximately $2.3 billion in debt. The transaction was expected to close near the end of 2015. On June 15, 2015, CVS Health announced its agreement to acquire Target Corporation's pharmacy and retail clinic businesses. The deal expanded CVS to new markets in Seattle, Denver, Portland and Salt Lake City. The acquisition includes more than 1,660 pharmacies in 47 states.[32] CVS will operate them through a store-within-a-store format. Target's nearly 80 clinic locations will be rebranded as MinuteClinic, and CVS plans to open up to 20 new clinics in their stores within three years.[33] CVS started rebranding the pharmacies within the Target stores on February 3, 2016.[34] In December 2017 CVS Health announced a deal to acquire Aetna.[35] On October 10, 2018, CVS Health received approval from the United States Department of Justice to acquire Aetna, for $69 billion.[36] CVS announced it would close 46 "underperforming stores" in 2019, and a further 22 in 2020, without disclosing their locations.[37] In May 2020 CVS Health announced a partnership with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to more than 60 CVS pharmacies that will conduct 50 or more In November 2021, CVS announced it would be closing approximately 900 stores over the next 3 years due to declining sales in underperforming and failing stores. Online The domain CVS.com attracted at least 26 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey.[39] CVS no longer owns the soma.com domain name, which it acquired with the purchase of online drugstore pioneer Soma; that domain now resides with the lingerie brand of the same name owned by clothing retailer Chico's. By 2004, all CVS stores were able to receive electronic prescriptions.[40] CVS Pharmacy y más In 2015 CVS Pharmacy launched an alternative version of their CVS Pharmacy stores called CVS Pharmacy y más specifically aimed at attracting Hispanic shoppers.[41] The first stores were launched in Florida and have since expanded to California, Puerto Rico, Texas, and New Jersey.[42][43][44] Environmental record In 2005 CVS participated in a program to reduce the pollution of Maine's waterways. CVS agreed to accept drugs for disposal so that people would not dispose of them in ways that reach rivers and other bodies of waters.[45][46][47] In 2013 CVS agreed to pay Connecticut $800,000 due to alleged mismanagement of hazardous waste. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection agency found that CVS had improperly identified, managed, and disposed of hazardous materials.... Receipt length CVS has drawn ire for the length of its receipts, specifically receipts given to people who have signed up for their ExtraCare rewards program.[79] Due to CVS's practice of placing numerous targeted coupons on the front, these receipts can be up to 5 feet in length.[80][81] CVS CEO Larry Merlo responded by saying that they were working on ways to reduce the length of the receipts by 25% and mentioned that customers can get their receipts and coupons digitally through CVS's mobile app, which requires the customer to sign up for digital coupons and receipts. However, despite this, Merlo admitted that CVS still could do a better job of making the instructions to opt out of paper receipts more clear.[82] The story has since become an internet meme." (wikipedia.org) "Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours (Latin: humor, "body fluid"), controlled human health and emotion. People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. Most people are able to experience humour—be amused, smile or laugh at something funny (such as a pun or joke)—and thus are considered to have a sense of humour. The hypothetical person lacking a sense of humour would likely find the behaviour inducing it to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person finds something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context. For example, young children may favour slapstick such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or the Tom and Jerry cartoons, whose physical nature makes it accessible to them. By contrast, more sophisticated forms of humour such as satire require an understanding of its social meaning and context, and thus tend to appeal to a more mature audience.... Theories Main article: Theories of humour Many theories exist about what humour is and what social function it serves. The prevailing types of theories attempting to account for the existence of humour include psychological theories, the vast majority of which consider humour-induced behaviour to be very healthy; spiritual theories, which may, for instance, consider humour to be a "gift from God"; and theories which consider humour to be an unexplainable mystery, very much like a mystical experience.[1] The benign-violation theory, endorsed by Peter McGraw, attempts to explain humour's existence. The theory says 'humour only occurs when something seems wrong, unsettling, or threatening, but simultaneously seems okay, acceptable or safe'.[2] Humour can be used as a method to easily engage in social interaction by taking away that awkward, uncomfortable, or uneasy feeling of social interactions. Others believe that 'the appropriate use of humour can facilitate social interactions'.[3] Views Some claim that humour should not be explained. Author E.B. White once said, "Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."[4] Counter to this argument, protests against "offensive" cartoons invite the dissection of humour or its lack by aggrieved individuals and communities. This process of dissecting humour does not necessarily banish a sense of humour but directs attention towards its politics and assumed universality (Khanduri 2014).[5] Arthur Schopenhauer lamented the misuse of humour (a German loanword from English) to mean any type of comedy. However, both humour and comic are often used when theorising about the subject. The connotations of humour as opposed to comic are said to be that of response versus stimulus. Additionally, humour was thought to include a combination of ridiculousness and wit in an individual; the paradigmatic case being Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff. The French were slow to adopt the term humour; in French, humeur and humour are still two different words, the former referring to a person's mood or to the archaic concept of the four humours.[citation needed] Non-satirical humour can be specifically termed droll humour or recreational drollery.... Studies Richard Nixon laughing. Main article: Humor research Laughter One of the main focuses of modern psychological humour theory and research is to establish and clarify the correlation between humour and laughter. The major empirical findings here are that laughter and humour do not always have a one-to-one association. While most previous theories assumed the connection between the two almost to the point of them being synonymous, psychology has been able to scientifically and empirically investigate the supposed connection, its implications, and significance. In 2009, Diana Szameitat conducted a study to examine the differentiation of emotions in laughter. They hired actors and told them to laugh with one of four different emotional associations by using auto-induction, where they would focus exclusively on the internal emotion and not on the expression of laughter itself. They found an overall recognition rate of 44%, with joy correctly classified at 44%, tickle 45%, schadenfreude 37%, and taunt 50%.[38]: 399  Their second experiment tested the behavioural recognition of laughter during an induced emotional state and they found that different laughter types did differ with respect to emotional dimensions.[38]: 401–402  In addition, the four emotional states displayed a full range of high and low sender arousal and valence.[38]: 403  This study showed that laughter can be correlated with both positive (joy and tickle) and negative (schadenfreude and taunt) emotions with varying degrees of arousal in the subject. This brings into question the definition of humour, then. If it is to be defined by the cognitive processes which display laughter, then humour itself can encompass a variety of negative as well as positive emotions. However, if humour is limited to positive emotions and things which cause positive affect, it must be delimited from laughter and their relationship should be further defined. Health Humour has shown to be effective for increasing resilience in dealing with distress and also effective in undoing negative affects. Madeljin Strick, Rob Holland, Rick van Baaren, and Ad van Knippenberg (2009) of Radboud University conducted a study that showed the distracting nature of a joke on bereaved individuals.[39]: 574–578  Subjects were presented with a wide range of negative pictures and sentences. Their findings showed that humorous therapy attenuated the negative emotions elicited after negative pictures and sentences were presented. In addition, the humour therapy was more effective in reducing negative affect as the degree of affect increased in intensity.[39]: 575–576  Humour was immediately effective in helping to deal with distress. The escapist nature of humour as a coping mechanism suggests that it is most useful in dealing with momentary stresses. Stronger negative stimuli requires a different therapeutic approach.[citation needed] Humour is an underlying character trait associated with the positive emotions used in the broaden-and-build theory of cognitive development. Studies, such as those testing the undoing hypothesis,[40]: 313  have shown several positive outcomes of humour as an underlying positive trait in amusement and playfulness. Several studies have shown that positive emotions can restore autonomic quiescence after negative affect. For example, Frederickson and Levinson showed that individuals who expressed Duchenne smiles during the negative arousal of a sad and troubling event recovered from the negative affect approximately 20% faster than individuals who didn't smile.[40]: 314  Using humour judiciously can have a positive influence on cancer treatment.[41] Humour can serve as a strong distancing mechanism in coping with adversity. In 1997 Kelter and Bonanno found that Duchenne laughter correlated with reduced awareness of distress.[42] Positive emotion is able to loosen the grip of negative emotions on peoples’ thinking. A distancing of thought leads to a distancing of the unilateral responses people often have to negative arousal. In parallel with the distancing role plays in coping with distress, it supports the broaden and build theory that positive emotions lead to increased multilateral cognitive pathway and social resource building. Ageing Humour has been shown to improve and help the ageing process in three areas. The areas are improving physical health, improving social communications, and helping to achieve a sense of satisfaction in life. Studies have shown that constant humour in the ageing process gives health benefits to individuals. Such benefits as higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, and a more positive self-concept as well as other health benefits which have been recorded and acknowledged through various studies.[43][44] Even patients with specific diseases have shown improvement with ageing using humour.[45] Overall there is a strong correlation through constant humour in ageing and better health in the individuals. Another way that research indicates that humour helps with the ageing process, is through helping the individual to create and maintain strong social relationship during transitory periods in their lives.[45] One such example is when people are moved into nursing homes or other facilities of care. With this transition certain social interactions with friend and family may be limited forcing the individual to look else where for these social interactions. Humour has been shown to make transitions easier, as humour is shown reduce stress and facilitate socialisation and serves as a social bonding function.[46] Humour may also help the transition in helping the individual to maintain positive feelings towards those who are enforcing the changes in their lives. These new social interactions can be critical for these transitions in their lives and humour will help these new social interactions to take place making these transitions easier. Humour can also help ageing individuals maintain a sense of satisfaction in their lives. Through the ageing process many changes will occur, such as losing the right to drive a car. This can cause a decrease in satisfaction in the lives of the individual. Humour helps to alleviate this decrease of satisfaction by allowing the humour to release stress and anxiety caused by changes in the individuals life.[45] Laughing and humour can be a substitute for the decrease in satisfaction by allowing individuals to feel better about their situations by alleviating the stress.[43] This, in turn, can help them to maintain a sense of satisfaction towards their new and changing life style. Physiology In an article published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, it is reported that a study's results indicate that humour is rooted in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The study states, in part:     "Humour seems to engage a core network of cortical and subcortical structures, including temporo-occipito-parietal areas involved in detecting and resolving incongruity (mismatch between expected and presented stimuli); and the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system and the amygdala, key structures for reward and salience processing."[47] Formula Surprise is a component of humour. Humour can be verbal, visual, or physical. Non-verbal forms of communication–for example, music or visual art–can also be humorous. Root components     Being reflective of or imitative of reality     Surprise/misdirection, contradiction/paradox, ambiguity. Methods     Farce     Hyperbole     Metaphor     Pun     Reframing     Timing Behaviour, place and size Rowan Atkinson explains in his lecture in the documentary Funny Business[48] that an object or a person can become funny in three ways:     by behaving in an unusual way,     by being in an unusual place,     by being the wrong size. Most sight gags fit into one or more of these categories. Exaggeration Main article: Exaggeration Some theoreticians of the comic consider exaggeration to be a universal comic device.[49] It may take different forms in different genres, but all rely on the fact that the easiest way to make things laughable is to exaggerate to the point of absurdity their salient traits.[50] Taxonomy There are many taxonomies of humor; the following is used to classify humorous tweets in (Rayz 2012).[51]     Anecdotes     Fantasy     Insult     Irony     Jokes     Observational     Quote     Role play     Self-deprecation     Vulgarity     Word play     Other Culture Different cultures have different typical expectations of humour so comedy shows are not always successful when transplanted into another culture. For example, a 2004 BBC News article discusses a stereotype among British comedians that Americans and Germans do not understand irony, and therefore UK sitcoms are not appreciated by them." (wikipedia.org) "A practical joke device is a prop or toy intended to confuse, frighten, or amuse individuals as a prank. Often, these objects are harmless facsimiles of disgusting or terrifying objects, such as vomit or spilled nail polish. In other instances, they are created as seemingly harmless items designed to humorously malfunction in such a way as to confuse or harm the target of a prank. The devices are frequently sold in magic or specialty shops, purchased over the Internet, or crafted for oneself. Perhaps the most notable such device is the whoopee cushion. Though commonly employed at events and gatherings, practical joke devices are sometimes seen in everyday life, either as a mechanism of play by children, or among adult co-workers in a work environment. In addition to commercially manufactured practical joke devices, everyday objects have been converted into joke devices by purveyors of pranks.... Types of practical joke devices Excrement Fake excrement     Excrement pile     Soiled diaper     Vomit     Snot (for attaching to the nose)     "New, lemon yellow Ty-D-Bol"[1] Body parts Artificial body parts can be, for example, attached on or under autos (to pretend as if someone's lost a limb after they're run over).     artificial arm, foot or hand     jammed finger     oversized feet     protruding eyes (accessory or on glasses)     Truck nutz Horror devices     Arrow in head     Arrow and fake blood[2]     Nail through finger or head     Knife in head Fake animals     A fake shark dorsal fin to appear to onlookers as a live shark pursuing a swimmer at a public beach or pool[citation needed]     Vermin: mice, rats, snakes, spiders, worms, etc.     Partial (or injured) stuffed toy animals         A stuffed-animal tiger's tail as a promotional gimmick for "a tiger in your tank" (Esso oil company slogan)[citation needed]         Partial animals such as a half cat, designed to appear so that the rest of the animal is trapped in a closed/latched door or storage compartment[citation needed]         Roadkill animals or fake remains of injured animals. One such "Dead Dog Prop", billed as a "foam filled latex prop of a skinned dog with large tire track squished through its mid torso, chain attached for dragging purposes," was pulled from Sears, Walmart and Amazon websites a few days before Halloween 2013.[3][4] Clothing     Scare masks (particularly ones made of latex)     Scare teeth (such as Dracula teeth, monster teeth, yellow teeth) that are similar to dentures Smoking articles     Lit cigarette lookalike device     Bang-producing matches     Exploding cigars     Exploding cigarette inserts     Cigarette burn sticker     Squirting cigarette     Lighters (with electric shock, squirting, or bang-producing)     Everlasting ash (the ash does not fall off) Nail polish Liquids     Fake blood     Magic ink (disappears after a short time)     Stink bomb     Broken egg with shell     Fake spilled liquid with container, such as nail polish, chocolate syrup, red wine, etc.     Squirting flower or camera Embarrassment     Whoopee cushion     Fart Machine (a remote-controlled battery-powered speaker that sets off sounds of various farts)     Fart spray     Sneezing powder     Itching powder     Exhaust-pipe whistle tips (for the muffler of an auto)     Fart powder Fake leg Breast-shaped shower gel/shampoo dispenser Everyday objects     Pen (with electric shock, or to set off a cap)     Camera (with electric shock or squirting)     Bitter candy (or e.g. with garlic flavor)     Golf ball made of gypsum (shatters to powder when struck)     Beer mug with enclosed liquid     Pack of chewing gum (with smacking spring, squirting, electric shock, or to set off a cap)     Water balloons     Squeaking salt shaker     Banana peels     Foaming sugar cube     Ring (squirting)     Telescope with ink on lens (leaves a black circle around the victim's eye after use)     Snake nut can looks like a can of nuts but has a spring snake inside, surprising the victim when opened. Toiletries     Novelty soap         Soot soap - turns hands black         Blood soap         Butt/Face soap (large bar soap one side white with the word "FACE" and the other side brown with the word "BUTT")     Toilet paper         Printed slogans such as a John Wayne or Chuck Norris roll, "Rough, tough, and doesn't take poop from anybody"         No tear toilet paper         Various printed patterns: caution tape, crime scene tape, sandpaper, or cheese grater teeth Documents and currency     Fake lotto tickets     Fake traffic tickets     Fake or novelty currency         Coin glued to a sidewalk or bogus currency glued inside a toilet bowl where hapless finders will attempt to retrieve it.         Banknotes printed on one side only or one half of the page, so as to look valid when folded. Once unfolded, the remainder of the document is blank or carries a message or promotional advertisement         Fake denominations of currency such as the three dollar bill. The Smoking Gun reports a bogus-denomination $US200 depicting George W. Bush having been accepted at a Food Lion store;[5] other reports list a Dairy Queen in Danville, Kentucky as a victim of this hoax.[6] Another variant is the use of unrealistically-large fictional denominations such as one million or a billion dollars.[7]         Currency depicting recent incumbent politicians instead of historical leaders, usually casting them in an unfavourable light. A Pierre Elliott Trudeau "fuddle dollar" may identify itself as inflated and worthless currency, or a non-standard denomination with Nixon, Bush, or Trump presidential likenesses may infer itself to be unreliable, untrustworthy, or worthless as a means of parodying these figures.         Currency issued by fictional, defunct, or non-sovereign entities, such as a reprint of the now-worthless Confederate dollar or a parody "Quebuck" purporting to be issued by Québec separatists.         Currency issued on non-standard media (such as rubber "to stretch a dollar" or bog roll as an implicit acknowledgement the money being parodied is worthless) or marked on its face as "funny money" issued by counterfeiters.     Camouflage passports from fictional nations or planets.     A bogus charge card entitled "Major Credit Card" and purporting to be "for major purchases only".     A bogus charge card whose name and branding is a clear parody of an existing, well-known card and slogan. A Yakov Smirnoff book cover depicting a Russian version of American Express with slogan "Don't leave home" is one example. Others     Joy buzzer (hand buzzer)     Bullet hole or glasscrack     VHS tape rewinder     Covert TV Clicker (a miniature remote that controls TVs). These differ from standard universal remote controls in that they blindly, without interruption, send the turn-off code for every make of television in sequence. No attempt is made to determine which is the valid code or provide any useful control other than turning the TV off.     Hot candy     Cheap inflatable dolls. Inflatable sheep or goats are manufactured solely as a practical joke item[citation needed].     Pie (to be sat on or thrown at the face of a victim)     Chinese finger trap (to get victim's finger stuck)" (wikipedia.org) "A novelty item is an object which is specifically designed to serve no practical purpose, and is sold for its uniqueness, humor, or simply as something new (hence "novelty", or newness). The term also applies to practical items with fanciful or nonfunctional additions, such as novelty aprons, slippers, or toilet paper. The term is normally applied to small objects, and is generally not used to describe larger items such as roadside attractions. Items may have an advertising or promotional purpose, or be a souvenir.... Usage This term covers a range of small manufactured goods, such as collectables, gadgets and executive toys. Novelty items are generally devices that do not primarily have a practical function. Toys for adults are often classed as novelties. Some products have a brief period as a novelty item when they are actually new, only to become an established, commonly used product, such as the Hula Hoop or the Frisbee. Others may have an educational element, such as a Crookes radiometer, Newton's cradle, or drinking bird. Sex toys are often described as novelty items (varying from this definition, as they do serve a practical purpose), and some products sold in sex shops may not have any practical sexual function, if operating primarily as a humorous gift, such as sex dice. Some food products may be considered novelty items, especially when first introduced, such as deep-fried Mars bars. History Pet rocks with googly eyes, popularized during the 1970s A 3D printed Penrose triangle Humorous novelty signs The French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Hérigone (1580–1643) describes a novelty item that was a camera obscura in the form of a goblet. Hérigone's device was constructed so that the user could spy on others while taking a drink. Its 45-degree mirror had a stylized opening for the lens and the lid bore a magnifying lens at the top. Lenticular printing was developed in the 1940s, and is used extensively in the production of novelty items. Paper clothing, which has some practical purpose, was briefly novel in the United States in the 1960s. One of the more popular novelty items in recent history was the singing Big Mouth Billy Bass, manufactured by Gemmy Industries. It is estimated that over 20 million original pieces were sold in 12 months during 2000 and 2001. Novelty items based on mathematical objects, such as Klein bottles and Penrose triangles, have been manufactured. Models of Möbius strips are sometimes made in place of regular bands, such as rings. List of novelty items     Wikimedia Commons has media related to Novelty objects. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.     Big Mouth Billy Bass     Bobblehead     Bubble pipe     BunaB     Chattering teeth     Cheesehead     Chinese finger trap     Crookes radiometer     Deely bobber     Drinking bird     Dehydrated water     Expandable water toy     Garden gnome     Groucho glasses     Horse head mask     Joy buzzer     Kit-Cat Klock     Lava lamp     Magic 8-Ball     Mexican jumping bean     New Year's glasses     Newton's cradle     Novelty lighter     Pet Rock     Plasma globe     Plastic flamingo     Propeller beanie     Radio hat, while a practical item, was a novelty when it first appeared     Silly Putty     Slime     Slinky     Snow globe     Squirmle     Talking clock     Toffee hammer     Trammel of Archimedes     Umbrella hat     Useless machine     Viking helmets     Whoopee cushion     X-Ray specs" (wikipedia.org) "A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence and relatable personalities, but some pets may be taken in on an altruistic basis (such as a stray animal) and accepted by the owner regardless of these characteristics. Two of the most popular pets are dogs and cats; the technical term for a cat lover is an ailurophile and a dog lover a cynophile. Other animals commonly kept include: rabbits; ferrets; pigs; rodents, such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, rats, mice, and guinea pigs; avian pets, such as parrots, passerines and fowls; reptile pets, such as turtles, alligators, crocodiles, lizards, and snakes; aquatic pets, such as fish, freshwater and saltwater snails, amphibians like frogs and salamanders; and arthropod pets, such as tarantulas and hermit crabs. Small pets may be grouped together as pocket pets, while the equine and bovine group include the largest companion animals. Pets provide their owners (or "guardians")[1] both physical and emotional benefits. Walking a dog can provide both the human and the dog with exercise, fresh air and social interaction. Pets can give companionship to people who are living alone or elderly adults who do not have adequate social interaction with other people. There is a medically approved class of therapy animals, mostly dogs or cats, that are brought to visit confined humans, such as children in hospitals or elders in nursing homes. Pet therapy utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive or emotional goals with patients. A Netherland Dwarf rabbit on a swing People most commonly get pets for companionship, to protect a home or property or because of the perceived beauty or attractiveness of the animals.[2] A 1994 Canadian study found that the most common reasons for not owning a pet were lack of ability to care for the pet when traveling (34.6%), lack of time (28.6%) and lack of suitable housing (28.3%), with dislike of pets being less common (19.6%).[2] Some scholars, ethicists and animal rights organizations have raised concerns over keeping pets because of the lack of autonomy and the objectification of non-human animals." (wikipedia.org) "The pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.[1] These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or figurative language. A pun differs from a malapropism in that a malapropism is an incorrect variation on a correct expression, while a pun involves expressions with multiple (correct or fairly reasonable) interpretations. Puns may be regarded as in-jokes or idiomatic constructions, especially as their usage and meaning are usually specific to a particular language or its culture. Puns have a long history in human writing. For example, the Roman playwright Plautus was famous for his puns and word games.... Types of puns Homophonic A black Jeep with license plate BAABAAA – a pun on Baa, Baa, Black Sheep See also: Homophonic puns in Standard Chinese A homophonic pun is one that uses word pairs which sound alike (homophones) but are not synonymous.[4] Walter Redfern summarized this type with his statement, "To pun is to treat homonyms as synonyms."[5] For example, in George Carlin's phrase "atheism is a non-prophet institution", the word prophet is put in place of its homophone profit, altering the common phrase "non-profit institution". Similarly, the joke "Question: Why do we still have troops in Germany? Answer: To keep the Russians in Czech" relies on the aural ambiguity of the homophones check and Czech. Often, puns are not strictly homophonic, but play on words of similar, not identical, sound as in the example from the Pinky and the Brain cartoon film series: "I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the lima beans feel left out?" which plays with the similar—but not identical—sound of peas and peace in the anti-war slogan "Give Peace a Chance".[6] Homographic A homographic pun exploits words which are spelled the same (homographs) but possess different meanings and sounds. Because of their origin, they rely on sight more than hearing, contrary to homophonic puns. They are also known as heteronymic puns. Examples in which the punned words typically exist in two different parts of speech often rely on unusual sentence construction, as in the anecdote: "When asked to explain his large number of children, the pig answered simply: 'The wild oats of my sow gave us many piglets.'" An example that combines homophonic and homographic punning is Douglas Adams's line "You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. Unless of course, you play bass." The phrase uses the homophonic qualities of tune a and tuna, as well as the homographic pun on bass, in which ambiguity is reached through the identical spellings of /beɪs/ (a string instrument), and /bæs/ (a kind of fish). Homographic puns do not necessarily need to follow grammatical rules and often do not make sense when interpreted outside the context of the pun. Homonymic Homonymic puns, another common type, arise from the exploitation of words which are both homographs and homophones. The statement "Being in politics is just like playing golf: you are trapped in one bad lie after another" puns on the two meanings of the word lie as "a deliberate untruth" and as "the position in which something rests". An adaptation of a joke repeated by Isaac Asimov gives us "Did you hear about the little moron who strained himself while running into the screen door?" playing on strained as "to give much effort" and "to filter".[7] A homonymic pun may also be polysemic, in which the words must be homonymic and also possess related meanings, a condition that is often subjective. However, lexicographers define polysemes as listed under a single dictionary lemma (a unique numbered meaning) while homonyms are treated in separate lemmata. Compounded A compound pun is a statement that contains two or more puns. In this case, the wordplay cannot go into effect by utilizing the separate words or phrases of the puns that make up the entire statement. For example, a complex statement by Richard Whately includes four puns: "Why can a man never starve in the Great Desert? Because he can eat the sand which is there. But what brought the sandwiches there? Why, Noah sent Ham, and his descendants mustered and bred."[8] This pun uses sand which is there/sandwiches there, Ham/ham, mustered/mustard, and bred/bread. Similarly, the phrase "piano is not my forte" links two meanings of the words forte and piano, one for the dynamic markings in music and the second for the literal meaning of the sentence, as well as alluding to "pianoforte", the older name of the instrument. Compound puns may also combine two phrases that share a word. For example, "Where do mathematicians go on weekends? To a Möbius strip club!" puns on the terms Möbius strip and strip club. Recursive A recursive pun is one in which the second aspect of a pun relies on the understanding of an element in the first. For example, the statement "π is only half a pie." (π radians is 180 degrees, or half a circle, and a pie is a complete circle). Another example is "Infinity is not in finity", which means infinity is not in finite range. Another example is "a Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother."[9] The recursive pun "Immanuel doesn't pun, he Kant", is attributed to Oscar Wilde.[2] Visual 148th Fighter Squadron emblem, a visual pun in which the squadron's motto, "Kickin' Ass", is depicted literally as an ass in the act of kicking even though "kicking ass" is a colloquial expression for winning decisively or being impressive. Visual puns are sometimes used in logos, emblems, insignia, and other graphic symbols, in which one or more of the pun aspects is replaced by a picture. In European heraldry, this technique is called canting arms. Visual and other puns and word games are also common in Dutch gable stones as well as in some cartoons, such as Lost Consonants and The Far Side. Another type of visual pun exists in languages which use non-phonetic writing. For example, in Chinese, a pun may be based on a similarity in shape of the written character, despite a complete lack of phonetic similarity in the words punned upon.[10] Mark Elvin describes how this "peculiarly Chinese form of visual punning involved comparing written characters to objects."[11] Visual puns on the bearer's name are used extensively as forms of heraldic expression, they are called canting arms. They have been used for centuries across Europe and have even been used recently by members of the British royal family, such as on the arms of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and of Princess Beatrice of York. The arms of U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower are also canting.[citation needed] In the context of non-phonetic texts, 4 Pics 1 Word, is an example of visual paronomasia where the players are supposed to identify the word in common from the set of four images.[12] Other Richard J. Alexander notes two additional forms which puns may take: graphological (sometimes called visual) puns, such as concrete poetry; and morphological puns, such as portmanteaux.[13] Use Comedy and jokes Puns are a common source of humour in jokes and comedy shows. They are often used in the punch line of a joke, where they typically give a humorous meaning to a rather perplexing story. These are also known as feghoots. The following example comes from the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, though the punchline stems from far older Vaudeville roots.[14] The final line puns on the stock phrase "the lesser of two evils". After Aubrey offers his pun (to the enjoyment of many), Dr. Maturin shows a disdain for the craft with his reply, "One who would pun would pick-a-pocket."     Captain Aubrey: "Do you see those two weevils, Doctor?...Which would you choose?" Dr. Maturin: "Neither. There's not a scrap of difference between them. They're the same species of Curculio." Captain Aubrey: "If you had to choose. If you were forced to make a choice. If there were no other option." Dr. Maturin: "Well, then, if you're going to push me. I would choose the right-hand weevil. It has significant advantage in both length and breadth." Captain Aubrey: "There, I have you!...Do you not know that in the Service, one must always choose the lesser of the two weevils." Not infrequently, puns are used in the titles of comedic parodies[citation needed]. A parody of a popular song, movie, etc., may be given a title that hints at the title of the work being parodied, replacing some of the words with ones that sound or look similar. For example, collegiate a cappella groups are often named after musical puns to attract fans through attempts at humor[citation needed]. Such a title can immediately communicate both that what follows is a parody and also which work is about to be parodied, making any further "setup" (introductory explanation) unnecessary. 2014 saw the inaugural UK Pun Championships, at the Leicester Comedy Festival, hosted by Lee Nelson. The competition included the line "My computer's got a Miley Virus. It's stopped twerking."[15] Walsh went on to take part in the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships in Austin, Texas.[16] In 2015 the UK Pun Champion was Leo Kearse.[17] Books never written See also: Aptronym Sometimes called "books never written" or "world's greatest books", these are jokes which consist of fictitious book titles with authors' names that contain a pun relating to the title.[18] Perhaps the best-known example is: "Tragedy on the Cliff by Eileen Dover", which according to one source was devised by humourist Peter DeVries.[19] It is common for these puns to refer to taboo subject matter, such as "What Boys Love by E. Norma Stitts".[18] Literature Non-humorous puns were and are a standard poetic device in English literature. Puns and other forms of wordplay have been used by many famous writers, such as Alexander Pope,[20] James Joyce,[21] Vladimir Nabokov,[22] Robert Bloch,[23] Lewis Carroll,[24] John Donne,[25] and William Shakespeare. In the poem A Hymn to God the Father, John Donne, whose wife's name was Anne More, puns repeatedly: "Son/sun" in the second quoted line, and two compound puns on "Donne/done" and "More/more". All three are homophonic, with the puns on "more" being both homographic and capitonymic. The ambiguities introduce several possible meanings into the verses.     "When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done / For I have more.     that at my death Thy Son / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore     And having done that, Thou hast done; / I fear no more." Alfred Hitchcock stated, "Puns are the highest form of literature."[26] Shakespeare In fact, Shakespeare is estimated to have used over 3,000 puns in his plays.[27] Even though many of the puns were bawdy, Elizabethan literature considered puns and wordplay to be a "sign of literary refinement" more so than humor. This is evidenced by the deployment of puns in serious or "seemingly inappropriate" scenes, like when a dying Mercutio quips "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man" in Romeo and Juliet.[28] Shakespeare was also noted for his frequent play with less serious puns, the "quibbles" of the sort that made Samuel Johnson complain, "A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapours are to the traveller! He follows it to all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way, sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind, and its fascinations are irresistible."[29] Elsewhere, Johnson disparagingly referred to punning as the lowest form of humour.[30] Rhetoric Puns can function as a rhetorical device, where the pun serves as a persuasive instrument for an author or speaker. Although puns are sometimes perceived as trite or silly, if used responsibly a pun "can be an effective communication tool in a variety of situations and forms".[31] A major difficulty in using puns in this manner is that the meaning of a pun can be interpreted very differently according to the audience's background with the possibility of detracting from the intended message.[32] Design Like other forms of wordplay, paronomasia is occasionally used for its attention-getting or mnemonic qualities, making it common in titles and the names of places, characters, and organizations, and in advertising and slogans.[33][34] The Tiecoon Tie shop, in Penn Station NY, an example of a pun in a shop name Many restaurant and shop names use puns: Cane & Able mobility healthcare, Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace, Tiecoon tie shop, Planet of the Grapes wine and spirits,[35] Curl Up and Dye hair salon, as do books such as Pies and Prejudice, webcomics like (YU+ME: dream) and feature films such as (Good Will Hunting). The Japanese anime Speed Racer's original Japanese title, Mach GoGoGo! refers to the English word itself, the Japanese word for five (the Mach Five's car number), and the name of the show's main character, Go Mifune. This is also an example of a multilingual pun, full understanding of which requires knowledge of more than one language on the part of the listener. Names of fictional characters also often carry puns, such as Satoshi's English name, Ash Ketchum and Goku ("Kakarrot"), the protagonists of the anime series based on the video game series Pokémon and the manga series Dragon Ball, respectively, both franchises which are known for including second meanings in the names of many of their characters. A recurring motif in the Austin Powers films repeatedly puns on names which suggest male genitalia. In the science fiction television series Star Trek, "B-4" is used as the name of one of four androids models constructed "before" the android Data, a main character. A librarian in another Star Trek episode was named "Mr. Atoz" (A to Z). The parallel sequel The Lion King 1½ advertised with the phrase "You haven't seen the 1/2 of it!". Wyborowa Vodka employed the slogan "Enjoyed for centuries straight", while Northern Telecom used "Technology the world calls on."[33] On 1 June 2015 the BBC Radio 4 You and Yours included a feature on "Puntastic Shop Titles". Entries included a Chinese Takeaway in Ayr town centre called "Ayr's Wok", a kebab shop in Ireland called "Abra Kebabra" and a tree-surgeon in Dudley called "Special Branch". The winning entry, selected by Lee Nelson, was a dry cleaner's in Fulham and Chelsea called "Starchy and Starchy", a pun on Saatchi & Saatchi.[36] In the media Paronomasia has found a strong foothold in the media. William Safire of the New York Times suggests that "the root of this pace-growing [use of paronomasia] is often a headline-writer's need for quick catchiness, and has resulted in a new tolerance for a long-despised form of humor."[37] It can be argued that paronomasia is common in media headlines, to draw the reader's interest. The rhetoric is important because it connects people with the topic. A notable example is the New York Post headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar".[38] Paronomasia is prevalent orally as well. Salvatore Attardo believes that puns are verbal humor. He talks about Pepicello and Weisberg's linguistic theory of humor and believes the only form of linguistic humor is limited to puns.[39] This is because a pun is a play on the word itself. Attardo believes that only puns are able to maintain humor and this humor has significance. It is able to help soften a situation and make it less serious, it can help make something more memorable, and using a pun can make the speaker seem witty. Paronomasia is strong in print media and oral conversation so it can be assumed that paronomasia is strong in broadcast media as well. Examples of paronomasia in media are sound bites. They could be memorable because of the humor and rhetoric associated with paronomasia, thus making the significance of the soundbite stronger. Confusion and alternative uses There exist subtle differences between paronomasia and other literary techniques, such as the double entendre. While puns are often simple wordplay for comedic or rhetorical effect, a double entendre alludes to a second meaning which is not contained within the statement or phrase itself, often one which purposefully disguises the second meaning. As both exploit the use of intentional double meanings, puns can sometimes be double entendres, and vice versa. Puns also bear similarities with paraprosdokian, syllepsis, and eggcorns. In addition, homographic puns are sometimes compared to the stylistic device antanaclasis, and homophonic puns to polyptoton. Puns can be used as a type of mnemonic device to enhance comprehension in an educational setting. Used discreetly, puns can effectively reinforce content and aid in the retention of material. Some linguists have encouraged the creation of neologisms to decrease the instances of confusion caused by puns.[40] History and global usage See also: Bilingual pun Puns were found in ancient Egypt, where they were heavily used in the development of myths and interpretation of dreams.[41] In China, Shen Dao (ca. 300 BC) used "shi", meaning "power", and "shi", meaning "position" to say that a king has power because of his position as king.[42] In ancient Mesopotamia around 2500 BC, punning was used by scribes to represent words in cuneiform.[43] The Hebrew Bible contains puns.[44] The Maya are known for having used puns in their hieroglyphic writing, and for using them in their modern languages.[45] In Japan, "graphomania" was one type of pun.[46] In Tamil, "Sledai" is the word used to mean pun in which a word with two different meanings. This is also classified as a poetry style in ancient Tamil literature. Similarly, in Telugu, "Slesha" is the equivalent word and is one of several poetry styles in Telugu literature." (wikipedia.org) "BarkBox is a monthly subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences. BARK serves over 1 million dogs monthly through BarkBox and Super Chewer subscriptions and retail distribution.[2][3][4][5][6][7] On December 17, 2020, Barkbox, Inc. and Northern Star Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: STIC.U), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement. As a result of the transaction, which values the Company at an enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion, BARK will become a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol, "BARK".[8][9] History The company was founded December 2011 by Carly Strife, Matt Meeker, and Henrik Werdelin.[2][6] Prior to co-founding BarkBox, Meeker co-founded the social networking site Meetup.com.[2][7][10] As of September 17, 2020 Manish Joneja is the CEO at BARK, succeeding co-founder Matt Meeker.[11] In April 2013, the company raised $6.7 million in a venture funding.[6][10][12] The company surpassed the $25 million revenue run rate the same year.[12] BARK received an additional $15 Million in Series B funding led by Resolute.vc, along with RRE, BoxGroup, Lerer Ventures, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Slow Ventures, Daher Capital, CAA, Vast Ventures, and City National Bank in 2014.[3][4] BARK launched BarkCam in early 2014, a photo sharing app which operates as an "Instagram for dogs" and their owners.[13] BarkBox allows owners to personalize their dog's monthly subscription boxes based on their dog's needs. Each dog is unique and requires different toy options to match their style of play.[14] Products and services BarkBox, a monthly subscription service for dogs.[10] Each BarkBox has at least 2 toys, 2 treats, and a chew each month, all based on a monthly theme.[15] BARK Bright, a dog wellness product line. The company launched the first Bright product in October 2019 with Bright Dental[16][17][18][19][20] — an enzymatic gel toothpaste and dental chew. Bright Dental received an honorable mention in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2020 and a mention in Time's Best Inventions 2019.[21][22] BARK Essentials, every day items for dogs such as a memory foam dog bed with bed sheets and poop bags.[23][24] BARK Eats, a dog-food delivery service launched in March 2020.[25] BarkPost, a dog-themed content site.[7][26] BarkBuddy is similar to a "Tinder for dogs", as users can swipe left or right depending on their level of interest in the dog.[27][28] The free app, available for iPhone and Android,[29] is designed to match humans with dogs up for adoption at nearby shelters, and users can filter choices by gender, location, activity level, age, and size.[29] The app is connected to rescue centers and shelters across the United States and Canada, and there are approximately 300,000 dogs in the database.[27][28][29] The app sources many of its adoptable dogs from the pet adoption website Petfinder and from BARK's personal network of shelters and rescue organizations." (wikipedia.org)
  • Condition: New
  • Dog Size: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
  • Model: CVS Furmacy Receipt
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: China
  • Material: Polyester
  • Type: Stuffed Toy
  • Features: Crazy Crinkle, Whip-N-Flip Receipt, Squeaker
  • MPN: 211073
  • Brand: Bark

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