truTV: Not Reality. Actuality.

Increasingly, chickens are being kept as pets in suburban homes, according to an Associated Press writer in June (though reporting with scant evidence). A Bala Cynwyd, Pa., family has nine chickens, which are "aesthetically pleasing," said the owner, even "cool." A Cedar Hill, Mo., woman recalled the 38 chickens she has had over the years and said "the best part" was "knowing them as individuals." Another Bala Cynwyd woman said her chickens are faithful in the way they follow her around the yard and are "very sweet. They give back."

Awesome! In June, NewsChannel 4 in Oklahoma City featured Laura Stringfellow's dog Faith, whose front legs failed to develop and so now, at age seven months, has learned to walk and chase cats while on her hind legs.

Ewwww, Gross! A deep-sea research voyage in June, jointly run by Australia and New Zealand scientists, discovered what The Age newspaper called an 1,800-species "freak show" of bizarre creatures (their condition caused in part by the extreme water pressure, which may be hundreds of times greater than at the surface). Examples include: the fangtooth (teeth, longer than its head, would puncture its brain if not for special tooth sockets); the viperfish (whose head is on a hinge); the coffinfish (with a glowing "sign" on its head to attract prey and the ability to swallow large quantities of water to avoid predators); a squid with one big eye (for offense) and one small one (for defense); and the snotthead, which was not described.

Science on the Edge: Scientists working out of the Lawn Hill (Queensland) National Park in Australia announced in June that they had found a male Lavarack's turtle, which was thought to be extinct but has apparently survived relatively unchanged for thousands of years. The turtle's primary distinction is that its sex organs and its breathing apparatus are located in the anus.

News that Sounds Like a Joke: In June, the St. Paul Pioneer Press profiled counselors Lynn Baskfield and Ann Romberg, who use the technique of "equine-assisted coaching" to help clients like Mari Harris, who wants to boost her singing career. In a typical session at a Stillwater, Minn., farm, Harris would ride and walk a horse until struck with some dramatic insight on how to achieve show-business success. Said Romberg, "It's much less difficult to accept feedback from a horse than a human." Another client said that when his usually passive horse suddenly sped up in a frenzy, "It got me thinking." "I [had] let [my] business lead me," he realized, apparently for the first time, and thus started drawing a better balance between work and family.

(1) "From Hyenas' Privates, a Potential Public Good" (a May Contra Costa Times report on how both male and female hormones flow through hyenas' genitals, in part shaping them, which scientists say offers clues in how to treat potentially hermaphroditic humans). (2) "Psychologists Dissect the Multiple Meanings of Meow" (a May Cox News Service report on how cats may display many alterations of their standard vocalization depending on why at that time they want humans' attention).