Good camera for dogs and wildlife

[GIRLCHILD3]

I'm looking for a camera to take quality pictures of my dogs and also of wildlife like birds, moose etc.

Budget: up to $350
Size: Doesn't matter ;)
Megapixels: I'm still confused about how important they are.
Zoom: At least 12x optical zoom (needed for wildlife?)
Image quality: 8 - 10 Very important
Manual controls: Would be nice, but OK if not.
Primary use: Getting action shots of my dogs and wildlife.
Largest prints: 8 x 10 and landscape
Outdoor is the priority, but will be taking some indoor shots as well.
Features: IS, something to eliminate the blue eye I get when taking photos of my dogs, wide angle? (I would love to be able to take landscape shots)

Thanks for the help.
Michelle
New Gloucester, ME

[bascom]

Fuji S6000, Canon S5 or SX100. I think these are the best ultrazooms for your needs for $350 or less but for great action shots you need a dSLR. Most cameras today have more than enough megapixels for most users so they aren't important.

[AndyfromVA]

The Panasonic DMZ-FZ18 (with an amazing focal length of from 28-504mm) has received very good reviews and can be had for about $350.
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3162&review=panasonic+lumix+dmc-fz18