How Pets Improve Your Life
Pets are more than just pals, they're part of the family and now there's proof.

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Animal lovers form support project for fragile pets
A growing number of animal lovers have joined to form a group dedicated to making fragile, ill and older pets comfortable in their waning days.

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Recession Sees More Abandoned Pets
SALINAS, Calif.- The recession is creating a new sort of crime, abandoning animals. Home foreclosures and evictions are happening across the U.S. and some owners are leaving their pets behind. Now the

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Be ready to care for pets
A pet-friendly evacuation shelter for this season is near the masonry shop on the campus of Harrison Central High School. But officials still recommend it be used only as a last resort. If you evacuate, the single most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to plan ahead to take them with you.

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Some people have cute puppies or funny cats as pets, but then there are some people who keep animals that are a bit less common. Today's Episode is all about these exotic pets! Sugar Gliders, Fennec Foxes, Hedgehogs and Ocelots! Thanks to all the cute pets in this episode: Robeyta, Agent Retro Photography, Narisa, Leo Reynolds, Specklet, jojo79, Dave Hall, volume photography, needlez, BigCatHaven, 777shark, pudiflor, joerodman, Tahoe9901, Neonishly. Comment here: www.ultrakawaii.com

Poll: A third say pets listen better than husbands
Husbands, if you end up in the doghouse, consider it a promotion. A third of pet-owning married women said their pets are better listeners than their husbands, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.

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Dog DNA 'to be used to find owners not cleaning up after pets'
The residents of a smart apartment building are considering testing DNA of their dogs to discover which owners are not clearing up after their pets.

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Most children love animals and will usually start asking for a pet. Allowing them to have one can depend on many factors including where you live, how much time you have to give to a pet and your child's maturity level. Is your child ready for a pet? Does he display real interest in an animal friend, or is it just the latest whine-de-jour? How does he handle responsibilities? Does he complete his age appropriate chores or is it a constant struggle to get him to do anything? If you cannot get him to pick up his dirty drawers, will he really feed, water and clean up after a pet?

Apartment dwellers are often drawn to the exotic pets because they are small and relatively easy to care for. Before starting to look at actual animals, make sure you know your child's temperament and level of commitment to the idea and then narrow down the search. Find the right category of animal first and then start looking. Your search should take you to a reputable pet shop where a knowledgeable salesperson should take the time to match your child to the right pet, and not just try to make a fast sale. Make sure that you know what kind of equipment your new pet will need to stay happy and healthy before even heading down to the pet shop; some pets will be far more expensive initially than others.

Understand that while the child is the one that is asking for this pet, you will ultimately be overseeing its care, and potentially taken over full time. With that in mind, you will want to consider if you will be able to tolerate the chosen pet. If you are anti-snake, and your son has refused to clean the cage, what will you do? Also, consider the pet's diet before allowing him to become part of your family. Snakes for instance, eat rodents. Will you be able to handle that? Will it be too intense for your child?

Finally, realize that the attention span of even the most patient child can be as short lived as the toy filled commercials they are bombarded with. Today's "hot" pet will be tomorrow's passé reject, so be prepared to step in and adopt the cast off. Until your child is older than ten, you might want to stick with fish, or birds, both of which require minimal human contact, are pretty and rarely creep out Mom.

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Is your best friend getting older and having problems with pain or arthritis? Take a look at Pet Bounce.  Have a wonderful day!

They're cute, playful and one of America's favorite pets. Are ferrets a good choice for your family? Better TV helps you decide.

My children enjoy these toys very much! I was sent these for review.