Saving animals from euthanasia is one of the prime purposes of a non-profit organization called Best Friends, located in Utah. They actually build no-kill shelters, and want to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets. What a wonderful purpose!

And their care and devotion doesn’t stop with domestic animals. They also have a sanctuary to care for injured and ill wildlife. It doesn’t get much better than that!

I think all of us could take a hint from this fantastic organization, and support the no-kill shelters that are in our own neighborhoods.

From the education done by this type of organization, people will open their hearts to the animals that need homes the most; the dogs and cats that languish in shelters and deserve loving homes.

How can one improve the pet human relationship ? There are some creative developments in this area. New and exciting ways to interact with your dog may include agility training, disc handling competition, dog sledding and this one, which I find really interesting: canine freestyle. Ever heard of it?

It involves a choreographed performance, complete with music! The main emphasis is on the dog, with the human providing verbal cues and body language to enhance this interspecies dance. I think it sounds intriguing!

But of course you can interact creatively with cats, pocket pets and horses as well. My mother even made friends with a mocking bird when we were children! When you think about it, we are all on this planet together; it makes sense that animals and humans should have more than a mere passing relationship.

Bearded dragons are native to Australia. Now the most popular pet beardies are from the inland of Australia. I think they are beautiful reptiles; although there are color variations, I still think the sandy-colored ones are the most attractive.

These lizards live about seven years, which is a fairly decent lifespan for a relatively small pet. I’ve never had a pet lizard, but if I were interested in a bearded dragon, I would do a lot of research so its home was completely ready for it once I had it.

One thing I found interesting about this pet is that you are supposed to handle them fairly often. I’ve always thought of amphibians and reptiles as more of a “watch don’t touch” pet. I’m glad to be proven wrong on this point!

I still think it’s a poor idea to give someone a pet for Christmas. Here are the possible problems:

•    The recipient doesn’t really want an animal
•    The recipient does not have the capacity to take care of a pet
•    The possibility of the recipient having insufficient funds to care for an animal, even if they do want it.

I think if someone wants a pet, he/she should be the one to pick it out. By investing in the survival and health of a companion animal from the very beginning, the responsibility for its care will be more realistic. “Owning” an animal is quite different than “owning” a new bike, a CD player or a new set of golf clubs. The exchange goes on for the lifetime of the pet, and this can be very long indeed!

Are you one of those crazy pet owners who present their favorite non-human companions with gifts for the holidays? No? Well, that is surprising, because I think most pet owners, whether they admit to it or not, shower their darlings with presents every Christmas or Hanukah. I don’t find a thing wrong with that, as long as you stay away from the obviously dangerous treats, like chocolate or other inappropriate gifts.

To be on the safe side, buy your gifts from pet stores. They are geared to creating presents for your pooch that are meant for him or her. (Or your kitty, rat, fish and so forth.) Do people give their fish presents? I don’t see why not. How about some brand new seaweed to explore?

I’ve always been interested in the possibility of communicating with our animal companions in a way that doesn’t involve the voice or hand signals. Many people think this is balderdash, but I have experienced it a few times.

I had a cat that was especially susceptible to this kind of thing. I’d think “Tiny, time for supper,” and she would awaken from her usual heavy late afternoon snooze and gallop to her feeding bowl. Sometimes, she would look at me with her big golden eyes and seem to be telling me “I adore you.” Or that’s what I perceived, anyway.

When I’d silently ask her to get off my lap, just by imagining her leaping to the floor, nine out of ten times she would do just that.

No one will ever be able to convince me she wasn’t a mind reader!

Recently I was at a friend’s house when right in the middle of dinner, their cat brought a rat in through the cat door! “Oh Charlie!” This, apparently, is not an unusual occurrence.

Pat explained to me that Charlie was the best hunter of all their cats, even though he’d been blind in one eye since a knock-down-drag-out fight with another tom cat a year before. “Maybe losing some sight perception has increased his other senses,” I mused. I’ve heard, and believe it’s true, that blind people are extremely developed in touch, hearing and so forth. Why would it be any different for an animal?

Anyway, I liked the nonchalance with which Pat ushered him back out the kitty door with his still struggling prey. How can you complain about a cat that catches rats? Not only that, but according to Pat, he has never, to her knowledge, killed a bird. Good Kitty!

For me, the idea of “dumb animal” is a degrading way to think of your four legged companion. (Or two legged, in the case of a bird!) Animals are sentient in their own way, and the more we grant them that awareness, the more you will find it exhibited.

Think of a capable service dog , able to understand sometimes hundreds of different words and phrases! Things like “turn on the light” or “find my keys.” Such companions become much more than pets. They are sometimes the eyes, ears and limbs of a disabled person.

Just about anyone can teach their animal a few very simple commands, such as “heel,” “sit,” “stay,” and so forth. Try a reward to keep them interested, and be consistent. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much your companion animal is able to learn and retain.

Do your dogs or cats head under your bed when they hear thunder? Loud sounds can be scary, especially for animals that have a very sensitive hearing sense. What sounds like thunder to us, may very sound like an explosion in the next room to your dog.

I was thinking about this just this morning, as a loud crash jolted me from sleep. How much worse for my pooch in the next room! My solution is a lot of petting and comfort. I’ve seen lots of solutions, including using homeopathic type cures. I think anything natural would be fine, especially if it really does make your pet feel safer.

But what I completely am against is chemical treatment using psychiatrically based drugs. To me, this is worse than any natural fear your dog or cat may exhibit, as it alters the natural response and may have terrible side effects. (Have you seen some of the side effects these antidepressant drugs have on humans? I wouldn’t wish psychiatric drugs on my worst enemy, let along my favorite pet!)

So lots of loving attention is the answer and your pet will thank you for it!

You’ve heard people say that “The reason dogs get aggressive goes back to the way they are raised.”

But what things specifically cause this sort of behavior? According to this report from Science Daily , there are quite a few contributing factors, not all of which are what are normally considered cruelty to the dog. (This is the factor I hear mentioned most often)

For instance, the following factors can contribute to an aggressive dog:

•    Pampering your dog
•    Not giving your dog basic obedience training
•    Leaving the dog with a constant supply of food
•    First time dog ownership

I’m sure the last one is related to the new owners not having much of an idea on how to train or discipline a dog. It’s a sad thing, but knowing the causes can surely bring about a cure.