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.

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.

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!

•    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!

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 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!

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!

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.

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!

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.