Adorable micro pigs may be the pet of the future. I think it is interesting that a former food animal seems to be making the transition to lovable pet! But when you think about it, is it really that strange? Eons ago I believe horses were mainly a food animal. And as difficult as it is for us in the West to believe, there are restaurants in some Asian countries that still serve dog meat.

The other thing about pigs that may make them appealing as pets is that they are said to be every bit as intelligent as the smartest dog. If that truly is the case, perhaps in another 200 years there will be an enormous number of pet pig breeds. After all, the canine pets of today are all descended from the wolf. And breeders who are trying their hand at creating pet pigs are already beginning from stock that has been domesticated! Interesting to ponder!

Prairie dogs as pets? I have very strong feelings about the humaneness of this practice. I have seen prairie dogs in the wild, and it is obvious they have a very strong social order, and need to be with their own kind to be happy.

And then I read that there is no captive breeding program for the little fellows; that all prairie dogs are wild caught as babies. I think this is just wrong!

Now maybe the same case could be made for mice, rats and other rodent pets. Perhaps the difference is that these rodents are somewhat domesticated, and they are definitely bred in captivity.

Since there  have been cases of humans infected with monkey pox traced back to prairie dogs, I like to think the fascination with them as pets has been weakening. I certainly hope so!

Pocket Pets; what exactly are they? Well, originally the term referred to animals you could actually keep in your pocket, mostly rodents. Definitely warm-blooded animals. I don’t think a poison arrow frog would be referred to as a “pocket pet!” At any rate, the term has expanded to include larger animals like ferrets and rabbits.

Pocket pets may be small, but they still require a lot of work to look after. You must take your little guy to vet if he is ill, you must keep his cage clean and keep him happy by cuddling and playing with him/her. There is a wealth of information on how to take care of the smaller pet, which is sometimes known as an “exotic”.

If you decide to add a pocket pet to your home, be sure you know in advance what type of care it will need! And be prepared for a wonderful experience with your new family member.

FIV cats to be adopted? You may think that FIV and adoption don’t belong in the same sentence. But there seems to be growing evidence that infected and non-infected cats can live happily side by side with no ill effects to the “well” kitties. How can this be?

Well, apparently the virus is not easily passed, similar to the human version, HIV, which is only passed when an exchange of bodily fluids occurs. A queen can pass the disease to her kittens, and a serious bite could pass the illness onto an uninfected cat. But other than that, since the virus can live mere seconds in the open air, your well cats are not in such grave danger when exposure occurs.

It may take a while for the prejudice against infected cats eases, but there is a lot of information on this topic that you can find on the internet.

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!