Looking back I am not really sure why I was so against having a cat as a pet. It was not for the financial reasons of buying the cat food as it is not exactly expensive. I suppose I thought that they would ruin some of the furniture or may even pooh and wee on the floor. This has not been the case and thinking about it, I was being rather stupid, as you no doubt agree.

This is the daily schedule of our three cats. They wake up in the dining room which is now basically the cats room. They are then fed and eat their breakfast. In this dining or cats room, we have put litter trays down for them, but it is very rare that they use them. The cats then go out of the house for a while and a little bit later can usually be seen sunbathing in the garden, that is if the weather is good of course.

At around twelve midday the cats then come in for some lunch, yet more cat food. I often wonder how they do not get bored eating the same type of food, day in, day out. They will then sleep somewhere around the house for the next few hours before asking to be let out to do their business.

At around 5pm they have some more food and then decide to become a little more sociable. They would then normally join the family in the main living room and curl up to sleep some more, normally on somebodys lap. Each cat is quite funny as they seem to have a favourite member of the family whose lap they would prefer to sit and sleep on. My two children really love our cats especially during the evenings.

The three cats will then wonder out again at around 10pm before asking to come back in around an hour later.

What a life this is, if I am able to come back to this planet after I die, I would like to come back as a cat please.

The cats have really been no trouble at all and we are planning to let both of our children have their very own cat to look after, for Christmas.

For the record if any of you are interested out there, our current cats are called, Tom, Ben and Pip. They all get on really well together and very rarely fight.

Maybe I am just lucky but when talking about the subject of cats with my family and friends, they all tell similar stories to mine.

Our family now also owns a dog. Her name is Cassie and even though she requires a lot more attention as in the way of walks, she has also been a dream. In my opinion however you can not beat the cats and their lifestyle.

In a “black collar” ceremony in New York City, professionally trained service dogs were honored for their contributions to the community through the Pedigree Paws to Recognize program, an annual tribute to canine heroes.

Jacko, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, took home top honors as the 2005 Canine of the Year for his work to protect America’s borders. In his career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, he has detected more than 32,000 pounds of marijuana, 800 pounds of cocaine and 9 pounds of heroin. Using his detection skills, Jacko alerted authorities of a scheme to smuggle 49 people inside wooden boxes on two flatbed trailers into the United States.

Other notable nominees included Jenner, a golden retriever that works as a guide dog for the blind and as a hospital volunteer in San Francisco; Keyotae, a volunteer search-and-rescue bloodhound who is on call 24 hours a day; Shug, a golden retriever that comforts patients through her work as a therapy dog at various hospitals; and Boris, a Belgian Malinois and military dog who served in Bosnia, Kosovo and most recently Iraq, where he was a morale booster for lonely and homesick soldiers.

More than 50,000 people cast their votes online for the dog they felt most deserved the title of Canine of the Year. All nominees received medals of honor and each dog’s paw print was placed in cement. The prints were then added to the Hollywood-style “Pedigree Paws of Fame” in Los Angeles.

This year, Pedigree created two additional awards in a new “Everyday Heroes” category honoring non-service dogs and people who exemplify a love for dogs through their work.

The winners were Pepper, a 3-year-old pointer/healer mix from San Antonio who, despite a fear of water, saved his family’s two children who were caught in a riptide; and Dave Breen of Sierra Vista, Ariz., who has rescued more than 250 greyhounds through his self-started, not-for-profit organization.

So how did you end up with your dog?
If you are anything like me, all it took was one look from Chan, the beautiful Chow or perhaps in your case the look from Lucy the gorgeous Labradoodle or Buddy the regal Boxer.

I met my boy Chan a few days after he had lost his life-long doggie pal Kaiya. He was miserable. He wouldn’t eat, just laid around. What else do you do, but help him through his grief? We fell in love.

Bless his heart, at six years old he was as neat and tidy as I am. He wasn’t big on beaches or mud puddles, didn’t mind having his feet wiped, and thanks be to heaven, never slobbered. Another clean freak!

When my Channie moved on to doggie heaven at 14 years of age, I realized how much I had grown to love the “doggie” lifestyle.

Two months later, I was still missing my canine pal, and generally feeling miserable.

The ad in the newspaper read: Blue Chow puppies. What’s that? Perhaps I should “take a look.” Just look. Honest.

How could you resist this little grey ball of fur? Wagging so hard her entire bottom was in action and piddling everywhere out of excitement. They just have a way of steeling your heart.

Driving away with her on my lap, like most of us would, I wondered “what the heck I have I done?”
She looked up, gave me a little lick, and all was well in my world.

However, all dogs are not created equal. Unlike my boy Chan, my girl Keisha was no clean freak. Playing in the ocean, digging in the sand, and hanging out in mud puddles, were a bad combination for my car seat.

How do you cope with the dirty paws on your carpet or the slobber and sand on the car upholstery?

The mess in my car was enough to motivate me to start a new business. There had to be others like me; dog lovers who also love a clean car and house.
My company, Practical Pet makes dog car seat covers that actually work. Other products coming on line soon include non toxic, bio degradable odor discs, cleaning fluids and other “Practical” products for pet owners.

So, all’s well that ends well. We create lives around these precious ones that allow us to live life more fully. Like you, often much to our surprise new careers, homes and attitudes emerge for us dog lovers. Who knew what you were in for!

I love my new life, and with my doggie inspired creative thinking, can once again enjoy my white carpets and clean car seats.

Take for instance, most dogs enjoy going for car rides and generally most cats don’t. You would most likely take your dog camping with you than you would your cat. Dogs seem to make the best travel companions than a cat would, especially on long car rides. Of course, there are those exceptions. Bottom line is your pet would much prefer to be near you than in a kennel somewhere, but only if this is a good idea. You don’t want to take a dog with you that has panic attacks in the car or one that will crawl all over you while you are trying to drive.

If you plan on traveling with your pet, consider these travel tips to make your trip as safe and enjoyable as possible.

1. Schedule your pet a check up with its veterinarian and ask for a certificate of health, along with proof of current vaccinations such as the rabies, distemper, and bordetella. It would also be a good idea to have your pet micro chipped, in case it should get lost. You would want to have your pet returned to you as quickly as possible, especially if you are traveling out of state.

2. If your pet is on medication, bring plenty of it so you’re not running out of medication when it’s needed. It would also be a good idea to have your veterinarian contact information in case you loose the medication, so the vet can call in a prescription should the other get lost.

3. Is your pet well socialized? A well socialized pet will travel more easily and tolerate the stress of traveling better than a pet that is not used to be in a car or around other people. You want the trip to be enjoyable for both you and your pet.

4. Is your pet well behaved? Although there are now many places that allow pets, no one wants to listen to a dog barking all night or during the day. You also want to keep your pet occupied so it’s not chewing on the hotel furniture or going potty on the carpet. You don’t want your hotel room to smell like a kennel and neither does the hotel staff or your next door neighbors.

5. Find out ahead of time that the hotel you make reservations at will accept pets. You don’t want to assume that there is a pet friendly hotel in a town you intend to stay in and when you get there, you’re turned away for having a pet or the one’s that allow the pets are all booked up.

6. Make sure your pet wears a collar with tags. One tag should be a current rabies tag and the other tag should have the dogs name, your name, address, town, state, and phone numbers. If you have a cell phone, add your cell phone number to the ID tag.

7. Most people choose to travel with their pets by car. Airline travel can be very stressful for pets, because they are treated like cargo and not like living beings. If you choose to travel by air plane, then contact the airline and ask them what their policy is for pets. Some airlines will allow small dogs to be a carry on as long as you have the proper airline carrier that is found in most pet stores.

You should also consider bringing along your pets food dishes, bed or pillow and a couple of its favorite toys. Having familiar items along for the trip can help ease the stress of traveling and make the trip more enjoyable for both you and your animal companion.

There are some misconceptions about fleas. It is not something that only happens to dirty animals! In fact it is probably more common in clean animals because fleas prefer a clean coat. Coming into contact with other animals also causes exposure to the problem and can start a flea problem in your home.

Fleas, mites and ticks are parasites with a short lifespan so they reproduce quickly. Female fleas can lay up to 25 eggs a day. So you can see just how quickly the problem can get out of hand! They tend to prefer warm conditions so summer and spring are the most troublesome times for pets and owners.

The main thing is that you want to catch the problem early! This means brushing your dog often and inspecting their coat. Fleas, ticks and mites are tiny black, brown crawling creatures that can even look like dirt. It may help for you to examine the fur under their ears and arms/legs. Fleas like warm places. You can also sea flea egg sacks and flea droppings in their fur if you look closely. If you still cannot see the fleas try combing your dog on a bright surface, something like a piece of paper should work well.

This is a problem that needs to be treated right away. Instead of heading for the pet store to buy expensive over-the-counter treatments, sprays or dips you should rather seek professional help right away. It will save you time. Your vet should have some pamphlets or handouts about flea control. Some vets even prescribe oral treatments if the problem is out severe.

If you choose to shop for the products yourself you will need to read the labels carefully to check that you are not inadvertently poisoning your pet! Never allow your pet to ingest any of the products you use; they are highly poisonous. It’s also important to protect their eyes from these harsh chemicals. There is a lot of disagreement about whether or not flea collars work. They tend to kill fleas in a localized area around the collar.

It is important to treat your home for fleas as well. Fleas can survive in almost anything in your home-furniture, rugs and bedding. Any flea treatments will be pointless if the flea’s eggs or fleas themselves remain in your living space.

To clean your home properly you will need to sanitize and clean the areas where the pet sleeps. Depending on the severity of the problem you may need to throw away blankets that have become infested with eggs. Often – just washing the affected bedding in hot water and some flea shampoo should do the trick. Rather safe than sorry though – if in doubt toss the bedding. Having to have your home fumigated will cost a lot more!

Fleas can become a nightmare for any pet owner. Rather stop the problem early – check your pet everyday for fleas and regularly use a preventative product approved by your vet.