This article first appeared pre-Christmas 2007, it got a number of comments and a lot of laughs - so for those of you who missed it...

Today, everything pales compared to the perils of shampooing a baby dog. It’s time to give the new puppy a bath.

My apologies to cat fanciers and any other genre of animal husbandries, foreign and domestic, who may feel slighted by the following policies and procedures of puppy hygiene. I intend no disrespect to your respective kitties, cows and the like. If you’ll kindly ride along with caniners for the duration, I’ll gladly devote another day to your concerns on goldfish ick, mad bovines and scratching cat fevers.

We’re here now to lather up the puppy...

Adopting a dog? Consider it's personality. Personalities among humans can clash and so it is between dogs and humans. By knowing the dog's personality, you can avoid headaches later on.

Cats most certainly require litter boxes in which they feel comfortable and will like using. Most litter box problems can be avoided by understanding the basic nature of the cat and its needs. It is much easier to prevent inappropriate urination in cats than to deal with problems should they occur later.

It may be a misconception that cats use litter boxes instinctively though they are more likely to eliminate in soft soil or sand. Litter boxes including large cat litter boxes are a convenience that accommodates cats, though one will find the cat being weak in its desire to eliminate while using a litter box.

These days the cost of travelling is far less than it used to be. In fact more and more of us are taking advantage of all these low air flight prices and package deals and are now going away on vacation several times a year for long vacations and mini weekend breaks. This is great for us but what about our pets?

There is not that much difference between adopting a cat and adopting a dog, however, there are a few differences in their behavior that you will need to consider before adopting a cat or kitten.

Cats are pretty independent and can even live on their own if you have a self-feeder and watering bowls, however they do need human interaction and love or they will become feral cats which means wild, even if they are indoor cats and you don't want a wild animal living in your home.

If you notice your dog has been shaking his head a bit too often and scratching its ears with its paws or even trying to rub its ears on the ground, your dog may have some form of ear infections. In some severe cases, they may even not walk properly if the ear infection has gone into its ear canals and affected its sense of balance.

One of the basic items that you need to purchase before even getting your puppy, is a collar. You will have problem trying to restrain or catch your puppy if you do not have a collar around its neck. You will also need to put a leash on it by hooking the leash to its collar, for training purposes or taking it for a walk. The collar will also be able to carry a tag to identify the dog.

Your puppy communicates in more ways than you might think. There is much more to a puppy's communication skills than just barking or wagging his tail. Your puppy has a variety of ways to express all of his moods. Your puppy can communicate with all parts of his body, and understanding some of what he is trying to say makes for a much happier relationship with your puppy.

The following is a helpful list of guidelines you can follow to determine the mood and body language of your puppy: A dominant dog will have his ears pricked up or leaning more to the front, its mouth usually a bit open, eyes wide and staring, body rigid, tail either rigid or puffed up, and will usually display a very low, aggressive sounding growl or bark.

There are a lot of things that you will need to do when going through a dog adoption. You'll find that the minute that you fill out the application, you'll have to take steps in order to make the transition a smooth project. First, you should keep in mind that not only should you get involved in the process, but also the whole family needs to get involved. If this is a family pet, then the family needs to go to the shelter and spend some time playing with the dog. You'll also find that if you take some extra time in the beginning when it comes to bonding with the dog, as a family, then you'll be able to build a lasting-bond, but also you'll be able to start off on the right foot.

Tired of your dog scratching your doors or their incessant barking to make you open it for them? Why not install a dog doors? Dog doors are miniature swinging doors installed in a door or wall. It will allow your dog to have access on your backyard and house without the necessary for you to let them in or out. Most of doors have single flap or door hinged at the top of the swings freely when pushed.