PetSugar

5 Things to Do Before Introducing Pup to Your New Baby

Nicole Abbott — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:08:23 PST

Adjusting to life with a new baby at home can be hard on everyone - especially your pet, if he isn't prepared for all of the changes that come with an infant in the house. Mama-to-be may be worried about how to make the transition as smooth as possible for her canine baby - and there's lots she can do to help.

Click through to check out this list of five things to do before introducing your dog and new baby to ensure a stress-free start to a lifetime friendship!

Last-Minute Gifts For Your Faithful Companion

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:24:05 PST

Hold it! Before you reward yourself with a sweet treat for checking off every name from your shopping list, have you found something for the cuddliest on the list? Don't forget the pets that made you smile all year. These tech choices for pets are eligible for speedy shipping so Whiskers and Fluffy won't miss out on the present action.

Geeky Costumes For Your Dog

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:18:16 PDT

Halloween may be the time to get all dolled up and head out with your pals for a night of debauchery, but what about your four-legged BFF? No need to leave your dog at home - there are a number of costumes for pets that will show off your geeky side and send tails wagging as you trick-or-treat. No elaborate AT-AT crafting required.

Do You Let Your Pet Sleep in Your Bed?

Leta Shy — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:25:10 PDT

Pets are part of the family, but does that mean they should be able to sleep in your bed? While some people may not have a problem with it, others get slightly grossed out by the thought.

There's good reason. Letting your pet sleep in your bed can worsen your allergies, since they'll be shedding pet dander and dust mites, not to mention the fact that they can track dirt and bacteria into your bed. And then there's the problem of fleas. Summer is prime-time flea season, and if you aren't careful, your cat or dog can introduce those little pests into your bedroom before you know it.

I have to admit, though, that I let my cat sleep at the foot of my bed, although I am having second thoughts about whether I should. What about you; do you let your pets sleep with you?

Do You Have a Pet in Your Household?

Julia Walsh — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:35:00 PDT

I am not a pet person by any means. I can appreciate the cuteness of puppies and kittens, but I am adamantly against letting them live in my house. I can't even have "an outdoor dog"; I can't handle the shedding, the slobbering, or the kitty litter in my daily life. That said, it baffles me when people have exotic pets like this monkey, which we'll see in the cast of The Hangover Part II, out Friday, or pigs. I once met a girl with her very own Wilbur living in her suburban home - not a farm, just a three-bedroom on a half-acre of land. That's just a whole other ball game to me.

Do you own any pets - exotic or otherwise?

Outtakes: Baby Cracks Up When Dog Chases Bubbles

LilSugar — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:01:18 PDT

In show business, they tell actors to steer clear of kids and pets because they steal the show. Well, that's certainly the case here! The only thing that could make a baby giggling nonstop any cuter is an adorable dog trying to eat soap bubbles. This video is all kinds of adorable!

Do You Think Your Pet Is Self-Conscious?

Tara Sharp — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:00:00 PST

By self-conscious I don't mean your dog refusing to go outside after you've dressed him in a leprechaun costume for fear the neighborhood pups will make fun of him. The debate stems from a scientific test that's used on people and animals to determine if they are self-aware. The test includes marking the baby or animal and then seeing if he notices the marking in his reflection. Apparently, dogs don't pass. One dog enthusiast felt this was an unfair test for sniff-centric doggies, so he tried to prove that pups are self-aware with his own scent-based experiment, resulting in less-than-concrete findings. Until we know for sure, I'm curious, do you think your pet has a sense of self?

Source: Flickr User janet goulden

Does Your Pet Have an Online Presence?

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:11:11 PST

Ninety-two percent of US babies have an established online presence before age 2 thanks to the power of photo sharing and online social networking. And while they aren't actual human children, people are certainly compelled to share similar information about pets, who are often just as big a part of the family as children.

Over the weekend, Mark Zuckerberg adopted a puppy and created a fan page for the dog, Beast, an 8-week-old Puli. Beast is poised to become remarkably famous on Facebook given his parents, but there are plenty of other pets on Facebook and other social networks - Boo, for example.

The dog I live with has a hilarious Twitter account that we update when she's done something particularly interesting or funny, but it's meant purely for humor's sake. Do you have pets with an online presence? Are they friends with other pets? Is that weird?

Before Having Baby, Did You Practice Parenting on a Pet?

Heather Maddan — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:00:44 PST

The sack of flour or egg experiment of the '80s has given way to electronic dolls and video games, but the concept of caring for a baby is the same. While some couples decide to jump right into parenthood, others test their paternal or maternal skills on an animal first. From fish to lizards to cats and dogs, there are lots of great family pets. Did you partake in this practice?

Cats Prefer the Fairer Sex

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:15:20 PST

Cat ladies, rejoice! It's not you; it's your cat. After observing interactions between 41 cats and their owners, researchers at the University of Vienna found felines prefer female owners.

They initiate contact (e.g. jumping on laps, asking to play dress-up like the kitty above) more frequently with women than men. Do they just want food? Are women starving their cats?

Nope. Several studies have noted that humans are more to cats than food repositories; in fact, the cat-human bond mimics interactions observed between parents and preverbal infants. But cats go even further: they remember kindness, they return favors, and they, of course, hold grudges.