This is How You Become a Hero - Puppy Love Thursday

If all you get from this post today is a reminder that there are so many abandoned and neglected pets out there that need forever homes, that's more than enough for me.

Chances are you're an animal person if you're reading this and you've considered bringing a pet into your family. Puppies at Christmas. A teensy kitten for Valentine's Day. A purebred pup from an exclusive breeder for a special birthday. Pets make days brighter. They bring joy into our lives. They lick our hands when we're glum and kiss our faces when we need it. Why not do something special for them and adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue organization? There are countless avenues to pursue when you make the forever commitment of adopting a pet.

Yes, I know puppies and kittens are adorable. I also know that house training them, finding your favourite shoes chewed to bits and crate training can be difficult. Why not skip that mess and bring home an older pet who wants so desperately to be a part of your family? If I had known years ago what I know now about the pet industry, I would have adopted from a shelter. Those precious angels have so much love to give and deserve a loving, caring forever family.

I don't want to preach and it's honestly taken me a lot of backspacing and deleting to get this post down without offending anybody (I hope). I don't want anybody to feel guilty, but I do want you to think about where you're getting your pets and whether or not you're inadvertently contributing to animal cruelty. Puppy mills are a reality. They're filthy, disgusting and inhumane. And yes, I get angry when I think about the lives lost and hearts broken in those conditions. Be a hero to a pet in need and rescue or adopt.

This Girl's Gonna Be A Star

By "girl" I mean Gigi and by "star" I mean she's the subject of my guest spot for Pawsh Magazine today. I use Twitter for news, networking and chances to get my writing out there, so, when the call went out in the Twittersphere for guest bloggers on a very fun pet magazine, I was like "Heck yes! I wanna do it!" And now, just a few weeks later, my post about my beloved Gigi is up. Please go over to http://www.pawsh-magazine.com and read all about what I've learned being a dog mama.