I do. I mean, there are so many wonderful dogs and cats waiting for adoption, it just makes me so sad, sometimes. I see them on TV every day, I get announcements in my email, and I hear about others via friends and family. If I could adopt them all - live on a ranch and have the right space for them, as well as the income to care for them properly, I'd do it. Wouldn't you?

Since I can't do that, I think Tom and I will start considering a couple of shelter dogs for our new home in Colorado. I don't think I can adopt a new cat just yet. The Wabby is Queen of the House and she's not fond of other cats. I expect she would tolerate one, but she'd never forgive us.

As we prepare for BlogPaws 2010, and new pet people and brands contact us daily, I find myself discovering a wealth of wonderful pet blogs. The pet community is unique in that it seems to be more friendly and open and approachable than some other online communities. I guess I haven't seen a "seedy" underbelly - maybe there's one there, but it definitely isn't obvious.

If you hop around the net like I do, you know that PetCentric is one area that showcases positive, educational, and fun content on a daily basis. Pet people sure do like to show off pictures and video! Then there's Dogster and Catser - two places to get good content on all manner of subjects relevant to pet ownership.

Naturally, I like to connect people to Scratchings and Sniffings - the better to see what my own pets (and grandpets, like Twiggy, who is the pic at the open of this post) are up to, and to learn great information from Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace. I know I've learned a lot more than I expected to learn from them. I mean, I sometimes think I know it all - forgetting that medical science has not stood still, as much as I have.

The strides in veterinary medicine are astounding - and admirable. We get better care and more attention for our pets' health and nutrition today, than ever before - and as a result, our beloved pets live longer. Yay! (the Wabby, pictured here with a scowl that says, "A little milk? That's my breakfast?" which it wasn't - is 17 years old!)

We pet folks are a unique group. A fun-loving, pet-loving, happy-go-lucky group. And, we're supportive of each other. Just hop over to BlogPaws and check out the shelters we're donating to at the close of the conference. We have our great sponsors, like PurinaCare, and our attendees to thank for that.

Up with pets and their people!