• Pet lovers are guardians to nearly 100 million dogs and cats in the United States, and spend about $35 billion on their furry friends each year. (Source: American Pet Product Manufacturers Association)

• Studies show that people with pets live longer, have less stress, and fewer health problems. (Source: American Pet Product Manufacturers Association)

• 94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day. (Source: i-pets.com)

• There are more than 9,000 species of birds. Parakeets, canaries, finches, and parrots are the most popular to keep as pets. (Source: Mississippi 4-H Pet Care Project)

• In Australia, England, and the U.S., Max wins as the most popular name for pooches. Other popular dog names in the U.S. are Jake, Buddy, Maggie, Molly, and Bear. (Source: Bowwow.com.au)

• 95% of cat owners admit they talk to their cats. (Source: i-pets.com)

• In Belgium in 1879, 37 cats were “hired” to carry bundles of letters to villages. But the service didn’t last long because the mail cats just wouldn’t cooperate! (Source: Best Friends Pet Care)

• A cat will almost never meow at another cat…that’s because cats only meow to get our attention. (Source: i-pets.com)

• A dog named Laikia became the world's first astronaut in 1957, when she was sent into space by the Russian government. (Source: Best Friends Pet Care)

• Abraham Lincoln loved cats! In fact, he had four of them while he lived in the White House. His favorite was named Tabby. (Source: i-pets.com)

• Tests done by the University of Michigan proved that cats have better memories than dogs. The study shows that while a dog’s memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat's can last as long as 16 hours…and that’s more than even monkeys and orangutans!

• Dogs can hear sounds that are too faint for us to hear. In fact, their hearing is so good they probably rely more on sound than sight. But the common belief that dogs are color blind is false. Dogs can see color, just not as well as we do. They can tell the difference between blue, yellow, and gray, but probably don’t see red and green. (Source: i-pets.com)

Now that we know all these interesting things about pets, let’s look at the most important facts of all: Pet Responsibilities