Meow, woof, hiss, among others, are sounds that are familiar to some, but may be a more personal conversation for many pet owners. Having pets is fantastic! For the most part, it gives you a sense of responsibility and pride, especially if you have a pet that is out of the ordinary, and they definitely bring a smile to our faces whenever we interact with them.

Nessie was an iguana that I adopted after a Vet gave this poor animal only two weeks to live. After giving him love, and taking care of him, those "two weeks" became an amazing two years. Love and compassion are very powerful feelings.

In my opinion, for most of us who have a "pet", the word itself starts fading away and transforms into something that strongly attaches to our hearts; friend--family. That is why, there is no better day to honor our furry and scaly pals, than giving them tribute during "Love Your Pet Day", and of course treats, never forget the treats *wink.

In my home, we had "pets" as far as I can remember. My mother loves dogs so much, that we always had at least two. I always thought of them as family, because they were always there, and we literally grew up together, to the point that during Christmas, it wasn't out of the ordinary to see stockings with their names next to ours--it was cute. As kids, we learned that "Love" wasn't a feeling exclusive for humans, and that animals felt it too. Not only did we learn that they could express love among each other, but also towards other species, us included.

This is Chips, a ferret that I adopted, when I lived in Mexico, and who made me feel like a kid. He loved hiding food in my backpack, so I would arrive to work with a bunch of ferret food at the bottom of my bag. It was always hilarious, and it always made my day at work.

Having pets, also taught us at a very early age, about the circle of life. Considering that some animals have a shorter life span than the average human life, having a pet is a great way to teach children about life and compassion in the most natural way. Although I know that some parents doubt on having pets, because some fear that kids might get bored and leave the responsibility to the parent, the benefits of having a pet, in my opinion, are tremendous. If you want to test your kids, just start with something small, something you can handle too. My advice is; don't get them just any pet. Make your kids feel pride in saving a creature, and adopt an animal. It makes the whole experience even more special. I know this, because 50% of the time, we adopted pets. Those experiences always makes us feel like we are superheroes, for giving them a second chance to love, and to be loved by a new family.

This is Mia. Don't let that angelic face in the first photo fool you, she is as mischievous as it gets. Pets need companionship at their level too. Mia is a cat that my husband adopted as a kitten, but for 10 years, she was the only pet around. That is why we decided to adopt Elliotte back in 2011, shown in the picture below. I was never much into cats, but Elliotte wasn't your ordinary cat. He was so smart, that Mia learned to be better behaved from him. Sometimes we underestimate how smart animals are. All animals have different personalities, just like humans, and like such, we must learn from one another.

This is the mighty Elliotte. Before we met Elliotte, I had a dream about him, and all of a sudden he came into our lives. He was 6 years old when we adopted him, and was the most lovable cat I had ever met. He loved Mia, and was always eager to have a conversation with you. He was very involved and invested in our well-being, very playful, and we were so very happy that he came into our lives. He inspired us, and although he was only with us for four years, not a single day goes by, in which we don't think of him and shed a tear accompanied with a smile. We can still hear his odd meows in the wind.

As I've mentioned before, having pets taught us about; universal love, the circle of life, compassion, and responsibility for other creatures. Nonetheless, we also learned about a spiritual connection that is very hard to explain. The love inspired by our pets, definitely gave me a sense of trying to protect this planet from harm. I valued that we were sharing this planet with some of the most amazing creatures, and at an early age, I became aware that it is only fair to take care of our environment, so that we could all coexist in harmony. Once again, our pets become our family, and family takes care of each other. No matter what age we are, it is wonderful to feel needed and loved beyond our own species. I've never really seen my family with only humans, and when we have kids, I am sure that they will learn the same beautiful values we've learned from the joy of having pets around.

That is why, I am going to leave you with a short clip I made from Nahlia, who is a super adorable adopted cat, and Mia's new best friend. I hope it brings a smile so big to your face, as those she always creates in ours. If you want to know more about all of our Just Happiling wonderful furry, and scaly extended family and their personalities, CLICK HERE.


What kind of pets are your pals/family? Was there a particular pet you wanted when you were a child, and did you ever had it? Join in the celebration and share a photo of your pets through social media with #NationalLoveYourPetDay and follow #RockDog to be up-to-date with the latest in this fun-rockn' family film.