Why do millions of people tune in to puppies?

NBC Nightly News included a story on its December 12th broadcast about the phenomenon of the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam. Over 18 million people, spending the equivalent of 790 years worth of time, have tuned in to watch a bin filled with the puppies. The pooches are mostly sleeping. Sometimes, though, they play together.

Newscaster Brian Williams closed the segment by saying that he has no idea what this says about our society.

Of course, we got a good laugh out of that statement because after writing over ten books about animals, including two dog books, we have our own theories regarding what the bliss and joy of watching puppies says about society.

In our opinion it says that when you're troubled, bored, stressed, or in need of companionship, there is absolutely nothing as satisfying as taking on the puppy consciousness, even if it's only vicariously.

Studies show the health benefits of having pets in your life -- lower blood pressure, less anxiety, decrease in depression and loneliness -- to name a few. Probably watching the puppies frolic or snooze does all those things for people.

This is an overwrought world where we often forget to take care of our emotional and spiritual needs while we run from one item on our to-do list to another. A carefree, playful puppy is just what the doctor/health practitioner ordered.

What do you think? How would you answer Brian's question about what the popular puppy cam says about our society?

NBC Nightly News report on Shiba Inu Puppy Cam: http://is.gd/bvl8

Shiba Inu Puppy Cam: http://is.gd/4FnB

Dr. Marty Becker, D.V.M., America's Favorite Vet

We want to bring to your attention three new books by an author who has been a dear friend to us and Angel Animals ever since our first book, ANGEL ANIMALS: Divine Messengers of Miracles, for which he wrote the foreword.

Dr. Marty Becker, D.V.M., America's Favorite Vet, resident veterinarian for Good Morning America, bestselling author, and pet care columnist, has teamed up with Gina Spadafori, Carol Kline, and other authors for The ULTIMATE Series. These books are filled with advice and inspiring stories from the country's best experts and photographers. The stories and articles address behavior, sports and leisure activity, and preventative health care issues for dogs, cats, and horses.

This series is published by Health Communications, Inc. (HCI)
It includes:

THE ULTIMATE DOG LOVER; The Best Experts' Advice for a Happy, Healthy Dog with Stories and Photos of Incredible Canines

THE ULTIMATE CAT LOVER, The Best Experts' Advice for a Happy, Healthy Cat with Stories and Photos of Fabulous Felines

THE ULTIMATE HORSE LOVER, The Best Experts' Advice for Happy, Healthy Horses with Stories and Photos of Awe-Inspiring Equines.

To support the release of these books, HCI is offering an article by acclaimed animal photographer Troy Snow on "How to Photograph Your Pet." You'll find the article at www.authorviews.com/authors/becker/excerpt.htm

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LIMITED-TIME SPECIAL

Buy any TWO books from the Angel Animals Online Shopping and get ONE Angel Dogs with a Mission book at no cost. This offer will end on December 15th. After purchasing any two books at the reduced sale price you will automatically have a third, autographed Angel Dogs with a Mission placed with your order at no additional cost. Note: Do not add the third (no cost) book to your order form or you will be charged for it. The free book is automatically added to your package. Visit the Angel Animals bookstore at www.shop.angelanimals.net/main.sc

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Visit our wonderful publisher's website at www.newworldlibrary.com to see the wide array of animal books and outstanding authors published by this company. New World Library always supports animals, the environment, spiritual awareness -- and us - in innovative ways.

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We have posted a NEW video for your viewing pleasure. It shows two of the stories from our book, ANGEL DOGS, that were presented on Animal Planet's DOGS 101 and the MONTEL SHOW.

www.angelanimals.net/ytjohnson.html
www.angelanimals.net/ytdugan.html

What does your love of animals reveal about you?

Question: Why would the University of Oregon College of Business Administration be profiling 667 pet owners?

Answer: People with pets are major players in the world of business.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association reports in its 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey that 62 percent of U.S. households now welcome at least one pet into their homes. These humans are fueling $31 billion in pet products, more than people spend annually on human toys or candy. Add to products the popular pet services – massages, chiropractic, acupuncture, liposuction, gourmet dinners, and hotel accommodations – and you get an industry that is vitally interested in what will make you buy that designer dog dish or French day bed. (“New Survey Shows America’s Love Affair with Their Pets Stronger than Ever” by Tierra Griffiths and Julie Rowe)

So Oregon’s College of Business Administration graduate students, under the leadership of Lynn Kahle, head of the marketing department, tried to figure out what your choice of a pet tells about you. With that essential information, marketers can appeal to your sensibilities and convince you that Precious really does need a plastic bowl with a lid that doubles as a Frisbee.

Here’s what they found with their questionnaire:

--Dog owners tend to be more honest and forthright than most other people. They are loyal and religious;

--If you consider yourself to be a cat person, you probably are a bit of a loner yet have fairly high job satisfaction. You tend not to toe the line when it comes to the rules and rituals of an organized religion;

--People who are primarily attracted to fish as pets are more optimistic than most and not as materialistic or concerned about social status.

Kahle concludes, “A more thorough understanding of the motivations, values, and lifestyles of pet owners can help marketers design more effective advertising approaches, both for pet products and in advertisements for nonpet products.” (“We Lavish Love, Money on Our Pets Study Reveals Psyches of Animal Owners” by Ranny Green, Seattle Times, 1993)

So the gathering of this kind of data is how pet commercials are targeted directly at what excites and interests you – not your animal companion.

Well, we have a slightly different take on the subject. We think that not only do animals often reflect a person’s psyche, they also mirror their souls, or the amount of love in their hearts. It’s our opinion that a person who says, “I don’t like animals,” is experiencing a disconnect between the heart and the mind. Ask any animal lover and they will tell you: Animals are our hearts.

In our book, God’s Messengers: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, we write, “Sometimes before we speak at a book event, we say to the bookstore manager, ‘Watch the people who come in the door. Animal lovers are the most compassionate and generous people on the planet.’ We speak about you with confidence because we know that when you relate to animals in a loving and respectful way, you have the opportunity to learn from some of life’s wisest teachers and to be restored by its most skillful healers.”