Lifestyle

Pet and animal lovers gathered together last weekend to enjoy the 23rd Annual America's Family Pet Expo at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. Over three days, a slew of animals and people congregated together to form a salute to some of Hollywood's most talented pets. RELATED: Play the Who's Cutest game! Uggie, the famous Jack Russell Terrier from "The Artist," was a delight, posing for photographs with fans and performing cute tricks. The dogs from the "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" films also made an appearance, ...

Forget catnip for your cat. Put away that ball of yarn. And for your dog, ditch the sticks and rubber rings. They are all so yesterday. The latest diversions for the animal in your life run the gamut from pet strollers to sports classes for your pooch's inner Olympian. Here's help deciding whether any of the new trends belong in Fido or Fluffy's life...and in yours. Digital Distraction You have to work late -- again -- and your pets are not pleased. Can you keep them amused by popping a DVD into your player and setting the timer? CATDVD ($20; www.catdvd.com) shows birds flying, squirrels frolicking, and mice cavorting, all to outdoor sounds and other familiar noises that entrepreneur David ...

As you may have noticed, lately we're giving a little attention to not so common-but-loved-nonetheless pets. It's not that the cuddlies aren't still at the top of everyone's list -- it's just that sometimes it's important to remember that pets come in many forms. Even though you probably won't meet many at the park the summer, or on a stroll around your neighborhood, fans of the Bearded Dragon are friendly bunch who are proud of their unusual pets and are eager to share helpful information. I first learned about this creature-as-pet at the Philadelphia Repticon Expo in February from a young woman who cradled her newly purchased pet in her arms like someone else would swaddle a kitten. When ...

Are you well past college age but still wishing you'd followed your heart and pursued a career as a veterinarian? If so, you're by no means alone. Plenty of people I meet both professionally and socially confess that they fantasize about dropping that oar mid-paddle and taking a midstream plunge into the cool depths of veterinary medicine. The problem is that few actually do it, which is understandable. Here are a few stumbling blocks my personal sources have cited: It's a Big Leap! Most nontraditional-aged vet wannabes aren't usually averse to copping to cowardice over making such a huge life change midstream. Can't say I blame them. It's Hard to Get In! The requirements for entry ...

Pets are not like humans in plenty of ways, but nowhere is the difference more glaringly obvious than when it comes to the notion of vanity. Pets have none to speak of -- or so we like to imagine, seeing as they've no use for mirrors and don't seem to care whether we're movie-star hot or dug-up-from-under-a-rock ugly. And thank goodness for that! It's hard enough to pair up pets and people without having to worry about a cat objecting to her new owner's nose or shaving habits. Why Some People Can't Look Past a Pet's Looks Unfortunately, the same lack of superficial circumspection is decidedly not in play with respect to humanity. Not only would we prefer to have our human milieu rife ...