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Bringing a puppy or kitten home for the first time is a joyful experience. Most pet parents want to ensure their newest family addition stays healthy and strong. Besides vaccinations, having your pet spayed or neutered is a great way to protect their lifelong health.

Here's everything you need to know about these two common procedures for cats and dogs.

Some pet parents don't realize that adopting a new kitten or puppy comes with enormous responsibilities. And even those that do can find it overwhelming. Unfortunately, one of the top reasons kittens and puppies end up in shelters is due to poor training and behavior. Dogs and cats need their owners to teach them rules and set boundaries.

Not every home is right for a dog or a cat. Other pets can better fit into a family's lifestyle and bring just as much joy to its human members, including smaller animals sometimes known as "pocket pets."

Smaller pets can become much loved furry family members, regardless of their size or special care requirements. Here are seven reasons why adding a pocket pet to your family can be great.

There is nothing quite like the relationship between a pet and its owner. You love each other unconditionally, even after they chew up your favorite pair of shoes, or use the good furniture for a scratching post. Having a pet is rewarding in so many ways, but finding the perfect one can sometimes be difficult.

There are many breeds of dogs and cats, and they all have very different qualities. So, how do you decide what qualities to look for in your new pet, and figure out which breed is a perfect fit for you?

Pets, in their deep instinctual psyches, have a distrust of strangers, individuals from outside of their tribes or extended families. Animals are individuals, each with his and her mixture of genetics and early environmental factors, almost like human beings. Any instructions about handling animals always come with the proviso that you have to avoid complete generalizations, and look at the behavior of each individual.

Here are some ways to ensure that you choose a pet that has a better chance of getting along with your existing pets, and some tips for weathering the transition smoothly.

Bringing home a new dog can be one of the most joyous experiences of your life, but you have to make sure you have a solid plan to avoid some of the pitfalls that can lead to problems down the road. You also need to be patient. 

Acclimating a new dog to your home can take as long as two months, so be sure you’re in it for the long haul. And remember, your new family member doesn’t understand what you’re saying. He learns what is and isn’t allowed from how you behave, your tone of voice, what rules you set, and all of the nonverbal cues you give him. 

Here are 7 tips the Humane Society recommend to acclimate your new dog to your home: