These days, the family pet isn't just the family pet. Rather our pets are as essential to our family unit as any member of the human variety. A recent series of posts on this topic elicited a high volume of positive responses from our readers here and across social media platforms. For example, this note from Lynda Fernandez, a pet owner in the United Kingdom:
"...Yes, of course my dogs are family. The vet appears to see them in the same light because he calls [them] in by their...family names; so my dogs are Mits Fernandez and Monty Fernandez."