Here is a list of places where you can get some help paying for emergency vet bills. If you know of others, please let us know about them so we can add them to this resouce.

This information is primarily for individuals with companion animals in a permanent home, but some of them also help rescue organizations for individual animals, or help handicapped people purchase, train, and care for service animals. Perhaps this list of organizations that will help with emergency vet bills may be able to help you in times when the determining factor in saving your pet's life is the ability to pay an unexpected or costly vet bill.

Note: These organizations help only in EMERGENCY situations such as accidental injuries requiring immediate care, or long term health problems requiring surgery or ongoing treatment, such as orthopedic repairs or chemotherapy for animals with cancer. They are not for people who can't or won't provide basic care for their pets.

Most of these organizations also accept donations, and many are tax deductible, so if you are able, these would be worthy causes to donate to, where your donation will go directly to help an animal in need.

Five famous dog stories you must bring home.

Calling all dog-lovers! Dogs have made some of the most unforgettable characters in literature. It’s not uncommon for children to become as attached to a dog in print as the real thing. Puppy love comes in all forms. In fact, I believe I can trace my canine-cravings to my earliest days of reading, when I fell in love with Old Dan and Little Ann (from Where the Red Fern Grows). Below, I’ve compiled a list of five famous dogs you must bring home for your littlest children! (Good news…you won’t have to clean up after these champions!)

Five common mistakes new dog owners make.

To you, who dream of the loyal dog with his head in your lap at the fireplace, I want to tell you, it's a great dream. I love those moments with Harry, but there's a flipside to having a dog. Dogs don't come perfect out of the package, and raising a dog, whether you bring it home as a puppy or an adult, is much like raising a child. Below I'd like to share five common mistakes new dog owners make.

There are plenty of reasons a shelter dog is your best choice for a dog pet.

Disney left a life-long impression on me when, as a youngster, I viewed the dog pound scene in Lady and the Tramp. Mournful mutts howled out a pitiful rendition of 'Home Sweet Home', which nobody but the most callous could sit through dry-eyed. The pound was portrayed as a cruel place manned by heartless dog-catchers. I vowed never to step foot in one, not even to save the life of one of the rejected creatures. Adopting a pet under such sad conditions would certainly place a cloud over the day. Could I ever leave completely happy with the dog I chose, knowing that dozens were left behind in misery?

The top 10 signs you're a dog lover

Dog people have telltale signs that tell the world at a glace that they are dog lovers.There’s something different about you. People sense it the moment you walk in the door. Is it in your smile, or the way wear your hair? Truly, there are countless manifestations of your canine obsession.

Here are the top ten signs you are a dog lover: