Introduction

Pets have a place in our hearts. That I am sure of.

Little did I know how much our pets have done for us.

Do we even appreciate their vast and fascinating history?

Even the littlest of animals have managed to keep us safe.

Ferrets worked aboard ships as well as the better-known cats. Canaries went to war. At speeds of 50-60 miles an hour, pigeons would dodge bullets to relay war-time messages.

Dogs went to war as companions and as officially ranked soldiers.

Animals still manage to keep us safe from harm, sniffing out bombs, working on rescues. Besides being our heroes, they are also our friends and loving companions.

I first started this book as a way to look for names with history for my own pets. What began as a little, harmless research soon turned into a fascinating history lesson. Each name included within the A-Z of names has a story. The names included pets in history, those owned by famous movie and television stars, cartoon and television-created pets, and animals who became heroes and were honored with awards.

I became inspired by the many stories discovered by this research.

Additionally to make my book more complete, I began asking myself how did these animals become pets to us. To make things simpler, I centered on the furry creatures, and did not get into the reptiles, fish, and less popular pets. I do acknowledge there are many other likeable pets out there, and my apologies if I did not include the history of your particular pet.

I am sure that there are other names out there that I have missed and stories that I haven't told. Pets have such a rich history. I hope that by writing this book that people will better appreciate the animals in our lives and our hearts.