"Our sweet 14-year-old beagle, Kirby, passed away almost two years ago. Since then the boys have been patiently waiting for another puppy to join our family. We brought Archie home with us when he was 8-weeks-old and the boys spent the day playing and snuggling with him. Auggie would not separate from him all day and insisted on sleeping in our room that night to make sure Archie was OK. Since then, they have all become best buds, minus those moments when the puppy bites get too obnoxious."

"Thora was 3 at the time. We were living in Kunming, Yunnan, China. We needed a pet that was small and likely to die before we returned to the United States a few months later, as I did not want to deal with re-homing something beloved. These are what result when meal worms aren't eaten by pet birds or lizards and grow up. She thought they were very fun."

"We rescued Fin the cat when he and Cam were both 7-months-old. He's overly involved in everything we do."

"Ellianna 'Ellie' is our youngest daughter and came to us at 9-months- old from a foster home that did not have any pets. Upon her arrival, we introduced her to Rembrandt T. Beagle. Her love of animals and joy at meeting Remy was evident immediately. She continues to love all animals, spiders and bugs included (much to my dismay)."

"Onyx the dog was 2 and Raaya our daughter was 3-days-old when they met. We spent a really long time introducing them. My husband sat down with Raaya in his lap, while Onyx laid down on the floor smelling the baby and eating treats. He was so calm and curious. He's 110 pounds so we were always worried about the size, but it took no time at all to train him to never get on the bed while baby was also on it (bathing, changing diapers, etc).

He would check on her and make sure she was where she's supposed to be as soon as he'd get home from a walk or the park. He'd run to the crib, then to playpen, then to bassinet, or then to me to make sure baby was there. Raaya is now 2.5 and totally bosses Onyx around. It's awesome."

"I saw Touka's ad on the local Humane Society's Facebook page, and I knew we just had to have her. We went to meet her the next morning and fell in love instantly. They used words like 'strong and independent' to describe her, but we found out that was not so much the truth. The moment we walked in she jumped down from her post and came to greet us, leg rubs and all. We took her home the same day and she laid on my lap to sleep. It was like she was already a part of the family."

"This is my son Colin's first interaction with my dog, Piper. She's an elderly dog at 13 years of age now, so there will be a huge hole in my son's heart when she departs from this world."

"I was so worried before Jude arrived that my giant dogs would be jealous or unaware of him and possibly a danger. Instead, since they met him they have been guardians, friends, and playmates."

"Wesley was our baby prior to our human baby. He’s our second cat. He was 4-years-old when we brought our human baby home. Delaney loves him now. He’s still a bit skeptical."

"This is the day that the kids met Ruby, our red corn snake, for the first time. Ruby has been a gateway to lots of herpetological knowledge for the kids. One of their favorite facts about snakes is that they do not have eyelids or ears."

"This is Morgan the cat checking out our new baby. She's never completely forgiven me for bringing home this tiny flailing creature, who has since grown into a large flailing creature who would love to be her friend. When he cried she never wanted to let me get up to tend to him, but instead would give me a look of, 'I know, isn't it horrible? Let's commiserate.'