I read somewhere that in order to know your dog and cat better, you can try imagining yourself being your dog or cat, and see how the world looks.

The world can look very different if you just lower your eye level to match your pets. You might see human legs all the time, busily moving around. You could find that the bed and couches are higher than you thought. You may be able to spot more dirt and stains on the floor, and even notice a subtle change of smell in the air you aren't aware of on a daily basis.

I was reading an article on environmental issues the other day. I'm astounded to find that more than 75,000 new chemicals have been developed since World War II -- released into our environment. It's an amazing number of chemicals. More importantly, most chemicals we use daily (such as house cleaning products) and pollutants that are emitted in the air (such as cigarette smoke, car exhaust) are generally heavier than air and concentrated near ground level. That means there is a higher chance our dog and cat (who live closer to the ground) may be exposed to all kinds of chemicals in a more concentrated form than we realize.

It's almost impossible to avoid chemicals in this modern life. The best thing you can do is keep your chemical use to a minimum around the house by eliminating some of the products that are hazardous to our pets, or at least replacing them with more natural alternatives. Using more natural household products is a good start!

It is important to put yourself in your pets' "shoes" to learn a new perspective on healthy pet care.