Owney the U.S. Post Office dog, 1898
Courtesy Animal Image Photography

Soldiers, firemen, and others who do difficult or dangerous work have often adopted pets. Firehouse dogs were first kept because they seemed to calm the horses that pulled engines, but firemen also appreciated their loyalty and affection. Soldiers far from home often adopted dogs; caring for them in the difficult conditions of war provided a welcome break. In the past, railroad workers, post office employees, and others have all kept pets as ways of reinforcing their group identities.

Animal Heroes - Pets sometimes become community heroes when they act to protect their owners or their young from danger. Rescue dogs and law-enforcement dogs receive training for their duties, but ordinary pet animals sometimes act to protect the lives of their owners. Heroic animals have long been a part of literature, but modern mass media brings them to the attention of a much larger public.

Scarlett the Herioic Mother Cat with kittens
Mary Bloom, photographer, 1996
Nother Shore Animal League of America

Scarlett rescued all five of her kittens from a burning building, receiving serious burns in the process. Scarlett and the kittens were rehabilitated and successfully adopted.