My family has always had pets! Our last dog who was a Puggle (part Pug and part Beagle) named Pugsley lived for 19 years! He died a few years ago...and we miss him every day! We currently don't own any pets...because we want the flexibility to travel. I retired a year ago. We also had a cat named Beano...and he also lived until 19 years old. I don't necessarily have skills...except to love your pet to death!