I've had cats most of my life and now that we've had dogs for 5+ years I can't imagine life without a dog, too. We currently live with a Weimaraner (dog), 5 cats, a lizard, and 4 goats (well, they're in the barn) as family companions. In the past, we have fostered an older cat with health issues and loved him as long as we could. We simply love being around animals. We are planning to keep adding outside animals. I feel that my experience having multiple animals through their lifespans, while raising a family, allows me to be able to understand a variety of different concerns for animals' well-being and be proactive in their care.