Studies show that the experience of loving and caring for a pet can have a therapeutic effect on the human caregiver (and is pretty nice for the pet, too). Some stalking sites note that having a large dog in your house as an early warning system could discourage a potential stalker and deflect harm away from yourself and your family. Do yourself a favor and get yourself some unconditional love. There are thousands of animals loitering in shelters across the country. Your new best friend is just a click away.

http://www.petfinder.org/
Petfinder is a fabulous online resource dedicated to connecting you with a pet. Simply enter your zip code and Petfinder will come up with the nearest shelter. Even if you personally can’t adopt a dog, you can enjoy the feel-good pictures of happy families with their adopted pets.

http://www.petsunlimited.com
Want something a little more specific? Try petsunlimited, with classified ads for pets for sale, adoption options, and breed searching (you really need a corgi? a beagle? a lab? Get the breed you like). Find a vet here too.

http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/animal_rescue/
Don’t bring more unwanted animals into the world. There is a dog or cat that is perfect for you, and you can save its life. To that end, visit this site for an astounding number of links to specific shelters all over the country that rescue abandoned animals.