Trini Porta, a 52-year-old resident of Montoliu de Segarra, lives alone with a dog and two cats. Last January, she suddenly lost Cupi, a powerful dog she adopted from the Cervera pound ten years ago. An irreversible liver disease forced her to have him euthanized to prevent further suffering. The void he left is still raw. She doesn't hesitate to compare this loss to the loss of a person. "I've lost a member of my family, and many people don't understand that," Porta admits.

We read in the ARA A news story by Cristina Sáez that steals our heartsScientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna have found that a cow is capable of "using a tool flexibly for specific purposes." The photograph shows the animal, named Veronika, with a stick in her mouth. They say that "this is an action that had not been previously described in cattle, only in some primates and corvids."

Warm-eyed, playful, or full of curiosity, but also astute, inquisitive, and even hardworking. Cats and dogs have become unique and irreplaceable companions for humans. In Catalan homes, pets now outnumber children up to 14 years of age by 54%, according to cross-referenced data from the Council of Veterinary Colleges of Catalonia (CCVC) and the Catalan Institute of Statistics (Idescat). Those who care for them often display their pets publicly on social media. "It's no longer seen as strange to love a pet as a member of the family; on the contrary, it's socially valued. Images with animals also give a closer and more tender view of the person," says Paula Calvo, an anthrozoologist and ethologist. The new animal welfare law, approved in February 2023, reflects this shift in societal awareness and values the rights and recognition of companion animals. Therefore, adopting one not only expands the family but also contributes to "individual and social well-being," this expert points out. Below, famous people who have pets at home explain the greatness of owning and living with them. Warmth and laughter, but also fear and anger. The feelings that animals inspire in us are, in fact, very diverse, and a universal trait.

Accessorizing dogs and cats is a common practice. Nowadays, it's no longer just bows and coats. Especially in the summer, accessories of all kinds proliferate: hats, flip-flops, and even costumes, which are added to aesthetic practices such as painting their nails or dyeing their hair. Behind all this, for the most part, there is a process of humanization—or rather, anthropomorphization—of animals, that is, an attribution of human characteristics to beings that are not. Experts warn that, while some humanization is inevitable and the result of coexistence, the use of certain ornaments and the desire to follow trends funny In the eyes of others, they can put the well-being and health of animals at risk.

According to data from the Companion Animal Identification Archive (AIAC) of the Council of Veterinary Colleges of Catalonia, 1.3 million dogs and 344,385 cats were registered in our country in 2024. In Barcelona, there is already approximately one dog for every 10 inhabitants, which means that in many homes, children and pets coexist amicably. Now, which pets, and from what age do experts recommend families incorporate one into their home? Psychologist and animal-assisted intervention (IAA) professional Silvia Guillamón advises introducing animals into the home from 3-4 years of age, starting with easy-to-handle pets such as fish, hamsters, or rabbits. From 6-7 years of age, "if the child shows interest, empathy, and a capacity for responsibility," she clarifies, living with dogs or cats can be considered. Likewise, with children who already live with a pet and have established a healthy bond, adding another one can be considered, "as long as the well-being of the first animal and the family's ability to care for two are guaranteed," emphasizes the director of the L'Arbre Center.

There are factories for everything, and the Dapibus plant is an example of this. No one would imagine that a fly larva could be used to feed pigs and chickens, even pets, but this is the "most sustainable and local" commercial proposal of this biotechnology company based in Abrera.

As every year, road trips increase in number, coinciding with the arrival of summer and the long-awaited holidays. It is estimated that there are more than 11 million pets in Spain, 85% of which are dogs and cats, and a significant proportion travel with their owners or families during leisure and recreational trips during the summer months.

People walk by and take notice. It's a small but striking yellow shop. We're standing in front of Voilà Concept Store (Plaza Narcís Oller, 1), the first dog bakery in Barcelona. Its owner is Milly Yang, who has been living in Barcelona for a few months. She was born in China and went to study in Toulouse at the age of 20. There she heard about Catalonia and Catalan, and it was also during this time that she visited Barcelona for the first time. After finishing her studies, she moved to Paris, where she worked for ten years for luxury clothing brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior. "For a while, I changed jobs a lot because when I was young, I believed that getting promoted was what gave meaning to life," says Milly Yang. "After a good while, I realized I wasn't happy." Seven months ago, she arrived in Barcelona on vacation and didn't want to return to Paris. "Paris is a beautiful city, despite the Parisians. People here are much nicer. Everyone there is much more stressed," she explains, and then her boyfriend, Boris Meyer, a photographer and Parisian, arrives and confirms it.

Pets is the new Disney+ documentary that explores the relationship between animals and their humans in different parts of the world. This one-and-a-half-hour production, which premiered on April 11, celebrates unconditional love, companionship, and the bonds between people and pets of all kinds: pigs, dogs, cats, and birds of prey. One of the protagonists is a dog from Barcelona.

The group of veterinarians in the State has been expressing their discontent for weeks over the new regulation of medicines for animals. The protests coincide with the alarms raised over whether the royal decree that came into force at the beginning of the year, transposing a European directive, could cause pets to be left without the necessary medicines. A concern fuelled by the death of the dog Selva in A Coruña, who they say has been "the first victim" of the new regulations, designed with the aim of improving the control of these drugs, avoiding illnesses and minimising resistance to microorganisms.

The bond between a dog (and also a cat) and its owner can be so intense that when the person who cared for it dies, the animal "feels it terribly because, apart from a dietary and physiological dependence, there was also an emotional bond," says veterinarian Ricard Adán. From then on, who will be its new guardian? In the will or in the advance directive document, or in a contract, it can be written that a family member, a friend or, for example, a shelter will take care of it, even granting them an amount of money for its care, among other options. However, the reality is far from that: the shelters, shelters and refuges are the ones that really take care of it, because most of the animals end up abandoned. On the other hand, the money or the property - if they have been deposited to care for it - ends up, mostly, in the pockets of the heirs or legatees.