We're excited to show you a sneak preview of our new public service announcement, which will soon be seen on television all over the United States.  We call this ad "Potential", and for good reason: it compares the story of Miami Marlins pitcher Mark Buehrle with the story of Bear, a dog who, at first glance, appeared just like any other in a Texas animal shelter.  Both stories have one important thing in common: if nobody had seen the potential in either Buehrle (who was cut from his high school team twice) or Bear, neither of them would have gone on to do astounding things.

Without further ado, we present "Potential":

Adopt-a-Pet.com PSA

Does your dog ever make you laugh - on purpose? Does he know he's being funny? An even stranger question - does your dog find things funny?

There are countless stories of dog antics and behavior that are funny, but most of those you'd have to say are unintentional. Humorous behavior may be repeated because of the positive reaction received. In this case, you can't say the dog has a sense of humor, but is acting on positive reinforcement.

But dogs may be a little smarter than that. Just as some people enjoy making others laugh, it would seem, so do some dogs. Author Stanley Coren tells of his Cairn Terrier, Flint, who frequently seemed to try to amuse his owners...Read more

Our latest "Ask Katya" question comes from our Facebook follower Sharon Jacobson.  Sharon writes: "We just adopted a little Yorkie, approximately 5 years old, who came from a puppy mill. Every day is baby steps for her and us to bring her into our family.  The question is, how does one teach her to play? She is so frightened of any quick movement, but she's getting better!"

Check out Katya's response, and if you want to "Ask Katya" anything about your dog's behavior, just post your question on our Facebook page, email us, or Tweet it with the hashtag #AskKatya!

Funny, heartwarming, or just plain silly.  There are so many awesome pet-related videos out there that it's hard to pick our favorites!  But here are some of our top choices, and we hope you enjoy them, too!

1) N2 the funniest talking cat releases his much anticipated music

N2 the Talking Cat: Preppy Cat

video "Preppy Cat"!  I dare you not to bust a move as you watch!

2) Love is to be expressed!  And that's just what our pets do for us when we come home.  Submitted as part of our Best Welcome Home Ever campaign, we love Sara's excitement each time her daddy walks through the door!

3) Um, someone might want to let this cat know he's not a dog!  Is there anything cuter than a dog and cat who are the best if friends? Watch these adopted playmates have a blast!

4) Why wouldn't a giant poop be big news at the dog park?  Check out the latest installment of Dog Park News (and don't miss the ending)!

Please check out our YouTube channel!  If you have videos on YouTube, why not use them to promote Adopt-a-Pet.com and help homeless pets find homes? You can easily include an annotation like "Looking for a new best friend? Check out www.AdoptaPet.com!" Then, let us know...we might include your video in our next newsletter!

Last month, we asked you to "like" our Facebook page to help us raise money for the Adopt-a-Pet.com Veterinary Care Fund, which gives grants to animal shelters and rescue groups to help pay for veterinary care.  We're beyond thrilled to tell you that your "likes" generated a donation of $20,000, every penny of which will go to help sick and injured shelter pets.

In the coming weeks and months, we'll be posting on Facebook about the shelter pets these grants are helping, so make sure you follow us at http://Facebook.com/Adoptapetcom.  Again, we thank all of you who clicked "like" and asked your friends to do the same.

Dear Adopt-a-Pet.com,

Over a year ago, with the help of Adopt-a-Pet.com, we were able to find a 9-month-old lab mix to come and stay with us. We run a spiritual center and on weekends there are people of all ages showing up. Firedog has become the official greeter and people look forward to seeing him. There are several people who had a fear of dogs but he has taught them to love dogs.  We have a large family of critters: a horse, a goat, chickens, ducks, turkeys, cats, parrots etc. Most of them are rescues or raised here and our buddy thinks they are his to take care of. He can walk right up to any of the birds or cats and go nose to nose to them without scaring them.  I cannot thank of a thing we would change in him. We know he was supposed to be here and that happened through
Adopt-a-Pet.com and Bardstown rescue.

Thank you! Read on for some pictures of Firedog doing what he is good at (including one with a baby turkey sitting on his foot).

Thanks,
Bo and Cheryl

Did you find your new best friend on Adopt-a-Pet.com?  Email us or post your story on our Facebook page and let us know! We just might use your Happy Beginning in a newsletter or blog post!