(NAPSA)—Americans are more pet-crazy than ever. Nearly two out of every three U.S. households ae: 22 own a pet, with millions more adding pets every year. If you're considering adding a pet to your family, how do you decide what kindof pet is best for you? While cats and dogs immediately jump to mind, potential pet owners should consider four key areas—health issues, residential restrictions, your level of pet experience and the work required to care for the pet. According to WebMD,about 15 percent of us are allergic to animals. In fact, 11 million Ameri- cans are allergic to cats alone. Allergies can develop at any age, and some pets can exacerbate dis- eases such as asthma. One easy way to avoid such problems is by choosing to own tropical fish: A beautiful aquarium poses no allergy or asthma problems. Residential restrictions can also affect the choice of a pet. Many rented dwellings place limits on through your new pet ownership experience. One such program is TetraCare (www.TetraCare.com), a free, online service from Tetra, the world’s leading brand of aquarium fish food. TetraCare walks the pet owner through the process of setting up and maintaining an aquarium, with fish-care e-mails, one-on-one access to aquarium experts and more. Using TetraCare when setting up an aquarium is also an easy furry animals. Andit’s often diffi- way to get children involved. Children can learn about the responsibility of keeping a pet by helping for turtles—can fit into any home, more, simply by following the easy steps outlined by TetraCare. While the actual time spent cult to provide such animals with areas to run and play. But aquariums—for tropical fish, for goldfish, as there are dozens of sizes and shapesof tanksfor yourpets. Before you add a pet to your family, consider how much care your new pet will require and how much experience you have with pets. Fortunately, the Internet offers a world of information and how-to guidance for the new pet owner. There are even Websites that will walk you, step by step, with feeding, water changes, and maintaining an aquarium is determined by its size and com- plexity, aquarium ownership doesn’t have to be burdensome. The average home aquarium takes no more than 20 to 30 minutes of attention each week—a small price to pay for hoursof pet-keeping pleasure.
