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Did you or your child grow up with a pet? Show us photos of then and now!
Danika Fears
TODAY
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9 hours ago
Submitted by Mandy Sisson
Then and now: We want to see photos of you or your children growing up with pets!
Everyone knows that adolescence can feel like a roller coaster of change. But some kids are fortunate enough to have at least one constant in their young lives: their pets.
If we're lucky, our animals are there for our good days and the bad ones — from when we take our first steps to the moment we leave our childhood homes behind. And to celebrate these ever-faithful companions, we want to see pictures of your children (or you!) growing up with your four-legged friends.
Submit your then-and-now photos below:
Tags:Pets,
Cutest thing ever,
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July 15, 2013
For the birds! Guests ruffle KLG, Hoda’s feathers
Eun Kyung Kim
TODAY
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1 hour ago
Feathered beasts left Hoda and Kathie Lee traumatized on Monday in an animal segment that was definitely for the birds.
Video: SeaWorld and Busch Gardens animal ambassador Julie Scardina introduces Kathie Lee and Hoda to a puffin, a hornbill, a cotton-top tamarin and a tamandua. (The big hornbill causes quite a stir when he takes off and flies around Studio 1A.)
NBC / Peter Kramer
The Fourth Hour anchors were paid visits by several endangered critters currently getting care at Sea World and Busch Gardens.
“Tell me when it’s over,” Hoda cried, turning away as a ground hornbill flew toward her and perched on an arm.
“He looks like he’s got my hairdo,” she said when she finally drew enough courage to peek at the massive bird and its tuft of spiky head feathers.
TODAY
The bird apparently took a liking to being on-air because it refused to budge when it was time to move on to the next animal. Instead of flying to its handlers, the hornbill flew into the studio and perched on top of a camera. It then flew back toward the ladies.
NBC / Peter Kramer
Kathie Lee had her own fowl moment just minutes earlier. A puffin that had been calming resting in her hands suddenly went nuts trying to climb up her chest and onto her shoulder, wildly flapping its wings along the way.
TODAY
The two birds cut short time left for the remaining animals featured, a cotton-topped tamarin and a tamandua, a form of anteater.
Tags:KLG and Hoda,
KLG and Hoda,
On the show,
Animals,
Pets
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July 14, 2013
New pet project for HR: Kitty healthcare and Rover insurance
Sue Manning
The Associated Press
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28 minutes ago
Victoria Gonzalez / AP
MGM Grand poker dealer Dar Reike holds her adopted dog, Alexia, next to her husband, Rick Reike. The couple decided against getting pet insurance, which they could have obtained through MGM Resorts International for $25 to $35 a month.
Melissa Yoakam jokingly calls her dog Shadow her "car payment" because she pays $250 a month for the 12-year-old's cancer treatments.
She'd pay far less if she had pet insurance, but she didn't take advantage of it when Shadow was younger and when he got cancer it was too late. She uses her experience to convince colleagues not to make the same mistake.
"I should have it but I don't," she lamented.
Yoakam is well-versed in the subject as benefits manager at Chipotle Mexican Grill, which is one of a growing number of companies that discount and subsidize pet insurance as a perk to workers.
The nation's oldest and largest pet insurer, Veterinary Pet Insurance, offers policies at one in three Fortune 500 companies, as well as 3,400 other companies and associations across the nation, said company president Scott Liles.
Other organizations, such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also offer insurance through employers, but the number of people who sign up remains small.
California-based VPI has 61 percent of the niche market with only a half million pets insured nationwide. While that represents a tiny fraction of the estimated 165 million pets in the United States, it has huge growth potential as America's animal affection fuels new pet products, services and a higher level of health care.
"Like any kind of health care offering, (pet insurance) is viewed as an employee enticement and retention tool," said Charles J. Sebaski, an insurance analyst for BMO Capital Markets in New York.
VPI offers insurance to companies with more than 100 employees, who can choose payroll deductions or direct billing.
Nevada's largest employer, MGM Resorts International, based in Las Vegas, added pet insurance in 2006 to a benefits package that also includes onsite child care, legal aid and free meals, said corporate benefits manager Melissa Friedman.
Chipotle, based in New York, began offering the benefit in 2002 because "we knew people were big into pets," Yoakam said. About 100 of the fast-food chain's 3,000 eligible employees get the insurance, a number that's low because a lot of the employees are younger and have other priorities.
Chipotle pays $10 per pet for up to three pets. One pet costs between $10 and $57 a month, depending on coverage plans and deductible. VPI adds a 5 percent to 15 percent discount, depending on the number of animals insured.
The insurance covered 60 percent of the cost of surgery after an employee's dog jumped out of a pickup truck and broke its leg. Another employee saved 70 percent of the cost for knee surgery for her dog, said Chipotle's benefits analyst Lindsey Cushman.
"She probably would have had it done anyway but it would have cost her a significant financial hardship," she added.
Cushman enrolled her cat, Delilah, in the program as soon as she was hired full-time.
With the cost of health care for humans and pets rising faster than income, pet insurance is relatively affordable, Sebaski said.
"If you're willing to buy cancer meds or liver meds or put a pet through a surgical operation to extend their good health and life, those can be very expensive things," he said.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tags:Consumer News,
Insurance,
Pets,
Your money
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Do you treat your pets like babies? Show us!
Danika Fears
TODAY
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June 25, 2013 at 4:53 PM ET
Submitted by Megan Reich
How do you baby your pets?
Go ahead, baby your pooch with another snuggle (or treat): A new study published in the journal PLoS ONE finds that dogs have a lot more in common with human babies than you might think.
It turns out dogs, like infants, look to their caregivers as "secure bases" that give them the confidence to freely explore the world around them.
"One of the things that really surprised us is that adult dogs behave towards their caregivers like human children do," said Lisa Horn, the author of the study.
Basically, this study gives us permission to dote on our dogs as we would our own two-legged little ones (at least that's how we're taking it). And in light of these findings, we want to see how you baby your canines — from the weird (we're not judging!) to the wonderful.
Tags:Pets,
Cutest thing ever,
Photography
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Curious gophers and more of the week’s best animal photos
TODAY Pets
TODAY
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June 26, 2013 at 10:58 AM ET
Animal Tracks: June 19 - 26
Todd Korol
From curious gophers to leaping tigers, get your cuteness fix with irresistible photos of creatures great and small.
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Animal tracks
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Pampered pooches! How owners treat dogs like babies
Danika Fears
TODAY
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June 26, 2013 at 4:08 PM ET
Submitted By: Jennifer Whitworth
In light of a recent study suggesting that dogs bond with their caregivers much like human babies do, we asked readers to send in photographic evidence of the wonderful ways they like to dote on their four-legged family members.
Looks like many pet owners have long understood what the research now suggests: These pups have experienced some of the best perks of being a little one, from birthday photos to couch cuddles to eccentric costumes.
Here are some of our favorites:
Tags:Pets,
Cutest thing ever,
Dogs
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