Book excerpt: The decision to include pets as a part of your family can be fraught with uncertainty. How do you know when the time is right? How do you select the right pet? Choose a proper diet? Avoid common injuries? Provide adequate exercise? Avoid allergies? Share caretaking responsibilities? Not share germs or parasites? Whether you are ready to take the plunge or just beginning to explore the possibility, Can We Have One? is an essential, convenient resource for parents considering pet ownership--or pet owners considering parenthood. Veterinarian Lynn F. Buzhardt and social worker Sue D. Steib combine their expertise and experience with emerging scientific evidence to offer practical and easily implemented recommendations for critical issues related to raising children and pets together. With engaging warmth and humor, they explore bringing a new baby into a pet-owning couple's household, selecting the right companion animal for your family, managing child-pet interaction, coping with the loss of a pet, and more. The authors focus on dogs and cats, the most common pets in American households and the ones with whom children and adults are most likely to form the strongest attachments. Pets require a lot of their caretakers, but they give much more in return. Can We Have One? explains all the adjustments to anticipate and the pitfalls to avoid, helping you provide a happy home for your pet while allowing your children to get the most out of the pet-child relationship.