With all the pets I've had in my life, you'd think I'd have seen just about everything. And for the most part, that's true. But there's one thing I haven't dealt with because I've been both careful and lucky: I've never had a pet go missing for good.

I've come close a couple of times. A few years back, I was staying at my brother's house, while buying one home and selling another, when my smallest dog slipped through a gap in the fence. Fortunately, he immediately latched on to some nearby children who took him home and called the number on his ID tag.

Not long after moving into the new home, I lost my parrot, but that too ended happily. As with most successful recoveries of lost pets, it was the things I'd done before Eddie got out that brought him back home again. Eddie didn't fly away to a likely death because his wings were clipped to keep him from all but the lowest of flight patterns -- and because we had a relationship of trust that extended beyond my front door.

Here is what you need to know if your pet bird takes wing:

-- Prepare for possible loss

Have your bird microchipped. Keep his wings clipped to prevent him from flying away, and make sure everyone in the family knows to keep doors and unscreened windows closed. In Eddie's case, I'd forgotten he was sitting loose on a playstand rather than in his cage. When I walked out the front door to get groceries out of the car, I didn't see him hop out behind me and didn't realize he was missing until after I'd put away the groceries.

-- Don't waste time

The longer your bird is out, the smaller the chance of recovery. Immediately start searching nearby. If you have some game you play that would elicit a response from your bird, start playing it. In Eddie's case, he responded immediately to my whistles because it's a game we play all the time in the house.

-- Lure your bird with favorite treats

Eddie had climbed more than a dozen feet up into a nearby bay tree. His favorite treats didn't work on him -- probably because he'd just had a big breakfast -- but they might work with another bird or even with Eddie at another time. Because birds are more likely to eat at dawn and dusk, even a bird who's not immediately interested in treats may come into a familiar cage at feeding time.

-- Use the hose, cautiously

Because being sprayed from the hose is frightening and may injure the bird, don't go for this technique first. But it can be successful. In fact, a good soaking is finally what brought Eddie down after all else failed. He was so angry at the soaking that he was anxious to bite me, so I wrapped him in a towel for the safety of us both.

Had I not been able to collect Eddie relatively promptly, I would have put up fliers around the area and at the local bird shop, pet supply stores, veterinarians' offices (especially avian veterinarians) and pet shelters. And I would have taken out both print and online classified ads, all offering a reward.

More important than anything -- keep up the search. Many birds are found days, weeks and months after they're lost, but they're found by people who don't know just who is looking for the pet. If you don't keep putting the word out, your bird may be lost for good, even if found.

(Video bonus: Training expert Mikkel Becker shows how to teach your dog to ignore items you don't want picked up while you're out walking. (vetstreet.com/teach-your-dog-to-leave-it)

Q&A

The eyes are key

to mood in macaws

Q: My macaw is the most unpredictable pet I've ever known. I can't ever tell whether he plans to bite me (and he draws blood when he does) or snuggle. Can a bird have mental illness -- is he bi-polar? -- via email

A: Sure, a bird can have a brain that isn't functioning properly. But you're bird's brain is just fine. Parrots can be loving, cuddly, playful or contemplative one minute, and demanding, aloof, manic or peevish the next. Sharing space with a parrot is like living with another human: Sometimes, you just have to pick your moments and know when to back off.

Some of these moods are pretty obvious. Other times, though, behavior signs may be more subtle, and the failure to heed these clues may earn you a nasty bite.

You need to watch your pet's body language. Parrots have keen eyesight and often stare at something that fascinates or frightens them, using one eye and tipping the head, or using both eyes for a head-on look.

When you see that your bird is fixated on something, follow that line of vision. A relaxed body posture accompanies a calm, curious bird's staring, and a more defensive or aggressive body language demonstrates fright. Most often, a locked-on look is a sign of fascination: Like the youngest children, birds can become attracted by something colorful.

Birds are able to control their irises, shrinking and enlarging their pupils rapidly in a display that's called "flashing" or "pinning."

You have to read the whole bird to put the message in its proper context. Birds may flash their eyes when they're excited or when they're angry. Flashing accompanied by aggressive posturing, such as tail-fanning, signifies a bird who's bound to escalate his warnings -- and maybe even bite -- if not left alone.

Consider flashing to be the physical display of strong emotion -- anything from the "I want to kill you" vibes of an angry or aggressive bird to the "Hey there, cutie" of an infatuated bird. -- Gina Spadafori

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Many wish people

were more like dogs

-- It seems some people are not dreaming of getting a puppy as a Valentine's Day gift, but rather wishing their human mates were more like a dog. And their dogs are helping them look for mates! According to an American Kennel Club survey:

-- 25 percent of women polled wished men were in a perennially good mood, like a dog.

-- 15 percent of men polled wished women were just as happy to stay home as go out on the town -- as a dog would be.

-- 58 percent of men said a puppy is a foolproof way of meeting women in a park.

-- 46 percent of women said they'd stop and talk to anyone with a cute puppy.

-- Children under the age of 5 left unattended with a dog have the highest chance of being bit. A study conducted by the University of Colorado looked at data of 537 dog-bite cases from 2003 to 2008. Children under 5 accounted for 68 percent of dog-bite cases, and most of the bites were by a familiar dog.

-- It's natural for a dog to bark when a stranger comes to the door. In the case of the mail carrier, that stranger comes almost every day. The dog barks to alert the family and to warn the carrier to go away. From the dog's point of view, it was his brave warning that drove the stranger away. He doesn't realize the mail carrier's just going to the next house on the route. Over time, the dog's reaction intensifies as he tries harder to send a message to the stranger who just doesn't seem to understand. As the dog becomes more and more worked up over time, the potential for a bite increases, with many mail carriers injured as a result. -- Mikkel Becker and Dr. Marty Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and also the authors of many best-selling pet care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

With all the pets I've had in my life, you'd think I'd have seen just about everything. And for the most part, that's true. But there's one thing I haven't dealt with because I've been both careful and lucky: I've never had a pet go missing for good.

I've come close a couple of times. A few years back, I was staying at my brother's house, while buying one home and selling another, when my smallest dog slipped through a gap in the fence. Fortunately, he immediately latched on to some nearby children who took him home and called the number on his ID tag.

Not long after moving into the new home, I lost my parrot, but that too ended happily. As with most successful recoveries of lost pets, it was the things I'd done before Eddie got out that brought him back home again. Eddie didn't fly away to a likely death because his wings were clipped to keep him from all but the lowest of flight patterns -- and because we had a relationship of trust that extended beyond my front door.

Here is what you need to know if your pet bird takes wing:

-- Prepare for possible loss

Have your bird microchipped. Keep his wings clipped to prevent him from flying away, and make sure everyone in the family knows to keep doors and unscreened windows closed. In Eddie's case, I'd forgotten he was sitting loose on a playstand rather than in his cage. When I walked out the front door to get groceries out of the car, I didn't see him hop out behind me and didn't realize he was missing until after I'd put away the groceries. 

-- Don't waste time

The longer your bird is out, the smaller the chance of recovery. Immediately start searching nearby. If you have some game you play that would elicit a response from your bird, start playing it. In Eddie's case, he responded immediately to my whistles because it's a game we play all the time in the house. 

-- Lure your bird with favorite treats

Eddie had climbed more than a dozen feet up into a nearby bay tree. His favorite treats didn't work on him -- probably because he'd just had a big breakfast -- but they might work with another bird or even with Eddie at another time. Because birds are more likely to eat at dawn and dusk, even a bird who's not immediately interested in treats may come into a familiar cage at feeding time. 

-- Use the hose, cautiously

Because being sprayed from the hose is frightening and may injure the bird, don't go for this technique first. But it can be successful. In fact, a good soaking is finally what brought Eddie down after all else failed. He was so angry at the soaking that he was anxious to bite me, so I wrapped him in a towel for the safety of us both.

Had I not been able to collect Eddie relatively promptly, I would have put up fliers around the area and at the local bird shop, pet supply stores, veterinarians' offices (especially avian veterinarians) and pet shelters. And I would have taken out both print and online classified ads, all offering a reward.

More important than anything -- keep up the search. Many birds are found days, weeks and months after they're lost, but they're found by people who don't know just who is looking for the pet. If you don't keep putting the word out, your bird may be lost for good, even if found. 

(Video bonus: Training expert Mikkel Becker shows how to teach your dog to ignore items you don't want picked up while you're out walking. (vetstreet.com/teach-your-dog-to-leave-it)

Q&A

The eyes are key

to mood in macaws

Q: My macaw is the most unpredictable pet I've ever known. I can't ever tell whether he plans to bite me (and he draws blood when he does) or snuggle. Can a bird have mental illness -- is he bi-polar? -- via email

A: Sure, a bird can have a brain that isn't functioning properly. But you're bird's brain is just fine. Parrots can be loving, cuddly, playful or contemplative one minute, and demanding, aloof, manic or peevish the next. Sharing space with a parrot is like living with another human: Sometimes, you just have to pick your moments and know when to back off.

Some of these moods are pretty obvious. Other times, though, behavior signs may be more subtle, and the failure to heed these clues may earn you a nasty bite.

You need to watch your pet's body language. Parrots have keen eyesight and often stare at something that fascinates or frightens them, using one eye and tipping the head, or using both eyes for a head-on look.

When you see that your bird is fixated on something, follow that line of vision. A relaxed body posture accompanies a calm, curious bird's staring, and a more defensive or aggressive body language demonstrates fright. Most often, a locked-on look is a sign of fascination: Like the youngest children, birds can become attracted by something colorful.

Birds are able to control their irises, shrinking and enlarging their pupils rapidly in a display that's called "flashing" or "pinning."

You have to read the whole bird to put the message in its proper context. Birds may flash their eyes when they're excited or when they're angry. Flashing accompanied by aggressive posturing, such as tail-fanning, signifies a bird who's bound to escalate his warnings -- and maybe even bite -- if not left alone.

Consider flashing to be the physical display of strong emotion -- anything from the "I want to kill you" vibes of an angry or aggressive bird to the "Hey there, cutie" of an infatuated bird. -- Gina Spadafori

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Many wish people

were more like dogs

-- It seems some people are not dreaming of getting a puppy as a Valentine's Day gift, but rather wishing their human mates were more like a dog. And their dogs are helping them look for mates! According to an American Kennel Club survey:

-- 25 percent of women polled wished men were in a perennially good mood, like a dog.

-- 15 percent of men polled wished women were just as happy to stay home as go out on the town -- as a dog would be.

-- 58 percent of men said a puppy is a foolproof way of meeting women in a park.

-- 46 percent of women said they'd stop and talk to anyone with a cute puppy.

-- Children under the age of 5 left unattended with a dog have the highest chance of being bit. A study conducted by the University of Colorado looked at data of 537 dog-bite cases from 2003 to 2008. Children under 5 accounted for 68 percent of dog-bite cases, and most of the bites were by a familiar dog.

-- It's natural for a dog to bark when a stranger comes to the door. In the case of the mail carrier, that stranger comes almost every day. The dog barks to alert the family and to warn the carrier to go away. From the dog's point of view, it was his brave warning that drove the stranger away. He doesn't realize the mail carrier's just going to the next house on the route. Over time, the dog's reaction intensifies as he tries harder to send a message to the stranger who just doesn't seem to understand. As the dog becomes more and more worked up over time, the potential for a bite increases, with many mail carriers injured as a result. -- Mikkel Becker and Dr. Marty Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and also the authors of many best-selling pet care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

Have you thought about adopting a cat this year? Whether you are looking for your first cat, a companion cat to one you already love or an addition to a busy, active household, now's a great time to bring home a shelter cat.

If you think of shelters as gloom-and-doom places, you might be surprised at the changes in many shelter facilities. For cats, especially, the days of sterile, stacked steel cages are giving way to colony cat rooms, where the animals can relax and show off their loving personalities.

Still, I know going to a shelter can be overwhelming, since you can't take them all home. But if you think about what you're looking for in a cat, go in with a plan, and listen to your heart and your head, I bet you'll find the adoption option is easier and more rewarding than you think.

There are advantages to adopting from a shelter, and saving money is one of them. Adult pets are usually spayed or neutered before they're made available for adoption, and that's real savings. The cats you see usually also have been vet-checked, vaccinated and, in some shelters, evaluated for temperament. In many shelters you'll find staff members and volunteers who are familiar with each cat's personality and can tell you which ones are lap-sitters, which are playful, which ones like kids and dogs, and which ones would rather live without them.

Another plus is the variety of cats you can find: longhaired, shorthaired, tabby, calico and sometimes even pedigreed cats, especially popular breeds such as Siamese and Persian. Yes, that's right: If you've always dreamed of having a chatty Siamese, you can find one in a shelter, especially if you broaden your search by using Petfinder.com.

Want more reasons to adopt from a shelter? Many shelter cats are already familiar with home life because that's where they came from, often ending up in a shelter through no fault of their own -- especially in this economy. They're cool around kids or dogs, and they know the litter box routine. I'm no fan of declawing, but if you believe you must have a cat who is declawed, there's a good chance you can find one at a shelter.

Before you go, get a picture in your head about what you want in a cat. Lap-sitter or lively? Cool with kids and dogs? Chatty or quiet? Some shelters start with adoption counseling first, then introduce you to the cats who are the best matches. Other shelters give you a chance to look the cats over and visit with them first, then help you choose the one cat who's right for you.

And if your shelter doesn't have adoption counseling? Look beyond the cute and think of the home you're providing. If yours is a three-ring circus with boisterous children and lots of other animals, you'll want to consider those bold, friendly cats who seem to be handling the shelter environment well. If you have a quiet home, look to the shy cats who may just need time to relax and look around in a new home. That cat can also be a good choice if you enjoy the feline presence but would prefer not to have one who's "in your face" all the time.

Most important, look past appearance and "see" with your heart what's really there. Behind a plain-vanilla exterior of a cat who has been overlooked by so many, you may discover a sweet pet with the purrfect personality. Those cats are the keepers, no matter what they look like.

Which leads me to the best reason of all for adopting a cat from a shelter: that warm, fuzzy, tingly glow you get from giving a home to a cat in need and hearing him purr as he settles into his new digs -- after you get your veterinarian to check him over of course!

(Video bonus: Training expert Mikkel Becker shows how to teach your dog that running away is not acceptable (vetstreet/ train/how-to-keep-your-dog-from-running-away)

Q&A

Let your cat win

laser pointer game

Q: Are laser pointers safe? My cat really goes crazy when I get his out to play. -- via email

A: As with so many other things, I have to give an answer and a caveat. For many cats, laser pointers are wonderful for getting in a good workout. For indoor cats, especially, pretty much anything that gets a cat moving is a good thing. But for some cats, these toys have been blamed for the development of compulsive behaviors, such as excessive grooming.

The worry most people have regarding safety is about the laser itself. Of course you shouldn't shine the light into your pet's eyes (or your own) on purpose, but you don't have to worry if the beam hits an eye for a split-second in play.

The potential problem with these toys comes because the cat can never "win" the game. Even if a cat catches the moving dot, there's nothing there. The cat gets all worked up with no resolution -- every time. Even in the wild, a hunting cat will catch the prey now and then. But there's no catching that alluring, fast-moving red dot!

Although most cats will wind down from their hunting high with no harm done, some will redirect their frustration in ways that can hurt themselves or others. There's an easy way out of the problem, however. After you've used the laser pointer to exhaust your cat (up and down stairs can be fun -- StairMaster for cats!), switch to a toy that can be caught and "killed," such as one on the end of a fishing pole, or a stuffed mouse. Your cat can then wind down with the satisfaction of having won the game, with "dead prey" to show for his hunting prowess. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Domesticated rats

can be good pets

-- Rats can be clever, playful and affectionate pets, perfect not only for responsible older children, but also for open-minded adults. When purchased or adopted from reputable sources and kept in good health, these pets usually live two to three years. Domesticated rats come in many colors and patterns and can learn tricks as easily as many dogs.

-- Raw vegetables and fruits are a wonderful treat for dogs. Veterinarians often recommend carrots and apple slices as a substitute for commercial treats, especially for dogs who are pudgy. (Another easy weight-loss trick involving vegetables: Substitute thawed green beans for part of your dog's daily food ration. They'll make your pet feel full without adding much in the way of calories.) Not all fruits and vegetables are good for your dog, though, and some may even be toxic. The absolute no-no's include raisins and grapes, avocados, onions and many nuts. When in doubt, ask your veterinarian or visit the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center online (aspca.org/apcc).

-- We all know that yawning is contagious among people, but dogs can also "catch" our yawns. When dogs yawn on their own, they're more likely doing it in an effort to relieve stress than to signify that naptime is coming.

-- Mikkel Becker and Dr. Marty Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and also the authors of many best-selling pet care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.