A public health message from your pet

It's about time I got some recognition from the humans here at The Public's Health, not to mention the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (It has a whole new website!)

Yes, it's me, your pet. I know you appreciate me. I help you keep fit. I lower your stress. I bring happiness. I rarely make a mess, and when I do, you forgive me . . . because I'm so loveable. And that is just how it should be.

Did you forgot to buy me a toy for World Animal Day, Oct. 4? No worries. I accept late gifts. Here's a calendar in case you'd like to write down all the animal holidays. I don't mind that you put all those pictures of me on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and use me as a screensaver, but honestly, gifts are nice. Also, vet visits for checkups. Don't forget those. Am I getting too fat?

And who else loves me? The folks at the CDC, that's who. They've got a list of all the good things I do for your health on their new "Healthy Pets Healthy People" site. (Well, OK, they did feel the need to add "people." But, hey, they claim that you'll be able to find pet-related Facebook posts on one of their official pages, and pet-related tweets, too. We'll see. But they do have a timely "Disaster Preparedness for Your Pet" section; Hurricane Joaquin has been scaring the yelps out me.)

They like me, they really do! And so do the folks at the National Institutes of Health. Check this out. Hey: Tom Frieden and Francis Collins! Send me toys!

* Roxie belongs to some public health activists. She gets regular checkups.

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