With Doug and Amy on the Bite Me ’09 tour, it’s just me and the pets here in Manhattan (Kansas). Having never lived with pets before it took me a while to warm up to the cats and dogs, but with the humans gone they’ve quickly become my only friends.

Today The Boston Globe reports that both cats and dogs are safe to live with. Phew.

Many of the germs carried by pets are far more likely to be transmitted through contaminated food or water than from a pet, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the benefits of pet ownership are legion – lower blood pressure, reduced stress, even better social lives.

Dr. Lisa Moses at MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Centre in Boston, continues,

"The reality, fortunately, is that transmission of infectious diseases from pets to people is a relatively rare event.”

Neither cats or dogs are completely risk free, and pet owners should wash hands after cleaning up after pets or handling pet food.