SAN JOSE, California: On your mark, get set, go! Dogs come in big and small packages. Some can really be speed demons and will literally leave you in their dust if you’'re not careful.

Be they long or short-legged, all dogs will run their hearts out for you. We all know about Greyhounds and other fast canines, but other pooches can really surprise you.

COUNTRY, Missouri: Did you know that nearly 7.5 million households will be dressing up their pets alongside their kids for Halloween, spending nearly two billion dollars in the process?. Yep, Halloween for pets is big business.

DECATUR, Georgia: Death is always a surprise. It is never easy to lose a loved one. Be it a human family member or a four-legged furry pet companion, death always brings a heavy cloud over your whole household. To make it worse when a much-loved family pet passes away, traditionally the only option was a box buried in the backyard. However, things have changed.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: You've heard of working dogs - well this is taking the concept to a new level. One in five American firms now allows employees to bring their pets to work, according to a study made by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA).

NEW YORK, New York: If you're looking for a way to maximize your dog's physical and spiritual wellbeing, then you're looking for doga.

No, doga isn't a character from Star Wars - it's actually the name given to yoga classes for dogs. Seriously.

PARIS, France: Remy lives in an attic. His job is to sniff for poison in food. His life is constantly in grave danger, especially when he's around humans. That's because Remy is a rat. But Remy is not your ordinary garbage-raiding, leftover-eating vermin. Remy is a rat with superb culinary skills and a taste for gourmet dishes.

REDWOOD CITY, California: Woof, woof!, Arf, arf! Bow wow wow, grrrrrrr... Wouldn't it be great to be able to talk to or even understand what your pet pooch is trying to tell you? Many pet owners would love to have Dr. Doolittle's ability of speaking with animals. Well, maybe there is a way you can communicate with your pet without looking like a complete nutcase.

SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom: Own a porky kitty and or a chunky pooch? Well you're not alone. Welcome to a new online phenomenon - the online obese pet club. Here rotund pets can join their pudgy paws together in the virtual world of the World Wide Web - just as long as you don't mention the dreaded f-word - 'fat'.

NEW YORK, United States: A kiss isn't just a kiss. According to a new survey by Harris Interactive, North Americans are almost as likely to kiss family pets on the lips as they are husbands, wives or children.

MADISON, Wisconsin: So you're breaking up. She gets the apartment, you get the car. He gets the laptop and the game console, she gets the couch and the TiVo.