Here's the latest article from the Baha'i site at BellaOnline.com.

Spiritual Advantages of Having Pets: How keeping a pet animal can improve health and spiritual development, from one Baha'i's point of view.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38020.asp

In addition, if you'd like to see what current research is discovering about the mental and physical health benefits of pets, here are some of my favorite links:

* http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=183 has a variety of information supporting their commitment to improving human health through training and use of service animals, primarily dogs. Includes links to some of the research.

* The UK Pet Health Council has an article on human health benefits in owning a pet: http://www.pethealthcouncil.co.uk/people.shtml

* For a good book that includes the philosophy that to train a good dog, one needs to first train one's self to be a better person: "Bones Would Rain from the Sky: deepening our relationships with dogs," Suzanne Clothier. Warner Books, 2002. Her website - http://www.flyingdogpress.com/ - has a number of articles free, in addition to calendar of seminars and books and videos.

Please visit bahai.bellaonline.com for even more great content about the Baha'i Faith.

To participate in free online discussions, this site has a community forum all about the Baha'i Faith located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=321

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Cheryll Schuette, Baha'i Editor
http://bahai.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com