To see them all, and to share your own nature photos, join NATURE’s Flickr Group.

Click the thumbnails below to see a larger view.

Four-time Emmy Award winner, filmmaker and director Ellen Goosenberg Kent kept the 10-month production of NATURE’s Why We Love Cats and Dogs on the right track. Ellen brings a strong visual sense to the art of storytelling and was able to illuminate the dynamic human-pet relationship, revealing how dogs and cats share our emotions in many significant ways.

This episode originally aired February 15, 2009.

Everybody’s pet has quirks.

We get it: your pet is a member of your family, and there are things you know about your cat or dog that no one else would ever guess. Now it’s time to spill!

What are your pet’s quirks?

Does it have any special talents?

What does your pet do that you think is absolutely hilarious?

We want to hear all about it!

Tell us what makes your dog or cat special in the comments field below.

Limit: Three photos per person only please.

Deadline: March 2, 2009.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

* samblak: Dogs. mostly because Cats suck. – getting straight to the point

* lillypuddig: cat of course!! they are independent creatures that train you you dont train them…they are a joy to get to know

* YosemiteSteve: Cats are lower maintainence, more diverse personality types, less inbred.

* wyldkyss: Dogs! Dogs are always happy to see me, cats often don’t care what the human is up to unless it involves food or annoying you.

* thancrus: it’s entirely dependent on the person. Cats r more independent & dogs generally r more dependent. Go with what fits

* Princess_Mo: i’m partial to both cats and dogs, but my family are dog people so i’m representing the cat people. :)

* creativedc: well, duh – DOGS!

* sm_carter: Dogs! W/ science & history making the strong case that the dog is the only animal to domesticate itself case closed

* futuristicplans: Cats. Because if I don’t say cats, my cat will make me pay dearly.

* lortz: depends on your personality and lifestyle. i have a cat.

* heatherleanne: When Timmy was stuck down a well, did Whiskers the cat get help? No. It was Lassie, son. Recognize.

* ABrandNewWorld: Cats a very low maintenance. Just rub their bellies and feed them. They’re my fav.

* cunningpike: Cats. Not only are hey are easier to look after in practical terms but unlike dogs their affection is a conscious act

* Tripawds: Why of course I’m partial to dogs being a better pet, especially if they’re a Tripawd!

* grandciel: I love both. A cat and dog “own” me, but at least the cat doesn’t eat its own poop.

* BadPitBull: cats are so much easy but dogs are so loyal there is only one option. Have both.

Add your opinion in the comments field below. Join us on Twitter for more discussion, and to stay in the know about NATURE.

Perhaps it’s because our furry friends have long provided us with comfort, camaraderie, and unconditional love. Cats and dogs are our unending source of kisses, cuddles, slobber, claws, and laughs. Watch as NATURE shares the stories of pet owners and their beloved animals. From a very special dog named Jerry, to a cat that saved a man’s life, Why We Love Cats and Dogs presents a portrait of some of the most powerful and remarkable connections we experience as humans—the unbreakable bonds with our pets.

Four-time Emmy Award winner, filmmaker and director Ellen Goosenberg Kent kept the 10-month production of NATURE’s Why We Love Cats and Dogs on the right track. Ellen brings a strong visual sense to the art of storytelling and was able to illuminate the dynamic human-pet relationship, revealing how dogs and cats share our emotions in many significant ways.

Update February 19, 2009: Professional dog trainer and behaviorist Sarah Wilson answers Five Good Questions on PBS Engage.

Online content for Why We Love Cats and Dogs was originally posted February 2009.

Photo by Joe Sinnot © EBC

Thanks to everyone who entered! The contest is now closed. You can still join the PBS NATURE Flickr group to share your photos of the natural world any time.

You’ve already bragged to friends and family that your dog or cat is the cutest in the world — now prove it! Send in your best photo of your favorite four-paws to NATURE’s Why I Love Cats and Dogs Photo Contest, then tune-in with your pets for Why We Love Cats and Dogs, Sunday February 15 at 8pm (check local listings).

Contest Deadline: March 2, 2009

PRIZES AND JUDGING

The producers of NATURE will judge the entries and select five winners and ten runners-up. The five winning photos will receive a DVD of Why We Love Cats and Dogs. The five winning photos and ten runners-up will be featured in a Contest Winners gallery on the PBS NATURE Web site.

CONTEST RULES

Adding your photo to the NATURE Flickr group with the tag “naturecats” or “naturedogs” constitutes entry into the contest. By entering the contest you indicate your agreement to the following terms.

• You must be at least 13 years of age.
• Entry is limited to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
• You must be the creator of any image you submit, and you must not submit any image for which the copyright is held by another party.
• Contest entry is limited to three photos per person, and only photos of cats or dogs will be accepted.
• Regardless of any license settings on your photo, you give permission to PBS and WNET.ORG to publish the submitted image, your first name, and your location on the PBS NATURE Web site at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ in perpetuity.
• Employees of PBS and WNET.ORG, and their families, are not eligible to participate.
• In the event that your photo is selected for an honor, you agree to be contacted through Flickr mail. If you are contacted by the contest administrator, you agree to respond within 72 hours. If you fail to respond within 72 hours of being contacted, your photo will be disqualified.
• In addition to the above, you agree to abide by all Flickr site guidelines.

ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals provides local and national leadership in three key areas: caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals and serving victims of animal cruelty. Visit their site for information about pet adoption, health, and more.

Meet Your Match (ASPCA)
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/meet-your-match/
For more information about the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match adoption program, featured in Why We Love Cats and Dogs, visit their Web site.

ICAT – International Cat Agility Tournaments
http://www.catagility.com/
You saw the cats in action in Why We Love Cats and Dogs! ICAT has created a new category of cat competition in which cats negotiate an agility course – showing off their skills and their connection to their owners.

The Humane Society: Pet Adoption
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/
If you’re considering bringing a pet into your life, the Humane Society urges you to consider adopting from a local animal shelter.

Jerry’s Place for Tripawds
http://www.tripawds.com/
Jim Nelson and René Agredano, featured in Why We Love Cats and Dogs, provide resources and support for three-legged dogs and their owners.

MedlinePlus: Pet Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pethealth.html
A resource of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, this Web site has lots of resources to help you keep your pet happy and healthy.

My Smart Puppy
http://www.mysmartpuppy.com/
Sarah Wilson, featured in Why We Love Cats and Dogs, maintains this Web site as a resource for dog training and behavior information.

BOOKS AND PRINT

Bekoff, Marc. The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter. New World Library, 2007.

Croke, Vicki and Sarah Wilson. Dogology: What Your Relationship with Your Dog Reveals about You. Rodale, 2008.

Dodman, Nicholas. The Cat Who Cried for Help: Attitudes, Emotions, and the Psychology of Cats. Bantam, 1999.

Dodman, Nicholas. The Well-Adjusted Dog: Dr. Dodman’s Seven Steps to Lifelong Health and Happiness for Your Best Friend. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008.

To make NATURE’s Chasing Big Cats, natural history filmmakers Owen Newman and Amanda Barrett spent years in Africa trailing some of the world’s rarest and most secretive predatory animals. Their painstaking labor, which has included tracking cats for days on end, has produced some of wildlife filmmaking’s most memorable footage. NATURE recently spoke with the pair from their home in the United Kingdom.

This is difficult work. How did you get involved in it?

Amanda Barrett: I’ve been doing it about 16 years. I started off as a secretary [to a filmmaker], then went on to become a researcher and then a producer. I’ve always been passionate about wildlife and environmental issues, and I wanted to show people the beauty of the amazing world around us. With knowledge comes respect, appreciation, and admiration. I hope people see that they are just one species among many. On the evolutionary scale we are just a twig on the tree, not the topmost branch. Lions are just trying to do what we do — raise babies and make their way in the world. Hopefully we can give them the space they need to do that.

Owen Newman: I got into it by accident, actually, in the late 1970s. I was doing still photography, and was helping out with a show on small mammals. [The filmmaker] gave me an ancient [movie] camera to try out. I think his exact words were to “p— off and go do some filming.” So I ended up making a film about some mice.

What’s drawn you to filming cats?

Owen Newman in the field.

Amanda: Well, they are very photogenic, and they do a lot of interesting things. And there is still a lot to be found out about them. That’s not to say we’re not interested in those poor old herbivores, it’s just the cats are so interesting.

Owen: I think everyone is interested in the big cats. The first filming I did was of cheetahs. I latched on to a female with about six cubs, and it was fascinating to watch. When I’d finished that, I ended up doing a film where I followed a cheetah with small cubs for about three months… just followed her around…

How much time do you spend in the field filming?

Amanda: We go out for six to eight months a year. You need time to find and get to know the animals.

What’s changed during the time you’ve been going to Africa to film wild cats?

Amanda: In Kenya, the increasing human population is very noticeable. Parks are becoming islands in a sea of people. In Tanzania it is less noticeable, because it is a bigger country. Many of the changes I see are not necessarily for the better. But what gives me hope is that more and more young people are aware of the issues and problems.

Owen: There are certainly a lot more photographers and tourists. There is a lot more pressure on animals now… On some occasions you just get so many cars following one animal that you just have to back out. It is bad for the animal. Not everyone behaves very well.

Do you have a favorite moment you’ve captured on film?

Amanda: My most favorite is a backlit cheetah running right at the camera. It shows the essence of the cheetah. When the shot starts, she’s not at full tilt. Then her ears go back and you can see complete determination to catch that impala. She’s bred to run… it is millions of years of evolution caught in a moment of perfection. That is what every natural history filmmaker is trying to get. That run is the best cheetah run anyone will ever get… if not, I’ll eat my hat.

Owen: That was quite good. We also filmed some male lions fighting… that was quite lucky. The most exciting stuff has been with small cats. I filmed a young male serval that upset a grant’s gazelle, and she charged him and threw him over her back. Filming servals leaping in the air to catch storks was wonderful too.

What is one of your most difficult or memorable assignments?

Owen: We did a lot of work with male cheetahs, and the only way to do that is to trail them and stay with them for 5, 6, 7 days at a time, all day and all night. One evening we were with some tourists, watching these 3 males sitting under a tree. The tourists left, but we had license to stay on and follow them. As it got dark the cheetahs got up and started moving, then they would stop to sleep, then move on again. It was a hell of a job to stay awake yourself. Overall, they moved 16 kilometers (about 10 miles). But when they finally went to sleep around dawn, they’d ended up just 20 meters (about 65 feet) from where they started! The tourists who came back after breakfast must have thought we’d been there all night, in the same place!

Amanda: Filming that caracal at night. Trying to find one is like finding a needle in the haystack. So finding that cat, which was an incredible performer, was like finding Marilyn Monroe… she was one in 10,000.

What’s the next challenge?

Amanda: We’re off to Brazil to try to film wild jaguars. It is the most difficult cat of all.

Owen: Yes, just coming to grips with a wild jaguar will be very difficult. It’s the hardest thing we’ve set off to do. We’ll be using remote cameras, which we’ve never used before.

Amanda: They live in very impenetrable habitats and melt away into the undergrowth — and the undergrowth is very, very thick. But you try, because filming a wild cat doing its own thing is the ultimate Holy Grail.

Owen: Some shots you imagine are going to be really difficult. And then you get there and it is actually quite easy. And sometimes it’s the simplest shot that turns out to be virtually impossible. You never know until you are doing it.