“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote those immortal words in 1850. How could she have known that more than a century and a half later we could use these same words for the four-legged loves of our lives? [caption id="attachment_10421" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photography: U.S. Army"] [/caption] To celebrate reaching one million Facebook “pet fans,” Petco (a U.S.-based pet supply company) recently asked followers how pets make life one million times better. Here were the top 5 responses: 1. He loves me no matter what. 2. He’s my best friend. 3. He makes me laugh. 4. He's the perfect stress-reducer. 5. He gets me off the sofa. We asked our Facebook friends a similar question – What does your pet do to make your life a little brighter? – and their responses lovingly confirmed Petco's survey. Here are a few of our favourite responses.

• "They really don't have to do anything. Just looking at my dogs makes me smile." – Debbie Lauzon • "I'm fostering five kittens right now and the joy I get from watching them play is amazing. They let me love and snuggle them all the time." – Karen Shier • "Darby loves a snuggle first thing in the morning. If I'm sitting in a chair he'll lie against my chest and go to sleep. His brother Liam is very vocal, and if I'm not getting out of bed soon enough he'll jump on the bed, wake up me and meow in my face." – MJ Westaway • "When I come home from work my Buffy jumps from the couch to the floor and back about six times, then runs over to me talking in a very high-pitched voice, as if to say, 'I'm so glad you're home!' It's so nice to be loved so very much – and it's also wonderful to be able to return that love to an appreciative being. I am blessed!" – Marsha O'Leary • " They greet me at the door as though I've been gone weeks, even when I just run to the store for five minutes. And they let me sleep a little longer on Sunday mornings!" – Elsie Ross • "As soon as our cat realizes that we're awake she'll kiss and lick our noses. After that it's major snuggling time – best way to start the day. Our other cat and our golden retriever bring many smiles to our faces throughout the day in so many ways. Our pets mean the world to us." – Michelle Brugess • "She wags her tail. It seems like a small thing, but she is paralyzed in her back end, so for her to wag her tail is a big deal to us. She's a dachshund and I love her." – Sandra Smith • " When my boxer hears me tell my son it's bedtime, she leads the way to his room, curls up on the end of the bed and waits for him. And she stays there until I get both of them up in the morning! Makes me smile every time!" – Denise Phelan

How does your pet make your day a millions times brighter?