Since 1998 the pet population in the U.S. has almost doubled, with cats and dogs moving from the backyard to our beds, getting first-rate medical attention, and flying as passengers on planes. What changed, and why? Telling some great stories along the way, Mark Cushing provides an inside look at the rise of Pet Nation, looking for the reasons behind this seismic shift and examining the economic, media, legal, political, and social dramas springing from this cultural transformation.