How about Coffee and a Donut to start your Sunday?

Perhaps you’d like to spend the day with Bonnie and Clyde?

And who wouldn’t love a Bear named Teddy?

Those are just six of the dogs and cats currently listed for adoption via Suffolk Animal Care on the PetFinder website.

In fact, PetFinder.com shows 22 potential lifelong friends looking for loving homes in Suffolk this week.

Izzy and Molly and Dan and Annie all need families. And Horton wonders who (see what we did there?) will come to his rescue.

According to the National Center for Health Research, having a dog or cat in the home can have some great health benefits.

A 2002 study found that people with pets have lower resting heart rates and blood pressure than those without. Pets were also found to help lower heart rates and blood pressure for people in stressful situations and to lower the risk of heart disease, too. Other research, the center says, has showed that the simple act of stroking a pet can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Among elderly people, pet ownership can help contribute to a heightened sense of well-being, and subjects in one study found that the ability of senior citizens to do daily physical activities improves when pets are present in the household.

One thing is certain: The pets that are always available at Suffolk Animal Care would be far better off in loving homes than facing the sad fate of abandonment and euthanasia at the pound.

Adoption is a relatively simple process, and the selection of animals available is constantly changing. Adoptions cost just $75 for cats and $95 for dogs, and all animals are spayed or neutered and given their vaccinations prior to going to their new homes.

To look into adoption, call the Suffolk Animal Control Bureau at 514-7855 or visit the website at http://www.suffolkva.us/anml_ctrl.