be spending the rest of this morning. and most of the animals we know best are our very own pets and that is a special bond, but our jim axelrod will be examining in our sunday morning cover story. >> stay, stay. >> yeah! >> not only have the number of pets in the united states exploded in the last 40 years. >> good boy! >> there has been a generational change in the way we treat them as well. >> you love your momma? huh? >> never mind man's best friend, how about surrogate children? >> come on, let's have dinner. >> how our pet's pliefs are becoming a family affair. >> later on sunday morning. >> osgood: as any animal lover knows, tree huggers come in all shapes and sizes, including rolly polie and small enough to cuddle, we have taken a trip down under. >> ♪ >> the koala is not a teddy bear, but it is just as cute. >> i have watched grown men melt. >> and then, oh, you know. later on sunday morning, those unbearably cute koalas. >> a dog's tale is a story from anthony mason, all about a popular writer and his life changing four legged friend. >> author dean koontz was so busy selling number one best sellers he didn't think he had time for a dog, then he got trixie. >> a relationship with a good dog is perfection. >> but after a golden retriever changed his life earlier this year, he nearly lost his life. >> do you remember passing out? >> no. i have no memory of it at all. >> author dean koontz on his dog and a near death experience, later on sunday morning. >> osgood: actress isabella rosalie any is accustomed to living her life center stage, unless it comes to animals, in which case she is happy to play a supporting role. as aaron moriarty will illustrate. >> you know her as the face of cosmetics, a super model. >> drink that motion. >> and a daring actress. >> but mere is something you may not know. >> isabella rosalie any has a secret passion. >> i think i always was interested in animals, i think it is man likes women, he might discuss business but there is a part of his business coming in and checking the girls out and i do the same thing with animals. >> good dog. >> the wildlife of isabel rosalini, later on sunday morning. >> osgood: manager is fishy in the world of pet competitions, and we are on the case. >> i have seven aquariums. >> three ponds. >> sometimes you hook the fish. >> and sometimes they hook you .. >> yes. this thing is beautiful. look at the body on that. >> the expanding world of goldfish competition, later on sunday morning. keep those fingers crossed for little rusty. >> osgood: all that and much more. >> first let's go to the newsroom for the sunday morning headlines. >> good morning, it is july 17th, 2011 and i am rebecca jarvis, casey anthony is a free woman and walked out of the orange county jail in orlando florida shortly after midnight this morning, anthony, who received death threats since being acquitted on charges of murdering her two-year-old daughter was accompanied by her lawyer, the two got in a waiting suv and headed to parts unknown. >> one of ar rupert murdoch's tp executives has reportedly been arrested, sky news is saying rebecca brooks has become the tenth person charged in connection with the phone hacking scandal now threatening murdoch's empire. >> murdoch papers this weekend are full run page ads apologizing for hacking. the white house may call for another meeting today between congressional leaders and president obama on a deficit cutting plan, the deadline for raising the nation's debt crean is, ceiling second, that is just over two weeks away. >> there was fear of a traffic jam for a hollywood movie but we head to a two-day shut down of 405, after the partial demolition of a bridge, so far, so good. police reported unusually light traffic, and the highway will reopen early tomorrow. venezuelan president huh go chavez headed to cuba for another round of cancer treatment before departing, chavez handed over some of his powers to underlings. >> glen campbell wowed them at the bill blocks situate mississippi sunday night, 22 song set, it was the country music legend's first performance since announcing that he had alzheimer's. >> and in sports, the united states and japan women's soccer team square offer for the title in the world cup competition later today in germany. here is today's weather. the middle of the country will be baking in triple digit heat and it will be warm elsewhere with strong storms hitting the great lakes and in the days ahead we are expecting cooler weather up north along with lots more high heat over the plains. >> osgood: next, families have their pets, just who owns whom. >> come on, let's have lunch. come on. >> come on, let's have lunch. come on. >> osgood: and later,, denny's new tour of america menu. 50 star cuisine. the new tour of america menu. starting at $4.99. only at denny's. america's diner is always open. the kincaids live here. across the street, the padillas. ben and his family live here, too. ben's a re/max agent, and he's a big part of this community. there are lots of reasons why re/max agents average more sales than other agents. experience, certainly. but maybe it's also because they care about the markets they serve and the neighbors who rely on them. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. >> osgood: as i look around any owner's home will tell you animals are not just another possession they are all in the family, in every way that counts. our cover story is reported by jim axelrod. >> okay. let's go for a walk. come on, lola. >> even on a cold and dreary day in april. >> scratch there good? got an itch? got to scratch the itch? >> joan and her two portuguese water dogs are out walking. >> go see. come on, guys. >> it is a nasty day, i mean here it is april and have snow flakes and it is freezing and you are out here? >> they keep me moving. >> they are great. >> they are telling each other what a great day it is, is what they are doing. >> a widow for 11 years, her children grown, joan found gus and lola the perfect guard dogs to chase away loneliness whenever it threatened. >> i couldn't stand the empty, quiet house, and i said, hmm, a dog. >> i bet that story is going to sound so familiar to so many people. >> i imagine so. >> it should. in 1972, we owned about 61 million dogs and cats. >> by 2010, that number had climbed to around 165 million. >> you love your momma? you love your momma? >> two pets were enough for joan to fill her empty nest. >> look act your tail, it is so beautiful. wow! >> come on, kitty, kitty. >> come on, guys. hi. >> artist can at this rut berg needed a few more. >> three peacocks, six goats, three cats, last count, ten rabbits. >> she lives with 71 pets at her animal inspired artwork filled home in upstate new york. and in case you are wondering, yes, that is an angora rabbit in her lap. >> i don't know about other people but for me, proximity to these animals is very healing and it really feeds me in a way that my relationship with humans hasn't. >> come on, let's go eat lunch. >> come on. >> she oversees her menagerie with the command of a general, everything is kept spotless. >> she likes to bureau in and that's why she is such a good cuddler. >> and at night her troops climb right into bed with her. >> cats, dogs, and pigs. >> is she a good sleeper. >> she is such a good sleeper, you can't imagine. she won't move all night, in fact, she is angry if i move. >> kathy may live on the far end of the spectrum, but in our pet nation, where two-legged filled stomachs and four legged filled hearts, animals are more than ever the companion of choice. >> right now it is a very balanced environment. so i don't know what a male homeless, homo sapien would do to the environment. >> according to one survey, most households are home to at least one pet, that is 73 million homes. and we spend a lot of money taking care of them, more than $48 billion last year. $48 billion. consider that after the earthquake in haiti, the total donated by u.s. citizens was $1.4 billion. >> the pet population has grown faster than the human population, maybe twice as fast at the moment. >> james surple is a pro tells sorry of animal welfare at the pennsylvania of university, university of pennsylvania pet school. >> people are having fewer children and more likely to be divorced. they tend to have less substantial friendships, and what i think is happening is that people are looking to animals to fill those gaps. what a sweety, up. >> according to him, a growing body of evidence suggests love for our pets is as much a matter of the head as the heart. specifically, a neurochemical called oxy toe sin. >> we know if a mother or father handles their own infant they see a big increase in oxytocin level in their blood streams .. and we know that this rise in oxytocin is associated with a decline of stress on them, so the animal is doing the same thing for us, essentially, it is producing this rise in oxytocin level, that is bringing down our stress levels. >> it makes perfect sense. the birds of life are eased by pets. more burdens than ever mean more pets than ever. >> yeah. >> it also explains the pampering that can sometimes seem like people taking care of people, not animals. >> no surprise, given that a poll conducted by sunday morning reveals 89 percent of us consider our pets to be part of the family. >> people are -- they get something from animals, these companion animals, these pets, which is not identical to what we get from other people, but it is certainly similar. >> come on, come on. >> so keep all of this in mind the next time you are ready to roll your eyes at one of those over the top pet people. >> what do you think your kids think of your dog. >> i can give you a couple of examples. i was talking to one of my kids on the phone and i booed lola, no! and my son said to me, oh, my god, mom, i feel like i am nine years old and you just reprimanded me. >> can i tell you something? it was really scary! >> i know, son. >> joan axelrod, like most citizens of pet nation, knows the difference between two legs and four legs, most of the timed. >> you know where i draw the line? you lit hal, literally have said to me, you kind of look like gus. who is better looking? >> don't do that. >> you are the human better looking one, and he is the dog better looking one! >> he has more hair. he had hair like you used to have. >> osgood: next, grin and bear it. by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. >> wherever you see a eucalyptus tree in australia you just might spot a koala nearby, but whether that will always be true is no sure thing as rita braver now explains. ♪ >> koalas, loveable, adorable cuddly looking creatures that resemble teddy bears. >> a some people think these these are bears and part of the bear family. >> they are marsupials and related to combat, kangaroos. >> anything with a pouch? >> pretty much. >> he is operations manager at the wildlife park outside of sydney. among the wombats and wallabees, the crocks and kangaroos he introduces us to molly and pebbles and her baby jack zero. can you jack co. >> do you recognize them all. >> yes, it is funny because they sleep a long time because they are not going to give you a feedback say like a dog or cat. >> koalas can weigh up to 15 pounds, found exclusively in northeastern australia they live only about eight years in the wild, but are money to reach 22 in captivity. they are good climbers, and live in loose families. >> does the father have any child rearing responsibilities? >> no, no. the male is pretty just does the fun part, and he gets to create the baby and he is off. >> momma isn't necessarily the most devoted either. >> is she interested in the baby or does she tolerate the baby? >> well, she is probably more tolerate than complete like she doesn't dote on the babies, that is for sure. >> the word claw is said to be an aboriginal term meaning does not drink water. >> are you ready for this? >> they get everything, all the solid and liquid nourishment they need from eating leaves from the union lip eucalyptus, also known as the gum tree but that is a problem, in a natural habitats are quickly disappearing, and so are the koalas, they are used to, there used to be millions. >> we think there are probably between 40 and 80,000, and i personally think it is on the lower end. >> debra tubort known as koala woman, is head of the australian koala foundation, which is fighting to protect the animals. >> if life was good for koalas, it would be good for australia generally. >> she says the creatures might have been wiped out years ago save for an american. >> in 1923 we shot 3 million in 1 year. >> shot them? for what? >> fur, for fur, and interestingly enough, president hoover in the united states stopped the importation of skin in 1929 and that is the only reason koalas didn't go to extinction. >> they can't be hunted anymore but to save their habitats from developers the australian government is reviewing whether they should be put on the threatened list to protect them further. >> in recent years, koalas have also been affected by chlamydia. >> i believe chlamydia is a response to stress and that stress is because their trees are being cut down and things are rough in the bush right now. >> koalas are still a huge draw for australia. >> our country has $2.5 billion worth of tourism, what is the first thing that celebrities, the pope, oprah, anyone who comes to australia, the first thing we do is put our koala in their hands. >> charlie! i have watched grown men melt, you know. oh, no, and then, ah. >> ah, indeed. >> i am a model, you know what i mean. >> osgood: ahead, a star of the catwalk. for at least six weeks, you're frustrated that your depressive symptoms are still with you. seroquel xr, when added to an antidepressant, is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. for many, taking seroquel xr with an antidepressant was proven more effective than an antidepressant alone for treating unresolved symptoms of depression. talk to your doctor about seroquel xr. then visit seroquelxr.com for a free trial offer. call your doctor if you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children,teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking seroquel xr have an increased risk of death. call your doctor if you have fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be signs of a life-threatening reaction or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with seroquel xr and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. your doctor should check for cataracts. other risks include decreases in white blood cells, which can be fatal, seizures, increased cholesterol, weight gain, dizziness on standing, drowsiness,impaired judgment, and trouble swallowing. use caution before driving or operating machinery. for more help putting distance between you and your depression, ask your doctor about adding seroquel xr. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. if you can't afford your ♪ dication, hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in a little drop of chocolate. pure hershey's. >> osgood: a cat on a leash? believe it or not it can be done. >> you get noticed a lot. we do. >> when he takes radar out for a walk in new york city, people notice. >> i really don't have the time to pick it up and walk a dog two times a day. >> that's because radar is a cat. ♪ >> on a weekends, it is kind of annoying, i know how celebrities feel. >> you are beautiful! >> come on, radar. >> being a celebrity cat can be lonely. >> it is interesting, he doesn't have any cat friends. >> really? >> my friends who had cats don't take them out. >> but is walking your cat really is such a rarity? >> the web is crawling with cool cats on leashes. no surprise to elizabeth toloran. >> i think i encourage it, i think if you have the right cat with the right disposition it is great fun and exercise. >> collar ran is president of the american association of feline practitioners. she says catwalking could be the answer to the nation's epidemic of cat obesity. >> it is a huge, huge issue and it is one we are really trying hard to address. >> a call to action being answered by toby tasanke. >> we place our d ring further back. >> maker of the cat harness. >> rocky is positively fetching in this blue d denim model. >> we think of cats so aloof and passive aggressive, is that fair? >> i think it depends on the cat. i think rocky was very unhappy with that explanation. >> okay. oh, my, gosh, yes, he doesn't like me saying that. >> the in door cat let's face it, their world is so small. >> they are prisoners. they are prisoners. >> you have the ability as a pet owner to give your cat the world. >> the advice is starting the kitten with a leash early, in time, your feline may be catting around town with the confidence of a radar. ♪ >> radar can be as friendly as a puppy. >> and this is how it gets started. >> yes. >> a future catwalker. >> except when he encounters dogs. then he is all cat. >> i think dogs -- >> after this husky, no bite and barely a bark. >> and for owners still skittish about putting a cat on a leash? meet masuka. >> she loves to go for walks, it is just like with anyone. >> but she is not actually walking. >> no. >> her owner, long islands lisa king is the inventor of the kitty walk stroller. >> the reaction to you when you are taking your cat out in the stroller. >> we get a lot of people who have never seen it before and they are oh, my god that is wonderful, you know, where did you get it? that is nice. a lot of people think we have lost our minds. >> so ignore those catcalls. radar does. >> osgood: ahead, hanging around with the experts.,,,,,,,, animal attraction, a special edition of sunday morning. here again is charles osgood. >> osgood: a new place reminds us that horses who once were on the front lines of war, we will have a front row seat. after which, russ mitchell has the profile of a modern day champion, fielghtsing to protect the endangered orangutan. >> world war i was determined when tanks became the warhorses of the 20th century. >> and even though this tank is made of aluminum and plastic and the horse is a puppet. we comprehend what a terrible turning point it was. >> the tanks simply rolled over people and rolled through wire and they obliterated horses and it was that clash, then, of flesh and metal, of the machine and human kind, really. >> michael moore's novel warhorse has been turned into this. the national theatre of great britain's most successful production ever. >> get ready to jump the wire! >> in new york, it just won five tony awards, including best pl play. >> warhorse is the story of joey, and a horse, and albert, the boy who loves him. >> joey is sold to the british ar