Adopt Johnny Depp Today! Or Turbo, Theodora, Nadia, Carla

PFLUGERVILLE, TX -- Who doesn’t love Johnny Depp? Or Turbo? Or Theodora.

These are among the furry creatures living at the Pflugerville Animal Shelter looking for forever homes

Shelter officials are promoting their weekly “pets of the week” in an effort to find homes for these lovable creatures.

There’s Carla, a sweet girl with a pensive gaze, her coat in black-and-white coloration. Thompson, described as “goofy and lovable,” seems ready to go. Turbo, a one-year-old tan dog, is described as “energetic,” befitting his name.

You’re a cat person? Johnny Depp is actually a five-month-old cat, seen relaxing in his picture as he probably dreams of belonging to a family.

Fellow feline Theodora is a three-year-old female cat, spayed, and ready to be loved. The mysterious Nadia, a dark gray cat looking confidently into camera ready for her closeup with her tail in the air, is a six-month-old female described as “quiet” and “lovable” (and also spayed).

There are measurable benefits to owning a pet. Animal Planet recently outlined five of the top advantages to having an domesticated animal around, including as a way of warding off allergies.

Warding off allergies? Yes, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern, having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 percent.

In Central Texas, where annual mountain cedar pollen leaves misery to some of us in its wake, this is something to consider.

Gern’s assertion is no mere expression of animal-loving fanaticism, but research that was actually vetted before being published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, whose editors, no doubt, study submissions carefully before accepting them for publication.

Because as journals of allergies and clinical immunologies go, this is probably the bible among such publications.

You don’t suffer from allergies, you say? Well, pets also provide an instant icebreaker and could land you a wife or husband, Animal Planet notes.

For the health-conscious, pets yield a furry vehicle toward better heart health. Findings show that pet owners exhibit decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- all of which can minimize the likelihood of heart attacks.

We could go on.

Contact the Pflugerville Animal Shelter to pick out your heart-attack-reducing, ice-breaking, allergy-protecting companion today! Shelter officials also let people try out a pet on a trial basis to see if they acclimate to your home first.

For more information, contact the shelter at (512) 990-PETS or emal at Pets@Pflugervilletx.gov.