Pet lovers in East Tennessee now have another resource to help make their community more pet friendly. "Four Paws: Handbook for a Pet-Friendly Community" is full of ideas, tips and tricks, and local initiatives to keep pets happy and healthy.

While last year Knoxville was named the most dog-friendly city in the Southeast by Dog Fancy magazine, East Tennessee still faces significant pet overpopulation and animal homelessness across the region. A responsible pet-owning community can help decrease euthanasia rates by spaying and neutering pets, decreasing the number of animals that are surrendered to shelters and reuniting more owners with lost pets through the use of microchips and identification tags.

These are all topics covered in the "Four Paws" handbook, a free community resource for current pet owners and potential pet adopters in nine East Tennessee counties - Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier and Union.

"Pets are an important part of our families here in Knox County and across East Tennessee, and I hope the 'Four Paws' handbook is helpful to pet owners and people who are thinking about bringing home a new pet," Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said.

"Four Paws" also gives new pet owners a rundown of how to introduce a new pet to the house, tips for renting pet-friendly apartments, advice on boarding your pet during a vacation and instructions on keeping your pet in good health in every season.

"Pet owners across the City of Knoxville and East Tennessee communities are already committed to responsibly caring for their pets," Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said. "But there are still problems we need to tackle as a community to better care for companion animals. The 'Four Paws' handbook addresses what individual pet owners can do to help. Please share this resource with your neighbors, friends and coworkers - and perhaps keep one more animal out of the shelter and in a happy home." The "Four Paws" handbook is sponsored by Young-Williams Animal Center, the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine/Companion Animal Initiative of Tennessee, Knoxville Veterinary Medical Association and the Most Pet-Friendly Community Initiative.