NEW PET PROJECT

Adopting a pet can be one of life's greatest joys, and it's one that former Bachelor star Laura Byrne knows well.

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Adopted eight years ago, her three-legged pooch, Buster, has been there for some pretty big milestones, including walking her down the aisle at her wedding to Matt "Matty J" Johnson.

As the mother-of-two has recently also welcomed a cat to the family (a nod to her Instagram name @ladyandacat), WHO sat down with Byrne to get her advice on what it takes to adopt a canine or feline companion.

TIP 1: GO IN WITH AN OPEN MIND
Byrne says one common misconception about rescue pets is that they're aggressive.

"I'd never had a rescue dog before Buster; I'd only ever had dogs as a kid that my mum had bought through breeders and pet shops, so I wouldn't have wanted to take the risk for fear of it being aggressive due to trauma," she says. "Buster had already had his front leg off when I adopted him because he'd been in a car accident, but he was just the sweetest, gentlest, most beautiful boy and he completely changed my mind about rescue dogs."
TIP 2: FORGET AESTHETICS

We all know the designer dog stereotype, but even Byrne believes that some pet owners put too much weight on aesthetics when picking a new pet.