MISSOULA, Montana (Wireless Flash) -- Forget Dr. Phil -- pets are the best medicine when it comes to maintaining a relationship.

Rachel Toor, author of the book, "The Pig and I: Why It's So Easy to Love an Animal, and So Hard to Live with a Man" (Penguin), says when couples share a pet, they become closer and see their own faults in their animals.

For instance, Toor says she once shared her pet pig with an ex-boyfriend and began to see her own personality traits reflected in the pig, such as selfishness, lack of tolerance and bullheadedness.

Although she didn't recognize her own pitfalls in time to save the relationship, Toor says she plans on using what she now knows about herself for future relationships.

In addition, Toor says pets help us accept our partners for who they are because, as she puts it, "With pets, we have to accept them because we can't change them. It should work the same way with humans. "

"The Pig and I" will be hogging bookstore shelves starting Feb. 1.