Press F5 on foot to open your pet panel. Pick a pet on the left to see its level, XP and its four bars: Hunger, Thirst, Happiness and Health.

• Call out - your pet appears behind you. Send home puts it away.
• Follow / Stay / Come - follow you, wait where it is, or run straight to you.
• Car in / out - your pet hops onto a free seat. It also jumps in by itself when you drive off with it close by, and out again when you get out. Deer, cows and pigs are too big for cars - they run after you instead.
• Pick up - small pets (cat, pug, westy, poodle, rabbit, hen, rat, raccoon, white monkey, dodo, turkey) can be carried in your arms.
• Fetch - dogs only. Have a Tennis Ball, press Fetch (or use the ball): you throw it, your dog brings it back. The ball is not used up.
• Tricks - Sit, Speak, Lie down, Beg and Give paw for dogs; cats sleep, coyotes howl, big cats rest, hens peck and grazers graze. Every pet can learn Spin and Play dead (level 6) and Jump (level 7). Dogs also learn Lick (6), Roll over (7), Shake hands and High five (8) and Stand up (10). Pets with less than 20% happiness won't do tricks.

Walk up to your pet and press E > Pet commands. A menu opens with everything your pet can do (also /petmenu, or F1 > Pet > All commands):

E on another player also gives you Pet: say hi, play with their pet, warn and add as friend.

Every command also works in chat - start typing /pet to see them all: /petcall, /pethome, /petfollow, /petstay, /petcome, /petcar, /petcarry, /petfetch, /pettrick sit, /petheel, /petgo, /petfindme, /petgreet, /petdig, /petbring, /petplay, /petpose, /petguard, /petpatrol, /petprotect, /petwarn, /petfriend, /petlookout, /petdistract, /petstash. /petcall shows your pets by number (/petcall 2 calls pet 2).

Hunger, thirst and happiness only go down while your pet is out with you - at home they stay where they were. Stand next to your pet with the item and press E (or use the item):

Anyone can press E Pet on any pet once a minute. It makes the pet happier, and it calms you down a little too.

If hunger or thirst hits zero, your pet starts losing health. At zero health - or if it gets hurt - it collapses. You then have 3 minutes to use a Pet First Aid Kit next to it. After that Animal Ark picks it up and it can't come out until the vet has seen it.

Use a collar next to your pet to put it on - for example Gold Pet Collar or Spiked Pet Collar. Using another collar swaps them and gives the old one back. Take it off in the pet panel under Care. Hens and rats can't wear collars.

The Animal Ark pet shop in Harmony (Animal Ark blip on the map) sells pet food, water, treats, tennis balls, brushes, first aid kits and collars. The vet there heals a collapsed pet or tops up its health.

Press the pen next to your pet's name in the panel to rename it. Re-home turns your pet back into Adoption Papers in your pockets - name, level, coat and collar stay on the papers.

Open the pet panel (F5) and pick the Clothing tab. With your pet out, step through every style and colour GTA has for that animal (dogs have the most) and watch it change on your pet. Save outfit keeps it on that pet, Undo changes goes back to the saved outfit, Take it all off removes it. Everyone around you sees the outfit, and it stays on the Adoption Papers if you re-home the pet.

Pet clothing needs VIP Platinum or higher. Custom-look pets (Pitbull, Robot, Chow Chow, Doberman, Dalmatian, Dodo, Turkey) can't wear clothes, but they can still wear collars.

Own a shoulder pet item (Pumpkin Reaper, Skeleton Cat or Shoulder Hen) and it rides on your left shoulder with a little bob. Use the item from your inventory, or type /shoulderpet for the menu. /shoulderpet reaper, cat or chicken puts one on (again = off), /shoulderpet off takes it off and /shoulderpet size 1.2 makes it bigger or smaller (0.8 to 1.4, remembered on your PC). Everyone near you sees it. If the item leaves your pockets, the shoulder pet goes too.

Use a plush (Brown Chicken, Black Duck, Devil Duck, Yellow Duck) or a pet toy (Ghost Puppy, Skeleton Fox) from your inventory to hold it in your hand. Use it again, type /plushdown, draw a weapon or get in a car to put it away. Holding a pet toy next to your own pet makes it a bit happier now and then.

On-duty police can work any K9-ready dog (Rottweiler, Shepherd, Retriever, Husky, Pitbull, Robot, Doberman). The pet panel and the E command menu then show a Police K9 section:

E on a player gives K9: sniff / hold / guard / send after; E on a vehicle gives K9: sniff vehicle / guard vehicle. In chat: /k9 sniffp, sniffv, search, house, track <id>, find, hold, guard, heel, attack, release.