NBCU and Proctor & Gamble are taking the family pet quite seriously. The two companies have joined forces to launch Petside.com, an ad-supported portal for pet lovers.

According to an article in The New York Times, both companies plan to use the site to advertise their products, but it also will be open to competing brands.

"Keeping it narrowly defined as a Procter thing would not let it acknowledge its potential," said Jim Stengel, the global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble. "It can make a bigger splash and a bigger difference if it's bigger and if it's more inclusive."

The site includes information on dogs and cats, veterinary advice and funny animal videos. Users are also encouraged to set up MySpace-style profiles.

Both NBCU and P&G said they are planning to build similar interest-based portals in the future if Petside.com is successful.