Homes with multiple animals: How often do you change your air filter?

[yaM yaM]

For those of you with furry animals whose homes have central air -- how often do you change your filter?  Also, please share how often you use your central air (since that would be relevant to the frequency of filter changes).  Thanks!

[purplerose]

My dh seemed to change the filter about every other week or so...there wasn't hair in it, though. We used the central air full-blast from about May-September LOL In July/August it tended to never even turn off.  I have 3 labs. We have a 2 story so there was a filter on both floors. Our central air went out last summer and we're using window units(which is actually cheaper on our energy bill than the central air was!) but that's how it had been each summer until then.

[yaM yaM]

Good to know - thanks for your response.  We have a german shepherd (super high shedders) and two medium-hair cats and live in the desert where there is constantly sand blowing around in the wind, plus we need to use our AC non-stop throughout the 110 degree summers.  I'm finding that I need to change the filter pretty often - like about once per week - and I wonder how that compares to other people's situations.  I guess that's not too much different than what you guys did (with the every-other-week routine).  I sure feel like I'm changing it a lot!

[kittywitty]

When we lived in NC and had central air, I changed it monthly with 4 cats and a big lab mix. It was never too clogged.