As a pet lover I have three dogs and seven cats, so I make several trips to the vet for small surgical procedures.  Can my pets contract the virus and can I get infected through contact with them?

There is a theory that HIV originated from a virus that was found in monkeys, called simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). SIV is a retrovirus that is found, in numerous strains, in primates. However, humans cannot contract SIV; they get HIV-1 and HIV-2, the viruses that cause AIDS

HIV-2 is most closely related to SIVsm, the SIV strain that primarily infects Sooty Mangabeys, monkeys found in east Senegal, while HIV-1 is closely related to the chimpanzee strain of SIV, designated SIVcpz. The most likely route of transmission of HIV-1 to humans involves contact with the blood of chimps that are often hunted for bushmeat in Africa. (Information obtained from Wikipedia)

Although HIV is a strain that is similar to SIV, unless you consume animal flesh there is no evidence that you can be infected by your animals. I, certainly, have not come across any information, beyond the early 1980s when HIV was initially discovered, that suggests that humans have been infected with HIV by coming into contact with animal blood. There is also no evidence that I have found that suggests that SIV is found in cats and dogs. Even if scientifically you could get SIV in dogs and cats, the epidemic in South Africa is mainly spread by heterosexual unprotected sex.