Leavin' on a jet plane -- if nothing else goes wrong, that is...

In around three hours I'm going to Washington to visit my friend Terri and her Scottish Deerhounds and Silken Windhounds! I'm also going to meet, for the first time, my friend Nancy Campbell LVT, who runs the wonderful Vet Techs blog, and who lives in the same town as my friend Terri. They even have the same last name.

Then I'm going into Seattle to meet my editor from AfterElton.com, Michael Jensen, and his partner, author Brent Hartinger. And seeing other friends as well, all from online, some of whom I've met before, some of whom I haven't.

I'm ready for some fun, believe me. Words cannot describe the unbelievable chain of crap that has hit me in the last three days. In addition to the normal work binge I have to go on before any vacation, I had to reinstall my browser, which caused me some headaches that are too boring to go into here, my mom broke her toe, my toilet broke, Rebel got yet another bladder infection (related to his genetic kidney defect -- it's an ongoing problem), I lost my keys yesterday, and ummm... I don't know, ten million other things I'm currently supressing all awareness of.

I will be gone for six days. I'm bringing only three pairs of shoes. Obviously something is very, very wrong with me.

Before I leave, please go over to SFGate.com and read my holiday safety tips for pets. Every pet writer has to write one of these every year, it's part of our Code. Go tell my editors that mine is the best, most amusing, most compelling holiday pet safety article you have ever read in all your life since the dawn of time:

Ah, the holiday season! We mark its arrival by giving young children massive quantities of candy and putting little fireman outfits on our Dalmatians.

Then on to a celebration of thanks that can send us into a postprandial coma and our dogs to the ER with pancreatitis. We then move into Hanukkah, Christmas or another winter holiday of choice that brings joy to the hearts of the young and young-at-heart everywhere, at least until the cats jump up and knock candles over, potentially setting the house on fire, or get tangled in discarded gift ribbons.

It all finishes up with New Year's Eve, which admittedly is the one holiday that probably does more damage to us than to our pets.

I don't have any suggestions for what you can do about your waistline, your budget, or how to fit all the holiday shopping and parties in, but I can give you some ideas on how to keep your dogs and cats safe (and keep your house from burning down) through the whole holiday season, starting with Halloween.

If nothing else, check out the great photos, including a deerhound in a kilt! It's all here.

Happy Halloween!

Comments

[emily]

I liked the vet Tech blog but the visual verificaion is stuck as a red X on both my computers so I couldn't comment :(

[KathyF]

Our family pet Boyd used to help out at Halloween, sitting on my shoulder while I answered the door in a witch hat. It usually took the kids a while to notice the rat on my shoulder was real.

He never got stressed out, though.