Greetings, everyone!

We'd like to welcome our new subscribers and offer a warm welcome back to all our current readers.

This may be Florida, but January's chill has arrived. Time to drag out the sweats for our pets and have I found some cute ones! In the photo above, our little Shortcake is modeling pink and that's baby Bert in blue. If you'd like some snuggly duds like these for your fur child, check out Dress That Dawg. Lots of cute doggie clothes, for all seasons, at reasonable prices.

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In this month's issue, we feature a "pawsitively" fun event, a magical vacation spot, a dog who keeps on keeping on with love and hope, some travel tips and of course, FloridaPets.net's contest - for subscribers only! Speaking of contests, we'd like to congratulate Cindy Coxon of Deltona who won the December NewsPetter contest prize, a first aid kit for pets.

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We hope everyone will enjoy this issue of the NewsPetter. Please pass the word about FloridaPets.net and write us with any suggestions or requests. Your opinion matters to us. Until next month, thanks for "tailing" along with us and remember our motto:

"They're part of the family, so take them along!"

Patricia Collier
Editor

Special Note: If you cannot see the photographs in this NewsPetter, you are missing a lot of neat stuff! Some of our readers just can't get email in the HTML format that allows them to view pictures and other artwork, so we've come up with this solution:

Mardi Gras going to the dogs?
By Patricia Collier

The City of Dunedin will hold its 5th Annual Mardi Paws Festival Saturday, February 5, 2005, in Pioneer Park, located on the corner of Main Street and Douglas Avenue. Get ready to enjoy colorful, themed floats, food, contests, children's activities, entertainment for dogs and their significant others and animal product vendors.

The day's fun will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the Krewe of Barkalee Dog Masquerade Parade and crowning of the "Royal Canine Court." The doggie royals will then lead an hour-long procession through downtown Dunedin. The 2005 Grand Marshall "Spatzy" invites all pups and 2-legged friends to walk with him on the parade route. There's no fee to be part of the masquerade parade, but reserve your spot now by calling 727- 298-3213 or 386-785-1559.

At 10:30 a.m., it's the finals of the "Pet Talent Com-paw-tition." The festival will wrap up with the crowning of "King and Queen Drools-a-Lot." (By the way, that's lovely Queen Tiffany from 2003, pictured above.)

If you want to showcase your dog in the talent show, you'll need to enter the preliminary trials, which will be held in Pioneer Park January 21 and 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Registration for the talent show is $10 and dogs must be registered in advance by calling Jan Sebald at 727-298-3213. Proceeds from the talent show will benefit the Happy Tails Dog Park in Dunedin.

Winter make-believe gets real
By Patricia Collier

Not many people can say they live right down the road from a fairy princess or a fire-breathing dragon. But that's exactly what guests at the Ramada Inn Resort Eastgate in Kissimmee can claim since the resort is just four short miles from Walt Disney World®.

If you've been thinking it's time to put some silly into your life, why wait? Florida's winter rates make now the time for you to cut loose -- and places like Ramada want you to bring your pet along.

The Ramada Inn resort is a high-rise hotel with over 400 rooms. Pets up to 50 pounds are accepted for a daily fee of $10. The Ramada has an overall pet-friendly attitude, from the goody bag they provide their non-human guests upon check-in, to the large grassy recreation area that's oh, so convenient for pets and their humans.

Just south of Orlando, the Ramada can be your base camp for many other area attractions, including Sea World, Universal Studios and Epcot. For an interesting diversion, you might also wish to visit Medieval Times, a Florida castle where you can enjoy a four-course period feast while watching knights on Andalusian horses compete in tournament games, sword fighting and jousting matches

If you'd prefer to just hang out, the Ramada Inn Resort offers tennis courts, a mini putting green, pool, hot tub and a private lake with a gazebo and swing. No matter your fantasy, there's something for everyone in Central Florida.

Love in a fur coat

Meet Maurice Richard, companion to Amy Elftmann of St. Petersburg. Maurice is a Great Pyrenees who was dumped at a shelter as a pup. A rescue pulled him when he was 10 weeks old and Amy became his foster mom. It wasn't long before he stole her heart.

"He looked and acted strange, and no one adopted him, so I did, so he could have a forever home and could get medical care," Amy said.

Maurice needs that good care because he has a rare, fatal genetic skin disorder. The vets didn't give him but about a year to live, but he'll be two years old March 3.

"He looks strange, with his skin condition and stunted growth, all of which made him go bald," Amy said, "but he's not contagious, so off we go and people see this happy dog who loves to ride in the car, visit the dog beach, bark at the mailman and the birds in the front yard, and has a good appetite for food and life."

Actually, that's a pretty good way for everyone to live, if you ask us! So, if you see plucky Maurice at the beach, be sure to say hello! And be sure to check out Amy's Web site for info about her pet-friendly real estate business.

Would you like FloridaPets.net to feature your pet (s) in the NewsPetter or as Pet of the Week on the Web site? If so, please email WebMistress. Send 1-3 photos of your pet(s) and tell us about your pet, i.e., breed, age, sex, personality traits, likes and dislikes, how you found each other and anything else you would like to share with others. Please type "Submission" in the subject line of your note and send your photos, in JPG or GIF format only. Thank you for sharing!

Doggie doodie bags. Don't leave home without them and please use them to keep the "friendly" in "pet-friendly" spots!

Did you know? Fourteen percent of Americans, 36 million families, were expected to take their pets with them on holiday travels in December, 2004, according to the Travel Industry of America.

Have a handy tip or tale about traveling with pets? Send it to WebMistress and we'll share it with other readers of the NewsPetter.

We carry the wonderful Liquid Syn- flex

Syn-flex in liquid form is an awesome alternative to harmful arthritis drugs for both pets and people! Because we buy in bulk, we have quite possibly the best prices around on Liquid Syn-flex. And for each bottle for which shipping is paid, the 2nd or 3rd bottles ordered SHIP FOR FREE!

You'll find Syn-flex under "Winter Specials" in the FloridaPets.net Paw Patch Shoppe. While you're there, check out our great prices on pet toys, pet care items & more!

Email: webmistress@floridapets.net

Phone: 904-879-9352

Web: http://www.floridapets.net