Arielle, companion to Michael Dalton of Clearwater, welcomes you to the July issue of the NewsPetter.

Arielle is a very intelligent and conversant macaw who has turned Michael into an expert of sorts. She is one of a handful of birds around the world who can communicate ideas through speech. Arielle can construct a monologue about a topic, rhyme, express emotion, construct verbal jokes, apply logic in her speech, speak using proper syntax and organize thoughts using phrases and sequences of statements. We're not sure what Mike can do - smile.

You can hear samples of Arielle's skills at Parrot Speech where you can also buy Mike's book about his experiences with Arielle, "Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English." (We suspect Arielle helped author it!)

Barnacle's in Brandon will hold Yappie Hour the third Sunday of each month from noon to 4 p.m. And you and your canine pal can stop by their location at 926 Providence Road anytime to enjoy outdoor dining.

New dog park alert! The City of Auburndale has announced an upcoming 2-acre dog park to be built at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex and to be open by mid-August. Go here to learn more.

Animal Coalition of Tampa will hold its Stride for Strays benefit October 31, 2009 They are currently seeking sponsorships and walkers for this event. If you can help, or for more info, go here.

BE STILL my heart! A new anti-cancer drug for dogs! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced recently that it has approved the first canine cancer therapy in the US. The drug is called Palladia (toceranib phosphate) and it is used for treatment of mast cell tumors in dogs. Go here for the scoop.

Animal Rescue Inc. in Labelle, serves Hendry and Glades counties. They desperately need food, cleaning supplies and financial donations. Check out the organization and find more info here.

I've found a good article that explains all this dog flu stuff and makes it seem less scary.

Jutta V. Lopez, Realtor with Premier Properties of Southwest Florida, Inc., has a great"My Pet Loves Naples" Guide that provides pet-friendly places to live in the Naples area. To get yours, write Jutta at: Jutta@naples.com.

Want a cool tip for evacuating your kitty during a storm? Make sure to clean the carrier before letting your feline check it out so it doesn't smell like the vet's office!

A friend to FloridaPets.net and a photographer extraordinaire in Bocan Raton, Tina Valant has a video entitled, Breathless, on YouTube that's getting lots of attention. Tina has the web site Have Dog.com and was recently selected as "Palm Beach County's Animal Friend of the Year." Congratulations, Tina, and thanks for all you do to help animals.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter where we dish out even more pet-friendly tidbits.

That's it for this month. Thanks for continuing to "tail along" with FloridaPets.net. Please drop us a note anytime you have a comment or suggestion, or would like us to feature your pet or a pet-friendly event in your area.