Greetings, everyone!

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

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If you've visited FloridaPets.net over the past few days, you've seen the tribute to our oldest dog, J.R. We lost our little pom-mix July 26, after enjoying his curmudgeon-like loyalty and loving companionship for 12 years. (J.R. is on the far left in the photo above.) I'm still positioning my body in bed at nights to accommodate for where my boy would always lay. And when handing out treats, I'm still saying, "J.R. first!" because around here, we give treats out according to seniority. J.R. was our Alpha male and as such, got a few special privileges. All of you who have ever lost a beloved pet know what I mean when I say, "We're missing part of our family." Some of you have written to us, expressing sympathy, and we want you to know how much that means to us.

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In this month's issue, we feature a romantic vacation spot on a 500-foot "creek", an agility tournament for (gasp!) cats, a photo and bit of advice from a spicy lil' guy, a few travel tips and tales and FloridaPets.net's Monthly Contest! This month you could win a Doggie Goodie Basket, valued at $25.00. But you have to be a subscriber to enter. So if you're reading this from the FloridaPets.net Web site, you can't enter this month's contest. Be sure to sign up for the NewsPetter so you can enter future monthly contests.

For our current subscribers, please be sure you can be reached at whatever email addy you provide us if you do enter our contests. We don't want you to miss out if you're the winner!

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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. 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:

Take Me - ow-t To Some Cat Stuff
By Patricia Collier

All across America, cats are stepping up to more than the litter box to show they can be as good-looking and athletic as dogs, the latter who are accused by the former of being blatant show-offs simply to suck up to their humans.

As part of strutting their own stuff, more than a few felines will soon descend upon Deland, Florida, mugging for the cameras and nabbing the spotlight. It will all happen during two separate events Saturday August 21 and Sunday, August 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, located at 3150 East State Road 44.

First, there's the Tropical Cats Inc. All Breed Cat Show which will focus on the beauty of it all. It's sponsored by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) and the show offers several classes of entry, including kittens and household cats. The CFA event will be held in the Tommy Lawrence Arena at the Fairgrounds.

Simultaneously, only steps away in Talton Hall, directly across from the Arena, The International Cat Agility Tournament (ICAT) will take place, much to the bemused amazement of the 8,000 to 10,000 spectators expected to attend.

ICAT uses lightweight, portable agility equipment and the obstacles are designed for safety and fun for the cat. There are three categories of competition: Basic, Challenger, and Advanced. While cats must be at least 8-months-old to enter the tournament, any healthy cat may compete, including rescues, housecats, mixed breeds, and registered pedigreed show cats. Kittens age 4 to 8 months are welcome to practice on the basic level course.

Entry fee for the ICAT Event is $10 per cat. There will be two practice times, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning, before each competition begins. You do not have to be associated with Cat Fanciers to enter the agility tournament.

While the cat show and the tourney are separate events, there's only one admission price: $7.00 for adults; $6.00 for seniors and children over 10 years of age; $4.00 for children ages 3-10 years and free for children under 3.

If you'd like to enter your feline friend in the Tropical Cats show, send your entry to Mona Cherrington, 621 Milwaukee Ave, Orange Park, Florida 32073. If interested in the agility event, contact Pat Hawk at phawk @ cfl.rr.com. (Editor's Note: Type the address without the spaces we insert to prevent spammers from harvesting email addresses.)

Proceeds from both events will benefit the West Volusia Humane Society.

(Photos shown above are from previous agility competitions and/or practice sessions and are used with permission.)

Indulge Yourself in the B & B Lifestyle
By Patricia Collier

Crane Creek Inn Waterfront Bed & Breakfast in Melbourne - what a find! It's the perfect place to spoil yourself and Fido. The scenery is grand, nestled amongst the city's historic district and right on 500-feet wide Crane Creek, a direct tributary to the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) and Atlantic Ocean.

Crane Creek Inn is made up of a main house (pictured here), built in 1925, which offers two guest rooms. There are also three separate poolside rooms. All accommodations have private baths and splendid views of Crane Creek. Dogs only are allowed for a fee of $10 per pet, per day. There's no limit as to size or number and no pet deposit.

Other amenities at the Crane Creek Inn include a private pool, hot tub, dock, bike riding, pedal boating, hammocks, even wireless internet connection throughout the facility for those of you who can't totally leave modern life behind.

Melbourne is awash in antiques, boutiques, art galleries and award-winning restaurants. The pace is slow and caters to the tourist and visitor alike with regular events such as the Melbourne Main Street's Friday Fest Family Street Party that offers arts, crafts, raffles, live entertainment and more wonderful food.

To get to Melbourne from Interstate 95, go east on the Beeline Expressway or State Road 192. Melbourne is in Brevard County and is part of Florida's Space Coast. It's about an hour's drive south of the Kennedy Space Center and 1-1/2 hours east of Disney World.

The only outdoors pet-friendly area we know about in Brevard County is Satellite Beach Dog Park. At this time we know of no dog-friendly beaches in Brevard, but there are groups working to establish places where pets can play in this beautiful part of Florida.

'Cinnamon Buns'
Sticky Sweet, From His Head, To His Feet

This cute 8-month-old Shih Tzu is a "snow dog" which means he hangs out in Florida during winter. Cinnamon's humans, Sherry and Mike Brouzes of Ontario, Canada, live in West Palm Beach when the snow falls across our northern border. The little guy has a few words of advice for other canines, even Florida natives.

"Mommy got me these special sunglasses for doggies so when I am out in the sun or in the wind with my head sticking out of her car window, my eyes won't get hurt by dust or wind."

Cinnamon Buns reminds us all that eye protection in Florida is as important for dogs as humans because of the state's especially-strong sun rays.

"By the way," Cinnamon adds, on a totally-unrelated but equally important topic, "I really like the yummies mommy makes me with natural yogurt, honey and peanut butter. She freezes them in the ice cube trays for me. Such great treats...woof!"

Lawrence and Linda Black of Boca Raton enjoy the RV lifestyle and said they also include their RV license plate number on their collie's ID tag. "If Jesse should happen to break loose while we're on the go, officials could find us by our license number," Linda explained.

Did you know? Recent statistics from the American Humane Society reveal that 52% of pet guardians that don't take their pets along on trips, purchase souvenirs for them while traveling. Hmmm, there's a whole untapped market!

Take a vacation and avoid high gasoline prices! You can if you visit State of Florida Web Cams which make you feel like you're right there in person, tropical punch drink in hand, gritty sand in your shoes and a wet, stinky dog by your side! Who could ask for anything more?

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

Here at FloridaPets.net, we want everyone to be able to show off their beloved companions. We offer two avenues for that, as a Pet of the Week or a special article in our monthly NewsPetter.

So, if you haven't already done so, please send your stories and/or photos to WebMistress. Please put the word "Photo" in the subject line of your email.

Besides a photo, or two if you have them, please send your pet's breed, age, sex, personality traits, likes and dislikes, how you found each other and anything else you think we should know. Thanks for your submissions!

Email: webmistress@floridapets.net

Phone: 904-879-9352

Web: http://www.floridapets.net