Summer is the time of year when families pack it in, hustling to clear out of the old place and settle into a new one before the school year begins.

Moving is tough on families, pets included. Animals always know when something's amiss, even if they can't understand exactly what's changing, or why.

The key to moving pets is to keep them secure before and during the move, and settle them safely and quickly into a routine after. Start by ordering ID tags with the new address and phone number, so you'll have them securely attached to all collars when moving day arrives.

Cats are a particular worry at moving time because they form a bond not only with the people in a home but also with the home itself. Because of their mobility, it can be hard to keep them around the new home long enough to realize that this is where the people they love will now stay.

The family dog is a bit easier to deal with: Put his leash on and drive him to his new address. Show him his new, warm home and the securely fenced back yard. Unless the dog is a high-jumper of Olympic caliber, he'll stay put while he adjusts.

Not so with free-roaming cats. The cases of cats returning to their previous homes aren't at all rare for people who move short distances, and the instances of cats disappearing forever are just as common for families moving a great distance.

Confinement is essential when moving cats, keeping them safe while they become used to their new territory and make it their own. Bring your cat inside, if he's not already an indoor cat, before the movers arrive. Set him up in a "safe room" -- a spare bathroom is ideal -- and leave him be with food and water, his bed, a scratching post, litter box and a couple of favorite toys while the packing and moving is under way.

The cat's ride to the new home is best undertaken in a carrier, especially for the animal who rarely sees the inside of a car. (If you don't have a carrier, buy one: They're inexpensive and keep your cat safe in any unusual circumstances.)

At the new home, work the "leaving home" procedure in reverse: Put the cat into a "safe room" for a few days -- until the movers are gone, the furniture arranged and most of the dust settled -- and then allow him to explore on his own terms after things calm down a bit.

Quickly re-establish a routine; pick a time and a place for feeding, and stick to it -- for all pets. Spreading extra litter boxes around the house is a good way to prevent problems; you can gradually reduce the number of boxes after you're sure your cat isn't picking unapproved places to go.

If you've been thinking about converting your free-roaming cat to a house-dweller for his health and safety, moving to a new home is the perfect time to accomplish this. In your old home, you'd be constantly listening to your cat demanding to be let out into the rest of his territory. In a new home, he hasn't established any territory of his own yet, and you can make the new home his only turf by keeping him inside from day one.

If you don't want to convert him, keep him inside for a couple of weeks, until he seems relaxed. You can introduce your cat to the new yard by accompanying him on short tours with a harness and a leash, but in the end, you'll have to take your chances, open the door and hope for the best.

PET TIP: If your new home was previously occupied by a family with pets, spray the premises for fleas before you move in -- you'll never have a better chance to get into every nook and cranny.

CYBERLINKS: The Veterinary Information Network's KidZoo page (http://www.vetinfonet.com/kidzoo/) is geared to educating children of all ages about exotic animals. The site has animal sounds for downloading, from crickets to velociraptors, and a quiz matching paw prints to the animals to which they belong. There are also links to some of the best zoological sites on the Web, including the home pages of the San Diego Zoo, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

Gina Spadafori, the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," is affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international on-line service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

When you live with a retriever, you can mark the beginning of summer from the day when it's warm enough for you both to go swimming -- if you happen to have friends who don't mind both people and dogs in the pool.

Fortunately for my retriever, Benjamin, I do have friends of this kind. Fortunate for their retriever, too, although I doubt they could keep him out of their pool if they tried.

Not all pets like to swim, of course -- my older dog, Andy, doesn't even like to get his feet wet -- but most animals love summer. To our pets, summertime means long walks in the warm twilight, endless games of fetch and plenty of bugs to chase.

But the long, glorious days of summer are not without danger. Here are a few of the hazards:

-- HEAT: Most people know a car is no place to leave a dog on a hot day, but few realize even balmy weather can be deadly. On an 80-degree day, the temperature in a car -- even if the windows are opened partway -- can easily reach 120 degrees within minutes.

Panting is the only way a dog has of cooling off; it is an inefficient system that cannot help an animal inside a hot car. Don't even risk it!

If you leave your dog in your yard for any length of time, have you checked to make sure shade is always available? A big tree doesn't help much if the shade falls on the other side of the fence in the hottest part of the afternoon. A constant supply of cool, clean water is a must, too, for all pets.

A tip: Freeze water in recycled margarine tubs and put these ice blocks in your pet's bowl to keep water cool. For a special treat, freeze meat or fish broth and offer the "petsicles" as a warm-weather treat for dogs and cats. Some pets like just plain ice cubes, too.

Be aware of the symptoms of overheating. If your dog starts excessive salivation, rapid or shallow panting, or develops a wild, glassy-eyed stare, call your veterinarian immediately and begin treatment for heat stress: Slowly immerse the dog in water, soak him with the hose or apply ice packs to his head, stomach and groin.

-- ACCIDENTS: Both dogs and cats are prone to accidents in the summer. If your cats like to catch the breeze on an upper-story windowsill, make sure there's a screen -- cats can indeed be hurt or killed in a fall.

Cars are always a hazard to free-roaming cats, and can be equally deadly to an unleashed dog. Don't be tempted to let your dog off the leash -- it just takes one squirrel on the other side of a busy street and one car with lousy timing to cause a canine catastrophe.

-- FOXTAILS, TICKS AND FLEAS: Foxtails are spike-shaped burrs that move in one direction -- forward -- and keep going until they're removed. They are most dangerous in an animal's eyes, ears, nose and anal areas; veterinary aid, the sooner the better, is the only solution when they get imbedded.

A few minutes with a comb each day will catch any foxtails before they become a problem. Use tweezers or a tick-remover (available at pet-supply stores) to pull ticks. Be sure not to touch them with your bare hands because of the risk of Lyme disease -- wrap them in a tissue and discard.

If you have pets, you're going to have fleas. Talk to your veterinarian about new flea-control products -- Program, Frontline and Advantage -- that are finally making a difference in the war on these pests. Frontline and Advantage work to control ticks as well.

Good news for the retriever: These new products even stay effective after swimming!

CYBERLINKS: So they're not going to fit in a suburban backyard or city apartment -- that doesn't keep people from loving llamas, a South American pack animal kept in this country as a pet, wool-grower, hiking buddy or even a golfing companion. LlamaWeb (http://www.llamaweb.com) has areas on caring for llamas and links to llama breeders and veterinarians around the country, as well as a special area for children. Llamapedia (http://www.llamapaedia.com), written and maintained by two fourth-year veterinary students, is another must-visit site for llama fans.

Gina Spadafori, the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," is affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international on-line service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Never has there been a better time to travel with your dog.

Once relegated to campgrounds and relatively few motels, dogs are the new darlings of the travel industry, with accommodations from the very simplest to the most elegant now open to traveling pooches and their people.

Nor are dogs an afterthought, a grudgingly accepted part of the clientele. A growing number of innkeepers go out of their way to attract dog-lovers, and the dog camp -- a resort built around canine-friendly activities -- is a great idea that's spreading across the country.

No matter where you go, though, you'll need some travel basics for your pet's comfort and protection.

Your dog should be wearing a sturdy collar with a license and an up-to-date ID tag that has at least one phone number, area code included, that's not yours -- someone who'll be able to answer the phone should you lose your dog miles from home. Ideally, your pet should also be carrying an imbedded microchip for unshakable, permanent ID, and temporary ID such as a paper key tag with the phone number of your travel lodgings.

With your dog's ID needs covered, it's time to pack the gear. Start with a leash, at least six feet. A longer leash is handy, too, especially a reel-type such as the Flexi, which is great for giving your dog room to stretch his legs in areas such as rest stops.

Two bowls, one for water, one for food, come next. Look for water bowls designed for travel; they either don't spill or collapse for easy storage. I travel with a couple gallons of bottled water, because it seems I'm always stopping to walk my dogs in areas where no potable water is available.

Pack dry food servings individually in plastic bags with airtight locks, enough for the trip and a day or two more. If your pet eats canned food, you'll need an opener and a spoon. Don't forget to pack treats and a couple of your pet's toys!

A comb and brush, and tweezers or a ready-made device for pulling ticks are a must, especially on back-country trips. Some basic first-aid supplies -- scissors, gauze, tape, antibiotic cream and Pepto-Bismol, for canine diarrhea (check with your veterinarian for dosages) -- are likewise important to pack. Check with your pet-supply store for first-aid kits that come prepacked in a plastic container and ready to throw in your trunk.

Remember, too, to pack any regular medication your pet takes, and don't forget your pet's proof of rabies vaccination. A rabies certificate is necessary to get into some parks and is absolutely imperative to have should the unthinkable happen: Your dog bites someone or tangles with a rabid creature in the wild.

Bring cloth towels, for drying off wet, dirty dogs, and paper towels, for cleaning up more things than you can imagine you'll have to. A multipurpose cleaner in a spray bottle is a great item to pack. If you've room, bring an old sheet or blanket, for covering bedspreads, furniture or carpets in motel rooms. I always try to express my appreciation for dog-friendly lodgings by keeping the room as de-furred as possible.

Plastic bags for pet mess clean-ups are essential. Use them! Leaving pet messes of any kind behind is the fastest way to prompt the "no dogs allowed" sign at a formerly welcoming place.

My favorite planning guides are the "Dog-Lover's Companion" series from Foghorn Press, with books covering dog-friendly travel in Atlanta, Boston, California, Florida and Seattle. Mobile and AAA travel guides also note hotels and motels where pets are accepted. There's even a bimonthly newsletter for people who love to travel with their pets: "DogGone" ($24 a year; phone (561) 569-8434).

CYBERLINKS: Camp Gone to the Dogs, of Putney, Vt., is the original resort for dogs and their owners, and while its new Web page (http://camp-gone-tothe-dogs.com/) is very simple, it does tell you what you and your pet are in for should you choose to visit this slice of canine paradise. The TravelDog site (www.traveldog.com) lists more dog camps, along with dog-friendly lodgings, pet-sitters and kennels, and offers a link to "The Dog Run/Dog Park Reporter," an extensive review of places where dogs can be legally let off leash.

Gina Spadafori, the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," is affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international on-line service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600