Behind every picture there's a story, and this is certainly true of the snapshot of my dogs perched on a windswept bluff over the Pacific Ocean, their long coats swirling around them, their eyes intently focused on the endless expanse of silvery blue before them.

I had been trying to get that picture for 15 minutes, working with two dogs who were tired of sitting, tired of being asked to look alert and in the same direction. Behind me, my brother Joe, a good sport if there ever was one, rattled keys and promised treats, to no avail. Toni was getting ready to flop down, and Andy had that look that meant the word "stay" would shortly no longer apply to him.

And then it happened. Their heads swung round, in unison. Their ears came up. Their eyes focused just over my right shoulder. I snapped the picture, gratefully, and turned to see what Joe had finally done to capture their attention so perfectly.

He'd fallen off the cliff.

Although it was a very small drop and he wasn't hurt at all, he was through as a photographer's assistant. He had decided in the instant he tumbled over the edge that if I were going to make a fool of myself in public taking pictures of animals, I was going to do it alone.

Which is pretty much exactly what has happened, right down to the foolish part. With a thankfully idiot-proof camera and no sense of decorum, I've taken hundreds of pictures of my pets and other animals, and come up with a few very good ones.

Taking lots of pictures, as it turns out, is one of the keys to successful photography. Keeping your camera ready to use is another. Always have film in your camera and put it where you can grab it quickly. Great pet pictures, like great kid pictures, pop up when you don't expect them.

For more formal photo sessions, here are a few tips:

-- Use the right attention-getter. Dogs will react to jingled or thrown keys, or squeaky toys or tennis balls, but try the same thing with a cat, and the only thing you'll get a picture of is the tip of a tail as your pet departs in disgust. Talk sweetly to your cat for a better response, or tease with a favorite toy. Food is another winner, and it works with both dogs and cats.

-- Get an assistant. A child is a wonderful helper as well as subject. Let your helper work on getting your pet's attention so you can frame the shot to your liking. A tip: If you want your pet to kiss your child for a photo, do as the pros do: Put a little butter on your child's cheek, and let the pet smooch it off.

-- Head outdoors. Natural light -- early morning is best -- avoids the dreaded red-eye shot, where the flash makes your beautiful pet come out as a monster. Taking pictures outside also gives your new pet a more natural, healthy look. If you must take pictures inside, avoid the reflection by not pointing the flash straight at the animal, or by having the animal look off to the side, at your assistant.

-- Come in close. If you want a good picture, you're going to have to go where your pet is. Shoot at just below your pet's eye level and zoom in as closely as you can for good detail.

-- Watch your backgrounds. Think neutral -- a plain wall, not a cluttered cabinet. Think contrast -- light for a dark pet, dark for a light one.

Keep your sessions short -- kids and pets get bored quickly -- and don't forget to keep them fun, with lots of praise all around. With a little knowledge and a lot of practice, you, too, can take pet photos you'll be proud of.

CYBERLINKS: Pet pictures are everywhere on the Internet, by the millions. Bring up a browser such as Alta Vista (http:www.altavista.com), put in "cat," "dog," "hamster," etc., plus the word "picture" and you'll be browsing for hours. Or visit "The Amazing Cat Picture Page" (http://www.islandnet.com/(tilde)jensal/cats.html). You'll find some wonderful pictures there that will inspire you to get your camera out.

Gina Spadafori, the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," is affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online 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

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