Dr. Roger Gfeller has seen a lot of hot dogs on the Fourth of July. He has also set a lot of broken bones and stitched up a great many nasty lacerations.

The veterinarian has been working the urgent-care beat for more than 20 years, the last five as a board-certified expert in one of the newest veterinary specialities, emergency and critical care. Gfeller, a consultant to the Veterinary Information Network online service and chief of staff at Veterinary Emergency Service Inc., of Fresno, Calif., is one of only 52 veterinarians nationwide who've earned the special accreditation.

Independence Day is one of the busiest of the year for emergency-care veterinarians such as Gfeller, who says that many of the problems he'll see on the holiday could have been prevented.

To protect your pets over the long holiday weekend, Gfeller offers some precautions:

-- FIREWORKS. "Bring your pets indoors and turn on the stereo," he said. "Give them some white noise, something to distract them from the booming outside.

"'Denning' is another good idea, in a flight kennel or crate. Give them the comfort of their den, if that's what they're used to."

Gfeller says the decision to tranquilize a pet should be considered carefully by its owner and discussed with a veterinarian. "Tranquilizing a pet is not something I'd prefer," he said, "but we all recognize that some animals need it."

People should consider their past holiday experiences, he said, as well as a pet's everyday temperament when considering if a tranquilizer is appropriate.

-- HEAT STROKE. "Shade, lots of shade, and water, lots of water," said Gfeller, who added quickly that it is really better to bring pets inside on the hottest days of summer.

Knowing the signs of heat stress, he said, can save your pet's life. "Hot dogs pant, of course, but with a dog in trouble the panting is very aggressive. Cats will pant, too, but it's unusual.

"Look for the pet with lips pulled back, foamy at the corner of their mouths. These are animals who are working hard to move air."

Hot pets need to be cooled down, but not too severely. The optimum is to soak them in 90-degree water, and to use a fan to cool them off. Water from a hose is usually fine, said Gfeller, but not if you draw from a deep well where the water is ice-cold. Forget ice, too, he said. Think cool, not cold. And call a veterinarian.

"If it's too cold, you turn the outer layer of flesh into a layer of insulation," he said, thereby keeping the cool from getting to where the real problem is, the vital organs."

-- ACCIDENTS. The Fourth of July brings two kinds of fireworks-related accidents, both caused by fear. Some dogs jump through windows and sliding-glass doors and are cut up in the process, while others run away in a panic and are hit crossing streets.

Keeping pets secure inside is the key to preventing accidents, said the veterinarian, who also stressed that even lost dogs who aren't injured often end up at his hospital because no one knows who their owners are.

Gfeller is an advocate of embedded microchips, and says that many emergency clinics "scan" lost pets for the ID device in hopes of a happy reunion.

"I really think people need to spend the day with their pets. Stay home, or take your dog with you," he said. "It's like having a child. If your child was with you, got scared and started crying from the fireworks, you'd go home.

"I'm probably showing my bias, but I think our pets deserve the same kind of care."

CYBERLINKS: When the weather gets hot, think of water. Cool, relaxing water. If you can't pop for a swimming pool, how about an aquarium? Sure, you can't swim in it, but studies have shown it's plenty relaxing. Just watch the fish. If you don't know where to begin, check out the Aquaria Page O' Links (http://www.kkreate.com/aqlinks.htm), with connections to every imaginable fishy spot on the Internet. If setting up an aquarium and caring for fish is too much effort, visit WWW Cameraquarium (www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/(tilde)jim/fish.html), a page linked to various "fishcams," constantly refreshed pictures of a variety of fish tanks.

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

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