While I know it's a little unusual, the fact remains: I met two of my three dogs for the first time at the baggage counter of my local airport. One had flown from East Coast to West and changed planes once en route. The other had come on a relatively short flight. Both were grown "career change" dogs ready for a loving new home -- mine -- and like the vast majority of animals transported by air, the trip was more nerve-wracking for me than dangerous for them.

The Air Transport Association estimates that more than a half a million dogs and cats are transported on commercial airlines each year, and 99 percent reach their destinations without incident. That's nice, but it's small consolation if your pet is in that remaining 1 percent.

If your pet is a bird, cat or small dog whose carrier will fit under an airline seat, you have the best option of all: Choose an airline that will allow you to bring your pet in his carrier into the passenger compartment as carry-on baggage.

The carry-on option is by far the best, but you can do a great deal to keep your pet safe even in the baggage hold -- the way most will travel -- by doing your homework, knowing your pet and being prepared to be politely pushy while your animal's in the care of an airline. Here are some things to remember:

-- Talk to the airline. Some carriers, especially the no-frills companies, don't take animals at all. Even those that do have limits on the number of animals on a flight because a set amount of air is available in the sealed cargo holds. You also need to know where and when your pet has to be presented, and what papers -- health certificate, and so on -- you need to bring.

-- Be sure your pet is in good health. Air travel isn't recommended for elderly or ill animals, and is likewise ill-advised for the pug-nosed breeds of dogs. These animals find breathing a little difficult under the best of circumstances, and the stress of airline travel may be more than they can handle.

-- Choose a carrier designed for air travel. The crate should be just big enough for your pet to stand up and turn around in. Check and double-check that all the bolts securing the halves of the carrier are in place and tightened.

While your pet cannot wear a collar in his crate -- it's not safe since it can get hung up -- put an ID tag on a piece of elastic around his neck. Be sure the crate has contact phone numbers for both ends of the journey prominently displayed.

-- Consider travel conditions. Don't ship your pet when air traffic is heaviest. Choose flights that are on the ground when the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, not only at the departure airport but also at the connecting and arriving airports. In summer, a night flight is likely better, while the reverse is true in the winter.

-- Choose a direct flight; if that's not possible, try for a route with a short layover. Most animal fatalities occur on the ground, when pets are left in their crates on the hot tarmac or in stifling cargo holds.

Remember your pet's life relies on the attentiveness of airline personnel. Most of these employees are excellent and caring, but mistakes do happen. You should be prepared to pester airline personnel to confirm that your pet has been loaded and has made any connections.

Contrary to popular belief, it's generally better that your pet not be tranquilized before flying. The combination of high altitude and limited oxygen is a challenge your pet's body is better prepared to meet if he's not sedated. Still, your pet may be an exception. Talk to your veterinarian about this issue.

Pets on the Web: Sandra Loosemore is a serious frog fan, and her Froggy Page (http://frog.simplenet.com/froggy) is the delightful result. Bright, well-organized and jam-packed with information from the silly to the dead serious, the Froggy Page is a real treat. Don't miss the collection of frog sounds. Ribbit!

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of 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

Chalk one more thing up to El Nino: All the water it has brought our way is contributing to what will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes in many parts of the country. And while those pests mean lots of scratching for us humans, for our dogs the risk can be far more serious. In a word, heartworm.

That's because without mosquitoes, there wouldn't be a problem with this deadly parasite. Mosquitoes pick up the microscopic heartworm larvae in the blood of infested animals and help the parasites find a new home while drawing the blood of another victim. In a worm-friendly environment -- such as a dog -- the tiny pests head for the pulmonary arteries and develop into 9- to 14-inch worms that will if left untreated eventually choke the life out of their host.

Still, it isn't easy to convince some people that their dogs need to be protected against heartworm. To some, putting out money to prevent something they can't see makes them wonder if the whole thing wasn't cooked up by veterinarians and drug companies.

But the facts prove otherwise. Heartworm disease has been found in every state, and it's nothing to mess with.

Heartworm symptoms are virtually the same as with any other form of heart disease. Most infested dogs are brought to the veterinarian after their owners noticed them coughing at night, coughing after exercise or experiencing a more general loss in condition -- weight loss, dull coat, lethargy. By the time the symptoms are noticed, however, a great deal of damage has usually been done, not only to the heart, but also to other organs such as the kidneys, which rely on a steady flow of blood to operate.

Preventive care remains the best way of protecting your pet from the pest. That care starts with a heartworm test, a simple procedure that involves drawing blood and checking for the presence of the larvae. The test is essential, since the preventive medication given to a heartworm-free dog can be dangerous for a dog with a heartworm infestation.

If the test is negative, there are two kinds of medication available to keep the dog free of heartworms. The daily pill protects by keeping a low dose of poison circulating in the blood to kill the microfilaria before they get a chance to settle. The monthly pill works by killing the worms that have established themselves in the preceding month. This season, one company is even combining the monthly pill with monthly flea-control medication.

Which should you use? It's up to you, and it depends on what you're more likely to administer reliably. The daily pills work perfectly, but only if you have a perfect record of giving them to your dog. A lapse of a day or so is more than enough time for the pest to get established.

If you're inclined to skip days, then the monthly medication may be your best bet. And if you start on the daily pills but stop for whatever reason, a switch in a month's time to the other treatment will ensure that your pet will be protected.

A positive heartworm test will likely require treatment to save your pet's life. New medications make treatment safer these days, but your veterinarian will likely still suggest tests beforehand to spot any complicating factors, including blood and urine screens and chest X-rays. If that sounds expensive, than it's just another reason why prevention is the only way to go with this pest, especially in a year such as this one.

Preventive care, starting with good nutrition and exercise, is easy to overlook or put off. But nothing will make as powerful a day-to-day difference in the life of your pet as good health. And heartworm prevention is part of ensuring it.

Pets on the Web: While shows are probably a better "best" place to study animal breeds, the Internet offers a lot of possibilities. This week found me musing about the Abyssinian, a handsome cat who looks more than a little like a panther. A good page to find more about this breed is Patti Cassalia's Abyssinian FAQ (www.tdl.com/(tilde)pattic/abyfaq). Also, the bottom of this page has a link to the Cat Fanciers Web site (www.fanciers.com). Good reading, great pictures.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of 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

Biting, destructiveness, noisiness, house-soiling -- these problems can be more of a threat to a pet than a disease such as cancer. That's because too often behavior problems are eventually "solved" by getting rid of the pet, a solution that's often a dead end for the animal.

Even when people refuse to give up on their pets, behavior problems can mean a lifetime of misery. "Bad" pets may spend their lives locked up, locked out, or punished in ways that reflect the frustration and ignorance of their owners but do nothing to solve the problems. It's safe to say that neither side realizes the full benefits of the human-animal bond in such sad situations.

It doesn't have to be that way. While some behavior problems aren't fixable, most can be. To accomplish such change, though, you have to be prepared to put some time into changing the situation. Quick-fix, half-hearted efforts are doomed from the start.

The first rule of solving any behavioral problem is to make sure it's not a medical problem. The cat who won't use the litter box may be struggling with an infection that makes urination painful. A dog who snaps when his ears are touched may be suffering from chronic infections. Situations such as these need to be accurately diagnosed and completely treated with the help of your veterinarian before any retraining begins.

When your pet is healthy, your veterinarian can still be of use. While few veterinarians have the training or knowledge to help solve behavior problems, the numbers of those who do are growing -- and your vet may be one of them. Even those veterinarians who have no interest in behavior work can refer you to someone who can help. Loosely grouped under the term "behaviorist," these pet professionals can help fix what ails the relationship you have with your pet.

Consulting a behaviorist can save you time, money and aggravation. Time, because someone with experience in animal behavior can quickly determine the root of the problem, without the emotional baggage that a pet owner may bring to the situation. Money, because a consultation or two is a great deal cheaper than a new sofa. And aggravation? You understand that one if you're living with a problem pet.

Be aware, however, that animal behavior is an unregulated field -- anyone can call himself a behaviorist.

One of the best choices is a veterinarian who's board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. These professionals have gone through years of study in animal health and behavior and have done a residency in the field as well. A plus with this group: They have access to medications being used now to help correct behavior problems.

People with other academic degrees (such as psychology) and people who've picked up their knowledge in the field also make themselves available for advising on behavior. Some can be excellent, so don't let the lack of a DVM or any degrees at all deter you from getting help from someone who has studied in the "school of hard knocks" (or would that be the "school of bites and scratches"?)

Behaviorists are not "trainers" in the sense of offering group obedience classes to sharpen a pet's manners. Instead, they work one-on-one with you to solve a specific behavior problem. The form the consulting takes varies. Some behaviorists consult by phone; others take appointments with or without your pet, while still others make house calls. All these can work, depending on the problem and the pet.

If you're in a situation where your pet is causing problems in your home -- and certainly if you're thinking of getting rid of your pet -- don't delay: Ask your veterinarian for help, or call your closest college of veterinary medicine.

Pets on the Web: William Campbell is a pioneering behaviorist, and his Pet Behavior Resources Web site (www.Webtrail.com/petbehavior/index.html) is worthy of attention. The site includes a behavior case of the month and a quiz that lets you test your knowledge of animal behavior. Bird lovers should check out behaviorist Sally Blanchard's Pet Bird Report site (www.petbirdreport.com). The site serves to promote her excellent magazine of the same name, but there's plenty here to help the nonsubscriber.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of 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