The number of people who travel with their dogs is growing, and so too are the options for pets on the road -- from "ruffing it" at campgrounds to enjoying fabulous four-star hotels. There's never been a better time to pack your pet and go.

Still, traveling with a dog is no picnic sometimes. Finding lodgings can be difficult; luxurious inside dining is largely sacrificed in favor of eating takeout in the car or a park; and spending hours tripping through quaint shops becomes a thing of the past when a dog is waiting. Traveling with dogs offers some challenges, but nearly all are surmountable with common sense and creativity.

The travel industry wants to help, that's for sure. Several books cover traveling with dogs, and some travel agents have carved out a niche booking canine-centered vacations. People in the travel industry have learned that many people with dogs are exceptionally grateful for pleasant accommodations, and so return to the places that treat them well year after year. As a result, some entrepreneurs have gone to great lengths to attract dog lovers: You can even find canine camps where people do nothing but share a slice of "dog heaven" with their pet for a week or more at a time.

Is your pup ready to hit the road? As with all other training, ending up with a good car-rider starts with molding correct behavior when your dog is a puppy. No matter how cute or how small, do not allow your pup to ride in your lap, and don't make a fuss over him while you're driving. On short neighborhood trips, ask your pup to sit quietly, and praise him for proper behavior.

Traveling with your dog in a crate is often easier and definitely safer. Depending on the size of your dog and the size and shape of your car, a crate may not be feasible. It should always be considered, though, especially for those dogs who are so active they distract the driver. Collapsible crates are available for easy storage in the trunk when not in use.

Another safety tool is a doggy seat belt, which fits into a standard seat-belt buckle and then attaches to a harness on the dog. Also good for keeping a pet in place -- if you have a station wagon, van or SUV -- are widely available metal barriers that fit between the passenger and cargo areas.

If your dog's only exposure to riding in a car is an occasional trip to the veterinarian's, don't be surprised if he's not the most easy of riders. Try to build up his enthusiasm by increasing his time in the car and praising him for his good behavior. The first short trips should be to pleasant locations, such as parks.

Dramamine prevents car-sickness in dogs as well as people, but other remedies are also available (talk to your veterinarian). A dog-show trick: Your dog should travel on little or no food and should get a jelly bean -- or any other piece of sugar candy, except chocolate -- before hitting the road. The sugar seems to help quell queasiness.

Because most of the problems come from fear, not motion sickness, building up your pet's tolerance for riding in a car is a better long-term cure than anything you could give him.

On the road, remember to stop at regular intervals, about as often as you need to for yourself, for your dog to relieve himself and get a drink of fresh water. And always keep your dog on a leash for his own safety.

With a few short practice trips and some training, you'll be on the road in no time.

THE SCOOP

Doing some research beforehand can help make traveling with your dog easier and more enjoyable for you both. A good resource is "On the Road With Your Pet," a Mobil '99 travel guide from Fodor's ($15). After some basic tips from a dog trainer, the guide rates more than 4,400 places to stay in the United States and Canada. My favorite guides for traveling with dogs are those in the "Dog Lover's Companion" series from Foghorn Press, with editions for California, Florida, Boston and Atlanta. The Companions are about more than places to stay; they're about places to go, with well-researched listings of parks, beaches and trails your dog will love.

PETS ON THE WEB

Anyone with a pet and an e-mail address has by now heard the false warning that Febreze, a new odor-removing product, is lethal to pets. I get three or four of these "warnings" every day, forwarded by well-meaning animal lovers. Problem is, there's no evidence that the warnings are true. The ASPCA's National Animal Poison Control Center has put out a statement to that effect on its Web site (www.napcc.aspca.org/febreze.htm), and manufacturer Procter & Gamble is likewise trying to spread the word (www.febreze.com, click on "pet safety").

Febreze is safe to use around dogs and cats, although P&G does advise removing birds from any area where the product is used, until it has dried and been aired out. That's the standard advice for any cleaning product, incidentally, because of the hypersensitivity of avian respiratory systems. If you've spread this "warning," then sharing the new information is the right thing to do.

QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK

Q: We left our dog at the kennel while on vacation, and when we came back he was sick with kennel cough. We're furious and don't intend to use that kennel again. We think they should refund our money. Don't you? -- S.H., via the Internet

A: While I'm certainly sorry your dog got sick, he'll likely be over it by the time you read this. And no, you really can't blame the kennel any more than you can blame a day-care center for all the colds kids pick up there.

Boarding kennels do take a lot of heat over kennel cough, an upper-respiratory infection that is indeed as contagious as sniffles in a day-care center. Some kennel operators find the name a little pejorative, insisting that the ailment be called by its proper name, "canine infectious tracheobronchitis," or even "bordetella," after its most common causative agent.

And maybe that's fair. Dogs can pick up kennel cough any place they come into contact with a dog who has it, and that means anywhere: parks, dog shows, the waiting room of your veterinarian's office, or the fund-raising dog walk thrown by your local humane society. These are all possibilities for infection.

Fortunately, the ailment is not usually serious, even though the dry, bellowing cough can sound simply awful. For most dogs, the disease runs its course in a couple of weeks. Others, especially yappy dogs who keep the airways irritated, may develop an infection that requires antibiotics. See your veterinarian for advice. He may recommend nothing more than Robitussin and rest.

While not completely effective against the disease, a vaccine is available against the ailment. The rub: It requires two doses a couple of weeks apart, which means you need to call your veterinarian at least three weeks before a kennel stay or a trip to any dog-dense area.

Q: I am wondering if there are such things as toy cats, like toy dogs. I like cats that are small and stay that way. Is there any cat like this, a kitten and stays that way? Thanks. -- A.C., via the Internet

A: While no breed of cat could really be called a "toy," a few do remain relatively small throughout their lives. The smallest breed of cat is probably the Singapura, a Southeast Asian breed that resembles the Abyssinian but is a couple of pounds lighter.

In general, the "Oriental" breeds are among the smaller and lighter cats you can find, including such cats as the show Siamese, Abby, Burmese and the kinky-coated Rexes, Devon and Cornish. Although these cats might not be as small as you were hoping to find, they're petite in comparison to such bruisers as the Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest cats.

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 Write2Gina(at)aol.com.

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

On behalf of the media, I wish to apologize to rabbits everywhere.

About the only time we ever mention rabbits is around Easter, when we either do pieces on how wonderful bunnies (along with chicks and baby ducks) are as gifts, or share the local shelter's warning that pets are bad ideas as gifts.

I've never done the former story, but I've written plenty about the latter. Bunnies, chicks and baby ducks should never be given as Easter gifts, at least not without plenty of thoughtful consideration beforehand. Too many times the formerly "fluffy" or "fuzzy" grow up and are seen as a messy inconvenience. Or they become the rope in an ongoing tug-of-war between the child who wanted the pet and the parents who insist the responsibility for the animal's care must fall on their son or daughter.

In either scenario, it's the pet who loses, ignored in a rarely cleaned cage, or dumped on the nearest shelter or rescue group.

My good deed done with such warnings, I then ignore rabbits until Easter rolls around again, as will most of the media. But our Easter efforts leave the story half-told, and for that, I'm sorry. The other half of the story? What most people don't know about pet rabbits, and should.

Rabbits make wonderful pets -- for adults! Bun-lovers know the animals are playful, quiet, clean and affectionate. The time and effort you put into getting to know your pet pay off many times over. They're perfect for apartment dwellers and suburbanites alike.

What they're not perfect for is children. Parents buy rabbits thinking the animals will consent to lots of quiet lap-sitting, serving as sort of a warm, stuffed animal with a twitching nose. But rabbits aren't like that. The younger ones are very active, and even the adults love to kick up their heels in bursts of bunny joy.

Rabbits are also too fragile for many children, especially younger boys and girls who cannot be relied on knowing how to handle a pet correctly. If you pick up a rabbit without properly supporting his legs, he may panic and kick out, a move that may not only scratch a child but could break the bunny's back.

Guinea pigs and rats are better pets for children, but these, too, need strong parental oversight to ensure they're being well-cared-for, of course -- not fights over "responsibility," but guidance. The ultimate responsibility for any child's pet falls on parents, who must also ensure that the animal is being respected and cared for. This model teaches children another important lesson: compassion.

Another misconception about rabbits is that an outside hutch is the best place to keep one. Not so! Outside rabbits are especially vulnerable to predators, and can be frightened to death even by killers who cannot get close enough to bite. Outdoor rabbits are especially prone to neglect -- out of sight, out of mind -- and are bored to bunny tears in their small enclosures.

You'll get the most out of sharing your life with a rabbit if you bring him inside and make him a part of that life. Most rabbits can be litterbox-trained, and what few droppings that do stray are small, neat, and easily cleaned up with a handheld vac.

Are you missing out on the pleasure a pet rabbit could bring to your life? Visit your local shelter and find a "second-chance" rabbit who's right for you. If the shelter doesn't have any for adoption, ask them for a referral to a local rabbit rescue group.

Kind beings that they are, rabbits will accept my apology, I'm sure, and my promise to write about them more frequently than once a year.

PETS ON THE WEB

No group has been more influential in bringing rabbits out of hutches and into homes than the House Rabbit Society. The HRS homepage (www.rabbit.org) gets better every day, with up-to-date information on health, nutrition, training and problem-solving. The site also has referrals to rabbit rescue, too. Another Web site worth visiting is the whimsical Bunny Thymes newsletter (www.cyberus.ca/(tilde)buntales/index.html). While not as in-depth as the HRS site, Bunny Thymes offers some thoughtful reading for rabbit fans.

PET TIP

Wrapping has a way of making anything look elegant, although some folks might think of pretty packaging as a bit of overkill for a bag of old-fashioned clothespins my friend Ellen gave me. But Ellen and I know better. The humble wooden fasteners are a real find in an age where clothes dryers have put even their metal-spring successors largely out of business. The Penley Corp. of West Paris, Maine, still makes old-fashioned clothespins, used mostly for crafts these days. If you ever played with them as a child, you already know they're great toys, but you may not know they're not fun only for children. Old-fashioned wooden clothespins make wonderful playthings for pets such as rabbits and parrots. The pins are fun for them to play with and chew on, and are inexpensive to replace. They're well worth searching out.

Q: I am getting a new puppy in two weeks and want to save my home. I am looking for a 6-foot-wide tension gate. I have tried pet stores and baby stores. Some stores have them that length, but they screw into the wall (I have wood that I do not want to destroy). Or the gates are only 2 feet tall, which won't work with a soft-coated wheaten terrier for very long. If you have any ideas, I would appreciate them. -- Susan, Indianapolis

A: The best selection of baby gates I know of is in the Doctors Foster and Smith catalog (800-826-7206; www.drsfostersmith.com) -- and even they don't have a tension gate that will stretch across 6 feet. I'm no engineer, but having dealt with enough dogs and baby gates over the years, I'm guessing a tension mount doesn't work for an opening that large. The catalog does offer an attractive hardwood gate that would fit, although you would have to attach it to the woodwork.

You might also consider rethinking the space in which you'd like to confine your puppy, choosing instead an area where a baby gate would have to cover a standard door opening only (you'll find the widest choice of models in that size). Or you might consider a doorway where the mounting hardware won't be a problem.

Best wishes with your new puppy. The wheaten is one of my favorite breeds: handsome, good-natured and a lot less hardheaded than many other terriers.

Q: We are looking for kittens to buy for our grandmother. But there is a shortage and we are having trouble finding any -- and if we do they cost a lot of money. We are looking for two kittens from the same litter and we would like to get them locally. Do you have any suggestions? We are hoping to get them for her for Easter. -- K.S., Albany, N.Y.

A: How about for the Fourth of July instead? Or Labor Day? Kitten season is just getting under way now, with prospective "mom" cats howling for their toms through the spring air. In a couple of months, shelters will be awash in the results of these feline encounters -- more kittens than could ever be adopted, many of whom will have to be killed. The tragedy repeats every year, the summer rerun nobody wants to see. But that will continue until more people spay and neuter their pets.

For anyone looking to adopt a kitten, summer and early fall are the prime times. You'll find all the selection you could ask for, kittens in all colors and patterns, all anxious for loving homes.

I have to ask, though: Does your grandmother know about your plan? Pets should never be a surprise gift, because too often the recipient isn't interested in the responsibility they represent. Make sure your grandmother wants two playful kittens underfoot before you pick out any kittens.

My suggestion: If she really wants the kittens, give her a gift certificate to your local shelter, and in a couple of months, go with her and let her choose her own pets.

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 Write2Gina(at)aol.com.

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

If you have a disease you don't want to be cured of, are you still sick? I ask, because I know I am a "petaholic," and it doesn't really much bother me.

I am in good company; that's part of the reason I don't worry. My friends, you see, are petaholics, too.

My youngest dog, Heather, has a best friend, a graceful Rhodesian ridgeback named Sirene. Luckily for the two dogs, I'm friends with Sirene's "parents," one of whom I meet frequently at a place where our dogs can run.

With the weather getting warmer, we've moved our dog play sessions to the cooler early morning. Only two things will pry me out of bed early: Taking the dogs to the park or going to a dog show. So you can see the signs of addiction have always been there.

But Sirene's "mom" really nailed it. We were walking around the dog park, her dog and my two retrievers running and playing, Andy trotting slowly along behind us. She and I were talking dogs, our dogs. As we walked we discussed their glossy coats, their diets, their fine, fit bodies. We talked about how good the walking was for Andy, closing in on age 13.

And then my friend paused.

"You know," she observed at last. "This walking is good for (BEGIN ITALS)us(END ITALS), too, but we never talk about that. And if we spent half as much energy on our own diets and fitness ..." She didn't need to complete the thought. The truth is, neither one of us is as fit and healthy as our dogs, and we both know it.

To be fair, my friend is a killer racquetball player, and I make it to the pool enough to be on a first-name basis with the health-club staff. But the fact remains: Our pets are better cared for than we are.

Perhaps, I told her, we should get someone like us to adopt us and keep us so well-cared-for.

And then there's the issue of food. Until my little Senegal parrot, Patrick, arrived in my life, the produce aisle of the supermarket wasn't a place I knew that well. And what I did buy mostly rotted in the refrigerator before I made that fabulous salad or prepared that wonderful low-fat veggie casserole.

But now I wander through the greens, wondering what Patrick will like, or even what he will eat at all. Avocados are deadly for birds, so they're off-limits, but hardly anything else is. The variety of fruits and vegetables I buy now is truly laudable. And little is thrown away anymore.

I'm going to argue that my pet addiction isn't a bad thing. The walking I do to keep old Andy limber isn't doing me any harm, and the lift I get from seeing the younger dogs play lasts for the rest of the day and then some. And it turns out I'm eating a lot more fruits and vegetables because of Patrick. If you're going to clean veggies for one, you might as well do it for two. Wouldn't you know it: We're all nuts for baby carrots, including the dogs.

I'm even losing weight, slowly, after years of struggle. The reasons, though, have as much to do with the dogs as with any health and attractiveness issues. You see, I know the brilliant and athletic Heather would be great at the sport of dog agility -- if only I could run with her around the obstacle course with any kind of grace and coordination.

Petaholism? It can't be a sickness if it makes you better. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. And besides, it's time to walk the dogs.

PETS ON THE WEB

Photographer Herman Krieger has put several of his photo essays on the Internet, and one of them, Mobile Veterinarian (www.efn.org/(tilde)hkrieger/vet.htm) is well worth a pet lover's time to visit. The images show the variety in a mobile veterinarian's day, with both office and stable visits, and animals large and small. It would be nice, though, if the site gave more information about each image -- nothing is offered except titles that range from the merely inane ("A Case of Bad Metabbylism" for a low-energy cat) to the downright appalling ("Asta la Vista Pluto" for a dog apparently about to be euthanized). Still, the pictures are handsome, and so's the veterinarian. House call, anyone?

PET TIP

While it might be hard to believe if you're in a place where snow's still on the ground, spring has officially arrived. Days that are warm -- but not yet hot -- lull many dog owners into thinking it's OK to leave their pets in the car while running errands. Be careful! Even a sunny day in the 70s or low 80s can turn a car into a death trap for your dog. Call it the "greenhouse effect" if it makes it easier to understand why this happens. All those windows on a car let heat come in and build to dangerous levels quickly -- and no, a cracked window isn't going to save your dog. Don't take a chance; leave your dog at home.

QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK

Q: We need to be out of town in a few weeks, and I have recently acquired a bird that I have never had to worry about. Is it safe to leave him for about three days if we provide plenty of food and water? I don't have anyone to care for him while I am gone. -- Sandy, via the Internet

A: Let me put it this way: How would you like to be left with three days of food getting older by the minute and water that's developing a skin of slime, while trapped in a bathroom where the toilet doesn't flush?

In other words: No, it's not OK to leave a pet alone for three days. I know people do it, but they're taking big chances with their pets. Too many things can go wrong

If your bird is a finch or a canary, it can probably endure your being gone, but a parrot (and that category includes budgies and cockatiels) will keenly feel the social isolation. For all birds, food, water and cage papers need to be changed daily.

If you don't have a friend or neighbor to check on your pet at least once a day, call a pet-sitter.

Q: Can my cat eat a vegetarian diet? -- A.N, via the Internet

A: Not if you want him to stay healthy. Many people choose a diet devoid of animal-based proteins, and they want to extend their dietary choices to their cats. Fine for you, perhaps, but not for your cat, who is what the experts call an "obligate carnivore," meaning, cats must eat meat. (In contrast, dogs can and do survive on a meatless diet.)

No matter how opposed you may be to the idea of meat, your cat's body has a different opinion, and when your cat's health is at stake, you'd better listen.

Cats require more than a dozen nutrients including vitamins, fatty acids and amino acids that veterinary nutritionists call essential because they can't be manufactured in a cat's body and must be obtained from an outside source -- that is, from animal tissues. One of the most crucial of these is taurine, which if missing can cause serious health problems in your pet, including a deadly heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy.

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Paul D. Pion, my "Cats for Dummies" co-author and the discoverer of the link between taurine deficiency and heart disease, has a succinct way of describing the perfect diet for cats: Put a freshly killed rodent in the blender. Hit "frappe." Serve at room temperature.

In place of the rodent frappe, Pion recommends feeding foods from a variety of big-name manufacturers. He argues that these companies have proven their products through constant feeding trials. Look for the words "complete and balanced nutrition" on the label, as well as the statement that the product has been tested "for all life stages." The phrases come from the Association of American Feed Control Officials, a trade group that oversees industry standards.

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 Write2Gina(at)aol.com.

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