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Next week is Thanksgiving, and we will be off to visit family in Indiana. The only thing I dread about holiday travel is leaving my pets. My in-laws’ home is not pet-friendly, so the four-leggers have stay behind.

While we have a neighbor who can take care of the cats for us, Dexter has to go to a kennel.

We've had good experiences at About Pets Center in Salem. We call it our “doggy spa.”

We have left Dexter there a couple of times and he always seems happy and content when we pick him up. The facility is clean and comfortable, the play yard is spacious, and they give us a report card that lets us know how he spent his days, who was his best buddy, etc.

They are also aware of breed behavior and match him with other sight hounds when they can.

If you have a kennel or boarding facility you would like to recommend to other blog readers, post a comment.

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Dogs seem to dominate my blog topics, mostly because dogs are very public pets. Let's face it: there are no cat parks, fenced or otherwise. You won't see cat owners walking their felines in costumes through downtown Roanoke, although the mental image I get thinking about that amuses me.

But I do love my kitty, every bit as much as I love my dog. Thai is a wonderful cat, and I feel privileged that he chose me to be his human. As a newly-homeless, six-month-old kitten, he just darted through our front door one night about five years ago, and made himself at home. By morning I was smitten with this gentle kitten, and he's been my little shadow ever since.

My daughter Laura's cat, India, crawled into Laura's life when she found the sick, tiny, two-week-old abandoned feral kitten crying on our doorstep. India bonded immediately with Laura, and I really believe India sees Laura as the mother cat in her private colony.

India is proof that some feral cats can make good pets.

People who love and appreciate cats know that few things in life make you feel better than having a kitty give you a good chin-rubbing, swirling around your legs while purring. Dogs want everyone to love them; cats expect you to earn their trust and respect.

As I wrote this entry, Thai was curled up asleep in the big soft chair next to my desk in my office at home. He likes to be alone with me. And that makes me feel like I must be a good person, since my cat is selective to whom he honors with his presence.

Post a comment about what makes you the special human in your kitty's life.

Congratulations to St. Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation. This week they became the first accredited organization in Virginia by Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of non-profit organizations that train and place service dogs.

The Roanoke-based foundation places assistance dogs with adults and children with ambulatory and emotional disabilities.

"To be recognized and accredited by an international organization like ADI is a tremendous validation of our work," Executive Director Cabell Youell said in a statement. "We look forward to expanding our services and continuing to serve those in need by providing highly skilled service dogs free of charge."

Service dogs are specially trained to perform a multitude of tasks, like opening and closing doors, retrieving dropped objects, even pulling wheelchairs. A service dog can make independent living possible for many people.

Share a funny or touching story about your pet here at The Happy Wag and you could win a copy of "Dog Days," a beautiful photo essay book by Gandee Vasan featuring dogs expressing some very human emotions.
Deadline has been extended to Monday.

I dearly love to wrap Christmas presents. I look forward to spending at least one quiet evening during the holiday season when I get out the paper, ribbons and tags and wrap up all the goodies I am giving to family and friends.

And I even enjoy watching the destruction of all my wrapping efforts on Christmas morning, when my carefully decorated packages end up in a mound of paper that my cat gleefully plays in.

This year, my joy with the boxes-and-bows can be complemented with the knowledge I helped homeless pets if I buy my wrapping paper at PetsMart.

The national retailer, in partnership with Pedigree pet food, is selling cat- and dog-themed wrapping paper in their stores, now and throughout the holiday season, for the unbelievably low price of $1. All the proceeds will go to PetsMart Charities, benefactor of animal welfare programs across the U.S. and Canada. And the gift wrap even comes with coupons for Pedigree and Whiskas products.

Pretty good deal.

Byron Wentworth, store manager of the Valley View PetsMart, said the store has the wrapping paper now and will also have a "wish tree" in the next few weeks covered with paper ornaments in $1, $5, $10 and $20 denominations.

Customers take an ornament off the tree, pay at the register, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to about a dozen local animal shelters and rescues, including the RVSPCA, Angels of Assisi, Star City Greyhound Adoptions, the Bedford Humane Society and FERAL.

The Elliston-based Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia took in 31of the little sweeties from Horton's Pups, the mill in Hillsville that made headlines last week.

According to their Web site, however, all these adorable puppies have been spoken for, pending approval of the adoption applications.

However, if you need an "awwww" moment today and want to see the sweet little faces, click here. If you click on the pictures, the little babies come to life. Click on several at a time for the full wiggle effect.

Warning: you will crave a cuddle after viewing.

And at the risk of sounding like a nag, if you really want to add a new set of paws to your family, look at the dogs and cats available for adoption through local shelters.

Holistic veterinarian Ella Bittel will present a weekend seminar on hospice care for companion animals at UVa in Charlottesville.

The seminar, Spirits in Transition, starts Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. and ending Sunday Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.

Bittel said her seminar is open to anyone who cares for animals, in a home or in a clinical setting. She said the program teaches caregivers to provide comfort and support to a pet that is at the end of life, and also helps the caregiver deal with the grief and guilt associated with losing a beloved pet.

"I have seen people grieve for years for an animal, falling into depression," Bittle said in a phone interview on Monday. She added that learning to deal with loss and grief is not just a benefit for those who care for elderly and sick pets.

"This seminar also helps people be prepared to lose people," she said.

Cost of the weekend program is $365.

Bittel also has audio discs on caring for dying animals and dealing with loss for $12.

My dog can tell time. As each weekday fades into evening, he knows its time for his family to make their journeys home. He keeps watch in our front window, peers at the driveway, and waits for the cars to pull in. He frantically runs between the kitchen door and the front window until we emerge from the garage, and then he does his happy dance.

It happens every day, and it never fails to make me smile. Nothing can make a lousy day fade into memory like coming home to family.

Share a story about your pet and win a hardbound copy of "Dog Days," a book by photographer Gandee Vasan. The book is "...a collection of pooch portraits showcasing a spectrum of emotions that every dog lover will recognize and enjoy."

Post a comment by Friday and let us know what your dog or cat does to make you laugh, cry, smile or even scream. Hey, you know they are not always angels, but sometimes the "arrggggghhh" moments turn into treasured memories. And you can't stay mad at someone that sweet, now can you?

Best story wins this beautiful book.

What better way to start the holiday season than to take your pooch or kitty (or in my case, both) to have his or her picture taken with Santa!

Pets can pose with Santa this Sunday, Nov. 18, starting at 6 p.m. at Valley View Mall. Tanglewood offers pet photos with the Jolly Old Elf on Sunday, Nov. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Can't make it to the malls in the next two weeks? Not to worry.

PetsMart at Valley View will have St. Nick available for photos the first three weekends in Decemeber. The store representative said exact times and other details have not been finalized, but as soon as I have more information I will be sure to pass it along.

Virginia is for lovers, and apparently for puppy mills.

A press release this week from the Humane Society of the United States alleges that there are over 900 commercial puppy dealers in our commonwealth, and the overwhelming majority are not licensed and thus not subject to any oversight or inspection to ensure the dogs are treated being properly.

As you are likely aware, hundreds of puppies and dogs were confiscated from Horton's Pups in Hillsville. The puppy mill had mostly small breed dogs.

This is a bleak story, folks. I know this state, and particularly this area, is home to many compassionate people who really love pets. And I know many of you are wondering what you can do to help. Keep in mind that nursing moms and young pups may not be able to be adopted for months, so the dogs that can be adopted right away are likely to be adult dogs.

I called the list of shelters in our area that the USHS said would be taking in some of these dogs. The Danville Humane Society is on the list, and a statement on their Web site said they planned to pick up some dogs today, but when I called there this morning they said that plan had fallen through and they do not have any of the rescued dogs at their facility.

The message on the Richmond SPCA voice mail said the dogs they received are not ready for adoption yet. The voicemail message also said they will be contacting people who have visited the shelter in the past and are on their wish list for a small dog first.

There was no answer at Small Animal Rescue, 276-386-2796.

The SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County said they took in 25 adult dogs. All the dogs are being evaluated and they hope to have them all checked in, photographed and on their Web site by midnight tonight.

The very helpful lady who answered the phone, Lena, said they hope to be able to start showing the dogs to perspective pet parents by Monday. Applications to adopt the dogs can be found on the shelter's Web site and can faxed in on Monday, 276-638-0490

She said that none of the dogs will be ready to leave the shelter until they have been spayed or neutered and she said some of the dogs could have other health problems that will need to be addressed, like hair loss and teeth problems.

The fee for adopting a dog will depend on the medical care the dog needs before they leave, probably around $150.