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I am working on my next newspaper column about how to get the most fun out of visiting a dog park.

We've been fortunate in this area to have a nice dog park for the last few years , Six Wags in Salem. The newest off-leash park will open in Highland Park on Thursday.

I am sure there are many pet parents here in Roanoke who have not had the opportunity to take their dogs to a park to socialize. I am hoping that the column will help explain what first-time visitors can expect and what to be prepared for when the leashes come off and the pooches go out to play.

What questions do you have? What information would be helpful for you before you venture out to the new dog park? Let me know and I will do my best to find the answers you seek.

A rabid stray cat attacked a pet owner and another cat in Franklin County last Tuesday, health officials said today.

According to a news release from the Virginia Dept. of Health's West Piedmont district office, the stray cat attacked a second cat near its residence on Rakes Road about one mile from Scuffling Hill Road in Franklin County on May 12. 

The home owner was scratched by the stray attempting to break up the fight.

The stray cat, described as a medium-to-large sized, male orange tabby, was captured and quarantined at the Franklin County Animal Shelter. It was euthanized after it became sick and tests confirmed the cat had rabies.

Officials are asking that if you or your pet might have had contact with this stray cat from May 4 through May 14 to call the Franklin County Health Department at 484-0292 or the Franklin County Animal Control at 483-7440.

The person who was scratched by the stray has been referred to seek post-exposure treatment for rabies. As a result of the attack, 11 other cats are under quarantine at home. All 11 cats were vaccinated for rabies, health officials reported.

Rabies is a viral infection that is nearly 100 percent fatal in mammals once symptoms develop. Besides making sure all your pets are vaccinated, the health department recommends not allowing them to run loose. They also recommend that you do not leave food and water outside as this could attract rabid wildlife.

Avoid contact with stray and wild animals, but if you are scratched or bitten, thoroughly wash the wound with warm water and soap and contact your doctor immediately.

Dexter, our typically calm greyhound, was unusually restless Friday night. He woke my hubby up several times before 4 a.m. but settled down right after that. I slept blissfully through the night as did our other two pooches.

We live at the northeast tip of Roanoke County, about a quarter mile from Boutetourt County, so we were not close to the epicenter of the earthquake that happened in Southwest Roanoke at 4:08 a.m. None of our neighbors reported hearing or feeling anything.

Through casual conversation with other pet parents from the southern part the city and county, many people told me their dogs were out of sorts on Friday. Katie Halsted, owner of Six Wags Dog Park in Salem, said she and her staff, especially daycare attendant Sue Grimm, thought their regular pooches were "a little off" late last week. Not big personality changes, she said, just a general restlessness among the pack.

Halsted also told me her 3-year-old son's description of the quake, which he experienced at his grandparents' house near Cave Spring. He said his room wiggled. Great choice of verbs, young man.

What do you think? Do you think our dogs may be more in tune with the earth's movement than we are?  According to an article published by National Geographic, the US Geological Survey, the government agency that tracks seismological activity and rated our quake a 3.0, says there is no reliable evidence that animals can predict shifts and quakes before they happen.

But the notion that they can has been around for as long as people have cohabitated with critters.

Did your pet seem to sense something was amiss before the earth wiggled?

We haven't had a giveaway in a while, so let's see if one of three new books that I have can end up on your bookshelves.

 I have a hardcover book, "The Cat's Pajamas: 101 of the World's Cutest Cats" by Rachael Hale. It's a collection of photos of several different type of kitties looking just a little adorable. There's plenty of info about the cats, too.

Clearly I could not take it home because Thai, my egomaniacal kitty, is not in the book. He would take serious issue with the title. Yes, I know he can't read but somehow he just seems to know these things. You cat people know exactly what I mean.

I also have a softcover collection of Mutts cartoons titled "Stop and Smell the Roses." I know from counting thousands of comics ballots that we have a lot of fans of Patrick McDonnell's daily strip out there.

Finally I have "The Dog Lover's Companion to Washington, D.C.: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog" by Katie Githens and illustrated by Phil Frank. This is a travel book that would be very helpful if you live in our nation's capital or plan to vacation there with your pooch.

Let's keep it simple: Post a comment indicating what book you would like to have (just pick one, please; greedy is not attractive), and I will put your name and selection in an empty Cookie Monster cookie jar here in my office. My adherence to the Weight Watchers program put an end to the cookie jar's productive days. He looks pretty lonely now and would welcome the work. 

Winners will be determined by random draw. I will take comments until next Thursday morning and then pick three winners.

Good luck.

Here's a link to this week's Happy Wag newspaper column. The column contains all sorts of details about a couple of doggy-friendly fun festivals, starting with the Mutt Strut this weekend.

I do need to make a correction to the start time for Woofstock Dog Festival, the canine carnival/music festival on May 30. I reported that the event started at noon and it actually starts at 10 a.m., so that's two hours of good times I almost stole from you.  My regrets.

I should also mention again that the Roanoke Dog Park will officially open on May 21 at 5:30 p.m. Bring your dog to Highland Park for some off-leash good times. If your pooch is new to the park scene, keep an eye out for the next Happy Wag column on Monday, May 25, for pointers on dog park etiquette and ways to get the most out of your experience.

Seen on the south side of Roanoke: One very colorful bird. And he looks a little lost.

Reader Gwyn Johnson e-mailed in this photo and wrote: "This peacock landed in our backyard on Friday. My daughter, Anne, and I were home when it just dropped into our yard."

OK, it's certainly not every day that a brightly-plumed fowl such as this wanders into a yard. At least, it would be newsworthy in my sedate neighborhood in north Roanoke County, inhabited by little more than finches, blue jays, cardinals and crows. Maybe it's a trendy, south-city thing that I am unaware of.  But I suspect this gorgeous birdy belongs to someone. There's a story here.

If you know of someone with a pet peacock, you may want to inquire as to the bird's whereabouts. If you recognize this peacock, please post a comment.

If you've strolled through Highland Park lately, you had to notice that the fence is up for the Roanoke Dog Park.

I got an e-mail from park committee member Christa Stevens yesterday saying that the park will officially open Thursday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. as long as the concrete work is completed on time.

She also wrote that the park committee is still trying to raise money and will be at the Grandin Village Community Market this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. selling Star City Coffee's Good Neighbor blend and engraved bricks for the park's entrance area.

The bricks can feature the name of a pet, an individual, a family or a business and will be placed at the park's entrance in what Stephens said would be the second phase of construction for the park.

A text-only brick is $100; to have a corporate logo engraved is $150. The coffee sells for $10 per pound, and Stephens said they will also be selling dog park bumper stickers and T-shirts.

I know dogs will eat a lot of things that are, well, not really food.  Paper, for instance, is not something most people past the age of six would ever consider consuming unless they are hiding evidence. But to my dogs paper, and especially cardboard, is like a gourmet treat to be chewed and savored.

That behavior does not surprise me. If are going to be a pet parent to dogs, expect that they will ingest all manner of disgusting materials at least once, and many make it a lifelong habit.

But my dogs like weird food. At least, it seems weird that the dogs would like this food. Chicken and cheese are no-brainers. Beef and pork, completely understandable.

But edamame?

Stormy and Dexter absolutely loved the tender little soy beans. Coral, not so much. But the boys eat her share.

Blueberries are a big treat. We toss the antioxidant-rich nuggets and they catch them mid-air. And Stormy will stare you down begging for a bite of a banana. In fact, the only thing I have found that Stormy won't eat is iceberg lettuce.  And who can blame him, really?

The ASPCA, keeper of the world's largest database of animal poisons, suggests that pet parents scrupulously avoid chocolate, raisins, grapes, avocados and citrus fruits. That was a bummer for little Stormy, because I put an end to my daughter feeding him sections of her clementines.

I have also heard you should avoid garlic too. Really all people food should be off-limits, but I try to give our pooches unprocessed, natural people food as snacks, a policy I should follow more stringently for myself.

What crazy foods do your critters like to nibble?

The Humane Society of the United States has organized a nationwide demonstration to protest puppy sales in front of 35 Petland stores, including the one in Roanoke, this Mother's Day weekend.

The rally in Roanoke is scheduled for this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. near the store located at 4335 Pheasant Ridge Road.

Petland is the largest national chain of stores that sells puppies. It is the contention of the HSUS and other rescue groups that the puppies sold in pet stores are the products of puppy mills, mass breeding operations where dogs are often kept in small crates with little human contact, medical or grooming care.

The puppies produced by mills often have health problems caused by poor breeding practices.

Nan Fariss of Roanoke, a volunteer with Small Paws Rescue, said she hopes 15 to 20 people will join her on Saturday.  Fariss is the pet mom of three bichon frises rescued from puppy mills.  She has participated in other demonstrations and tries to raise awareness of the plight of breeding dogs.

"Whenever we do this people stop and ask me, 'what's a puppy mill?'," Fariss said. "They just don't know the horrible conditions these dogs live in."

Fariss said the goal of the demonstration is to convince Petland and other retailers to stop selling puppies and assist in dog rescues.

"For every puppy that's sold," Fariss said, "others are put to sleep."

Update: Apparently Belle, the kitty-in-residence at the Pulaski County library, has a least a little more time in her current home.

Click here to read Christian Trejbal's story about Belle's plight. The short version of the story is that Belle has lived in the Charles & Ona B. Free Memorial Library in Dublin for three years, financially supported by compassionate patrons, but the library board received complaints in January.

The board is must decide if Belle's presence in the library poses a liability risk and/or limits access to the library for people who are highly allergic or just don't care for cats.

Reader Bill Bryant sent a news tip last week saying that many supporters, but not a single complainant, showed up to the April 28 library board meeting to lend their voices to the kitty's cause.

 The board will make its final decision on whether Belle can remain among the stacks on May 26.