I would've wanted to start today's blog with an enthusiastic “Summer's almost here” complete with 3 exclamation points for emphasis, nut I just got off reading weather news and in some states it isn't good. In reference to weather, we just couldn't resist optimism and write about pre-trip planning for a family holiday with the pet/ pets.

Gauge your pet- Have you got a new pup or kitten with you? A new pet can be a kink in relaxing holiday plans if they show behavioral problems and have not taken on crate training well. How about your 12 year old dog? To make pet travel a cinch, have pet restraints such as carriers or pet crates which keep pets safe and sound in the car. For pet dogs with illness, a “go” signal from your Vet and a refill of their maintenance medicines must be at the top of your   pet trip planning. If the Vet says otherwise, arrangements must be done before any trip planning proceeds. Depending on the length of time you'd be gone, a pet sitter or a space at your Vet are the safest places.

Update your pets papers and check on dog tag information. A pet gets booster shots every few months or so and there are times their chips or tags haven't been updated, it would be best to check the information and update. If you have transferred, get a dog tag with your present address- a temporary dog tag will do.

Prepare a list of things to bring. Packing for a pet is different from packing for your family where your needs are common human needs. Jotting down a list makes sure you haven't left anything out. 

Where are you going?  Unless you are a veteran pet traveler this would be easy, for the novice there are several web pages you can refer to. Reading through Eileen Barish pet travel books which are very informative for travel in the US and Canada.

Make reservations. A phone call or an e-mail confirming a pet friendly hotel or park or inn is a precaution you must take. Some ads stating some pet facilities may be obsolete but are still posted (why? Your guess is as good as mine!). It wouldn't hurt to check existing and amended laws on pets, like keeping dogs on-leash, make sure to ask about these things (re:www.animallaw.info).

 Check on the weather, if a storm is close to the place you choose change venue or be prepared for everything that may happen if you won't cancel.

 Well, holidays are great when prepared well. Come on back for other tips we'd be posting for this summer.

Pet dehydration can happen in the coldest of weather as much as in the hottest. Summer storms make temperatures drop to a chilling one to fight off the cold pets often pee a lot. To get more heat circulated in the body, its body uses up most of its stored nutrients and the end product would be its having to go potty without having much to drink. Keep your pets bowl full  with water at room temperature, always check your pets water intake during the storm or rainy days. Some dogs just need a heave-ho from their curled state, prod your pet to take a few gulps of water for its own good. Sometimes dogs are sluggish,  dip your fingers in water and wet your pets lip with it. With a bit of goading, it'll be taking a sip or 2.

Hot, hot weather on the other hand will have our pet dogs lolling their tongue a lot just to keep cool. Provide your pet with cool water and keep your fridge stocked with ice cubes, just in case the temperature will reach an all time high. There are dog bes that are right for this weather, they're elevated from the floor and are portable. Some dog beds have a cooling effect and would be a comfy place for your pet to stay at.

The rule for consistency can be broken when it comes to walking a pet in a heat wave. Walk in the early morning or early evening for both your sakes. Insisting on walking in the heat will hurt your pets paws and will cause it to be more dehydrated than ever. For the nth time, dogs (and other pets too!) do not sweat, exposing them to heat will only cause them extreme dehydration since it will pee all its fluid away. You can have a spare fan for your pets (cats and dogs feeling the heat appreciate it!) or have a spritzer at hand to shower some moisture on your pet's fur and paws.

When things get to be a habit, they become annoying and can mean danger. Humans feel a shiver up their spine when loud thunder and suspiciously very near bolts of lightning come. Though we rarely show our discomfort and just find something to busy ourselves with, our pets are very different. There is no hand-holding effective enough to calm a pet dog that has been encouraged to stay scared. I use the word encouraged since pets do take a cue from their owners if their behavior is acceptable. To not have this problem, storm training your pet can be done the soonest. If you are in an area which is in the path of a storm always, this would help a lot.

You'll need several artificial environmental soundtracks (CD's are okay but a DVD showing a hurricane is more believable!) to train your pet. Start training by having playtime with your pet, make it special from regular playtime by bringing out a specific toy or a very special treat (not your ordinary day treat, okay). To assure your pet more of its safety, get some family members to help in this. After a few minutes of special playtime, get someone to play the storm soundtrack at a low but discernible volume. Now, the new sound will make your pet a bit flighty so keep him collected with a down/stay command while members of your family go on as if nothing is happening. Be sure to reward your pet when it doesn't show fear, ignore your pet when it starts to show fright and lower the volume a notch. As the soundtrack is played in different levels of sound, you and your family must ignore it too. Experts say that dogs take their cue from their pack, which as pets means the family. Once it sees the family not moved by the storm it gets less scared of the sound. To make it more realistic, you can have a visual of how a storm is like playing your TV for your pet to associate the sound with what it may see in actual storms. Increase the volume a bit at a time until your pet show signs of ignoring the noise at all. Have several run-throughs of this and by the time the real storm comes, your pet will be a as cool as Brad Pitt.

I never thought the day would come that my waist will go beyond 27 inches, for about a month now it has ballooned to 31. To make matters worse, we had bought a dresser that comes with a full length mirror that showed me what 'elephant legs' were: cellulite ridden and rippled.

The Internet offers several possible options, and its the diet pills that intrigued me. Diet pills can be herbal, combining several medicinal plants and extracts mixed with some vitamins and minerals. These can be chemical too, prescribed diet medication by doctors according to your need.

Some sites have heralded Herbal Diet Pill as effective in aiding your body to physiologically stop hunger pangs. What isn't mentioned though but very obvious to label readers, the combined herbs also stimulate your body's metabolism. Effects of the chemicals found in the plants make shut down your body's need for food and give you the extra energy to keep active. Virtually, this situation does cause weight loss, you're hungry but you just can't keep still. Unfortunately, the dehydration would be the result from prolonged herbal diet pills.

Prescribed Diet Pills on the other hand may not inhibit your need for food but the combination of chemicals are potent enough to make your body metabolize faster. Some even cause body fat to be burned and expelled even without you having to lift a finger. But just as every thing done beyond moderation, these have its effects too. Chemicals used as stimulants cause several side effects that may lead to dreaded diseases and abnormal body function. A chemical diet pill enable your body to expel fat in an unlimited amount which can also be detrimental to your health since fats is needed for absorption of vital vitamins, anti-oxidants mostly and minerals.

Between the two it was difficult to choose what to get, so I read on. There was a counter that computed your Body Mass Index, which is computes how much fat you have in your body and if it is in the required amount. Typing in the data they needed to compute my own BMI, I pressed the compute button and had a 27 BMI result. According to several diet sites, this BMI is a desirable amount of fat and dos not indicate any need for dieting pills. Forlorn and still shuddering with the thought of having huge 'elephant legs', I cross out the diet pill option and continue my quest to get back in shape the safest way possible. 

Science has always been wanting to disprove that good exists as much as bad. A write up shows a diagram of the brain with labels as to what certain parts are for, like several centimeters of the upper left side of the brain is devoted to several thoughts. The study concludes that we don't make our destiny nor our choices.

When I skimmed through the article I felt insulted. The point is that we have patterned thoughts and we decide as we were programmed to. By the diagram itself, it would be a complete wonder if the researchers argument will hold water.

I believe that we are all here for a purpose, and that is to live the best way we can no matter our circumstance, race or intelligence. In any part of the world, we wake up with the same choice, to do good or to do bad. No one is perfect nor is anyone exempted from any slip-ups, at the end of the day its the essence of how you spent the day that matters and how well you sleep at bight knowing you've made life easier for someone by doing good by them. Anyone who thinks they are programmed cyborgs might as well self-destruct for good.