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Boston Globe reports how a kitten abandoned inside a streetcorner mailbox comes as instances of pet abandonment have increased dramatically during the recession.

Some family visited Jeremy and me this weekend. My sister-in-law and niece and nephew. We had a great time, and the kids especially had a great time playing with the dogs. Greta and Cassie just get so excited when visitors are at the house. Their enthusiasm was maybe a little too much for Meredith, who is 8, but when the dogs calmed down, she was right in there petting them.

The kids walked with us yesterday morning. I let Meredith and Garrett, 11, take turns walking Cassie because she's pretty easy going on a walk. Our walk started out with a big surprise though. I was still walking both dogs when they pulled over to the grass on our right to sniff. This isn't anything unusual, but then they started pulling a little harder, and I could see they were after something. I looked down and saw something moving in the grass. Then I saw its little tail. It was a rat. And just as quickly as I identified it, Greta was trying to scoop it up in her mouth. I pulled and pulled and screamed and screamed. The rat wiggled out of Greta's mouth, across the sidewalk and into more grass. Garrett's response: "Cool! Can I kick it?" Why he wanted to kick the rodent, I have no idea. But I told him no and that we needed to get away as quickly as possible.

In all our walks in the neighborhood, I've never seen a rat. We had mice one summer in our garage. Greta would chase them like it was her job, and Jeremy eventually caught them with mouse traps.

The irony in seeing the rat yesterday? It was in an exterminator's yard.

And in other doggy news: I know this has been all over the news today, but in case someone has missed it, a 4-year-old boy in England flushed his puppy down the toilet! Thankfully, the puppy survived. The boy said he was trying to give his puppy a bath. Kids, don't try this at home.

The sixth case of rabies in Guilford County this year has been reported. It was a rabid bat. No humans or animals were exposed to the rabid bat, according to our story.

This is a good time to let you know about some upcoming rabies clinics. Get your pet vaccinated!

• June 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., as part of the Greensboro Parks and Recreation 75th Anniversary Celebration at Country Park. Rabies shots will be $5 each, and the clinic will be set up at the entrance to Jaycee Park.
• July 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Summerfield Fire Department, 7400 Summerfield Road. Rabies shots will be $5 each.

Dunkin' and I walk every day, but rarely are two walks ever the same. We'll eventually walk about three miles, but the pace is quite varied. Some days he's raring to go and we walk at a swift pace through the park and bog garden. Some days, as was the case yesterday, Dunkin' likes to take his time and make sure he doesn't miss any new scents. A woman commented that clearly we weren't walking for the exercise. I told her that it is his walk. If he wants to take his time, then I don't drag him along. He will "heel" if I tell him, but I rarely do.

There are a few constants. He will chase the ducks if he sees them and he will, at some point, find the perfect patch of grass and hurl himself to the ground like he can't take another step. There are some key factors in the spot he picks out. It must have shade, and it must be in a section where there are several paths crossing so he can see everyone visiting the park. If there is a nice breeze blowing and the grass is wet, then that's the perfect spot. Unfortunately he rarely considers me while choosing his spot and it's never near a bench for me to sit down. This might last for two minutes or twenty depending on how much he's enjoying himself. And trust me, it's hard to move a 100-pound Lab when he doesn't want to get up.

As the summer gets hotter, the earlier we get up to take these walks, so if you're out and about at dawn, you might see us strolling through the Bicentennial Gardens. Or more likely, Dunkin' is rolling around in the grass, enjoying the morning dew.

Moving in with someone else, you get all of their stuff. That huge couch that's impossible to move. All those dishes and cookware. And another cat.

Libby was my boyfriend's cat, but since we share the same address, she's now my cat. But in reality, she's still his. When I talk about her to him, it's "your cat did this," "your cat did that." Never our cat.

Not that it's any different with my three cats. It's "my cats did this." The separation is still there between us humans.

As everyone settles into their new routine, it's become very obvious that the separation also is there for the cats. If Libby is downstairs watching TV with me, my three are nowhere to be found (usually they are upstairs asleep). If Julian is downstairs with me, Abbey and Apple will make an appearance, play with toys or just hang out. Libby is curled up on the guest bed upstairs, fast asleep.

It's rare outside feeding time the four of them are in one room together.

I'd like to get them all to be more comfortable around each other. And I know Bruce would love the same. I'm open to suggestions to encourage socialization.

Most animals live into their "teens" in human years. But some are with us for much longer. My oldest, Julian, is almost 14 years old. But he still has his kitten moments.

A guest writer of the News & Record, Peggy Longmire, wrote a tribute to Terry and Jane Seaks' cat Fluffy in this weekend's Guilford Record North. I wanted to share it with you.

This 6-month-old baby boy is Hoss. He is full grown at about 60 lbs, is neutered, on heartworm preventative, microchipped, up to date on vaccinations and comes with a free collar and leash! The adoption fee is $95. Hoss was brought to the SPCA of the Triad by a couple that found him hanging out in their yard with their dogs. As much as they wanted to, they were unable to keep him. Hoss is a favorite among the other dogs at the SPCA; there is rarely one he meets that doesn't love him. He plays well with kids of any age, and probably wouldn't mind cats. He is a big teddy bear that wants to be in your lap and loved on all the time. For more information or an adoption application, visit www.triadspca.org or call Tuesday-Saturday at 375-3222.

Be sure to check the Guilford Record North and South every Sunday, and the Rock Creek Record on Wednesdays for more "Pet of the Week".

I've been living in my town home for about two months, and like any move, the cats have needed time to adjust to the new surroundings. Apple was the first to adjust. And with the many stairs, more rooms to explore, and new furniture to cover in black hair, she has discovered the shadow.

I'm not saying there weren't shadows at my old apartment. It's just she never seemed to notice them until after the move.

When I turn on a light (actually, sunlight works too) she goes crazy, chasing any shadow on the floor. My shadow, her shadow, and even one of the other cat's shadows. Size or shape doesn't seem to sway her opinion.

My boyfriend Bruce has found amusement in waving his hand or fingers in the air, making his shadow much more appealing to Apple. She'll chase it, diving onto the floor after it. There are times he'll stop eating dinner just to play with her.

And there have been times she has run into me or the wall chasing a shadow across the floor.

Possibly the worst: We have a ceiling fan in our bedroom. She'll sit there, her head going in circles. You get the idea.

I'm sure Apple is not the only animal caught chasing that unattainable object. Tell me stories of the funny yet quirky things your pet runs after.

Maybe it was my imagination, but my cat LeMew seemed sprightly last night after the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

I was living outside Pittsburgh 13 years ago when I adopted LeMew from a shelter. I had trouble deciding on a name for him until one of the sports writers at the paper where I worked showed me an ad from the Toronto Star. The ad for a hockey game was poking fun at Mario Lemieux who was one of the Penguins’ star players at the time. It showed a kitten named Mario LeMew sitting behind an oversized food bowl. It seemed a perfect homage to I city I love.
 

The New York Times Dot Earth blog hosted a discussion last week about feral cat programs: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/the-truth-about-cats-and-birds/?scp=1&sq=Feral%20cats&st=cse.

 Proponents of the “trap, neuter, release” program say they can reduce the population of wild cats through attrition.

Critics argue the colonies give owners a ready-made place to dump their unwanted cats.

What do you think?