Halloween is a magical time for kids, the opportunity to leave reality behind and transform themselves into anything they desire for one evening of fun. Oct. 31 is just over two weeks away which means moms everywhere are scrambling to get costumes put together. Beyond making sure your children's costumes are adorable, unique, and/or scary (depending on what you're going for), its important to keep safety in mind as you assemble your costume.

As capitalism implodes, a related item in today’s Denver Post caught my eye. Apparently, Greeley resident Paula Harding could no longer afford the vet bills for her sick 15-year-old dog and, after trying OD him on anti-anxiety pills, she shot him. (Ironically, The Humane Society offers euthanasia starting at $35 and Harding is being held on a $5,000 bond.) This sad story is yet another facet in this desperate financial crisis and a new term is born: "foreclosure pet."   

As Hurricane Ike bears down on Texas, it's hard to suppress those Hurricane Katrina flashbacks. With the bulk of my family living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hurricane Season brings anxiety. I worry for the humans I love, the humans I've never met and all the animals in between. During Hurricane Katrina, nearly 10,000 animals were rescued but an estimated 600,000 pets were killed or left without shelter.

There are dogs everywhere in California. In San Diego, specifically in my sister's Ocean Beach neighborhood, there seems to be a dog for at least every other human being. It's kind of crazy. Chihuahuas take on boxers at the farmer's market. Dogs are on(and occasionally off) leash in just about every store. There are Frosty Paws (tm) in a freezer case at the ice cream shop so they can have their treat while the humans do.

"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."- Harry TrumanCalvin Coolidge went above and beyond the call, reportedly owned a pygmy hippo and a wallaby, but I'm ashamed to say that I don't know enough about his presidency to know if that says anything about his track record. (That may say enough, actually - with those kinds of animals on your mind, what time do you have left to run the country?)

When my little dog stretched dramatically, I'd laugh and call it his doggie yoga poses. Who knew about doga (rhymes with yoga) at the time? Not me, but it turns out it's all the rage.

I had the greatest dog in the world. I think it's important that I start this out that way, just because I can, and because it's true. Of course yours is the greatest, too - to you. (Please insert whatever meaningful animal in your life in the "dog" space, and if you don't like them or don't have them, pick something else or pretend. It'll be good for you, I promise.)

If someone asked you this week if you heard the one about the Marine, a cliff in Iraq and a puppy, rest assured that it wasn't a joke. A video popped up on YouTube last week of two United States Marines, one holding a puppy that he then appears to wind up and hurl over the side of a cliff, laughing, while the camera rolls.

Super Tuesday has come and gone and the presidential candidates have moved into a race for delegates in the states that have yet to vote. Lots of humans have weighed in about who they think will be the best person to lead our country, but one question remains: who gets the animal vote?

The Lunar New Year celebrated in many Asian cultures this week ushered in the Year of the Rat. This year is supposed to be just right for new beginnings and rejuvenation, and several bloggers have that in mind Emily hopes this is the year she becomes a mom.

I was standing in line at the bookstore when I spied this months Washingtonian magazine. A sweet, hopefully un-airbrushed golden retriever puppy carrying a stick looked like it could run right off the cover and into my waiting arms, which would have really broken up the monotony of another dull DC winter day, let me tell you. The cover announced that "The Ultimate Guide to Pets" lay in the pages therein, so what kind of pets editor would I be if I didn't pick up a copy? The research, friends, it never ends.

Although I'm tempted to start off Pets, 2008 BlogHer-style with an in-depth analysis of how and why Internet commenters mistakenly killed off blogosphere dog rockstar Chuck because Heather (aka Dooce) and Jon Armstrong got a new (adorable, oh dear, so cute) puppy, I will not.