PEOPLE Pets | Sit. Stay. Play!

It's that time of year again, when we switch on our out-of-office reply and whisk the family to Disney World or the Jersey shore, for some good old R&R -- and, of course, fun! And, even though the pictures would be fab, you just can't take furry friends on Dollywood's Daredevil Falls boat expedition. So before departing for vacation, we're faced with the daunting task of organizing 'stuff' for the pet-sitter who will care for our little loves.

Read More

Some people might feel guilty about turning their dog into a domesticated pack animal. Luckily, I'm not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I love Dewey, but I also love not carrying things. And in my defense, the label on the package of the Singletrak Pack mobile hydration backpack by Ruff Wear clearly states, "Let your dog carry the water!" so obviously, this thing was designed to make my life easier.

Read More

Michele McGuire, a pilot living in Maryland, often takes to the friendly skies with her pooch, Cooper. The Lab mix loves being airborne, and eagerly leaps into his owner's four-seater Cessna Skyhawk. But all this traveling got McGuire thinking: She wouldn't fly without her aviation headset, which allows her to communicate with passengers and ground crew and also protects her hearing from dangerous noise. So what about her dog?

Long-term pilots often suffer from hearing loss or ringing ears. If the noise level in a small aircraft is high for a human, "you just know it has to be painful for a dog," McGuire tells PEOPLEPets.com. "You cannot in good conscience put your dog in that noise."

McGuire couldn't find any kind of protective device for dogs. So she asked a friend — a retired engineer who is also a pilot — for help in making something. "I thought he wouldn't laugh at me too bad," she explains.

Read More

The excitement of marine life and the serenity of yoga — it's a magical mix for those who like the stretch of the goddess pose, even while on vacation.

Inside Loreto Bay National Marine Park in the Baja Peninsula, yoga is practiced amid nature’s passing parade, with its breathtaking birds and spectacular sea life, under the auspices of Sea Kayak Adventures. The company, one of the handful licensed to operate there, offers trips that combine the practice with sea kayaking and snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez.

Read More

My tabby Lucy has happily traveled across the country by car, ridden the bus and even crouched under the (little) weight of her leash to go to the neighborhood park — but until two weeks ago, she’d never braved a plane. And that floppy carrier she'd had to endure for visits to the vet was just not going to cut it for a five-hour flight from N.Y.C. to Green Bay, Wis., for the holidays.

Read More

When Pink stayed with her dog Bubba at Keswick Hall, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the pampered pooch feasted on special china.

During a trip to New York City’s Hotel Gansevoort, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s dog got locked out of her room, so hotel staffers "puppy sat" till the actress returned that night.

Read More

If there's a spectrum for dog behavior in moving motor vehicles, then my two dogs represent the opposite ends. My beagle is the carefree, head-hanging-out-the-window type — even on a frosty winter day. He'll get up on the dash, jump from the back seat to the front seat, try to get on my lap while I drive. As for my corgi, she can be found trying to wedge herself under the passenger-side seat, shaking so hard her hair falls out in clumps.

Read More