If you think I know in advance what's going into each issue of The Straight Poop, you're wrong. When I park myself at the computer to create each issue, it's like the old days of sitting down at a table with nothing but a pencil, a blank piece of paper and an idea or two. But now I've got one of the great inventions of all time in front of me... the internet, the world-wide-web and a good search engine.

So, each issue is a new adventure. Where it goes, no one knows. Sometimes it works out OK, some times it's very good, and sometimes it's like what Ted Williams and Stan Musial used to do... belt it out of the park (in Boston and St. Louis, of course).

I kinda think this issue is one of those home runs... we've got some great advice on how to deal with saying goodbye to your aging pet, some right-to-the-point tips on handling your puppy, some timely safety advice for your dog at Halloween time, what to do when your dog's barking is driving you and your neighbors crazy, my personal favorite comics dog, Marmaduke, the greatest collection of books for sale (about dogs or nearly anything else) in the world at Amazon.com, a wonderful story about a hero dog from New Zealand, a feature on a terrific pet rescue organization in our nation's capital, and a host of sponsors who definitely are worth taking a look at.

Enjoy! And don't forget to touch home plate.