In the ‘She-didn't-see-this-coming?' category, Gwyneth Paltrow was recently slammed by PETA for modeling fur in ads for Tod's, an Italian maker of fashion accessories. Paltrow, a proclaimed vegetarian, is known for her green, holistic lifestyle and close friendship with staunch animal-rights designer, Stella McCartney, yet she is fronting the autumn collection of fur-lined boots and bags for Tod's. Tricky, no? As an aspiring vegetarian, I'm befuddled. Can V-Folks have it both ways?

This is my final post as BlogHer's pets contributing editor. I will be moving back to photography coverage, and continuing to cover extended family issues on the alternate weeks. My friend and colleague Heather Clisby will be guiding you through the fun and ever-changing world of pet and animal blogs from now on.

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.

A recent Washington Post article about Farm Sanctuary, the nation's largest farm animal rescue operation, gently reminded me of a persistent dream: Second Chance Ranch - where one-eyed goats, three-legged sheep and blind horses freely soak up love. My dream includes foster kids (that I would hope to adopt) who would gleefully help me run the place. Crazy, huh?

"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?)

It's hot, the days are way long, and I find myself lolling about, facing a million deadlines. These are the times when the big questions pop into my head. Like, "What's in a pet blog, anyway?" The BlogHer blog directory, excellent as it is, says, hey, pretty much anything. Got animals? Nice. 

Call it luck, call it a curse, but whatever humans are up to in this world, you can bet we'll drag the animal kingdom along with us. (For example, 57 percent of American pets are overweight or obese.) When the U.S. government announced earlier this month that the U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years (still behind 30 other countries), it was yet another mirror to the lives of our animal friends. The Golden Years have arrived at America's zoos which means unchartered waters for zookeepers.

Summer doesn't officially begin for another week and I don't know about your city, but already the D.C. area has been hit with oppressively high temperatures and weird bouts of heavy rain more commonly seen later in the season. Although this is the first summer in 13 years that I haven't had to look out for the impact of heat and humidity on a dog as physically challenged by both as my Boston Terrier, I'm reminded that this change of seasons and temperature is a critical time to look out for the well-being of our pets.

One of the first things we started to think about, once we adjusted to the idea of moving, was finding new doctors in Illinois. Finding pediatricians, dentists and general practitioners is a pain but we weren't super concerned about those. Finding a new general practitioner has been something we've wanted to do for ages because we really really dislike our general physician practice.

Photographers like the Washington Post's Carol Guzy documented the toll that natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina take on animals as well as people. But even when the rising waters are financial metaphors for the real thing, the sense of desperation and the need to flee can seem equally great.

Tomorrow I pick up Zoe the Rescued Dog from her foster parents' home. She is a bichon frise that lived with a couple who were in love. Then they were not in love anymore. Zoe, now 4, was basically emotionally abandoned for over a year. She has been crated about 12 hrs a day. She has no toys. She now will have me, my home and as much joy and peace and she wants and needs. And of course, as usual, I found a spiritual lesson here. Or, like a gift from G-d, it found me.

I come from a dog-loving family, which is to say that we are "dog people", as the popular blanket term goes. Some cats have broken through to the inner circle now and again, but mostly it's been dogs in pretty much every family home.