Protecting pets while owners protect our country

Dear Heloise: A wonderful reader, Martha Leavitt, informed us of a very special program, Netpets.org's Military Pets Foster Project, dedicated to assisting service members in need of foster care for their pets when they deploy.
This nonprofit organization was created to be a liaison between active-duty military personnel who must leave their homes and foster homes that house, nurture and care for dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, horses and other animals. Dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered, except for show dogs or dogs used for breeding show dogs.
The pet owner pays for toys, medication, veterinary care, grooming, food and treats, and provides special instructions for the care of the pet during his or her absence. Military Pets Foster Project is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense.
For those in the military -- ONLY -- who have a need for this wonderful program, simply go to the Web site, netpets.org, and click on "The Military Pets Foster Project." This will take you to an area where you can fill out a form and submit it. Your form is carefully matched with a foster home as close to your home as possible.
Also, if you love animals and have room in your home to help care for one of these pets while the owner is away serving this country, you can apply to be a foster home with this organization! There is a form to fill out, and you will be asked to give two personal references along with your veterinarian's name and telephone number. Heloise
P.S. This is a nonprofit organization that could benefit from your help.
Dear Heloise: Here is a photo of our cat, Chibi Chan, having a little drink of fishbowl water from the home of our betta fish, Chester. We kept noticing that the water in Chester's fishbowl seemed to be evaporating more quickly than usual. For some reason, Chibi Chan decided she liked Chester's water better than her own.
We found a solution by buying some netting and placing it over the top of the bowl with a rubber band. We also gave Chibi her own little fishbowl water dish to drink out of. Debi Palumbo, Cibolo, Texas
Folks, if your paper does not print this pet photo, visit Heloise.com and click on "This Week's Pet" to see this "caught in the act" photo! Heloise
Dear Heloise: Another address-label use! I was glad to have put an address label on the shell of our 42-year-old desert tortoise, because he later found an escape route from our yard in a side fence that had a hole open up due to this season's heavy rains. A good Samaritan found him walking down the street one sunny afternoon and returned him to us! Margie of Costa Mesa, Calif.
Great idea, but be sure to check it often! The tortoise shell is a living and growing part of the turtle, and as it grows, the address label will come off. Heloise
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate