Oh, how I love a brand new year! I'm wiping the slate clean and resolving that this will be the year I do not chew Neiman Marcus's shoes, whoever he is. He must be very important to my person, because she got pretty mad when I ate his loafers. (I, being the unparalleled canine journalist that I am, reminded her that it was inappropriate to get angry over behavior that was completely normal for a young dog. She wasn't interested in my intellectual assessment.)

Anyway, I'm hoping that if I stick to my resolutions, my people will make a few resolutions on my behalf too. To help them out, I've compiled a small list for 2005. I'll share it with you, as I bet some of your animals would appreciate these things too.

1. Be very diligent about routinely administering flea, tick and heartworm preventatives. Our part of Virginia is particularly plagued by deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease. Fleas and ticks can pose problems even in winter if temperatures stay moderate.

2. Feed healthy food that you research and learn about yourself – do not just believe the claims made by ads on television or glossy packaging. Avoid by-products, digest, generic protein sources ("meat" instead of "chicken", etc.), questionable preservatives like ethoxyquin, and foods full of empty fillers. The same rules apply for treats -- healthy is best!

3. Carve out time every single day to play with and pet your dog or cat.

4. Put us on a diet if we're overweight. As much as I hate that four-letter word, it's the right thing to do for our health and well-being.

5. Get i.d. tags for us if we don't have them already. This is REALLY important. I can't tell you how many lost dogs and cats I hear about who were not wearing tags at the time they disappeared. One final point I want to make is not a resolution as much as it is a gentle reminder. Listen to your animals! We communicate constantly in so many ways. Because of our superior senses, you may think we are barking or meowing "at nothing". In reality, we may perceive something unusual that you cannot hear, smell or see. The recent tsunami left us with many tragic stories. One uplifting story, however, was the escape of many animals who used their exceptional senses to flee the danger. Please remember that we have great talents and so much love to bestow on you. If you watch us closely and try to truly understand us, you can learn as much from us as we do from you.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year full of wet noses and furry tails!

Albert, a Jack Russell Terrier, is Chairman of the Board of Wylie Wagg, a shop for dogs, cats, and their people, in Middleburg.