Going on Holiday with your dog

Tiny flexible, curious dogs make great traveling companions. Little terriers and small Schnauzers, Poodles, and Pugs make wonderful globe-trotters. Bigger dogs like to protect the house and give you an enormous welcome when you come back. But there are always exceptions in every case due to their personalities.

If you're working with an adult dog who is unused or scared of vehicle travel, you will have to make a regular coaching project out of it. An unsecured pet can distract you while driving or meddle with the operation of the car.

Too many unsecured pets have leaped from a moving car and been fatally wounded, when a carrier or tether might have saved them. Vehicle seats and containment seats are now available and can be secured with your present seat belts, and some kind of restraint is being considered imperative by many states and municipalities round the country.

Before you travel ensure your dog is properly ID Tagged, as many pets can become separated from their owners while traveling. Nearly all kennels, vets, and animal infirmaries have scanners that may read these little implanted chips that are registered into nation-wide data bases with the animals home address and name. The process is cheap, fast, and permanent. You should ensure that your dog has had all his vaccinations recently, and get a current health certificate from your vet. For more information, check out this excellent resource on pet care.

The following is a catalogue of items that should include as a travel kit for your dog : - An additional collar - A strong leash - Wet towelettes - His food - Treats - A sealable container of water - A gnaw toy - All needed drugs and supplements - Brush or brush - An old towel - Plastic bags on the trip your pet will need access to water continually, exercise, and breaks to stretch and relieve himself, and comfy temperatures. Never leave a pet alone in a vehicle particularly in hot weather, when exposed to high temperatures, dogs can have a heat stroke.

Hopefully it won't come to this; but signals of motion illness include whining, barking, pacing, salivation, panting, and barfing. To conquer these conditions, limit their perspective out of windows, stop often, and again, do not let them become overheated. Before you leave home, clip or trim your dog's nails, brush out all loose hair, and feed him lightly, never a big meal. Call ahead and ensure your pet is welcome at your destination, as many hostels and motels don't permit pets. Have a great trip!

Enotria

A short walk west of the Porta Il Prato and located on a rather noisy, arterial road, this new Wine Bar is a pleasant surprise once you get inside. Wine bottles, labels, books and magazines are everywhere and the warm, wood-rich interior incorporates both bar and restaurant. The menu changes regularly, but there are certain standards; grilled vegetables, a delicious spelt and porcini mushroom soup, Argentian fillet of Angus cooked in house style with a rich wine and coffee sauce and a marvellous selection of French and Italian cheeses. The wine list is excellent and covers the whole of Italy.

Valerji Stignejev

With this set of photographs the Russian photographer, Valerji Stignejve provides a record of the dramatic developments in Moscow and Berlin following the fall of communism. His pictures, which are currently on display at the German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, document the social, political and economic upheaval of the time. They show everything from the rise of the Russian mafia to the war in Chechnya. The prints of Berlin capture the extraordinary period between 1996 and 1998 with the city in a state of high anticipation ahead of the government's arrival.

From the Cinquantenaire to Tervuren

The tram ride along the tree-lined avenue de Tervuren is a pleasant way to see the city. The journey itself, from Square Montgomery through the Forest de Soignes, is unforgettable and there's lots to do at either end of the journey. Watch out for the impressive Palais Stocklet at number 281 and the Tram Museum opposite the Parc de Woluwe. In Tervuren, you can visit the Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, with its dubious links to the Congo, and close to Square Montgomery is the magnificent Cinquantenaire. Alternatively you can take Eurostar London to Paris train from St. Pancras station to reach Paris.