Butters came along after Gracie passed away; Lula came along just as Finley was preparing to join Gracie and Woody.

In 1987, my Nanny (grandmother) passed away on December 23 — fifteen minutes before Christmas Eve.  She’d lived with us for 15 years. She was a great friend, feisty competitor — ask anyone who dared to play a game of Scrabble with her — and tough as nails.   She was born in September 1912. My younger brother never failed to remind her that she was born only five months after the Titanic sank. During World War II, she worked at US Steel in Chicago.  I believe she was a supervisor.  We always said that had she been born in a different time, she would have earned her PhD. She was that smart.   But I digress…

After Nanny passed away, I was rudderless. She was our pal. She was always there when we returned from school. And then God sent Evelyn into my life.

Evelyn is feisty. One July 4th, our congressman wanted a man he called and “Afghani Freedom Fighter” to ride with us in a local parade. She stood toe-to-toe with this guy poking him in the chest saying,”He’s not getting on this float. He’s not making my  kids a target. He can ride with you!”  Years later, and lots of research later, a friend of mine discovered that our Evelyn was not too far from the truth.  The man she denied access to was apparently a card- carrying member of Al Queda.

About 7 years ago, we celebrated her 80th birthday — on St. Patrick’s Day. Didn’t know that she’d been adopted. But it explained a lot. She has a BIG heart and a BIG smile.  She had met a lot of people over 80 years, so when her daughters asked us each to supply a page for a scrapbook, they were overwhelmed by the response.  Congressmen, Senators, elected officials of all sorts, golf friends and a gaggle of “youngsters” (We were in our mid-30’s at this point)  all provided pages. 

Oddly, my friend and I recalled the parade where she stood down Al Queda. Chris heard the whole exchange. My recollection was much different.

Evelyn was snapping photos, and I assumed it was of the float we designed together. I was wrong!  She said, “Suzi, look on the balcony.”  So  I looked. There were 5 smokin’ hot men  — one in nothing but his BVD’s — on the balcony watching the pre-parade festivities, and there was Evelyn recording the view for posterity!  I do admit, she has excellent taste in men. I expected nothing less.

Blissfully, Evelyn is still with us. Still getting along in her late 80’s. We love her. We love that she was so willing to play the role of grandma for us after losing ours. She is a treasure, and we’re so happy to have claimed her.  

BTW… Evelyn had a rescued schnauzer named CB, short for Code Blue. CB had coded as a puppy and was recussitated. Yep, another pet person!

I’m looking for the perfect vehicle for me and my pets.  I think the US Auto Industry could save themselves buy developing pet friendly add-on packages.  According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) — yes, there is such a thing — the pet product industry grew last year (2009) by $2 billion.  That’s $47.7 billion in 2009.  We Americans love our pets! 

So why haven’t Ford and GM caught on to this?  I’ve been developing my wish list.  Here are the features for my dream pet mobile:

• Pet friendly interior fabric
• An integrated ramp
• Optional lift platform for infirm pets or heavy objects
• Automatic lift hatch
• Crate anchors, like baby seat anchors.
• Bowl holders
• Leash tethers for use with halters
• Rear A/C
• Automatic venting when the car temp reaches 70* to create a comfortable and safe environment (Law Enforcement K-9 vehicles are equipped with this type of feature.)
• Interior temperature gauge that’s visible from the outside
• All-weather floor mats for muddy days at the park or stable
• Cargo holders to keep things like buckets, towels and carrot supplies in place.
• Run flat tires
• Incorporate dog parks, vets and pet stores/services into Sync

It looks as if pets are here to stay. We need our vehicles to consider them, too.  I WISH: Ford Motor Company would develop a pet package for their vehicles… specifically the Explorer.  (Butters, Lula and I will gladly test it!)

So, now that I’m looking for a new vehicle, I am thinking about the features I want to make it the most useful.  I take Butters and Lula a lot of places, so it has to be comfortable for them. I haul a lot of equipment for the horses, so it has to have some space and be able to navigate stables. (I never could understand why horse people roll up in a luxury vehicle and unload hay from the trunk of their shiny car.)

A friend of mine chose her new vehicle on the basis that her borzoi (Russian wolfhound) could comfortably move around the back area.

I learned that the American Pet Products Association — yes, there is one. I’m not making this up (http://www.americanpetproducts.org) – projects that sales of pet products will increase by $2 Billion (US) this year. (We are in a recession, right?)

In my opinion, if the manufacturers want to save themselves, they’ll turn their attention toward pet packages.  So, I began thinking about features of the Pet-Friendly package:

• Easy to clean material  rear compartment.
• Harness fastners
• Crate locks (like the new baby seat locks)
• Air conditioning for the pet compartment.
• Auxilary power for the pet compartment so it remains cool even when parked for those people who take their pets with them everywhere.* (Police K-9 Units have this feature.)
• Thermometers mounted on the outside of the vehicle to show the inside temperature; alarm on keychain. *
• Vent windows with screens
• Water bowl holders. OR bowl that sits in the cup holder of the car.
• Under floor storage
• Storage net or bin.
• Easy up ramps or lifts to help older dogs or infirm dogs into the vehicle. 

These are just some of the features I think would be welcomed by the pet lovers who drive.  What other features would be cool?

*CAUTION: These technologies don’t yet exist yet in passenger vehicles to my knowledge. So, don’t take your pet on errands with you, particularly on warm days.   A vehicle’s interior can climb to 180* on a 70* day. If you love your pet, don’t leave your it in the vehicle for anything! It can succumb to heat or be stolen.  If you are running errands and can’t take your pet with you, leave him or her at home with plenty of fresh water.