Pet lovers gathered at Café des Artistes on March 3 to hear well-known author and accomplished speaker Thom Somes lecture on his published work "Knowing Your Pet’s Health." This popular guide was written by Somes, and Dear Abby assisted in the compiling of the material.

Somes mentioned that he and Dear Abby crossed paths after he read a heart-wrenching "Don’t let this happen to you" story by one of Dear Abby’s readers in the San Diego Union Tribune in 2001.

Apparently, this woman dropped a roast while she was transferring the meat from the roasting pan to the serving tray for a Sunday dinner. "She wiped her dirty hands on a towel she had hanging from the refrigerator," Somes explained. "With all the activity inside the house with the people, she didn’t know that her dog ate the towel from the refrigerator. He was a big-sized dog."

Somes went on to say that this woman had no clue her dog had done this. On Monday, the dog did not show any unusual symptoms, but by Tuesday, the animal turned up its nose to food and had troubles in the bathroom department. When Wednesday rolled around, the animal started to present pain and became guarded.

"The woman thought if he [the dog] wasn’t better by tomorrow, she’d take him to the vet."

She spoke to a vet tech on Thursday and scheduled an appointment for her dog on the following day. On Friday, the "dog immediately goes on the operating table and dies on the operating table," said Somes.

When Somes read this story, he had already been operating Pet Tech. The company was training pet owners and Pet Tech instructors in the following areas:

• Pet emergency preparedness

• Poisoning/plant and household pet poisons

• Assessing your pet’s vitals

• Knowing your pet’s health chart

• The "Snout-to-Tail" Assessment

• The "Snout-to-Tail" Assessment worksheet

• Pet health insurance tips

• Choosing a pet care professional

Somes knew that if this Dear Abby reader had been educated in the above information, things could have very well turned Advertisement

Youngren Construction Inc. out differently for her pet. "Just by knowing how to take your pet’s vitals," he said, "which Christina and Chris [of Bow Wow Services] know how to do, [the Dear Abby reader] would have been on top of what occurred with her dog in the first 24 to 36 hours." Detecting a health problem in the early stages can potentially save a pet’s life.

After reading this article, Somes spurred himself to contact Dear Abby’s office, introducing himself and explaining the mission of Pet Tech: to "improve the quality of pets’ lives, one pet owner at a time."

Following the reviewing of references and written materials, Dear Abby personally contacted Somes and they immediately partnered to help pet owners and their animals. "We actually sold over 17,000 copies in the first 30 days," mused Somes.

Somes explained that many pet owners remain unaware of which plant and household items are poisonous to their pets. "Things that are okay for us can be poisonous to our pets. Tylenol is a prime example," noted Somes.

Other poisonous household products can include, but are not limited to: aftershave, antifreeze, aspirin, bleach, deodorants, detergents, drain cleaner, hair colorings, furniture polish, insecticides, laxatives, mineral spirits, paint, nail polish and remover, pool chemicals, rat poison, rubbing alcohol, shoe polish, snail and slug bait, soaps, suntan lotion, toilet bowel cleaner, turpentine, wood preservatives and windshield washer fluid.

While guests of the complimentary Bow Wow seminar remained glued to the verbal portion of the lecture, they also had the opportunity to visually learn pet CPR and the Snout-to-Tail Assessment.

Bow Wow Services has made special arrangements with Somes to mail out his newest edition of "Knowing Your Pet’s Health" to those in attendance at the seminar. Guests were thrilled that they would be receiving these pet preparedness guides.

Those who would like to learn more about Somes, Pet Tech and his published works are invited to log on to www.PetTech.net or call (760) 930-0309.