For families fortunate enough to have a rich pet life, I have occasionally suggested that they give their pet a special vacation. I ask them what it would be like to take a weekend and commit themselves to being servants of bliss to their pet. Would the dog like to be driven to a steakhouse and have a slab of beef, followed by a scented walk through a new park, and then topped by a heavenly nap atop a pile of lush pillows? In this way, the family is invited to design their own fantasy vacation for their pet. They are told to bring along a camera or videocamera and to keep an accurate record of every detail so that a scrapbook can be made.

No matter what condition the family is in, when they turn their attention to the adored pet and honor it with a special vacation, new vitality is brought into the family's life. They have an experience they will never forget, one that will unavoidably be filled with unbridled laughter, play, joy, and celebration. What they step into is pure living theater where the play requires serving their pet's delight. They become the playwright, director, actors, and audience to a production that may touch them in gentle and joyously absurd ways.

Bradford Keeney in Everyday Soul