A Pet Project

We have a friend who claims that there are always ways to make money, even in a recession. Unfortunately he is a farmer. With recent years erratic weather, I 'm not sure he is making money.

At least he is not a dairy farmer. Have you noticed how cheap milk and eggs are? What will follow is dairy farmers selling off their herds of cows and chickens. (Make that flocks of chickens.) We will see cheap beef and chicken and then the prices of everything will go up because of less product on the market. I am glad I am not a farmer.

Innovative people can make money in a recession. Just count how many ads you hear or see about how to consolidate your debt or forestall foreclosure. Look at the books on living a simpler life. These people are cashing in.

The Sunday paper has a feature on another new business idea.

Someone has a new company called Pet Airway. http://petairways.com/

They fly pets. No people, except the crew of course. Anyone who has had to crate up Fido or Felix and have the airlines put them in the cargo hold of an airplane take note. For about the same price you can fly Fido or Felix in class. No cargo hold. You still need the crate because they carry cats and dogs and that would be an interesting flight otherwise. Besides being noisy, your pets might join the Mile High Club. That wouldn't work out well for owners of purebred dogs who are traveling to be studs or studettes. We had a friend who bred Keeshonds and would send her boys around the country by airplane to date females Keeshonds.

Pet Airway is careful to give your pet potty breaks. I can see their motivation for that move. They also keep them hydrated but probably serve only water. No little plastic cups of Coke or Sprite for Fido. I didn't see any list of inflight movies on the website. There is a picture of a happy dog wearing a backpack on the site. Backpack or is it a parachute? I have never known a dog who has a backpack but I have never known a dog who has frequent flyer miles either if you don't count the oversexed Keeshond.

I wonder if the Muzak on the plane plays a crooning Frank Sinatra singing, "Come Fly With Me"? or a parody of that 70's hit, "Hang On Sloopy". I always thought they were saying "Hang on Snoopy".