Is your Fido a furry escape artist? GPS collar will keep him on track

Where in the world is Fido?

Here’s one way to make it easier to answer that question: GlobalPetFinder’s Global Positioning System pet-location device.

All you do is strap the GPSembedded collar onto your dog, and let the device do its work. (The collars are too big for cats and dogs under 30 pounds, but the company is hoping to make smaller ones available soon.) The animal’s location can be sent directly to your wireless gadget: cell phone, PDA or computer.

The collars cost about $290, plus a $35 setup fee. Monthly service is $17.99 for homebodies that rarely run away, and $19.98 for escape artists that need closer watching.

For more information, go to globalpetfinder.com or call 1-877-27-TRACK.

If you aren’t into GPS tracking, Dreampower Animal Rescue is offering pet microchip implants.

The microchipping is performed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at the Dreampower office, 826 S. Tejon St. Cost is $25 per pet, or $20 if the animal has been adopted from Dreampower.

Statistics show that one in three pets will get lost during its lifetime, Dreampower says. About 90 percent won’t return home. Permanent microchips can be scanned by veterinarians or animal shelters to identify pet owners.

For more information, go to dreampower.org or call Dreampower at 390-7838

If your pup is missing, maybe he’s just gone to a synagogue. That’s where Alfie, the main character in Shari Cohen’s new book, “Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah,” hangs out. He is working toward his Jewish spiritual coming-of-age ceremony.

Using the play on words — “bark” for “bar” — and having Alfie as the hero is a clever way to tell about the age-old ritual of the bar mitzvah. But you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this book. It’s a good way to introduce non-Jewish children to another faith.

The drawings by Nadia Komorova are cute, and Alfie’s good deeds — including visiting an old bloodhound and a sick cat — are a sweet, humorous way to illustrate what the occasion really means.

The book comes with a CD of bar mitzvahthemed songs. To hear some of them and get more information on the book, go to alfiesbarkmitzvah.com. The book can be ordered at most bookstores or from Temple Beth Shalom in Chandler, Ariz., by calling 1-480-897-3636.