The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium located on 345 Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers holds dogs walks from 4- 6 p.m. the first Sunday of every month on trails perfect for strolling.

Readers ask me all the time about our pets and so this month, I will let one of our fur kids have the spotlight.

This is Shortcake, a little bit doxie, a little bit chihuahua, a little bit rock and roll. She found us June 6, 2000, literally standing in the middle of our street with our address in her fanny pack. If the vet's estimate back then was correct, Shortcake recently turned 9-years-old.

She had heartworm when we connected, probably the reason she had been abandoned and it took two treatments and one near-death experience to get whole again. Shortcake is stubborn and won't lift a paw if she's not in the mood. (We call her Paris Shortcake behind her back.) This little brown dog can lapse into an Oscar-winning performance of whiplash and limping anytime and anywhere she doesn't get her way. Oh, and did I mention...she's very spoiled and we love her very much!

Tucked away by the sea, about one mile north of Daytona Beach, Makai Beach Lodge offers a unique vacationing experience for humans and their companion animals.

Guests are treated to large, tropically decorated rooms with balconies overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Pets of all sizes are permitted. There is a $10 per night fee.