Dear Urbanhounders,

Joining us this month as guest editor is Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University and author of the James Beard Award-winning Food Politics and the indispensable What to Eat.

My new book, Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine, is just out. In it, I tell the astonishing story of the 2007 pet food recalls and their consequences. The story began when a previously unknown Canadian company, Menu Foods, called back 60 million cans and pouches of pet foods because something in them--later discovered to be wheat flour laced with melamine in China--was causing acute kidney disease in cats and dogs.

The recalls exposed huge weaknesses in global food safety systems. They demonstrated that pet foods are just one part of a tightly linked system of food production, distribution, and consumption that involves farm animals as well as people, both here and abroad.

What started out as a "mere" problem for "a few" cats and dogs ended up as an international crisis. Most recently, melamine has shown up in Chinese infant formula. What will be next? And what can you do to protect yourself and your pets?

You can start by advocating for better safety and labeling policies—including regulations, inspections, and enforcement—for pet foods. Ask pet food companies where they source their ingredients. Demand that they test for contaminants. Stay informed about recalls. And tell your congressional representatives to enact better food regulations for pets as well as people.

If policies work for pet foods, they will work for people food too.

With best wishes to you and your hounds,

Marion Nestle

The Shaggy Dog
Thursday, October 16, 9 PM to 1 AM
The IAC Building, 555 W. 18th St., Manhattan
Young Friends of the ASPCA is hosting this fundraiser, featuring cocktails, dancing, and a silent auction. Tickets here.

6th Annual My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair
Saturday, October 18, 11 AM to 4 PM
Central Park, 72nd St. btwn. the Bandshell and the Sheep Meadow, Manhattan
Hosted by Central Park Paws and the Central Park Conservancy, this wonderful free festival celebrates Central Park's dog community and features tons of games, contests, booths, and events.

Pier 84 Pet Parade
Saturday, October 18, 1 PM TO 4 PM
Pier 84, Hudson River at 44th St., Manhattan
Friends of Hudson River Park invites people and their pets of all kinds to this parade and contest. Prizes will be awarded for best-dressed pet, best pet trick, pet/owner look-alike, and more.

Times Square Dog Day Masquerade
Sunday, October 19, 1 PM to 3 PM
Times Square btwn. 43rd and 44th Sts., Manhattan
Broadway- or Times Square-themed costumes are requested at this contest, brought to you by the Times Square Alliance and Animal Haven. More info and a registration form here.

The Halloween Howl
Sunday, October 19, 1 PM to 3 PM (Rain date: October 26)
Carl Schurz Park, East End Ave. and East 86th St., Manhattan
The annual costume contest at this lovely Upper East Side run has become a neighborhood tradition.

It's My Park Day
Saturday, October 25, starting at 9 AM
Citywide
In parks and dog runs all over in the city, volunteers are being called on to help clean, weed, plant, spread wood chips and mulch, and paint. To offer a helping hand, contact your local dog run, or get the full schedule by borough at the Partnership for Parks website.

Wolfes Pond Park 7th Annual Pooch Parade
Saturday, October 25, noon to 3 PM
Wolfes Pond Park, Cornelia Ave. and Hylan Blvd., Staten Island
Silly pet tricks, a fetching contest, and a doggie obstacle course are the highlights of this annual event at this dog run on the bottom edge of Staten Island.

Doggie Halloween Party at the 72nd Street Dog Run
Saturday, October 25, noon to 3 PM (raindate Oct. 26)
Riverside Park at 72nd Street, Manhattan
Friends and Lovers of Riverside Area Life, more commonly known as FLORAL, is sponsoring this event, which features refreshments, free gifts, and a costume contest. This is among the oldest canine costume contests in town, and people really go all out.

18th Annual Tompkins Square Dog Run Halloween Parade
Saturday, October 25, noon (Rain date: October 26)
Tompkins Square Park First Run, E. 9th St. (btwn. Aves. A and B), Manhattan
The original and, some say, still the best New York canine Halloween event, this is one fabulous parade and costume contest. Top winners in each category get an iPod Nano.

Animal Haven 41st Annual Going Home Luncheon
Sunday, October 26, noon
Dante Caterers, 75-07 31st Ave., East Elmhurst, Queens
This lunch, which raises money for the Animal Haven shelter in Flushing, includes appearances by a whole host of soap opera luminaries (Louise Sorel from Days of Our Lives; Melissa Gallo from One Life to Live; and Robin Mattson from All My Children and General Hospital, among others). Tickets are $75 a person; tables start at $1,000. Tickets here.

Van Cortlandt Park: Howl-O-Ween
Sunday, October 26, noon to 2 PM
Canine Court Dog Run, Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway and Lakeview Pl., Bronx
A suggested donation of $10 for the first dog and $5 for each additional dog will go toward maintenance of the Canine Court Dog Playground. More information here.

Hillside Howl-O-Ween Doggie Costume Parade/Contest
Sunday, October 26, 1 PM to 4 PM
Remsen St. entance to Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn
Folks from the Hillside Park dog run are behind this annual neighborhood event. Pre-register at Perfect Paws, 102 Hicks St. It costs $25 to enter (it's free to watch), and all proceeds go to benefit animal welfare agencies.

Animal Fair Magazine Canine Comedy Halloween Costume Contest Party
Monday, October 27, 7 PM to 9 PM
Mansion, 530 W. 28th St., Manhattan
All proceeds from this annual event benefit the Humane Society of New York. Dogs are invited, but if they come they have to be in costume. Costumes will be judged in ten categories (including most offensive costume) by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and other celebrity judges. Tickets here.

Playwrights for Pets "Monsters" Reading
Tuesday, October 28, 7:30 PM
Animal Haven Soho, 251 Centre St., Manhattan
An evening of Halloween-themed short play readings to benefit Animal Haven. A $10 donation is requested.

Bobbi & the Strays Halloween Masquerade Ball
Thursday, October 30, 7 PM
Russo's on the Bay, 162-45 Cross Bay Blvd., Howard Beach, Queens
Bobbi & the Strays is a small non-profit animal rescue group based in Ozone Park. Their annual Halloween fundraiser features a three-course dinner, dancing, and raffle prizes. For tickets, which are $88 and go entirely to help the animals, contact Bobbi herself at 718-845-0779 or 917-213-9840.

Fast Pawz
Saturday, November 1 and Sunday, November 2, 7 AM to 6 PM
Wolfes Pond Park, Cornelia Ave. and Hylan Blvd., Staten Island
If you didn't make it to the Wolfes Pond Park Halloween Party (see above), these agility trials are a great excuse to visit one of the city's lovliest park, which also happens to have a large and friendly dog run.

Coffee Bark
Saturday, November 1, 7 AM to 9 AM
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Held in rain or in shine, in the park's Long Meadow, behind the Picnic House (enter at Prospect Park West and 4th Street, then go left around the Picnic House), the monthly Coffee Bark includes muffins for humans and dog biscuits for hounds. The long standing social is sponsored by Brooklyn's FIDO, officially known as the Fellowship In the Interest of Dogs and Their Owners.

St. Nick's Dog Park Coffee Bark
Saturday, November 1, 9 AM to 11 PM
Mid-park between the 135th St. staircase and 136th St., Manhattan
Coffee and refreshments are served at this gathering which happens on the first Saturday of every month in St. Nicholas Park. For more information or if you'd like to volunteer, write dogpark@stnicholaspark.org.

Bideawee: Adopt an Adult/Senior Dog Open House Weekend
Saturday, November 1 and Sunday, November 2, 10 AM to 4 PM
Bideawee, 410 E. 38th St., Manhattan
Bideawee "matchmakers" will sing the praises of adopting a non-puppy, and help you figure out if one of their adult dogs is a good match for you.

Sir William's Dog Run Coffee Bark
Sunday, November 2, 10 AM to noon
Sir William's Dog Run, Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan
The Fort Tryon Dog Owner's Group invites everyone to this gathering at their beautiful run. To help out with maintenance of the run, stick around after the event.

Pet Loss Support Group
Friday, November 7, 10 AM to 11 AM (and the first Friday of each month)
Bideawee, 410 E. 38th St., Manhattan
A gathering for those who are mourning a pet. Social workers who specialize in pet bereavement will be in attendance. The meetings are free and children are welcome. More information at the Bideawee website.

Feeling Political? Elections are always a good time to raise issues that might otherwise get placed on the back burner. As part of its overall mission to raise awareness of cruelty to animals, the ASPCA has set up a special website, CatvsDog.org, in which two characters -- Mittens the Cat and Rowdy the Dog -- debate issues of animal cruelty, including Puppy Mills and Violence toward Animals. Users of the site are encouraged to sign a pledge against animal cruelty and can take a "presidential pets" quiz.

The UK Leads the Way to Better Breeding. The Kennel Club, which runs the Crufts dog show (the world's largest), announced this week the launch of a comprehensive review of breeding standards for the UK, aimed at ensuring that the genetic health of each breed is not compromised in the pursuit of aesthetic perfection in the show ring. The commitment comes on the heels of a damning BBC documentary on pedigree dog breeding and last month's decision by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to withdraw from Crufts, citing what it called "morally unjustifiable" breeding practices. Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko acknowledges the "groundswell of public attention" the issue has received and says, "We have been listening and agree with the general public’s view that more needs to be done."

What's On. Animal Planet premiered a new show, "K9 Cops", following the St. Paul (Minn.) Police Department's canine unit. New episodes air on Wednesdays at 10 PM eastern time. The channel is also showing the "Animal Planet Dog Championship 2008" competition from Houston on Oct. 11 at 2 PM eastern, as well as "Dogs 101", exploring the myths and truths about certain dog breeds (airing on Oct. 11 at 8 PM). And Victoria Stillwell brings her dog-training tips to America in a U.S. version of "It's Me or The Dog", which begins airing Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 PM.