Everyone who walks through the door to Kerry S. Kennedy's shop is greeted by a dog named Lucy, because the North Side florist is "pet friendly" in more ways than one.

The 30-pound black and tan dog never misses a day's work at K.S. Kennedy Distinctive Floral, Gift and Gourmet, 848 Western Ave. in Pittsburgh's Allegheny West neighborhood.

Lucy's breeding and background are a bit hazy because Mr. Kennedy rescued her from an abusive owner four years ago. The best guess is she's part miniature pinscher and part beagle and about 7 years old.

Several months ago a customer asked if Mr. Kennedy could put together "pet friendly" floral arrangements because she had heard about a cat that died after eating flowers.

So he did some research and came up with a 10-page list of plants and flowers that are safe for cats and dogs.

"You can't go wrong with roses. They are 100 percent safe for pets, and roses are my specialty," Mr. Kennedy said. Lilies can be lethal for cats, and poinsettias and hydrangeas can be bad.

Some flowers, including pansies and iris, are what Mr. Kennedy calls "a bit suspect. You could probably eat them if you didn't go overboard," but such blooms are kept out of pet-friendly bouquets.

"I used to get five to 10 pet-friendly orders each month," Mr. Kennedy said. "That has doubled through word of mouth."

He also puts together, and delivers, gift baskets for pets. "Pet spa baskets" are filled with products from the Good Clean Dog company, including detanglers, shampoo and room aromatics. There are also baskets for people who are welcoming new puppies into their home.

Dog treats made by his sister, Kim Zuccarini of Miami, are included in baskets and bouquets intended for pet lovers. Lucy's portrait adorns the packaging.

The Kennedy shop is quite small, occupying the ground floor of a narrow red brick row house. But the longer you stay, the more things you discover, artfully tucked into every nook and cranny. Amid the baby toys, vases, art work, gift cards and plants are specialty gourmet items.

There's a glass display case filled with chocolate Neuchatel truffles, handmade by Albert Lauber in Oxford, Chester County. And the flower cooler holds big glass bottles of milk from the Brunton Dairy in Aliquippa.

"People asked for the milk and they love it," Mr. Kennedy said.

The shop is people-friendly, too. Mr. Kennedy points out that his flowers, many of them from Ecuador, "are free-trade flowers, which means that people who grow them are paid a fair and living wage. It only adds about 25 cents to the cost of each stem."

Mr. Kennedy and Lucy are firm fixtures in the close-knit neighborhood, although they arrived only about four years ago. On New Year's Eve, "Lucy and I lost everything," Mr. Kennedy said, when an electrical fire destroyed the shop and their apartment above it.

"As I ran back in, wondering what I should save, I realized all I needed was Lucy. I found her huddled in the corner of the dining room."

Allegheny West neighbors pitched in, donating clothes and floral supplies and holding fundraising benefits. One couple even loaned Mr. Kennedy and Lucy the use of the carriage house behind a home they are remodeling. And a storefront just four doors away from the old shop became available. Mr. Kennedy never missed a day's work.

He can be reached at 412-322-ROSE.

Service dogs can get free eye exams next week. Dog that qualify lead the blind, assist people with disabilities or work as detection dogs or search and rescue dogs.

The dogs must have gone through a formal program at approved training organizations. Go to www. ACVOeyeexam.org to see if a dog qualifies. An appointment with a local veterinary ophthalmologist can be set up after the dog is registered on the ACVO Web site.

In Pittsburgh this service will be offered on Wednesday, Friday, and next Saturday at the Animal Eye Clinic of Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, 807 Camp Horne Road, Ohio Township.

This is the ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Day sponsored nationwide by Merial, Hill's Pet Nutrition, OPTIGEN and Kong Veterinary Products.

No one is going to get "swine flu" from eating pork and no one is going to get swine flu from coming in contact with pigs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

"The American Association of Swine Veterinarians has reported the new virus has not been found in pigs," says a medical association news release. Veterinarians "are stepping up surveillance for the virus and keeping in close contact with federal and state animal health officials," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the medical association. Despite the name of the virus, "this disease is transmitted from human to human and, as far as we know right now, it does not involve pigs, livestock or pets."