What's that cute dog walker's name again? And when is Toto's next play date?

The Pet Master ($25.45 at www.thepetmaster.com) might be able to help you find the answers. To some, this PDA for your pet (yes, you read that right) may seem ridiculous, but for those who want to compartmentalize the hectic lives of Fido and Fluffy, this paw-shaped device is just the ticket. (It's the brainchild of Excalibur Electronics, also responsible for gadgets such as the Bar Master Deluxe, which is all about finding any drink "at the press of a button.")

Approximately the same size as most humans' personal digital assistants, the Pet Master is designed to help you organize and store the various appointments and contacts associated with up to four pets — checkups, groomings, vaccination schedules and play dates. For the oblivious (or obsessed), it offers an alarm system that goes off when it's treat time or a birthday, and it comes with an encyclopedia of cat and dog information, from health tips to trivia. It also comes stored with information that could prove useful on the road, such as lists of emergency vets in the United States and Canada, as well as pet-friendly hotels and motels (though in Washington, it fails to list any of the Kimpton Hotels, which are known to embrace those traveling with furry companions).

We won't yank your paw too hard: Without a proper alphabet and number keypad, data entry can be annoying, but the Pet Master offers enough useful information to make it a scheduler with entertainment value built-in.