ANYONE WHO HAS EVER

hauled a 38-pound bag of dog food home from the store has no doubt thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if Fido could fetch his own chow?"

Sadly, this ability is well beyond the skills of the average pet. As a back-up, however, consider this: By buying your pet supplies online, you'll save yourself back strain and some money as well.

While Pets.com never made it out of the dotcom bubble, a number of web sites are alive and well, offering compelling pet-supply bargains. A three-month supply of Frontline Plus for Cats and Kittens sells in regular retail stores for about $45. Online, you can find it for $33.99 and get free shipping. The savings are even better for more exotic purchases. In stores, cat furniture carpet-covered pieces that serve as a combination scratching post, play area and perch can run as much as $200 for a big piece, like a six-foot tree with multiple perches. Online, however, you can find a wider selection and pay less than half store prices. (That extra-tall perch is going for $84.99 at PETCO, plus $12.92 for shipping.) Plus, you won't have to worry about wrestling the beast into your car.

Many online pet stores sweeten the savings by offering online coupons. Here are some current deals.

Besides the major retailers, deals can also be found with the myriad of specialty retailers online. They can offer better selection and prices than your average stores, since they can more easily specialize in goods for a particular animal. For example, in stores you'll pay about $5.95 for a 1.2-ounce container of ZooMed's Can O' Crickets the canned cricket of choice for today's iguana. But at online reptile supply retailers, you can stock up on the cans for as little as $2.99 each.

Some targeted sites:

No matter what, be sure to check the site's return policy before you order. Ordering online comes with the drawback that you can't be 100% sure that you've ordered the right size or that the food delivered won't be past its expiration date. So be sure you can return an item free of charge.

You also should exercise extra caution when buying prescription medications for pets online. "Just because you can get it on the Internet doesn't mean it's from a safe and approved source, or that it's safe for the animal," warns Dr. Bonnie Beaver of the American Veterinary Medical Association. So first, check with your veterinarian: He or she may actually have the lowest price, and will be able to point you toward legitimate retailers.