BIG PERSONALITY IN A LITTLE BODY

Sweet Pea didn't much like me when we first met. I got a call from the shelter to foster a Miniature Pinscher/Chihuahua mix who had been having seizures. I had dealt with seizures in other dogs so agreed to meet this dog and see if she wanted to come home with me. 

Her reaction was to growl, bark and nip at me. So I sat on the floor and ignored her while I talked to the shelter staff. She soon approached me and checked out the treats I offered nonchalantly. 

After about fifteen minutes, I asked her if she wanted to go home with me. Kinda surprised me when she said, "Let's go." She didn't want to wait for the paperwork to be filled out, she just wanted to go! 

As usual for me, fostering turned into adoption, and Sweet Pea officially joined our household a few weeks later. When my older son moved home again, Sweet Pea promptly claimed him as her person, and his space upstairs became her personal domain. She also adores my granddaughter, who scooped her up to cuddle the moment they met. 

In talking to Sweet Pea over the years she has been with us, we've discovered she had been in some horrible situations. Sometimes things will trigger flashbacks for her and we reassure her those days are over. 

For the most part, she is a happy little girl. She naps on my son's bed and comes downstairs for meals and to enthusiastically greet her people when they come home. She rarely has seizures any more and she loves to cuddle. However, she sometimes still gives me a growl and a nip to make sure I know my son is Number One in her little world, not me. 

SWEET TROUBLE

Mia was a sweet dog who found
herself in a bad situation.

My grandchild’s dog became caught up in a situation not safe or healthy for her. She needed a place to stay until her people moved where they could have her again. She missed them terribly and was so excited when they came to visit!

She stayed for a few months, then went home when her people found a new place to live. I felt an extra boost of joy when my little guest dog went home to be with her people!

ST. BATZY NEW COVER!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day

I'm introducing a new cover for

ST. BATZY & THE TIME MACHINE

Digital versions only 99 cents!

BUY NOW

(print version also available)

An eccentric inventor is determined to reclaim his wayward time machine 

and save his beloved wife from her latest misadventure. 

If only they can travel safely past the black hole…

A WHIRLING DERVISH!

A miniature Pinscher rescued by my son and an ex-girlfriend from an abusive and neglectful neighbor was the next to join my pack. When my son’s relationship broke up with much drama and acrimony, Grimlin stayed with her until she decided he was “out of control” and “wouldn’t mind.”

He’s done just fine with me. Though he stays at my house for now, he knows who his people are–my son and grandson. No one and nothing else exists when my grandson is here–well, except maybe food.

As with every dog, Grimlin has a unique personality. He loves to wrap himself in blankets. Not just burrow under them, mind you, but to actually wrap them around himself like a cocoon.

Grimlin also has perfected a tough guy act for me. When I come home, he waits in another room until I peek around the corner, then he charges at me, barking almost as fiercely as his stubby tail is wagging. When I scratch him and tell him what a ferocious doggie he is, he grins at me and asks for more attention.

AROOOO!

My younger son has moved in and out of my home a number of times as he walks his journey through life. A dog he adopted also came to stay.

Hudson is a nearly perfect dog, but had been overlooked in the adoption kennels. Perhaps because he is mostly black (a shepherd/Rottweiler mix) or so well behaved he didn’t call attention to himself.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a distinct personality, because he does. He gets an A+ at howling. Arooooo!

He became my timekeeper when Goliath passed and tried hard to keep me on a schedule of when it was time for breakfast, dinner, and snacks, as well as walks and outside breaks. Not an easy task with a human who becomes immersed in projects and loses track of what day it is, let alone what time.

Hudson tugged at sleeves to get someone to play and nudged my son’s arm to distract him when we played cards. Though he lived with me for quite some time, his special person was always my younger son.

I LEFT MY HEART...

Have you ever connected with a dog on such a deep level you knew they were your furry soul mate?

Some people say they have had a once-in-a-lifetime dog like that. I've been fortunate to enjoy several of those relationships. In fact, I have a special and unique connection with every dog who has come into my life.

And sometimes I'm honored to have doggies stay with me whose hearts belong with a special person they couldn't be with for a while. Hudson, Grimlin, Mia and Sweet Pea are those kind of special dogs. During March, I will share their stories.