We had another visitor this week

Last week I posted about the two black Lab mix puppies who needed a place to stay for a couple of days. Chuck caught the final puppy who was still running loose and asked if I could board him for 24 hours or so. You'll also be happy to know that he already has a home to go to when he's had all of his shots, neutering, chipping, etc.

Since I know so many of you were interested in the story of the previous two pups, I wanted to post an update with some photos of Rocky and Lindsey's brother.

"What are you doing?"

"You cannot overcome the power of my ear!"

"Where am I? In a jungle?"

Such a tall guy.

Such a handsome and sweet guy!  I love the one ear sticking straight up.  I kept thinking he reminded me of someone...

But I was having a hard time putting my finger on it...

Ah, yes!



 

Doesn't that hurt?

When I was going through the pictures on my camera yesterday, I found a couple of gems. I took a moment to reminisce about when Sally, my boxer/pitbull mix, first came to my home. It was a bit of a culture shock because I wasn't used to large dogs. The photos below reminded me of those days and how sometimes I could do nothing but stare at her and think, "What in the world?"

How does one sleep with the corner of a hard piece of wood pressing into their skull?

Apparently quite well.  She slept through the flash of the camera and was snoring quite loudly.

I then turned and snapped this photo of Danny.  He has since forgiven me for bringing such an uncouth beast into his house.

I got my proof in!

If you're on my list of friends on Facebook (if you aren't on my friends list -- send me a request!), then you may have heard me announce that I got the proof for Holly's Story in the mail yesterday. I took a few minutes to snap some photos so that I could share my joy with all of you.

Here's the front cover. I am so thankful that Jennifer at Polestar Graphics went in this direction. It's so clean and fresh -- eye-catching.

Here's the back. When I first saw what Jennifer did with the back cover, I screamed a little scream of joy. The way she connected the front cover to the back cover went well beyond any expectations I had when it came to cover design.

Finally, the inside. It printed beautifully. The font isn't too small or too big.

Within 5 minutes of getting the proof I noticed a typo before I could finish the fiirst two pages.  It's okay, though, typos are easy to fix, and I won't need to order another proof once I fix them.

I'm really looking forward to being able to put up a "Such and such a date is the official release date!" post.

Tell me what you think!

Toby the Tenacious Foster Pup

Over the weekend I received a phone call from Valley Dogs about a little dog named Toby. Apparently Toby had been thrown out of a car on the freeway.  Amazingly, someone from the Arizona Pug Adoption and Rescue Network (APARN) saw him and immediately gathered him up.

She brought him to a vet, where they checked him out and gave him his immunizations. With a clean bill of health, he came to my house -- my house which is currently home to five other dogs.

Everyone has adjusted very quickly (as I type this, he and Danny are rabble-rousing). Toby is a cute, friendly, outgoing little guy.  I'm still trying to figure out what kind of mix he is. I definitely see some sort of terrier, but can't pinpoint anything...what do you think?
 

A Tale of Two Pups - Be the Change for Animals

You would think that writing a novel, living with three Miniature Schnauzers, one 70lb. boxer/pitbull mix who thinks she’s a Miniature Schnauzer, two Siamese cats, another Miniature Schnauzer I’m currently fostering, and taking care of an elderly person 24 hours a day would be more than enough to keep me busy.  Believe me, it is.  But my busy schedule didn’t even enter my mind when the phone call from a man named Chuck came in on Wednesday, March 30.

Chuck is a truck driver who also works with rescue organizations to catch feral and homeless dogs and get them into no kill shelters and foster homes.  He got my name from Valley Dogs, and told me he had been contacted by a business in the Phoenix area about seven black lab mix puppies that were roaming around.  He asked me if I would be able to hold them for 24-48 hours.  Knowing I had the space and crates to house all seven if needed, I agreed.

The next day, Thursday, he brought in a terribly frightened and aggressive Rocky.  He was so handsome, and even at just 3 months of age, his paws were gigantic.  I placed his crate into the quiet guest bedroom where he proceeded to howl like a coyote all night long.  I knew he was scared and lonely, and I wanted to pet him and hold him, but he was still far too aggressive for me to get anywhere near him.   

On Friday his sister Lindsey came, and I was amazed at her behavior compared to Rocky’s.  She was nervous, for sure, but she wasn’t the least bit aggressive.  Once we got her transferred from the crate Chuck had her in to the crate I had ready for her, I put her in the same room with Rocky.  Rocky perked up when he saw his sister, but he didn’t like all the hub-bub going on just outside the bedroom door, and continued to growl.

Lindsey was picked up by Eddie Nichols from the Foothills Animal Rescue (FAR) in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday.  Rocky was going to have to wait, as they wanted to bring in another person who had the skills needed to make the transition from foster care back into a moving vehicle easier on little Rocky.  

Lindsey all settled in at FAR

Rocky had settled down quite a bit and was no longer growling at me when I came near or when I reached into his cage to give him fresh food and water.  He even ate some canned food off of my fingers.  I still couldn’t pat or touch him, but he was definitely improving.  I moved his crate into the family room, hoping to socialize him a little more and ease his loneliness.  All of my dogs greeted him politely, sniffing at him as they normally do when a new foster is brought in.  

He seemed most intrigued by Smoker, my black Miniature Schnauzer.   Sally, the boxer/pitbull mix was nice to him, but Rocky seemed to be intimidated by her size.  I had the television on for a few moments until Rocky made it very clear that did not like the TV at all.

Eddie Nichols came back on Sunday, this time with another FAR helper, Jeff Tye.  He gave Rocky what I call the “dog whisperer” treatment.  He sat with his back against Rocky’s crate, allowing Rocky to come up to him and sniff without feeling threatened.  Soon Jeff had him ready for transport, and off they went to the rescue.  I swear he grew 2 inches in the time he was at my home.

The very next day, I received an email from Jeff with an update on how the 2 pups were doing, including pictures.  They said that even Rocky had been given a bath, and in one photo, someone had their hand on his tummy.  He was looking straight at the camera, obviously unfazed by the fact that someone was touching him!  It did my heart good to see that.

Rocky, freshly bathed and letting someone touch him!

Even though Rocky and Lindsey only visited us briefly, I missed them when they left.  Whenever new fosters come in, I have a hard time watching them leave. I was so glad to see them being so well taken care of by the people at FAR.  I really appreciated the care and love that everyone involved in the rescue of Rocky and Lindsey gave them – Chuck, Eddie Nichols, Jeff Tye and everyone at Foothills Animal Rescue.  Thank you so much for all the work you do!

Both Rocky and Lindsey are available for adoption that the Foothills Animal Rescue! Click below to see their pages on the FAR website:

Rocky

Lindsey

When 3 weeks turns into 6

I posted at the beginning of March that I was just a little over 3 weeks out from releasing Holly's Story. Here we are, more than 4 weeks after that post, and it's still not available for sale. The opportunities to get frustrated have been abundant, but I refused to allow myself to worry about it.

After a couple weeks of dealing with some issues CreateSpace had with the PDFs the cover (thank you for all of your help and patience, Jen!) and interior, I am beyond excited to say -- I just ordered the proof! I should have it within 2 weeks, and I can't wait to see it the way my readers will see it. Just the thought of opening up the package and holding it in my hands makes me all giddy inside.

It's possible that the Kindle edition will be available before the print edition.  I'll keep you updated on the various release dates.

For now, if you would share the news about Holly's Story by passing along these links to your friends and family, I would truly appreciate it.

Blog post:  Just what is "Holly's Story"?

The Forever Home Series Facebook page

As a way of saying thank you, I leave you with this photo of Little Bear, Danny, and Smoker!

Just what is "Holly's Story"?

In case you were wondering what exactly Holly's Story is about, read below:

Holly’s Story is a heartwarming tale of love and survival based on the true adventures of a “mutt” abandoned by the family she trusted. If that’s not enough to get a dog down, she finds herself in a shelter hospital after being hit by a car. While she enjoys meeting several interesting and inspiring new friends, Holly questions where her life is headed – all the while dreading the possibility of becoming the next victim of the “big brown door.”

Just as fear threatens to overtake her, she is whisked away to a foster home. With the help of a service dog and a kind nurse, she learns about true companionship on the quest to find her forever home.

But, forever can be a long time in dog years…

If you want to stay updated on the release date of Holly's Story, click here to "like" The Forever Home Series.