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Friday, August 7, 2015

It’s a Dog’s Life

By Kathleen Rice Adams

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Few authors are in control of their own lives. Many of us have families who make unreasonable demands for things like an occasional meal and clean clothes. We also have editors and publishers (even if we’re self-published) who are unhealthily devoted to deadlines. Some of us have friends who enjoy spending time with us every once in a while…just not too often. After all, nobody wants to be seen with the clearly certifiable. That’s how rumors get started.

None of those individuals are The Bosses, though. For a good many authors, that role rests firmly in the paws of four-legged fiends…I mean friends…who evidently believe we are in desperate need of supervision.

Today we thought we’d introduce you to a few of the overlords at Prairie Rose Publications—just so you know we don’t act like loons of our own volition. We’re under orders.

Co-owner Livia Washburn Reasoner is kept in line by a menagerie.

Nicki (left) and Nora are Chihuahua Min Pins. They may be small, but they rule the Reasoner household with iron paws. Nicki is wearing a floatie in order to keep her from chewing on stitches after recent surgery. She is not at all happy about the fashion statement.

Ranger (left) is a Doberman mix and looks after Dash, a mystery puppy (possibly Great Dane and Mastiff) who most likely will be the size of a Yeti by the time he’s grown. Sammy is a Great Pyrenees-Shepherd mix, adorably furry, and long-suffering. Ranger and Sammy were rescued from an animal shelter that kills pets not adopted within a very brief time, and Dash was thrown out like trash to fend for himself in cold, rainy weather.




Snake Eyes, a leopard gecko, has a habit of disrobing in public, so it’s probably best not to encourage the behavior by giving him a lot of attention.





Co-owner Cheryl Pierson has only one master to whom she must bow, but Embry is so big that more than one would be overkill.

Embry is a Great Pyrenees. Here he is with Cheryl’s daughter, Jessica. Even as a full-grown woman, she’d barely make a snack for Embry, who also was rescued from a kill shelter when he was a puppy. His mother was an “owner surrender” and pregnant at the time her owners gave her up. Embry had eight siblings, all named for characters from the Twilight books, which were popular at the time. He has learned to tell time over the past couple of years: He usually expects brunch at 10:30 a.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m., and he tracks down Cheryl or her husband within ten minutes of his expected meal time.

Me? I’m in constant danger of lynching at the paws of tiny-but-enthusiastic outlaws known as the Hole in the Web Gang.

Dog and Underdog (top row, from left) came to live with me because they’re not “show quality.” Ed (bottom row, left) was abandoned in a cardboard box, and Li’l Ol’ Biddy was dropped off at a shelter because she’s old. Yes, I do tie a rock around Ed’s neck when the wind blows.

What about y’all? Are you owned by furry, feathered, finned, or scaly family? Tell us about them in the comments! If you’ve got a picture, send it to kathleen@prairierosepublications.net, and I’ll add it to this post. Let’s show the world what unconditional love looks like, shall we?

Reader Pet Gallery




Gabriel (left) and Gabriella own Prairie Rose Doris McCraw.








Roxie is Angela Crider's spotted tabby baby. She loves playing fetch with her Chewbacca mouse.










Cindy Jones's kids. The two on the top row appear to be criminals.












Prairie Rose Kaye Spencer's critters. Let's hope she hasn't infected them with her warped sense of humor.









Both of Prairie Rose Sarah McNeal's furry children—Lily the Golden Retriever and Liberty the cat—are rescues. (She says they rescued her.)




Mason-Dixon (left) and Daisy Duke are the Welsh Corgis who own Prairie Rose Shayna Matthews and her family. They protect the back yard from squirrels and buzzards when they're not chasing their ball.


Somewhere under the pile of fur is Prairie Rose Angel Drew, whose cats evidently believe she bears watching. She does get a mite rowdy from time to time. A third cat is skulking around out of the frame to Angel's left.








Labrador Retrievers Lily (top) and Ranger have things firmly under control at the home of Prairie Rose Kristy McCaffrey.









Rest in peace, Bob (left). Cathie Dunn and her family were honored to share your life. Toby (top) and Tiger, don't worry about that dog-adoption threat. We're sure they'll get your permission first.

29 comments:

  1. Gee, I feel a bit odd with just the two cats, Gabriel and Gabriella. But if you want photos of the two, I'll send them on. I do confess, these two keep me sane (or at least they make me get up in the morning) and five me more than a few laughs and lots of love. Yes, cats can be and are very loving. (So there!) Doris/Angela

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    1. Doris we love cats and they ruled the Reasoner house until fairly recently. Somehow dogs have taken over. Who would have thought that could happen.

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    2. Doris, I love cats. I'd have one if not for the allergies. I'm glad you sent a pic of yours. They're so pretty!

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  2. I always had cats growing up. My parents wouldn't let me have a dog--for one thing, where we lived, our yard wasn't fenced in. But I'm making up for lost time with Embry! LOL I still love cats--my daughter has a cat that is 20 years old. We got him and his litter mate when they were 6 weeks old, and though Precious died a few years ago, Stripes is still with us. I bought him an animal playpen the other day--didn't even know they made such a thing. I'm loving these pictures of everyone's pets!

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    1. I had no idea Embry was SO BIG. Celia

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    2. At the vet visit in May he weighed 204 pounds. HE IS ON A DIET. And he's lost some weight, but Pyrs are big dogs. He would eat nonstop if there was food out. we feed him twice a day, with a few treats in between--(no more donut holes -- just stuff that's good for him). LOL

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    3. 204 pounds???? That's not a dog. It's a Shetland pony! :-D Embry is a cutie.

      I'm loving the pics of everybody's pets, too.

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  3. I have a rescue crew and I will email pics. My granddogs are rescues too!

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    1. Cindy, thanks for sending your pictures! That is quite a crew you have there. Bless you for taking in rescues. Like Sarah McNeal and Livia Reasoner always say, "We don't rescue them. They rescue us." :-)

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  4. I emailed a collage of most of my critters. I didn't include the whole bunch of cats that take full advantage of the pet door that allows them to bring their friends over (at any given time it might be a dozen).

    On a side note, a group of cats is called a: 1) clowder 2) clutter or 3) glaring.

    0_o

    I just call my my mess of cats *feline freeloaders*. [wink]

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    1. Feline freeloaders works! :-D

      My dogs only let me live in the house so I can be at their beck and call 24/7. Otherwise, I'd have to live in the backyard.

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  5. Ah, it's a dog's life, after all. All ours long ago went to the Big Doghouse in the Sky, and we vowed never to get any other. I didn't want any of them, but our kids had to have them...and all pretty close to the same time which meant they grew up together, and pretty much died together. All live to be very old, and when our kids had grown up and left home--we ran a Nursing Home for Elderly Pets. We nearly depleted our bank account trying to keep these animals comfortable.
    First came Poco--we live in N.M., and this mean little. So Poco was some kind of little white haired dog with one ear that turned down and no pigment around one eye...pitiful dirty little thing that my husband and elementary school son and daughter brought home. No matter how much I objected, we kept her. And of course the care and feeding and training fell to me.
    Next, daughter wanted a cat. She adopted tiny male Siamese kitten she name Buttons--because he's suck on the buttons on her shirt. Then she was give a Russian Blue cat which grew to gigantic proportions. Name: Simon. Where Buttons was wily and quick and smart, Simon was huge, and slow, and very...stupid. Okay, maybe mentally slow. Jim told daughter: you should have named them either Buttons and Bows, or Simon and Garfunkel. She'd roll her eyes and say, "Oh, Dad, that is not funny." He thought it was.

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    1. Excuse the errors. I'm in a hurry. Be back later to see the photos.

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    2. Celia, your DH has quite a sense of humor. I'm glad your kids got to grow up with animals, but I'm sure running a nursing home for elderly pets was a sad task, just like it would be for elderly people. Bless you for taking on the task. :-)

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  6. How often have we all been texting each other when someone says, "BRB. Gotta walk the dog(s)?" My Honey Bee Bunny is a slim, long-legged English Pointer mix who has been known to put her front legs across my laptop to direct my attention to HER. Taking her out for a piddle? It's like going to a Nordstrom's shoe sale every single time. "Right here. No...don't like that. Over here by the...no, I did that last time. By the wall! By the rosebush. No, no. Must start over..."

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    1. LOL! Life is a constant adventure for dogs. We all DO seem to text frequently, "BRB. Dog pottying emergency." :-D

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  7. I've always loved cats. Back when I was a kid, I had a "yellow" cat called Ti-Jaune (Jaune is yellow in French). I could do anything with that cat and I used to dress him with my doll's pink pyjamas (now, you can easily imagine what the poor "yellow male cat" looked in a doll's pink pyjamas), then I'd take said "dressed in pink yellow cat" to the convenience store with me (in a baby stroller, mind you). I'd tell the cat: Ti-Jaune, attends-moi 5 minutes (Ti-Jaune, wait for me 5 min) et si je ne suis pas de retour dans 5 minutes, retourne à la maison (and if I'm not back in 5 minutes, go back home). Of course, more often than not, it would take more than 5 minutes - believe it or not, the crazy cat would jump off the stroller and go back home. Don't know why, but all the neighbors were laughing like crazy. Same thing when my black cat was having his "siesta" in the furniture store, nearby the convenience store. He'd jump on the bed in display in the front window and sleep there. The owners loved it because many people stopped in front of their store and often, ended up going inside to buy something.

    Now, I own three cats (or I should say they own me). The oldest, Kitty, was born on my couch along with her two sisters and one brother, almost 13 years ago (on August 18) - her mom was a stray cat we adopted back in July 2002. The middle one is a 7-year-old Tuxedo cat who goes by the name of Timon and who really belongs to my youngest daughter's ex-boyfriend (I babysat him in July 2012 for one week - he's never left. I guess it's "almost" safe to call him mine now) - that one is a big, big, big baby. The youngest, Kirikou, is a six-year-old tortoiseshell - she also belonged to another ex-boyfriend of the same daughter. She and Timon are best pals and they know the time - between 9 p.m. and 9h30 p.m. they bug me for their nightly canned food, followed about an hour after by their nightly treats. If I arrive late at home, they follow me everywhere until I give them their food. Kitty is more laid-back - she'll wait until I give her something and never bothers me for food. She "talks" a good deal, though.

    Every evening, it's the "It's my turn" time. First, Kirikou jumps on my knees while I watch TV... When she leaves her place, it's Timon's turn. He jumps on my knees and licks my arms, my neck, even my face if I let him. Then, he purrs, and purrs, and purrs... until he decides he's had enough. Soon after, Kitty jumps on my knees for a few minutes of petting.

    Every night, Timon joins me in my bed and snuggles in my arms - I think he thinks he's helping me fall asleep - he also probably believes he's the best replacement for Boule, Kitty's sister, who I've had to put to sleep three years ago (still miss her awfully). Later in the night, it's Kirikou's turn but first, she asks for more treats. And come morning, Kirikou - again - comes and ask for her and Timon's canned foods (they share a can twice a day with Kitty joining them only in the evening).

    I'll send pictures, Kathleen. :)

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    1. Liette, send pictures! I've got to see these remarkable cats. Each one has his or her own personality, and it sounds like all the personalities are characters. :-D

      I'm so sorry to hear about Boule. That is such a hard decision to make. It takes a lot of love to let them go. Big hugs, sweet lady.

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    2. Tried to yesterday only to realize that since hubby installed Windows 10, I've lost the folder with family pictures (the cats were in that folder). Will have to reload them... so as soon as it's done, I'll send pictures.

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    3. Take your time, Petite Hibou. We'll wait. :-)

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  8. I don't know if life would hold the same joy for me without my two furry daughters: Lily, the Golden Retriever, and Liberty, the cat and the true boss around here. They gladden my heart and love me unconditionally. Okay, maybe on the condition that I give them their daily treats and play with them. There's probably some other things, but they haven't told me what they are yet.

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    1. Sarah, are your kids and mine related? I'll swear they all wear little watches. If they don't have their treats by 7:00 on the dot every night, I have four little demons glaring at me while tapping one paw each on the floor. "Ahem. Someone isn't doing her job." ;-)

      Where would we be without our furry kids? :-)

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  9. What a wonderful post! Love all the pics and stories. My son and his girlfriend just left with their dog Hudson, whom I babysat for the last week. He's a chi/jack russell terrier mix. I'm pretty depressed as I've become quite attached to the little guy. I do have my labs, Ranger and Lily, and I love them to pieces. I'll be curling up with them tonight. They sleep in bed with hubby and I. I wouldn't have it any other way.

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    1. Hudson is a cutie, Kristy. There's something majestic about Lily and Ranger, though, and they have such sweet expressions. I hope y'all have a king-size bed! :-D

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    2. We do!! And yet I'm still hanging off the side some nights...but I don't care.

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  10. What a lovely idea, and what beautiful pets and stories! :-)

    I've lived with cats for nearly 40 years. First with my mother – before she switched to rescue dogs – then later on my own. I couldn't imagine life without pets, and now that I've given up the office job in the office and swapped to being a cat sitter and dog walker (well, apart from my writing), I'm enjoying my life even more.

    Hubby and I have always had two cats in our 11 years of living together. First, my much-missed old boy Gizmo, who, two months after we got tabby kitten Tiger, decided to go walkabout, aged 11, and never came back; a few months later Bob, a big stray black & white boy found us (with a few strange mannerisms – his, not ours!) and he stayed until nearly two years ago, when he sadly had to be put to sleep. We still have Tiger, 11 years on, and two months after poor Bob's departure, we adopted Toby, a black boy with a very (!) stubborn streak. Now, we're ready to add a dog to the mix, but all in good time... :-)

    Thanks for allowing us to tell our pet stories. Happy Cat Day!



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    1. Happy Cat Day to you, too, Cathie! Cats seem to like your place. Just make sure you get Tiger's and Toby's permission before you bring home a dog. ;-)

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    2. Thank you, Kathleen, and thanks for posting up the photos. Yes, their permission is definitely required. Perhaps a rescue puppy will be a start... ;-)

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  11. Cathie, I'm so glad you contributed to our "pet wall" here at the PRP blog! I always love to see everyone else's furbabies and hear their stories. I always had cats growing up and my kids had cats. Now that we have Embry, we won't be able to have another cat until he passes on--not sure how he would take to ANY sibling. LOL (Though he does love his human ones!) He was a rescue--as will all my pets be from here on out. Love those sweet pictures you sent and the stories of all your "kids"!
    Cheryl

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