Anybody Miss Me?

 

 

 

 

 

(from the voice of Sassy)

Anybody miss me? I’ve been gone for a while and mom hasn’t been interested in sharing the computer with me. She used to be so much fun, but now she won’t let me walk across the computer keys or walk across her desk.

What have you been up to lately? Tell me, I’m wanting to hear gossip.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

(from the voice of Spencer)

 

                                                                                                                                                 (Tasha speaking)

Raindrops keep falling on my head! (sings Spencer)

Spencer, just what are you singing? asks Tasha

I’m singing about raindrops falling on my head. replies Spencer.

                                                                                                                                           

But, why? asks tasha, you hate water. You can’t stand getting your feet wet and you run and hide everytime the family turns on the water, Tasha says teasingly.

Well, it’s hot, just too hot here and I feel like I’m going to melt away. So, even though I don’t want to get wet, singing the song makes me feel better, says Spencer

I think all this heat is beginning to to make you a little nutty Spencer. Oh! wait, you already are nuts, says Tasha with a bark.

 

footnote: With record high temperatures in the valley soaring to 115 degrees make sure your pets have lots of clean water available to drink.

 

 

 

The Vet Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

(from the voice of Spencer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(and from the voice of Sassy)

 

 

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she lay her pet on the

table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, “I’m sorry, your pet has passed away.”

 

The distressed owner wailed, “Are you sure? “Yes, I’m sure. The duck is dead,” he replied. “How can you be so sure?” she protested. “I mean, you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something.”

 

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog and took it out and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its peak to its tail and back again. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.

 

The vet looked at the woman and said, “I’m sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely 100% certifiably, a dead duck,” Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.

 

The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. “$150!” she cried, “$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?” The vet shrugged. “I’m sorry. If you’d taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. But what with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up.”

Crash! - Author Guest Post - Mayra Calvani

 

Today, at Dogs Rule Cats Drool the animals are making room for their favorite author to talk about her latest book, Crash! This book is the story of Marcelo who is

 thrilled when he gets a gold retriever puppy for his birthday, but now he faces one of the toughest jobs of his life, not only because owning a pet is a huge responsibility, but because he has to find the perfect name for it - and that’s hard!

 

 
Finding the Perfect Name for Your Puppy

By Mayra Calvani

 

 

Getting a new puppy is an exciting time for a family.  It’s just like the arrival of a new baby! If there are kids in the family, then the event is even more thrilling. Hopefully, you have done your homework and read books on the subject and know all about the responsibilities of owning a new pet.

 

There’s only one thing left to be done: finding the perfect name for your puppy.

 

How do you find the perfect name for your dog? Ideally, it should reflect its character, and even its physical appearance. If you already have a name in your mind because that’s the one you have always dreamed for your dog, then congratulations. Your job is easy. If you don’t have a name in mind, this will take some thinking, and even—as it was in our case—an official family meeting!

 

Would you like to name your dog like a famous philosopher—Homer, Plato, or Aristotle? Or perhaps like a famous scientist, like Einstein or Mr. Hawking? What about a biblical name like Noah? Or maybe a goofy name like Wacky or Taffy?  Or even a food name, like Honey or Cinnamon? What about a common name like Sam, Max, or Lady?

 

In my children’s picture book, CRASH, five-year old Marcelo sets out to find the perfect name for his new golden retriever puppy. His parents keep making suggestions, but Marcelo refuses, as he must find not just any name, but the perfect name for his beloved new puppy. Finally, something really peculiar about the puppy helps Marcelo come up with the perfect name.

 

So observe your puppy carefully. Maybe it has a quirk or odd character trait which belongs only to it, and one which will help you come up with the ideal name.

 

Here are some helpful links with hundreds of names to help you choose:

 

http://petrix.com/dognames/

http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/names/

http://www.names-for-dogs.co.uk/

http://www.dog-names.org.uk/dog-puppy-names.htm

http://www.dog-names.us/

 

Ideally, the name you give your puppy should be short (one or two syllables), and should not sound like another member of the family’s or like a dog command, for obvious reasons. But this isn’t a rule and in reality, the sky is the limit. 

 

Have fun finding that perfect name and good luck!

 

 

Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author, reviewer, dog lover, and animal advocate.

A regular contributor to Blogcritics Magazine and American Chronicle, she is also the author of CRASH!, a children’s picture book about a little boy and how he learns to care and find the perfect name for his new golden retriever puppy. Check out her ‘Crash the Puppy’ blog at www.crashthepuppy.blogspot.com.

 

 

 

CRASH! VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Mayra’s tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free gift certificate from Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary gift shop! One lucky winner will be announced on June 30!

 

 

Guess who came back?

 

 

 

 

 

(from the voice of Sassy the cat)

That darn bird from last year is back and everytime I go out the front door he dive bombs for me and I have yet to catch him. He must be protecting another nest again and sits on the roof of the houses and watches for trouble.

One of these days he’ll be sorry and I won’t have to eat cat food for dinner.

Dog for Sale on e-bay

 

(from the voice of Sassy)

I got even for those dogs barking at me, I had a friend over and we got into some trouble on the computer.

Although, I’m not telling which dog I sold, you’ll just have to guess.

 

Return to normal Monday!

 

 

(from the voice of Sassy)

It’s Monday morning, yeah! The family returned to their normal schedule today and I get the entire house to myself all day.

 

Stop Barking!

 

 

(from the voice of Spencer)

 

He who barks the longest gets yelled at first.

Mom says stop barking Spencer, but how can I tell her that I hear a noise and I’m protecting the perimeter of our house.

Freedom from the Yard, Priceless!

(from the voice of Tasha)

We got to go for a walk last night and it felt really good to get out of the house. But Spencer, he’s such an old fart, instead of walking he decided to lay down in the middle of the street and catch a few winks. Anybody want a dumb lazy dog?

                                                                                                               

 

Things That Go Bump in the Night

(from the voice of Sassy)

I blew my curfew last night and stayed out all night. It’s been a long time since I had an adventure. I could hear mom calling me at 11 p.m., but I had no intention of spending another night in the garage. I was already walking through the neighborhood, feeling confident that I wouldn’t be harassed by any of those bad boy cats. Since, I was spayed I don’t have to worry about date rape anymore.

Normally, every night I return from whatever adventure I’ve had shortly after 11 p.m. Most nights, though, I just end up sitting on top of the mailbox at the end of the driveway until mom opens the door to let me in. The mailbox is flat like Snoopy’s doghouse in the Adventures of Charlie Brown.

Here’s a timeline of my adventure;

11:00 – 1:00 a.m.
I took off walking in the cool night air and walked and walked and got some much needed exercise. It seems I’m getting too fat to squeeze through small spaces.

1:00 – 3:00 a.m.
The night creatures came out, and had to hide in the bushes from a possum, I did’t want to mess with that one, it wasbig and ugly. I heard coyotes off in the distance howling or was it the dogs that I live with? When Spencer and Tasha start that howling upon hearing ambulance sirens they can make enough noise to wake the dead. Had the most fun at the farm when I woke up the sleeping animals. The farm is about a mile from the house.  I gave a good scare to that old Tom Turkey and some of those hens. Oh! They had their wings flapping and were running all over their pen and I just sat out side the pen, there’s no way I could have gotten in, since it’s pretty secure, but those dumb fowl didn’t know that. I didn’t eat any of them as I didn’t have the craving for wild bird at that moment. 

3:00 – 5:00 a.m.
Met up with some of the old girls in the neighborhood and got to hear the local gossip about who is dating whom now.  These girls just keep having one litter of kittens after another. I feel sorry for them, as I have so much freedom now.

5:00 – 5:30 a.m.
It got really cold at this hour and I found myself suddenly tired so I slept for a while in the bushes.

5:30 – 6:00 a.m.
I was sick of being outside all these hours and sleeping in the bushes wasn’t as comfortable as sleeping in my bed in the garage and having my food waiting for me.

6:00 – 7:00 a.m.
I meowed for an hour outside mom’s window before she let me in the house. That woman sleeps like a rock, finally, she let me in the house and I went straight to my bed in the garage. I think I’ve had enough of staying out all hours.

Good Night All, think I will sleep till the sun goes down.