(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.

(from the voice of Sassy)

Oh no! I’m melting, just like the wicked witch in the Wizard of OZ. Before long I’m going to become a puddle of green goop on the floor because it’s too hot. The official day of summer is here in four days, but today the temperature was 107 degrees in the valley.  What’s a cat to do when it’s so hot? I can’t shed this hot fur coat, but I can’t seem to find a cool place to sleep.

Help me! if it’s cool where you are can I come and stay for awhile?

(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.”

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

 
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!

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

I am strong kitty, I show no mercy. Come near my porch and I’ll show you whose the boss.  A male cat came on my porch last night and meowed at me, how dare he, the front door was open as it was a warm night in the valley and I was sitting on the other side of the closed screen door, and he thought I would submissively bow down to him. What he doesn’t know is I already kicked one male cat of the porch. I meowed at mom to open the door, she thought that I wanted to play with him. As soon as she let me out I hissed at the cat and chased him across the driveway. As he jumped into the bushes I jumped right on his back. That was all the motivation he needed to leave the neighborhood, hopefully to never come back.

(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?