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Abundant Puppy Love

Hi! Catherine Mann here, welcoming you to my first blog with the Casablanca authors! My debut book with Casablanca - a military romantic suspense entitled COVER ME - will be out next July, but I look forward to visiting with you in the meantime while I count down the days.

Now, on to this month's theme of abundance...

When I think of the word abundant, I envision the exuberant love shared without hesitation by precious puppies. I believe we could learn so much from our canine pals about opening our hearts.

Those who know me likely aren’t surprised by my take on this month’s blog theme. I’m a big advocate for adopting shelter/rescue pets, and I foster for my local Humane Society.

When I foster shelter dogs, often they come to me ill or afraid or neglected. It’s my role to offer them a temporary safe haven to heal, physically and emotionally. And yet in spite of all they’ve been through, love shines so purely from their eyes as they revel in a simple belly rub or a pat on the head. They take nothing for granted, and give back their all unconditionally.

Over the years, I have fostered more than thirty puppies and special needs dogs. Some might say that’s an abundance of dogs. I say I’m the lucky recipient of an abundance of love.

To see pictures of all my shelter fosters and my own forever pets, check out my facebook photos.

Also, my website features a pet page in the “fun stuff” section with photos of author pals with their pets… (i.e. Suzanne Brockmann, Lori Foster, Cindy Gerard, Joanne Rock and more…)

Since I’m new to the Casablanca Blog, I would enjoy getting to know more about you. So I invite you to share treasured memories of your pets, past or present!

Comments

  1. Welcome to the blog, Catherine! Loved your post about fostering puppies! And your cover and book sound great!! Good luck!

    I'm taking a trip at 6 this morning to see wolves and wolf dogs who have been taken into the St Francis Wolf Sanctuary when owners no longer can care for them. I've had a number of dogs I've cherished over the years--standard poodles, miniature poodles, toy poodles, a yellow Lab (she and I were obedience school dropouts), silky terriers and an Afghan hound that had the personality of a cat--and lots of cats too, one that would catch flies midair in her paws and left a live mouse in her dish to eat later---only it wasn't sticking around! :) Glad to have you here!

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  2. My abundances have been more in the feline than the canine category. I've always had one or two dogs around, but cats? Currently there are six! What never ceases to astonish me is just how different they all are!

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  3. Hi Catharine!
    I'm a new author here as well. I am impressed that you can handle all those puppies.I have two dogs and they just about put me over the edge. LOL. Your book looks great and I'll be adding it to my TBR list.

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  4. Hi, Catherine! Congratulations on the book. It's great to have you here.

    I have always been a cat person and refused to deal with dogs until I got my miniature dachshund, Shortie, a few years ago. She's a total pain in the rear, but I love her to pieces. I don't think I could handle more than one dog though. I think it's wonderful that you open your home to dogs in need. I've been meaning to get a kitten, but my dog hates cats so much I don't think it would be fair to either of them. So it looks like I'll be a dog person for at least ten more years.

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  5. Hi Terry! Aren't wolves fascinating? I have a friend here who has wolf mixes and it's long been her dream to open a sanctuary. Sounds like you have an amazing day planned! Would love to hear more about it if you have time when you get back!!

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  6. Cheryl, what kind of cats do you have? We actually do have a cat too - an orange tabby. He's such a funny cat, big and manly but loves to hug your neck. He enjoys the dogs, but cannot get along with other cats. So, he remains, our solo feline. ;-)

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  7. Hi Sara! Welcome to you too!! And truly, it's not such a huge change w/the puppies. I don't have all 30 at once - heaven forbid. ;-) The director of our shelter is great about tailor making the foster experience to what the foster home can handle. I never take more than four at a time, and I've let her know times where I could really only manage one or two. (We have 2 dogs a a cat of our own.) I also enjoy the extra company when I'm writing!

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  8. Hi Olivia! Ahhhhhh, little doxies are soooooo precious!!! What a cute name - Shortie, lol. She sounds like tons of fun!

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  9. Morning, Cathy! My favorite pet story was when my cousin's German Shepherd chased away some spooky guys following us down the deserted road to her farm. Seriously, the guys had stocking masks over their faces, so they meant business. This dog came when we called like a bat out of... Hades. And he was taking no prisoners with a snarl I'd never seen before! Those guys could not run back to the truck fast enough. And they left one heck of a dustcloud in their wake. His name was Duke. And I looooved him. Thanks for letting me share a favorite memory! Duke went on to father dogs that were my pets, so I got to have him with me for quite a few years afterward.

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  10. Hi Joanne! Looooove the story of Duke! What a great protector. He sounds like a champ. You probably recall our old Trooper was the laziest beagle ever, no hunting instincts (once dug out from under the fence, went under the neighbors' rabbit cage and didn't so much as sniff the rabbits. Which of course was good, but surprising. Trooper was a napper, a snacker, and an ambler. Anyhow, one night late, Trooper went nuts barking. We saw out the front window that someone was trying to break into our van. Hubby let Trooper out the front door and he took off running after the guy barking - running low to the ground - ONLY time I ever saw that dog run. :-) Wonder if Trooper and Duke are up there guarding the pearly gates together?

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  11. Welcome, Catherine! I used to work for the local SPCA. I still support them as much as I can.

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  12. ::::waving:::: Hi Shana! Thanks for the comment - and for all your support for the furbabies!!

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  13. I adopted an older dog - 6 years old from a shelter - and it's the best decision I ever made! She's already past all that puppy chewing and hyper stuff. She was even already housetrained and leash trained. She's the best dog ever! Nothing like the unconditional love of animals.

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  14. How true, Catherine!

    I've always had dogs and fans and friends know of my beloved Chihuahua/Yorkie Bogie, who I had from 8 weeks to 18 yrs, 1 month this past Jan. And Barney, my white mini Schnauzer, who showed up in the front yard last summer and said "I belong to you now". I was told he was sent to me to make it easier when Bogie left me and that was a story all its own.

    We've always had large dogs until I adopted a terri/poo puppy I named Cocoa. Bogie was next.

    And one memory I have is our wolf/Malamute, Princess, when I was in junior high and she'd sit there watching my mice. Not to hurt them. She was their protector.

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  15. Hi there! I agree that an older dog is a real treasure - and you already know the temperament. No surprises. Sadly, owner surrenders are high now bec of the economy. There are more former family pets than ever waiting at shelters for a new forever home!!! Thank you for taking one into your family!

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  16. Hi Linda!!! ::::waving wildly::: I love what you said about your dog claiming you. So true!!

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  17. People here will tell you that's just how it happened, Catherine, and I blogged about it. Barney was a lost dog I found, had him for three weeks before I could track down his owner. He had settled in the first day and claimed me as his. I was devestated but two days later the owner called and asked if I wanted him for good. I was down the street in a flash and he's been my baby since then.

    I'd like to get another dog from the shelter but Barney prefers being an only dog. He was bullied by the other dog in previous house. But he did adore Bogie and vice versa.

    Plus now I'm feeding some of the cats that were abandoned in the neighborhood.

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  18. Welcome to the blog, Catherine!

    My animals usually make an appearance in my books. Dave, the dog in Romeo, Romeo was my dog Clancy (with a sex change).

    Tripod in Breakfast in Bed is my three-legged cat, Raja. The only thing I exaggerated was Tripod's love of coffee--though Raja really does like coffee ice cream.

    Jasmine, the stray dog in my next book, Yours for the Taking is lying here beside me as I type. She's a rescued pointer mix we found running on the highway away from the Firemen's Carnival with fireworks going off. The poor thing was terrified (and still is when it comes to fireworks or thunder and lightning). We searched for her owners, but since she was terribly underweight, I wondered if she'd been dumped. She's been my furbaby every since.

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  19. Hi! My son just got a puppie from the animal shelter here in Tallahassee, and he's a mix of some kind, can't remember but his name is Brusier, and he's a cutie. I love dogs but don't want one for mayself but since my son lives at home still, I feed and walk him and of course play only when Kenny isn't at home, but I love him. I love your cover on the book thats on the blog. I couldn't find a book of yurs at the library that I haven't read yet. Have a nice weekend.

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  20. Welcome, Catherine! I love dogs. And cats. And otters. And birds. And snakes (well, I'm not so fond of the ones whose bite can kill me, per se). We rescued our kitten from a local shelter. You'd think the little darling would be grateful, but, nope. She takes it as her due. So different from our previous cat who we rescued from the drain pipe in our front yard during a snowstorm. He was forever grateful and such a sweet guy. This one is sweet, too, but on her terms, whereas Kimba was always sweet. Different personalities, different love, but all in need of someone to care for them. Huge kudos to you for your rescue work!

    And your books, too, which I love. :) Welcome to the Casa Sisterhood.

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  21. Hi Robin! Isn't it fun how pets work their way into one of our books? They sure do have personalities all their own. I had that happen in the book I just turned in... it wasn't one of my pets, but the personality of a dog I had met at the shelter while volunteering to run them in the play yard. Maybe it was my way of envisioning that sweetie in a forever home!!!

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  22. ::::Waving:::: Hey there, Carole! I'm so happy to hear you and your son are both getting to enjoy Bruiser. Sounds like you've made the pup very, very happy!

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  23. Hey there, Judi! Your cat sounds like such a stitch!! :-) (And thanks bunches for the compliment on my books!! :::smooches:::)

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  24. You are so right Catherine. If you want an abundance of love, look to a dog.

    I'm between permanent dogs, but I jump at chances to dogsit for friends. Fergus, a West HIghland terrier, will be spending several days with me, and I'm so excited.

    Can't wait to go walking with him, and to curl up on the sofa with him in the evenings.

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  25. Hi Mary Margret! Enjoy your dog sitting time with Fergus!! :-)

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  26. Welcome, Catherine! I'm a dog lover too - as you can tell in my books. There are five Jack Russell terriers in Cowboy Trouble - all based on my one little Jack Russell Terror. And Ivan in the book is based on my big ol' chow/grizzly bear/pony mix. He's a hunka hunka burnin' love - a shelter rescue who survived three months in the pound before I found him. Bless you for fostering the special needs dogs! It must be hard to give them up at the end of the foster period, but finding good homes for them must be really rewarding.

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  27. Hi Catherine! Welcome! Growing up I had a manx tom cat named Mugsy. He bossed everyone around, going into other people's houses and eating their cat's food. He even had my dog scared. Sometimes he would trap my dog (a large husky) in a room by sitting in the doorway. The dog would not go within five feet of the cat so she would be stuck until Mugsy decided to move!

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  28. You are such an amazing woman, Catherine. I hope we get to visit in person again someday soon.

    We have so many pets here right now, I'm forever tripping over a tail. If my littlest doggie wasn't ailing, I'd probably have more. But he's put down his tiny paw and said he will not have another dog in the house. (He already loves Tootsie, so she's here to stay, and he can ignore the cats unless he's cold, then he cozies up to them.)
    When I try to get my coffee in the morning, I'm hobbled by 3 cat tails and two little dogs. Insanity. But I love them all.
    Our local shelter is amazing, and I will always support them.

    Thanks for doing all you do for our furry friends!

    Hugs,

    Lori

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  29. Hi Joanne! LOL about the "pony" mix! Too cute! Your dogs sound adorable and well loved. :-) We fostered 4 little Jack Russel/Shih Tzus pups once. Cutest darn things! And omg, did they ever have energy, but were so smart. We could go on pack walks around the entire neighborhood with them. And even teeny tiny, they would stay in their pack and walk alongside us. Precious!! Probably one of the most "fun" litters we've ever fostered!

    On kind of a bittersweet note, we were fostering them during the time our 15 year old beagle had to be put to sleep. (He couldn't walk and couldn't eat any longer.) After we came home from the vets, all cried out, my husband and I took the puppies for a walk along the shore. The cycle of life was so tender and vivid. Those puppies gave us so much more on that one walk than we could ever give back to them.... Hmmm.... I hadn't thought of that in a while. Thank you, Joanne, for reminding me of a really precious memory!!

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  30. ROTFLOL, Amanda! Too funny of an image of Mugsy the cat ruling the roost over the husky! Wise husky though. I've sure found when a cat means business, it's wise to listen!

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  31. :::::waving::::: Hi there, Lori! I have missed getting to see you since we left Ohio! I vow I'm going to get up there for your amazing reader weekend one of these days. :-)

    Hugs to you and your precious pack! I appreciate all YOU do for your shelter and the furbabies. XXOO!

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  32. Hi Catherine. Welcome.I'm new too. Sorry I'm late stopping by. I admire you so much for your dedication to animals. I remember in the limo, I think it was you, talking about rescuing animals. Before I had kids, ALL my maternal instincts went toward animals. I've rescued injured squirrels, birds, turtles, kittens, chipmonks.

    I only have a dog now, a white boxer named Lily, who's the queen of the house.

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  33. Hello from one newbie to another! My real-life dogs make appearances in my novels as well - some of my favorite characters! I'm looking forward to reading your book.

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  34. Hi Anita! So great to see you here online!! The Sourcebooks party in Orlando certainly was amazing, wasn't it!!!

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  35. ::::waving:::: Hi there, Abigail! Looking forward to your work too! Thanks bunches for stopping by the say howdy. :-)

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  36. Hi Catherine! So great to have you here! And it's absolutely wonderful that you take in neglected animals. Very glad to meet you.

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