Tag Archives: Companion Animals

Danny and Andrew

Danny the Dog is back, regaling us with his highly entertaining stories. Rock on, Danny! You are the eternal muse ❤️

danny the dog

I found Andrew about thirteen years ago down in Miami. Nowadays we live on a boat in Fort Lauderdale, but I’m originally from Miami. Andrew, as far as I know, has always lived in Fort Lauderdale.

I was six months old and I wanted to go out and see the world. I wasn’t getting any younger and the lure of the road was calling to me. So, one day when no one was looking, I just took off. At first, I had a grand time. I’d sniff my way up one street and then down the next. I met up with a few other dogs, chased a few cars, and thought to myself, This is the life. But after a day or so, I started to get hungry and, unlike the home I had left, the humans I ran into had no desire to feed me. I did get…

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Smorgasbord Short Stories – Flights of Fancy Anthology – Trust by Sally Cronin

A story of grief, trust, and solace, beautifully written by our supportive friend and blogger, Sally Cronin. Need I tell you, Sally, this is my favorite and most likely always will be? Unlike all the tears I’ve shed over the past four months, these were welcomed ♥♥♥

Our Jogger – Guest Post by Emily Gmitter (by kind permission from Zoe)…

Thank you to Zoe the Fabulous Feline for giving her monthly blog spot to her person on The Story Reading Ape. Emily Gmitter speaks to the regret we feel for not offering a kindness, and then wishing we had when it was too late. Moving and thought-provoking… ♥

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

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Zoe here, I’m on a break, so I’m going to let my human have my spot this month, but I WILL be BACK.

It seemed the end of an era. I knelt beside the still body that was lying on the sidewalk in front of my house. I touched the back of my hand to his familiar face; it was cool to the touch. Not that I needed to do that; the thin skin on his face was a shade of bluish gray that indicated only one thing. I called 911 and waited for the paramedics to arrive.

Leaning against the stone wall in front of our home, I continued to stare at the body. I knew him, but I didn’t know him. Who were you?

In death, he did not seem as old as he had appeared when he was jogging through our neighborhood, which he did every day…

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Guest #Author #Shehanne Moore

Shehanne MooreShehanne Moore writes dark and smexy historical romance, featuring bad boys who need a bad girl to sort them out. She firmly believes everyone deserves a little love, forgiveness, and a second chance in life.  When not cuddling inn signs in her beloved Scottish mountains alongside Mr. Shey, and spending time with her lovely daughters and grandbaby, Shehanne can be found playing the odd musical instrument and relishing, what in any other country would not be defined as hill-walking. The dudes are her wee companions, hamsters (excuse me, hamstahs) who have a penchant for telling it like it is 🙂

** Find Shehanne’s books here and here. **

Welcome, Shey and Dudes!

 

So Tina, first of all can I just thank you for asking me here today to talk about myself and my work. And not just me. You were kind enough to ask the dudes. As you can see they are very happy. Thrilled, in fact, to be here.

Shey, I’m thrilled to host you and the dudes. All of you were such gracious hosts when I visited your blog, so I’m even more delighted you accepted my invitation to visit mine.

Shehanne Moore

I’m nothing if not sensible, my dear dudes. Thank you for noticing! 

Shehanne Moore

D.G. Kaye Uh-oh . . . 

Shehanne MooreOf course! That goes without saying. 

Shehanne Moore

Dudes, little guys, can we just can it, thank you?

Shehanne Moore

Tina didn’t ask you here to talk about you.

Um . . . Shey? It’s okay if the dudes talk a little about themselves, because our followers adore them 

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

But dudes, we never.

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

But guys……

Shehanne Moore

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Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Dudes, you haven’t mentioned the Time Mutants.

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Shehanne Moore

Well…….. I wouldn’t exactly say—

Shehanne Moore

https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/blog-3/

Shehanne Moore

Err….. Tina, what can I say, but sorry?

No need for apologies, Shey. I think the dudes did a fine job promoting you and your books. All of you are welcome here anytime. Thank you for being such lively and charismatic guests. 

Excerpt from The Viking and The Courtesan
            She glided closer. She had come to speak with him, wife to husband. And she had chosen here to do it because it was public. Those who thought the sun shone from the backend of his brown velvet breeches had a lot to learn.  Was it enough to propel her forward into the alcove though? Or should she turn, make her excuses and go?  Foisting a foundling on a man, even a man as bad as Cyril, did seem a hugely significant step to take. One that probably did not speak well of her character. Think of the life it would have though.  She closed her eyes, letting the jasmine scented pleasantry waft through her senses. That room off the Ratcliff Highway seethed with every smell imaginable. Not one of them was nice. She must do this. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath.
               “My lord.”
              Of course, she might have known Cyril would be more interested in looking at her breasts than her face. Maybe she should have ventured in here topless? Still, at least he was looking at her.
              “Cyril. Husband.”
              Now that jerked his chin up. If ever there was a way to bring a dog to heel, this was surely it.
              “I knew I should find you here before me, my dearest. And involved in a wager too. My lords, you must excuse Cyril, especially when he does not possess the money to pay any debts. And, we are shortly to require every penny we own.”
              “Malice?” He peered at her closely. “Malice? Is that you?”
              “Most certainly it’s not Aunt Carter’s silver teapot, my dearest husband.”
              She would keep with the endearments for the time being. It would not do for anyone here to think she was anything less than fond—the sole reason she clasped his wrist. “I know you find every time you see me like a first time, but caution yourself. It is not seemly to behave in this manner here.”
              “Malice, what the hell are you doing here? Let go of my—”
              She lowered her voice to a whisper. “When I have come to talk divorce, I advise you to stop tugging. I will let go when I am good and ready to let go.”
              “Divorce?”
              One little word to guarantee complete obedience from the damned dog.
              He cleared his throat, elegant in the fall of lace. Then he stood up. “You want to talk divorce? Divorce with me, Malice?”
              “I am looking, but I don’t see any other man here I am married to. Do you?”
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I hope you enjoyed this colorful post of the dudes defying promoting their human with charm and flavor. Please visit Shehanne’s sites, like and share. Thank you so much for stopping by  ❤
Learn more about Shehanne:    Blog    Website    Amazon US               Amazon UK   Barnes & Noble    Kobo   The Dudes   Twitter   Facebook   Facebook   Pinterest   

Tina Frisco and the origin of the Vampire………

Shehanne Moore and the dudes had me over for an interview and a little fun 🙂 What can I say? The hamstah dudes are colorful, creative, clever, and captivating. Heartfelt thanks to Shey and the dudes for featuring me on their blog with this brilliant interview. You rock, dudes! And Shey, you are exquisite. Hugs all around 

Meet Guest Author Colin Chappell…

A #Dog After My Own Heart . . . 

Colin Chappell and Ray

Ray Chappell, beloved canine companion of Colin Chappell, charmed his way into Colin’s heart and home, despite being insecure. Colin tells us the tail-wagging tale in his guest post on The Story Reading Ape  🙂

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

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I am Colin Chappell and was bitten by a German Shepherd at 14, which established a strong dislike of dogs for the next 40 years or so. Then I met a dog lover and we eventually became a couple, but without dogs!

In late 2012, I decided that perhaps I could find a place in my life for a dog and so started talking to our local Humane Society. I decided that yes, I would adopt a dog, and I wanted a large, very self assured, cuddly, openly affectionate and domesticated dog!

However, while I was planning on adopting a dog, there was a dog (Ray) planning on adopting me… and his plans were clearly better than mine as he moved in with us in March 2013! 

colin-chappell-02Ray is a German Shepherd / Rottweiler. He was very insecure; was afraid of anything that moved and would lung and bark to…

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GUEST POST ~ #Danny the Dog

My very special guest today is none other than the dauntless and debonair #Danny the Dog, who has kindly contributed one of his adventure stories. Danny’s person, best-selling author Andrew Joyce, will begin by introducing our celebrated canine friend.

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Andrew JoyceMy name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. Tina has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new novel, Yellow Hair. I think it’s a good book, but what do I know? Anyway, I’m kinda shy about tooting my own horn. So I think I’ll turn things over to my dog Danny. He always has a bad attitude and usually does not speak highly of me. But please understand that we co-exist as the old Soviet Union and the United States once co-existed. We tolerate each other. So without further ado, here’s Danny.

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Danny the DogAndrew woke me up from a nice nap to help him out here. I was dreaming of hot dogs. Yummy! For a person that works with words for a living, he has very little to say in real life. He wants me to tout his book for him, but I don’t think I will. Instead, I think I’ll tell you about my latest adventure. I’m always having adventures. I like to write about them and what I write is 100% true.

In way of introduction, it is I, Danny the Dog, everyone’s favorite dog. I haven’t written anything for a while because my human, Andrew, has been using the computer. He was working on his new book. I told him I’d write it for him, but no; he said I don’t write in the same style as he does. Well duh! I’m so much a better at writing than he is.

I have a story to convey that I am not proud of. At first, I was not Danny the Dog
going to tell you this story, but Andrew said that if I’m going to write about myself, I have to tell of my foibles as well as my strengths. I didn’t know I had foibles, but if I do, perhaps I should see a vet and have them checked out.

Well, I’ve dilly dallied long enough, here’s my sad tale (no pun intended).

Andrew has this friend, a female friend. Yeah, I know. I too was surprised that he had a friend, let alone a female friend. But during my long life, I’ve been witness to stranger things. So this friend, whose name is Suzanne, came to visit last week and she brought her dog with her. Now, I am a peaceful dog, I come from a long line of peace-loving dogs. In fact, my father was so peaceful, he only bit the mailman once a week. But as all of my canine readers will attest to, when a new dog comes onto your turf (or boat in my case), you have to assert your dominance. And in this instance, that was not going to be a problem.

Danny the DogThe little critter was tiny. I wasn’t sure if it was a dog or a hairy rat. Andrew, knowing my ways, tied me to a tree so I couldn’t get to the little monster. But I wasn’t giving up. I barked my head off and strained against that insidious leash. And ultimately my efforts paid off, but now I wish they hadn’t. I was tied to a thin branch and it finally broke, freeing me to go and teach that interloper a lesson. I wasn’t going to hurt her, just let her know who was boss.

I ran full force right at the little thing, but instead of cowering or running away as any normal small dog would do, she turned and faced me, bared her teeth and started barking at me! I was so unprepared for this turn of events that I screeched to a halt (and this is the hard part to tell), turned tail and ran. I ran right to the boat, jumped inside, and hid under the bed. And do you want to know what the worst part was? As I ran, I could hear Andrew laughing his rear end off.

The conclusion to my sad story is that eventually I made friends with the little terror. Her name is Maui, and for a little female rat-dog, she’s not a bad sort. But she does tend to boss me around a lot.

And as for Andrew, he will never let me forget it. Sometimes when
he’s at the computer, he’ll break out laughing, turn to me, and in a Danny the Dogsickening, sugary voice say, “How’s my big brave doggie doing? You better watch out, there are a few mean-looking cats around.” I could just strangle him at times.

I have to be going. I have an appointment at the vet’s to get my foibles looked at.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot—go out and buy Andrew’s book. It’ll make the old guy’s day.

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This is Andrew again. On behalf of Danny and myself, I would like to thank Tina for having us over. It’s been a real pleasure.
You’re welcome, Andrew. It has been my pleasure to host you and Danny.
Learn more about Danny:  Blog   Facebook   Learn more about Andrew:  Website   Blog   Amazon   Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   

239 DOGS SAVED FROM KILL SHELTERS WITH THE HELP OF THE PROFITS FROM ALL MY BOOK and PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR THE SEVEN YEAR DRESS

Those of you who know me are aware of my advocacy for animals and my intolerance of neglect, cruelty, abandonment. Paulette Mahurin has helped save 239 dogs from kill shelters with the profits from her books. This is commendable. I cannot abide abuse and wish to thank Paulette for her generosity and compassion  ♥

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap

The Seven Year Dress awarded BEST BOOK 2016 by the very talented author and blogger Grant Leishman.

“Every one of these books I’ve mentioned this year was superb and as a reader, I have been truly blessed by the quality and depth of talent I have been exposed to this past year. I am sure that will continue into 2017.”

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The Supreme Grunter Award for Indie Authors of Excellence for 2016 goes to: 
THE SEVEN YEAR DRESS
BY PAULETTE MAHURIN
Congratulations Paulette 

(For full post click on link below)

http://www.grantleishman.com/my-blog/its-time-its-time-for-the-supreme-grunter-awards-for-2016

I’m deeply grateful for everyone who has purchased, read, and taken the time to review my book. In the name of tolerance, a special thank you also to everyone who has spread the word to help promote this book.  All profits from my books go to help get dogs like Harvey, Barkley, Chello, Paxton and Blinky (see photos below) out…

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