Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Stray Magic – A Jackie Bouchard Original

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Jackie Bouchard and her beautiful dog, Rita.

I am a big fan of Jackie Bouchard and her books. I’ve read every one of them, and I honestly think her writing gets better with each one.

Jackie has a way of making her characters seem like real people. They have fears, insecurities, and idiosyncrasies just like the rest of us do. Jackie’s characters are easy to relate to, without seeming over-the-top or neurotic. In fact, I often find myself reading a passage with my head bobbing along and thinking, I do that too. So, it’s not just me?

This gal here grew up with the Brothers Grimm, and all the classic fairy tales. I fell in love with Harry Potter when the series came out, and am a big fan of Lord of the Rings. I’m constantly on the hunt for good books about magic. So, when I found out that Jackie’s latest book, “Stray Magic,” is an adult fairy tale, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Disclaimer, I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest option. Heart Like a Dog will never share or endorse anything we don’t use, o r believe in ourselves.

Stray Magic did not disappoint me. Without giving too much away… single for the first time in ages, with her daughter heading off to college, Cara is experiencing the empty nester syndrome. Her ex is already moving on, her boss is a jerk and her love life is pretty non-existent. THAT’s when she discovers she has a Fairy Godfather, who doesn’t quite fit the image we all have of a fairy anything. It’s also when the hilarity ensues as he vows to grant the wish he was supposed to grant 25 years earlier. There are also a couple of hold your breath moments, as life can get a bit hairy when you have a Fairy Godfather like Vincent.

 

Stray Magic, a Jackie Bouchard original

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Jackie Bouchard book without a dog, and as you can see from the cover, Llewlyn is a Corgi. Actually, there’s more than one dog, because Cara, (like Jackie) volunteers at the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

As I said, I’ve loved all of Jackie’s books and Stray Magic is no exception. I give this book four paws up! It is warm, funny, and true to life, with relatable characters.

Oh, and guess what? It’s available today on Amazon.

What are you waiting for? Go. Go order it. Now.

We Make Our Neighbors Laugh

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Once upon a time, we walked our dogs on various trails in and around the towns we lived in.  As of late though, our walks are confined to the park/woods at the top of the street, or on various streets around our neighborhood. It’s become the place where the majority of our adventures take place.

I’m a friendly type of gal, and always wave to and speak to people as we pass. Some of the people around here are friendlier than others, but I think that’s true anywhere.

When I walk the dogs I like to face oncoming traffic. 1) That is what I was taught as a child, 2) if someone isn’t paying attention, or doesn’t see me, I can do my best to avoid THEM, and 3) if someone isn’t paying attention, I want to make sure my terror face stays in their minds forever…;-)

Because of some untrained dogs owned by a number of DADO’s in our ‘hood, we often times have to cross the street and walk with traffic. I try to keep those times short, but sometimes, we do drift along. Mostly the neighborhood doesn’t have a lot of traffic and I try and keep my eyes and ears open.

Last night I was giving Delilah her evening walk. Delilah’s a hoot because you just never know WHAT she’s going to do in any given situation. Not to mention that she will zig when you want to zag, or get her leash tangled, pee on the paint the utility company marks lawns and roads with, roll on a dead worm, kick dirt on you or any number of other things. Siriusly. The list goes on and on.

We were approaching a house where one of our neighbors was watering his lawn. I wave to this guy when I see him, but we seldom have the opportunity to exchange pleasantries. So, we approach his house, and we both wave and he says, “Hello”.

I almost always respond to a hello or hi with, “Hi, how are you?” I was raised to be polite, what can I say?

He was apparently raised the same way I was, because he said, “I’m good, how are you?”

So I said, “I’m great!”

That’s when Delilah squatted and peed in the street.

In. The. Street. Not on the side of the street, no, she was about five to six feet out from the curb.

Piss on it, kick some grass over it and walk away. That’s my motto.

 

I looked at him and sort of shrugged my shoulders and we both laughed, then he said, “Well at least you know she’s not picky where she goes.”

And I responded with “No, she has no problem finding somewhere to pee, in fact, last week, she even pooped in the street. At least it was easy to pick up.”

He was still laughing when we left.

 

 

Pet Blogger Showcase – October 7, 2017

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We welcomed fall into New England just about two weeks ago.  The days have been magnificent. Low to mid 70’s, with nights into the 50’s. Perfect for sleeping with windows open and enjoying the amazing fresh air.  Then, suddenly in the last couple of days, the heat and humidity have shot back up. I despise this for two reasons. 1) I’m hot, and I don’t like being hot. 2) The humidity brings out the bugs. UGH, I hate bugs. And I hate being pestered by bugs when I’m hot!

Thankfully, I’ve had these super cool blog posts to entertain me while I stayed cool and bug free inside. Let me know what you think.

That’s her, Sister Dolly. Isn’t she a beauty? Photo courtesy of Brian’s Home.

It’s Time for a Sister Dolly Sister Saturday by Brian at Brian’s Home – I giggled at this one (I may have actually snorted.) I loved how she changed topics and pretended she’d already been talking about the subject, then convinced you she had been!

Fly pain free Zoe, photo courtesy of Animal Shelter Volunteer Life

Fly Free Sweet Zoe by Kevin at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life – It’s never easy when we lose one of our fur babies, and we never get enough time with them. This was a wonderful tribute to a beloved pet.

Arrr, Erin’s a pirate. Photo courtesy of Erin the Princess Cat.

Like a Pirate. Arrr! by Erin at Erin the Princess Cat – In honor of talk like a pirate day, Erin came up with a swashbuckling tail…er tale.

Welcome to the Pet Blogger Showcase! This is the place for you to show off your favorite family friendly pet related posts, find other great posts to read, show some love to other bloggers and maybe be featured on one of the host blogs!

Meet the Hosts Behind the Showcase

Pet Faves– Living the pet lover lifestyle

Heart Like A Dog– The good, the bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs

Felines Opines– The world from a feline point of view

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat– The humorous and touching tales of a formerly homeless, yet always extraordinary, feline and his Momma, who’s just along for the ride.

About the Pet Blogger Showcase

Twice a month, On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, you have the chance to link up one of your blog posts to the linky party link-up. Then visit 3 other blogs that joined the party and leave a meaningful comment. Feel free to share with your followers on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Then each week the hosts will feature their favorite 3 posts from the previous Linky Party on the new party post.

Pet Blogger Showcase Rules

  1. Share a pet specific post, past or present, from your blog in the linky below (be sure to link to your post page and not your home page). Family friendly posts only. (We love reading about other topics and niches, but posts that are not pet related will be deleted this includes any posts that don’t mention pets even if they are on a pet blog or if the post could pertain to pets.)
  2. Spread the Love! Leave a quality comment(more than just a few words) on at least 3 other posts from the linky party. Tell them why you love their post, encourage them, share on social media.
  3. Check back for the next linky party to see if you are featured on one of the hosts’ blogs.

*Note: By adding your post to the linky party you are giving the hosts permission to use an image from your post if your post will be a featured post on their blog to help encourage people to click through to your post. The image may be used individually or as a collage.

That’s it! No need to RSVP. No need to bring a covered dish. No need to add the linky to your post. No need to include a button. Just come join the party and PAWTY ON!



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