Tuesday's Tales of Tails

   It is easy for me to write about helping shelter dogs, the need to volunteer, do your part, and contribute for the greater good.  Blah, blah, blah.  The truth is I do believe all of those things.  There is only one problem and it is a major obstacle for me.  I have never been able to bring myself to visit an actual pet shelter.  I feel that I should be standing in a circle admitting this, “Hello, my name is M. K. Clinton and I’ve been afraid to visit a pet shelter.”  It isn’t that I haven’t wanted to go see how they care for the animals, or the inner workings of the facility, I really did.  However, like most of you, I’ve seen a lifetime of wretchedly heartbreaking commercials for shelter dogs.  I know those advertisements must be effective but they are seriously depressing.  In my imagination, the place was going to be full of sad puppies all huddled in the corners of their small metal cages, giving me guilty sad-eyed looks over their shoulder.  I am not that strong of a human.  I’ll readily admit to crying during the National Anthem, ABC’s Person of the Week, and once, a moving story about an oak tree.  How in the world am supposed to handle cages of sad puppies?

The Thunder Rolls

 

There are as many studies concerning the effects of thunderstorms on dogs as there are lightning strikes during a storm. It seems many dogs are terrified of the noise. The clinical terminology is brontophobia or astraphobia, which is the acute fear of thunder and lightning. One small study labeled certain breeds, German Shepherds, Basset Hounds, Beagles, and other working breeds, as being more prone to this phobia. My personal experience with these breeds does support this finding, although I tend to believe it has more to do with the individual dog. We’ve had four German Shepherds but only one that really showed signs of unease at thunder. Ironically, Jake was a retired police K-9 and one of the most fearless dogs I’ve known. He would do a building search, take down an armed criminal, and never flinch. A few crackles of thunder and he would climb on the couch to lay his big head on my lap for comfort. I had a Beagle growing up and I don’t believe any noise bothered him. That brings me to my Basset Hound, Bentley. The boy hates thunder, fireworks, and he isn’t a big fan of gunfire in the woods by our home.

Black and White Beauty

The weekends have gotten so beautiful with Sepia Saturday and Black & White Sunday!  

I am featuring a black and white photograph my husband took several years ago when we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by cruising the inside passage of Alaska.  

The sites were without a doubt the most magnificent that I have ever been blessed to experience.  Enjoy!

 

The Mendenhall Glacier approx. 12 miles outside of downtown Juneau

Thanks to Dachshund Nola and  Sugar the Golden Retriever for hosting 

Black & White Blog Hop!

~Have a great Sunday~

Now is not the time to be stopping...

now is the time to get busy hopping!

Sepia Saturday

It's beautiful Sepia Saturday hosted by Ruckus the Eskie.  It is quickly becoming a favorite for blog hopping because the photography has been so fabulous.  If you haven't taken the time to visit the other blogs, I urge you to take the time today.

Today’s sepia shows Bentley’s seven on his side.  This mark was the inspiration for my book, The Returns.  The FBI Agent #7 is “returned” to Earth in the body of a Basset Hound.  In the story, he kept his soulful brown eyes and hair along with his badge number.

 

Thanks again to Ruckus the Eskie for this fun photo hop! 

Onward through the Blogs!

 

Pet Bloggers Challenge Accepted

   Today I’m excited to be a part of the 4th annual Pet Bloggers Challenge hosted by Edie Jarolim of Will My Dog Hate Me?.com and Amy Burkert from Go Petfriendly.com. It is a chance to read what pet bloggers are thinking and planning for 2014. This is my first time to participate so I’m anxious to contribute but more than that, I’m anxious to learn from the more experienced bloggers. So, let’s tackle some questions!
 1. How long have you been blogging? If you’re stopping by for the first time, please tell us why you started blogging and give us a quick description of your blog.
I started blogging in September 2013 as a platform for my books, The Returns. Initially, I wrote on various subjects from book reviews, fun facts, and life topics. I always included a recipe and pet tip of the day. I thought I’d be good at book reviews but quickly discovered that I don’t have the heart to give harsh comments to another writer. If you are a book reviewer/critic, sometimes I think it is expected. I changed over to a pet blog on December 6th so I am still in “newbie” status to blogging but a brand new “newbie” to pet blogging.. I am currently participating in blog hops, featuring adoptable pets, and generally trying to find my perfect niche.

This 'N That Thursday Confessional

You can now follow me on Bloglovin' so please click and Follow my blog with Bloglovin

This week has brought extreme cold to most parts of the U.S. Meteorologists blame the frigid weather to a ‘polar vortex’ or a huge mass of Artic air from the North Pole. I prefer the term ‘stupid cold.’
That means the temperatures are too cold for your pets to be left outdoors. It is a mistake to believe because they have
fur, that they can handle freezing weather. Limit the time they are outside and don’t hesitate to put a sweater and booties on them. Dogs and cats are susceptible to hypothermia and frostbite just as humans. Cats also tend to seek warmth on engines of cars. If your car is parked outside, honk your horn before starting the car as a precaution.

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

It's Wordless Wednesday, a blog hop hosted by my friends at BlogPaws Community.  Since you won't spend time reading a long post, hop over to the other blogs to enjoy their photos.  Thanks BlogPaws!

Tucker and Bentley showing how best friends share!

This is a Blog Hop

It's Monday!

   Happy Monday everyone, I hope you managed to stay warm and dry over the weekend. Our temperatures went from the humid mid-sixties Saturday to a wind chill of 7˚ this morning! The saying “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes and it will change.” is always true in the south during the winter.

Bella

    If you have been following the “Make My Pet a Star” contest, then you know that it ended at midnight last night. The votes were close throughout the week and tied at several points. We finally had one finalist pull ahead yesterday. Drumroll please…Our winner is Bella, the Queensland Blue
Heeler. She will become a fun character in the next release of The Returns adventure. Pawsome job, Bella!
   When I chose the four dogs as the finalists, I had storylines in mind for each of them. It is one of the reasons they were selected from the many entries that I received. Each dog had a particular quality that would mesh well in The Returns new adventure. The winning dog’s character would become more involved in the story. That being said, I want to announce that the other three finalists will also make an appearance in the upcoming book! I had integrated each dog into the story in case he or she won so those parts will remain. Each dog is wonderful and I truly appreciate the owners taking the time to enter, participate in getting people to vote, and of course, their support of The Returns! High Five to Pepper, Brownie, and Lola!
  To all of the pet parents who didn’t make the finals, don’t give up! There are many more adventures for The Returns to take part in and many more contest coming! In the meantime, make sure that you read both books that are currently available so you’ll be up to date on what the gang is doing.

I wanted to thank Leiah Cooper of “So I Read This Book Today” for featuring me as her first Author Interview! She posed some great questions so please take a few minutes and read some new things about me and my writing. http://soireadthisbooktoday.com/2014/01/05/barking-on-the-bayou-with-m-k-clinton-an-author-interview/

Our Doberman friend, Miss Breezy Miller

graduated from Obedience School last week!

Congratulations Breezy ~ We are proud of you!