Please preview my new book of dog advice

My first non-fiction book is just about ready to be published, and I’d love to have your feedback before it goes to press. Based on the research I do every day for doggies.com, I have written a little instruction book for prospective dog guardians called “101 Things You Should Know Before Getting a Dog”.

You can download and preview the first chapter of the book here.  I’d really like some honest opinions – do you love it?  Hate it?  Think it might sell?  After reading the 1st chapter, there is space on that same web page for you to rate the book and tell me what you thought.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cancer in my Golden Retriever

My 8-year old Golden, Maggie, had a growth removed from her thyroid last week.  I took her back to the vet today for a re-check and found out that the growth was cancerous.  However, it appears it was well-encapsulated and didn’t invade the tissues around the thyroid, so that is good news.  The vet said it’s still possible that the tumor metastasized before it was removed, but for now, it looks like she is in good shape.

Just a lazy Saturday afternoon

It’s amazing how a day can get away from you.  I can’t believe it is already afternoon, and I haven’t done a blessed thing. 

My kids are parked in front of the TV, watching old Herbie the Love Bug reruns and the dogs are fast asleep, one in my lap – which makes typing just a wee bit difficult.

I do need to get to work – I’m supposed to be writing an article today for my client, doggies.com.  I need to get a breed guide done for Collies.  We had one when I was a kid, and I love the breed, but they require so much grooming if you get the rough-coated kind.  I suppose I would consider have a smooth-coated one (short-haired) at some point, but I know I couldn’t keep up with a long-haired dog again. 

Of the dogs we have now, three are short-haired, and the Golden Retriever goes to the groomer about every 6 weeks.  That gets expensive!  And I know I should be brushing her in between, but it seems like there is never enough time in the day.  (She says as she sits here talking about how she has done nothing all day long.)

Anyways, I guess that’s enough blogging – I’ve got to get back to work.

Introductions

I suppose I should start by introducing you to the family.  Debbie & I have three wonderful adopted boys, Robbie, Jimmy, and Billy.  We also have four dogs and two cats, as you might have guessed from the url.  The dogs are Maggie (an 8-year old Golden Retriever), Kayla (a 6-year old mutt-i-gree), Cooper (a 3-year old Vizsla), and Penny (a 2-year old Beagle).  The cats are both ordinary housecats, named Twiggy and Panther.

I’m writing this blog, really as a journal, to tell you about my life as a working mother in Canton, OH.  I work for American Electric Power, a large electric utility company, as a credit dispatching supervisor. I also have my own small business (Professional Business Associates).  So naturally, I decided I needed to take on something else, and decided to start this blog.

All of this is only possible because I have a FABULOUS wife, who does virtually everything at the house while I am working.  She is retired from making pretzels at the local Frito-Lay plant.  She cooks, cleans, cares for the animals, and in general, keeps our home life running.

This isn’t to say I’m lazy.  In fact, I work about 12 hours a day.  My “day job” (meaning it’s the one that pays the mortgage) takes up about 8 hours every day.  Then I come home and work on my small business.  My focus is on business support services.  Most of what I do is ghost-writing, where I help other people put their thoughts down in a book or online.  My biggest client is doggies.com, where I write the blog and many of the articles.

But this blog won’t really be about work.  It’s about the home front.  You see, Debbie and I adopted three boys after fostering more than 30 children.  The boys are the light of our lives, but they all have problems because of the environment in which they were born.  So, if you are interested in what happens in a home with three troubled boys, four dogs, and two cats, you might want to subscribe to this blog.  I hope to tell you how we manage all of the activity, as well as to give you a little insight into time management, behavior management, and the fun that results when you throw all of this together!

Welcome to the chaos that is my life!!

I love Beagles!

Cute post from Two Pie R on what happened after his Beagle went hunting.  http://twopier.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/the-aftermath-of-it-all/

Dog-sitting because we need another dog…

This weekend, we are dog-sitting for a friend who is traveling for the holiday.  You’re right…I need another dog in the house like I need a hole in the head, but Baron is a really good dog.  He’s a lab/chow mix, about 2 – 3 years old.  He loves to play with my dogs – usually goes home totally exhausted after he’s here. 

He must feel at home – he’s already humping my mutt, and this afternoon, he “marked” the easy chair in my office.  I tried to yell at him, but he just cocked his head with his ears pricked up and wagged his tail.  It’s impossible to be mad at any dog who does that!

My dogs are all sleeping on the bed.  Poor Baron – his mom is much better at training than we are, and he knows he’s not allowed on furniture.

I hope it stops raining soon – my floors are a mess with FIVE dogs tracking in and out of the backyard!