Best (Fur) Friends

A friend of mine was injured in a freak accident yesterday.  Thankfully, she's going to be okay.  We're all very grateful as the outcome could easily have been much worse.  When I visited her last night she was in bed, her leg heavily bandaged and her best fur friends firmly in place.  Two big, black dogs reclined on either side of her, simultaneously offering comfort and gaining reassurance that their "mama" would be okay.  The pain meds my friend received at the hospital were doing their job but it was those dogs that were calming her and giving her the best medicine: unconditional love.  Once again, it reminded me of how important a part our fur friends play in our lives and brought to mind the blog I wrote back in 2009, the month we first opened for business here at The Romance Dish.  I hope you enjoy another visit with the best fur friends of my life.  ~PJ

It was the spring of my ninth year. I was quiet and shy, she was loud and feisty, and I knew from that first meeting that she was destined to be my BFF. For the next sixteen years we were best friends. She was there for the celebrations of my triumphs and the one I turned to for comfort when I was sick, disappointed or nursing a tender heart broken by a careless teenage boy and I was there for her at the end, holding and comforting her as she passed from this world into the next. Her name was Trixie and she was my first Best Fur Friend.

Four other dogs have joined my family in the years since Trixie passed on. They have all had unique personalities and endearing quirks that have made them special. There was Bandit, a sweet, 98 pound Lab mix who never quite figured out that he wasn't a 10 pound puppy. He was terrified of bugs but fearlessly faced down a snake that threatened his mama (that would be me). One of his favorite games was playing in the sprinkler but he refused to step one paw outside at the first sign of rain and he never did get the hang of which leg to lift while standing on the side of a hill.

I remember the first time I saw Velvet at the shelter. My husband rubbed his hand across her fur and said she felt just like black velvet. She left us too soon, from cancer, at the age of six but she filled every single day of her six years with love and joy and filled many hearts with precious memories.



Bandit wasn't sure what to make of the interloper that had taken residence in our home, but Smokey settled right in and made a place for herself, making friends with her big brother and finding ways to be helpful. The most recent of my beloved friends to cross the Rainbow Bridge, Smokey was the smartest, most intuitive dog I've ever known. There were times when I swear she understood every word I said. She also understood, or at least tolerated, my passion for reading...to a point. As soon as the 11pm news was over she would stand in front of me and give me "the look", as if to say, "Okay, I've been patient but now it's time to close the book and come to bed." I'd usually be given a

couple minutes to get the message before she moved on to Plan B, which involved heaving a deep sigh and then flipping the book closed with her paw.
She was my loyal friend for 13 years. I guess she figured she had earned the right to make her feelings known!

Cassy is a 3-year old Lab/Shepherd mix who adopted me from Project HALO, a wonderful non-profit, no-kill rescue organization in Charlotte, NC.  She's a total sweetheart but she's also young, energetic and playful...very playful...which leads me to my current dilemma. Cassy needs a playmate. I've been the playmate of choice since June and though I hold my own pretty well, I'm no match for a young, energetic dog so the search has begun for a another fur friend to join our family. Since most of my dogs have chosen me, I have no idea what breed/color/size our next family member will be but I'm excited to have her, or him, join us!

Update:

When I first wrote this blog, I had just begun the search for a new fur friend.  I knew exactly what I wanted. What I got was exactly what I needed!  Rachel, another rescue, came to us from a local rescue organization in the town where I live.  She had been abandoned and was in pretty sorry shape when she was found and taken to a county shelter in another part of the state.  Luckily for her, and me, the woman who runs the rescue group heard about her, adopted her from the shelter in the nick of time (she was scheduled to be euthanized) and nursed her back to health.  She had just been put up for adoption the week before I started looking.  I can't imagine our lives without her.  She and Cassy are best friends and she fits right into our little family as if she'd always been a part of it.  Sweet, friendly, cuddly and totally a "mama's girl," she brings smiles to my face and joy to my heart every day.

Tell me about your pets. Are they fur friends? Feathered friends? Or, perhaps, your BFF is of a more exotic variety. Did you find them or did they find you? Do they indulge your reading habit or, like Smokey, do they let you know when enough is enough? 

What are some of your favorite furry characters from the books you've read?

I'll randomly choose one person leaving a comment to win a book from my prize stash!

~ PJ

BEST FRIENDS

It was the spring of my ninth year. I was quiet and shy, she was loud and feisty, and I knew from that first meeting that she was destined to be my BFF. For the next sixteen years we were best friends. She was there for the celebrations of my triumphs and the one I turned to for comfort when I was sick, disappointed or nursing a tender heart broken by a careless teenage boy and I was there for her at the end, holding and comforting her as she passed from this world into the next. Her name was Trixie and she was my first Best Fur Friend.

Four other dogs have joined my family in the years since Trixie passed on. They have all had unique personalities and endearing quirks that have made them special. There was Bandit, a sweet, 98 pound Lab mix who never quite figured out that he wasn't a 10 pound puppy. He was terrified of bugs but fearlessly faced down a snake that threatened his mama (that would be me). One of his favorite games was playing in the sprinkler but he refused to step one paw outside at the first sign of rain and he never did get the hang of which leg to lift while standing on the side of a hill.

I remember the first time I saw Velvet at the shelter. My husband rubbed his hand across her fur and said she felt just like black velvet. She left us too soon, from cancer, at the age of six but she filled every single day of her six years with love and joy and filled many hearts with precious memories.



Bandit wasn't sure what to make of the interloper that had taken residence in our home, but Smokey settled right in and made a place for herself, making friends with her big brother and finding ways to be helpful. The most recent of my beloved friends to cross the Rainbow Bridge, Smokey was the smartest, most intuitive dog I've ever known. There were times when I swear she understood every word I said. She also understood, or at least tolerated, my passion for reading...to a point. As soon as the 11pm news was over she would stand in front of me and give me "the look", as if to say, "Okay, I've been patient but now it's time to close the book and come to bed." I'd usually be given a

couple minutes to get the message before she moved on to Plan B, which involved heaving a deep sigh and then flipping the book closed with her paw.
She was my loyal friend for 13 years. I guess she figured she had earned the right to make her feelings known!

Cassy is a 3-year old Lab/Shepherd mix who adopted me from Project HALO, a wonderful non-profit, no-kill rescue organization in Charlotte, NC.  She's a total sweetheart but she's also young, energetic and playful...very playful...which leads me to my current dilemma. Cassy needs a playmate. I've been the playmate of choice since June and though I hold my own pretty well, I'm no match for a young, energetic dog so the search has begun for a another fur friend to join our family. Since most of my dogs have chosen me, I have no idea what breed/color/size our next family member will be but I'm excited to have her, or him, join us!

Tell me about your pets. Are they fur friends? Feathered friends? Or, perhaps, your BFF is of a more exotic variety. Did you find them or did they find you? Do they indulge your reading habit or, like Smokey, do they let you know when enough is enough? 

One random commenter will win a copy of "Too Good To Be True" by Kristan Higgins, one of my favorite contemporary romances of 2009, featuring a memorable West Highland terrier by the name of Angus.


~ PJ