Doggy Tales by Milou Koenings

As those of you who read this blog know, we got a dog last November. Buddy is going to have his first birthday party next month, at the end of August. So I thought it was time for a Buddy update.

Buddy showing off his new collar

It’s been an interesting journey. We said yes to this homeless puppy who’d already had four homes in his first month and a half not so much because we could help him, but because I hoped he would help us. I am a big believer in animal therapy. Our family had gone through a lot of tragedies the previous year and we thought we needed a little life around the place to get us back on track.

Buddy has certainly done that. He’s a sweet, energetic, but well-behaved puppy. Since I’m the official dog-walker during the day (sometimes I can delegate the evening walk to one of the kids), he makes sure I’m finally getting out of the house. I'm the world's biggest homebody -- I pretty much never leave the house if I don't have to! So I credit Buddy with keeping me from turning into a total hermit. And if not for him, I’d never meet my step-goal and my fitness tracker would have been a worthless purchase.

Sunning himself after a bath

It’s also thanks to Buddy that I’ve finally met some of my neighbors. We live on a quiet street where people are very respectful of each others' privacy (which means we never see anyone). After living in an apartment building where no one’s front door was ever closed and everyone had lots of kids, and all those kids felt the building was one giant playground, I desperately wanted the privacy when we moved here. 

And now, after 8 years, I’ve finally met the neighbors! Or at least, all the ones with dogs. 

Since there are 10 dogs on our street not counting Buddy, that’s a lot of new friendly faces in my life.

With his best canine friend, Goor, our neighbor's puppy who is half Buddy's age but already twice the size. When they spot each other, they run towards each other and its an interminable doggy hug fest! 

One of the special-needs kids in our home has a lot of trouble speaking. (We named the dog Buddy, because it's one of the few words he can say.) He needs to practice, but it’s very hard work for him, and he gets frustrated when people don’t understand him. But apparently, Buddy understands, because when this child comes home from school, he sits down with the dog and talks to him for ages, telling him all about his day. It’s almost miraculous. 

And when they’re all done talking, they go out and play ball.

Having an animal around the house has been good for all of us in so many ways, from the youngest to the oldest. 

Another unexpected thing I’ve noticed is that I’m enjoying books and movies with animals in them so much more than before. I’ve even been looking around my local used bookstore for “All Creatures Great and Small” and watching "Daktari" reruns on YouTube. 

So far, none of my Green Pines Romances had featured an animal — except for Flip the Chameleon in The Kampala Peppermint Twist. I think I’m going to have to start incorporating more creatures in my books.

What are some of your favorite books or movies that starred animals?


Milou Koenings is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with a happy ending bring more joy into the world and so make it a better place.

Her other Green Pines sweet romances, I Love You Three, Reclaiming Home, The Kampala Peppermint Twist, Sweet Blizzard are available on Amazon,   Amazon.uk, iBooks, Nook, Kobo and all your favorite e-book retailers.








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A Deaf Parrot ... by Josie Riviera

I’m a dog person. I never realized I was, as I’d always owned a cat. Cats are relatively easy. Dogs, well, dogs are another story. They require so much attention. For my daughter’s eighteenth birthday, my husband and I finally gave in to her pleas and purchased an adorable Shih Tzu named Henry. I originally was planning to blog about County Wexford, Ireland, as my husband and I spent the past two weeks there celebrating the post-Christmas holiday and New Year’s with our daughter. She’s currently attending university in Northern Ireland, but that’s a story for another month. However, if you’re paying attention, you’ll note that our dog, Henry, was purchased only months before our daughter went off to Europe to attend university in Derry, Ireland. Hence, I inherited a dog. While staying in County Wexford, Ireland, I noticed that many Irish people, young or old, alone or in families, were walking dogs. Particularly, dogs with disabilities. I witnessed an older dog missing one eye still wagging his tail at strangers. He limped slowly in the sand to retrieve a ball thrown by an elderly woman. Animals with disabilities are frequently overlooked. People would prefer a healthy puppy. But consider adopting an animal with a disability when choosing your next pet. petswithdisabilities.org beautifully states: “Because their spirits aren’t broken.” In my Christmas novella, A Snowy White Christmas, Margaret Snow, the heroine, adopts pets with disabilities. She’s a former swimsuit model with a generous heart. In the novella, her menagerie includes a deaf parrot and blind kitten. A Snowy White Christmas is available in ebook or print: http://amzn.com/B017C0FVK4 Best-selling author Josie Riviera lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband of 40 years. They share their empty nest with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and an old house forever needing renovations. “Like” her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Josie.Riviera sign up for her newsletter on her website: josieriviera.wordpress.com Follow her on twitter: @josieriviera Instagram: josie_riviera Have you subscribed to our Sweet Romance Reads newsletter yet? Don't miss our next issue! Look to the right and subscribe today.