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Let’s Talk About Pets! {Giveaway}

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Inspired by Life and Fiction readers, please extend a very warm welcome to my friend Jill Kemerer!  Jill has stopped by today to chat about a subject near and dear to many of our hearts — pets.  While she’s here she’s generously offering a pet-inspired giveaway!  Thanks so much for joining us today, Jill.  – Becky

Every day when I log into Facebook, I can’t wait to see pictures of people’s pets. I have Pinterest boards for kitties, bunnies and other cute animals. Looking at them brings a smile to my face.

I recently read an article in Success magazine with a statistic that surprised me. In “The Science of Changing Other People,” Michelle Gielan and Shawn Anchor mention a study conducted about the effects of news on the brain. According to the article, “Just three minutes of negative news in the morning increases your chances of having a bad day by 27 percent.”

A 27% increase in having a bad day?

All because of negative news?

Let’s face it, disturbing and divisive news is everywhere. In our social media feeds, on our televisions, in magazines, articles and on the radio.

No wonder I’m drawn to puppies and kittens on Facebook!

I’ve always loved pets, though. We’ve had many pets through the years. When my husband and I were first married, I cried because we lived in a pet-free apartment. I missed my parents’ kitties. Two years later we were transferred to Toledo, Ohio. My hubby moved down six weeks before me because I was finishing my final semester of college. The day after I joined him, we bought the most adorable Himalayan kitten ever. Cookie was a sweetheart. She was a big old fluffball, and we were blessed to have her for fourteen years.

Naturally, when our children were young, they begged for a puppy. Daily. Our daughter, in particular, wanted a dog. We tried to appease our son and daughter with a pair of guinea pigs. Here’s a birthday celebration the kids put on for Domino. Snickers, sadly, died after we had him for two years. Domino went on to live to the ripe old age of eight.

While the kids loved the guinea pigs, the puppy fever only increased. I wasn’t as on board with a dog because, let’s face it, puppies are a lot of work. But almost eight years ago we took the plunge and brought a sassy, sweet miniature dachshund home. Sophie stole our hearts. She’s a fun little thing. Here she is at only a few months old.

Cookie was elderly when Sophie joined our family. Usually, Sophie would bark at the cat, and she’d hiss back. Here I am trying to love on both of them. I think it’s clear from the picture, I did NOT succeed.

For the past four years, we’ve been down to one pet. Just Sophie. She’s got enough personality and snuggliness (is that a word?) for the entire family. Sometimes I miss having a kitty around, but one pet is plenty for this period of our life.

I’d love to hear about your pets! What do you have? What was your favorite pet and why? Names? Pictures? Do share!

Thank you, Inspired by Life and Fiction—and Becky Wade in particular—for letting me be your guest today!

Congrats to Haley, who has won the below giveaway!

Jill Kemerer writes Christian fiction and nonfiction. She is a multi-published author of Christian romance novels for Harlequin Love Inspired. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two almost-grown children. Jill loves connecting with readers, so please visit her website, jillkemerer.com.

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The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride

Wedding planner Lexi Harrington needs a manager for her inherited Wyoming ranch. Clint Romine is the perfect man for the job, but the ruggedly handsome cowboy soon presents a new dilemma—distraction. Lexi can’t fall for a small-town rancher when she’s planning to return to her big-city career after the holidays. Home has always been elusive for former foster kid Clint. Working alongside Lexi at Rock Step Ranch feels too cozy—and too risky. Opening up to her means revealing a secret about his past that could jeopardize everything he holds dear. This Christmas, can Clint learn to trust Lexi with the truth…and with his heart?

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Becky Wade

Author at Bethany House
Becky makes her home in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children. She absolutely loves writing funny, heartwarming, and inspirational contemporary Christian romance.
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Comments

  1. My children have puppy fever, too, but I can’t fathom getting one just yet. Four children running around the house is enough for now 😉
    We did have several hermit crabs – named Hermie, Hermie Jr. , and Hermie Hermie (my children are not very original) – but they’ve left us quite long ago.

  2. I am a huge dog lover, especially of Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. Talk about being too smart for their own good! Our Aussie Shelagh knows what some words mean. The latest two are peanut butter and graham crackers, both of which she loves. I like to look at pictures of dogs and cats on Facebook also. Would love to win a copy of The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride.

    • Oh! The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride has a sweet Border Collie named Banjo! It was fun finding pictures for my Pinterest board. Your dog sounds fun!

  3. I have three old lady cats. Mildred Bernice, Agnes Louise and Gladys Rose. Will send pictures when I can figure out how. 😻😻😻

  4. Our daughter has been wanting a dog, but instead we have a Turkish Angora cat who keeps us on our toes quite a bit. Sometimes he acts like a dog and he loves to play hide & seek (which is more like a hide and pounce game to him).

  5. Current pet: a Golden Retriever named Kylie. She is sweet and pretty, but the bossiest little diva dog! But we love her anyhoo, and wouldn’t change a thing about her quirky personality.

  6. Pets are such lovable creatures. Our first daughter was a spunky, sweet, white Schnauzer-Poodle mix, whom we loved dearly. Since she died, we haven’t had another dog, but while our daughter was young, we had guinea pigs and hamsters. A stray Siamese cat adopted us, and she was ADORABLE and fun! Currently I’m vicariously enjoying other people’s pets.

    • Suzanne, a Schnauzer-Poodle! I’m guessing she was VERY smart! Yeah, sometimes enjoying other people’s pets is the way to go. They sure are a lot of work!

  7. I love the news but I’ll agree it is not always positive and uplifting. This was a fun post that made me think and smile. What a great way to start my day.

  9. I love all animals but only have a cat, Baby Girl, right now because my apartment is small with no yard. Would post a pic. but don’t know how.

  10. Having raised eight children we have had many pets over the years but not dogs. Currently we only have a bossy 15 year old male kitty named Pookie. He was named when the children were younger. The grandchildren love him. He usually likes them too.

  11. We recently lost our almost 14 yr old five pound yorkie Charleigh. It was very hard. We won’t be getting another pet because our seven yr old granddaughter is allergic. We had to keep Charleigh separated with a doggie gate. Our granddaughter took it harder than any of us. We had a funeral and burial for her. Wish I could share a picture. She was a cutie pie!
    Thanks for the giveaway. I love Christmas stories!

    • Oh, Gail, I’m so sorry about Charleigh. I’m sure you’ll miss her for a long time. I still miss my sweet Cookie, and she’s been gone for about six years. Maybe seven.

  12. I’ve had 3 pets growing up, one dog was a mixed breed, another was a toy terrier called Tiny & the last dog was a miniature schnauzer called Shotzie. I loved them all very much. I would love a chance at this great book.

  14. OH WOW, you had me at border collie (in your book)!! I want to know so much about them…we have a German Shep/BC mix, one yr. old, and just love him so much. He is too hyper for us old folks, but he has adjusted…lol. Hub got from his sister, at age 6 mos., because her health issues made it impossible to keep him. We have had GS, but never this mix, but I am certain the intelligence in this dog is due to the BC….he just amazes us! So now I HAVE to read your book! Thanks for the giveaway.

    • Jackie, border collies are so smart! And fluffy, and cute, and…yeah! I can only imagine your mix. Talk about an energetic and SMART combo! He must be a blast!

  15. I, too, am a big animal lover. At present, we have our 13 year old fur-baby Snickerdoodle. He’s a chihuahua who thinks everything is his and he just allows us to borrow from time to time. Guess he’s pretty much right on that account. 🙂 He’s never been left alone or boarded. Honestly I don’t think he would survive if we did.

    Two years ago we took one of our bucket list trips to see the fall foliage and explore the New England states. The trip was 32 days (that’s how long the post office would hold our mail LOL) and we planned virtually the whole trip around Snickerdoodle. We had picked out where we wanted to go and what to see but then had to coordinate the trip around where HE could stay and go as much as possible during the day as well. It took a year of planning but it was all worth it because we not only saw and did things we had dreamed of but we could do it with a clear conscious knowing Snickerdoodle was ok and well taken care of.

    Snickerdoodle just recently has had to go on insulin twice a day which means we have rearranged our daily schedules to fit in with his doses and meal times. We wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂

    To us a pet, any kind of pet, is like adopting a child – it’s a lifetime commitment but the rewards and returned love make it more than worth it. We are praying for a much longer life for our fur-baby and plan on loving every moment of our time and him. <3

    • I saw your awesome photos of Snickerdoodle on Facebook, Kay, and he’s the cutest! I love all his costumes! How amazing that you were able to take such a splendid trip with your little guy! I’m sorry he’s on insulin, now. I hope his health stays good for many years.

  16. Our cat, Rascal, who has now gone to kitty heaven, brought us many hours of entertaining pleasure. He began hanging around our front door, and when it became obvious he didn’t have a home, we took him in. We were previously only a dog family, but Rascal changed all that. He definitely had a personality, which we enjoyed for 13 years.

    • Aww, I’m glad Rascal found you. It sounds like he was a wonderful addition to your family. I hope we’ll be able to see our pets when we go on to our heavenly home. 🙂

  17. I had a cat from a very young age – now our daughter has one, so we see Tinker Bell regularly. I had never had a dog, until we got one for our daughter’s 8th birthday. Diamond was a golden retriever that lived with us for 12 years before she passed away. A few months later we were talked into another dog by our daughter, who was in college by now….lol. Needless to say, Rikki, our blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix, is our dog now and we love here dearly!

  18. We were caring for a small feral cat colony in our neighborhood, when one lovable but very shy fellow invited himself inside on a f-r-i-g-i-d January 2015 morning. Tuxedo has been coming in and out ever since. 🙂 Still a bit wild at times and fearful of being trapped in any way, he has nonetheless become a beloved pet and wonderful companion. This feline gift from God brings much love and joy to our lives.

  19. I have a sweet 6yr old Yorkie-poo named Peanut.She weighs 5 lbs. and is one of the joys of my husband and my lives.She is always waiting to greet us at the top of the stairs when we come home and is a great couch snuggler.

  20. I LOVE pets! The influence of negative news? GAH! Let’s have more cute pets and kids instead. Living with 2 wild gray girl kitties in an RV…didn’t think it would work, but we are doing it!

  21. There’s one cat in our household – our 18-year-old cat Gracie – who allows us to live with her as her servants. We call her our grumpy senior citizen because she often shares her “opinion” with us. :0)

  22. I love pets! My husband jokes that he married three cats; me and my two felines. Hence why my blog is called Kat’s Corner! 8 years later one of our cats is beginning to really show his age, which is rough some days. Back to the vet tomorrow! But we love their cuddles, except when they try to lay on our faces while we sleep. We’d love to have a dog, but living in a fouth floor walk up, just not feasible for us right now! I hope one day we’ll have a yard. My dream dogs are a pair of Dobermans.

    I can’t wait to read this one. It’s definitely on this season’s Christmas book list.

  24. Sounds like a fun read! Being a westerner, I like that it is set in Wyoming. Would love to win, too!

  25. My husband and I each have a pet, although I am entering this contest for myself. My cat’s name is Shadow and he is all black and my husband’s dog is named Bambi.
    My favorite pet is a cat, although i would not mind having a hamster or gerbil in the future with my cat.

  26. I love the pictures. I don’t have any pets right now so I spoil my son’s Lab Montana.
    I have had dogs and also a cute bunny named Truffles. She was really smart and would grab her Christmas presents and stack them in a pile like my kids did. She was a wonderful pet and I still miss her cute little face.

  28. We’re not aloud pets where we live. But, my daughter and I both love dogs. The neighbors across town *Where we used to live.) have the cutest (and smart) dog that they share with us,

  29. I loved your book and the cover is so beautiful. Your Sophie is precious. We have an almost dachshund named Samwise Gamgee, aka Sam. He is the joy of my heart.

  30. I had many outside cats growing up on a farm. My daughter had dogs and cats growing up. The last pet at my house was my husband’s cat “Miss Kitty”. A coworker gave her to me for my dad when Miss Kitty was tiny. She grew into a large cat with long, long hair! Everyone comment on how large she was but it was mostly the hair! When my dad went to a nursing home, we inherited Miss Kitty. I kept her until my husband passed away and I was not giving her enough attention so gave her away to a good home.

  31. I like pets but not in my house. I’m to much of a neat freak to have fur on my floors and furniture.

  33. I would love to have a pet, but am not home enough to be fair to it. My former neighbor had a very lovable dog that we would visit and give treats to!

    • I admire you for thinking about the pet’s needs, too. If you’re not home, they get lonely! I’m glad you have a dog you can visit and enjoy. 🙂

  34. I love animals! I have had both cats and dogs. After I lost my dog and my 19 year old cat, I said I wasn’t going to have another pet. However, that didn’t last long, a month later I was at a shelter looking at the kittens. Luckily I had my carrier with me because I came home with my boys, Hamilton and Jefferson. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. They make bring so much love and laughs into my life.

  35. We are pet free because of allergies. Maybe my sons backyard chickens count? Thanks formthe giveaway opportunity.

  38. We have 2 tabby cats – Pip and Perry. I weave baskets and the ladies in my class and I take bets on how long my newest baskets will be in the house before one of them is in it!! Pip is so attached to my son that she often “cries” when he’s gone to school. Bless her!!
    One of my favorite pets was our sweet black and white cat Spot. Our 4 year old son named her Spot and thought she was a “Dalmatian cat.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him there was no such thing!!

  39. Thank you for the post and giveaway. I don’t have pets at the moment but looking forward to the arrival of our daughter’s new lab. I’d really enjoy the book and would share it with my daughter and sister. The towel would be for a sister who has several pets and should have been a vet.

  40. Hi, Jill. We used to have a dachshund named Tibles and a beagle named Ginger. They were so cute but the both died. Ginger old age and Tibles because of a back problem that got worse over time. We were very sad for a very long time because they both were our hearts and thought that we could never give our heart to another pet but then God spoke to us and told us it was time Really no lie. Every time we were in the car or on tv they were showing a pet expo. We never saw it before so I took it as a sign and we went there and found our new puppy Winny. She is so great. We think she was abused before. She was only 1 1/2 yrs only and the vet said that she had two litters already. We love her so much she has brought light to us in our lives.

    • Our dachshund has back problems, too, and so far, we’ve been able to manage them so she can bounce back. I’m so sorry you lost both your dear dogs. But I’m also glad you have sweet Winny, now!

  42. I have a kitten she is 6 months her name is Bella but I love all animals & I would love to win this giveaway

  43. My Daddy didn’t like cats so we my brother and I always had dogs when we were growing up. I have learned to like cats because of our farm lifestyle and my daughter’s love for the barn cats that we accumulated and now, my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter also lives cats. Buddy is the last dog that we’ve had and he passed several years ago. He was a mix of Blue Healer and Australian Shepherd and he truly loved me and he was my protector. He would even growl at my husband if he thought I wasn’t getting the right respect :-). I have never understood how someone can mistreat a child or an animal. God created both of them to love unconditionally!
    Thanks for your giveaway!
    Blessings!
    Connie
    cps1950(at)gmail(dot) com

  44. G’day from WA, (that’s Western Australia!)
    I’ve always wanted a pet of my own, but for one reason or another, I never got one. Dad loved dogs, mum loved cats and never the twain shall meet. Growing up, most of the people I shared accommodation with had pets of their own, so I just shared theirs. Some I was actually TERRIFIED of as when I was younger, I had dogs try to attack me. When I moved out of home and lived with another family. They had a very vocal, very snappy chihuahua. I spent the least amount of time with her. I wanted all of my limbs left intact! Gradually she warmed up to me and began sitting on my lap, or beside me. I was stunned! After I moved in with the family, I started noticing that the bed felt strange! Every night Cleo used to jump in bed with me when she felt tired. If I got up and somebody else was in bed, she had her preferences as to which bed she would jump into now. I was always number one and I don’t know why.
    Other friends that I have lived with over the years have had their fair share of pets. Cocker Spaniels, Jack Russells, Shih tze dogs. budgies, cockatiels, fish, cats, etc. Despite my fear, dogs are still something I love. I’ve lived with friends who had cocker spaniels and Jack Russells too.
    I currently live with an older couple. I’ve always wanted a pet of my own. So haa the lady that I live with. Anyway, she and her husband got really sneaky on
    me. We were taking some moving boxes to a friend who had to move out. Where she was going, she wasn’t allowed to take her dog. We drove up and I refused to get out of the car. He had such a vicious, scary growl The wife of the couple that I live with said that we’d been asked to come and take a look at the dog because she didn’t just want it put into the pound. We could honstly tell people what Bailey was like and encourage people them to keep home. Eventually I slowly slipped into the front door of the house. Bailey, a cream and caramel spoodle, (cocker spaniel/poodle cross) came sidling up to Joan. being as charming as can be. He had her patting him after no time at all. When he’d finished with her, it was my turn. Such a charmer! Once I figured that he didn’t plan on eating me for lunch, i started to pat him too. John and Joan were surprised with his behaviour. John was even patting him, and he’s not a dog lover. He prefers cats.
    Well, a couple of mornings later, John and Joan asked me what I thought of Bailey. Fine. Seemed a good dog other than when people first came over. They asked me what I thought about us taking him. I immediately said no. The houses that we’ve been renting, the owners have not allowed us to have dogs inside. I’ve never had to keep pets outside. I really disapproved of that. Poor things in the middle of summer and the middle of winter. In the end we did take him. We’d told lots of people about him. They all said that if for some reason we couldn’t keep him,they’d take him. But no, he was ours. He arrived just a couple of days before Christmas. His birthday is the day after Christmas. Sounds heavenly to me! We got him just before his 2nd birthday. This year he turns 16. I’m so glad that I changed my mind and let him into our lives. He’s a wonderful man. I can’t have kids so now I relate to him as my fur child. We live in a different house than when we first got him. Getting a place that could contain him as an issue. He has absolutely no road sense. After tradespeople left our side gate open, he galloped off around the neighbourhood, John and I chasing him. Twice he narrowly missed being hit by a moving bus, some cars, and a friend’s cat rode him up their driveway. That seemed somewhat funny, but not for poor Bailey! He was terrified. He was snuggling with Grandpa as Grandpa carried him home. He wasn’t in such a hurry to get out of the yard again. He doesn’t mind going on his lead for walks. At least this one can hold him and he can’t get out of it.
    He is one very special fur baby! He doesn’t like baths, but he tolerates them.
    He gives all of us such joy unspeakable. Comes to sit with you for company. Doesn’t leave you feeling alone. He comes to dry your tears. Comes in and snuggles with you. One day Joan was sitting outside in the driveway where we’d been feeding Bailey. She was having a lot of knee pain and so John and I decided to pray for her. The next thing we saw, was Bailey standing with us. John and I had laid hands on her. Bailey stayed there and laid his front paws on her. He didn’t stop until we both took our hands from Joan’s knee. He is so precious to us!

    • What an amazing story, Trish! I think of how little Cleo warmed up to you and preferred you, and then Bailey came and lived with you! I’m so glad you have that sweet dog in your life!

  45. Thanks for sharing pictures of your fur-babies. I have a fluffy white toy poodle named Missy. She is five years old and such a joy (most of the time). Thanks for the opportunity to win!

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