Dog Blog

Friday, June 28, 2013

NEW REVIEW OF BRACED FOR MURDER



Here's a review by Gay Toltl Kinman that appears in the July 2013 Mysterious Women newsletter:


Braced For Murder
by Sue Owens Wright

A Beanie and Cruiser Mystery. Cruiser is a basset hound, whose owner is Elsie 'Beanie' MacBean. The two-legged partner of the sleuthing team has taken in another hound, Calamity, on a foster basis with the idea that the hound will be trained and ready for a forever family. The dog came from the local shelter, which is a mess. Set in Lake Tahoe, the shelter manager, Rhoda Marx ends up being euthanized in the machine she used freely on the animals.
'Braced' in this context means teamed up. There is a lot of information about bassets, the famous Basset Waddle fundraiser, and about how a shelter is run- -or not, in this case. Beanie comes up with some suspects: one is the owner of a dog that was euthanized within a day of being found, even though it had an ID chip; and the other is Doc Heaton, a veterinarian who was opposed to Marx' tactics. A possible third is Tori who leads a militant animal rights group, and who may or may not be responsible for letting all the dogs loose.

There are subplots with Beanie's daughter, and with her Washoe heritage. Humorously told, a lot of dog puns. Five Star 2013

IS YOUR DOG COOL?


I sure hope so!  My two hounds are at home today keeping cool in the air conditioning and probably lying belly up under the fan.  Have you put fresh, cool water in your dog's bowl?  If the bowl is outside, the water is warm by now, which won't be too refreshing on a hot day like this.  Go to the Red Rover website to find out how to keep your best friend cool during these dog days of summer.  Be sure to order your cool new "My Dog is Cool, Is Yours?" tee-shirt that will remind everyone you meet to keep their dogs cool this summer.    

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

ANIMAL MOVERS: SECRETS OF THE DOG PARK



This guy has captured the essence of the basset hound in Secrets of the Dog Park.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

"NO LIMITS" RADIO INTERVIEW


I was pleased to be interviewed on "No Limits" this afternoon by Barbara M. Hodges at Red River Radio.  We chatted for half an hour about books and bassets and my latest offering in the Beanie and Cruiser Mystery Series, Braced for Murder.  Barbara is also a mystery author and basset lover, so this interview was a rare treat.  I hope you'll take a break from whatever you're doing and listen in. 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

HELPING THE MEDICINE GO DOWN


I hope you'll check out my latest Pets & Their People column, "Helping the Medicine Go Down" in the June issue of Inside Publications about a local compounding pharmacy that helps owners medicate their pets more easily.  Kids don't like nasty tasting medicine, and neither do our pets.  I sure could have used this service when I had Daisy, who would never willingly swallow any pill I tried to give her.  In fact, I nearly lost a digit or two on several occasions.  A compounding pharmacy can make medication more palatable for pets.  Read how in my article. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

TOUGH DAY



                              "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone."

My husband just sent me this photo of Beau. No wonder I feel so guilty whenever I have to leave the house.

Friday, June 07, 2013

THE GUARDIANS




Beau and Peaches are keeping good watch on the neighborhood in my (their) front garden.  I love seeing them lying side-by-side like this.  For a long time, Beau wouldn't dare lie next to Peaches on the twin sentry posts, but apparently she has given him the okay at long last.  He still sees her as the pack leader but pushes the envelope every now and then.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

PEANUT BUTTER BEAU



                 
Beau and his coveted Skippy Peanut Butter jar.  His tongue isn't quite long enough to reach the bottom, but he keeps on trying.  Between us and him, a jar of Skippy disappears pretty fast around our house.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

A DAY IN THE LIFE: SCENT OF A SLEUTHHOUND


Read my essay on Dru Ann's Book Musing and enter the contest to win an autographed copy of my newest book, BRACED FOR MURDER, which was released today.

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

TOP DOG BREEDS


Basset hounds don't rank at all on this list of most popular dog breeds, but they are always #1 on my list.

Sunday, June 02, 2013

HEALTHY HOUNDS



Peaches had her annual senior health exam on Friday, and she passed with flying colors.  All blood work was normal, with the waterworks and poop chute, as well, which the doc checked for any tumors.  A year ago, her calcium level was elevated, so I was concerned about that, and so was Dr. Fisk.  It can indicate the possibility of a cancerous tumor or kidney issues.  But her calcium was perfectly normal this time.  I'm greatly relieved about that because she's at the age now when things can start to go wrong.  

Bassets aren't normally a long-lived breed--10 to 12 years is average, not the 14 years that Kipling wrote about in one of his most poignant poems about a dog's comparatively short life span. Bubba did live to be 14, but we were very lucky.  I hope we'll be as lucky with Peaches and Beau.  The down side of adopting older dogs is that you don't get to spend as much time with them.  Peaches was 3 1/2 when I found her at the SSPCA, and Beau was 5, my oldest adoptee yet.  So I really hope they are both record setters for canine longevity because I can't imagine life without them.  They fill every single day with joy and that special kind of love only a dog can give.

Yearly visits to the vet can catch problems early.  I'm so glad that there weren't any for my sweet Peaches.