Okay, technically this one was never mine. This is Mandy, the dog my husband grew up with. And she was probably more my sister-in-law’s dog than his. But when you get married, you don’t just marry that one person…you marry that person’s whole family. And their dog. So I decided I can include her in my blog series.
I loved this dog…she made me LAUGH like no other dog (except maybe the dog I currently have). I’d never met a pug before Mandy, so I’d never heard a dog SNORT the way this dog did. I’ve also never met a dog that SHED so much. You could actually pull clumps of hair out of her back…and it didn’t bother her. But the thing I most remember about Mandy is that she used to tickle my feet (and I am extremely ticklish!)! I don’t remember how she did it; I just remember that she did. And once she started, she didn’t like to stop!
If you’ve seen The Case of the Mixed-Up Mutts
well…there’s a reason those dogs are pugs. That’s my tribute to Mandy! Though to be honest, they weren’t pugs in the first draft. They were Pomeranians. But there was an illustration issue with Pomeranians, so I was asked to change them to some other breed. I balked a little to start with…those dogs HAD to be Pomeranians. There was a vital plot point later in the story that required it. (Plus this was my tribute to Peggy…see March 1 entry.)
But then I thought about it…and I came up with another plot point (probably a better one!) that required the dogs be PUGS. And one of the pugs in book 2 is going to be a recurring character in the series. As a general rule, I like pugs better than I like Pomeranians. So it worked out.
The dogs are cute, but I have to say that the fun for me in these entries is seeing all these old pictures of YOU.
Heh…I did think twice about posting a couple of those for the whole world to see.