A pet adoption day is a special event. Eight years ago, Karma-Kat arrived. on January 31, the day before Seren-Kitty, Bravo-Dawg, and my Mom’s birthday. Yes, all three shared the same birthday.
I posted this (with updates) two years ago. It’s time for another update because we’ve lost loved ones–and gained them–over the past years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEREN-Angel!
When a friend discovered a kitten asleep in a flower pot on her back porch about the first week of June, I got the call for help. You see, her four-year-old daughter REALLY wanted this kitten, but my friend was allergic yet didn’t want to take the baby to the shelter. So it was Amy-To-The-Rescue.
As soon as I walked into her kitchen, this tiny baby with blue-jean-color eyes raced across the floor and climbed up my pant leg, put her paws around my neck, and it was all over. I was smitten. I wrote about this in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. The veterinarian judged her to be about five months old, so we counted backward to give Seren a February 1st birthday, sharing the day with my Mom, a huge pet lover.
So in their honor, purr-haps you’d like to share kitty love by gifting your cat-loving Mom with my latest book CAT LIFE. It’s available on Kindle, and both softcover and hardback is here.
I think the book makes a great Valentine’s gift for cat-moms. Just saying. 🙂 Karma-Kat’s picture is in the book.
Seven years ago, we prepped for a horrible ice and snow storm set to shut down North Texas for several days. On Friday January 31st, Magical-Dawg(RB) saw “something” dash across the back patio. A hungry, not-so-tiny kitten with blue-jean-color eyes came to the window and paw-clawed to get inside, never mind that a big black doggy face stared and wagged back at him.
He wore a collar, too, so I thought he must belong to the new neighbor. When I opened the door, he ran–I followed, and called for him. He kept running until I meowed at him. He stopped, mewed back, and then can running back to me. And a week later I blogged about him when we knew that Karma was home for good.
The veterinarian guestimated Karma to be about 7-8 months old, so we counted backward and–holy cats!–assigned his birthday in July on the same day as Magical-Dawg’s birthday. Ya can’t make some of this stuff up!
At first, Karma wasn’t too sure about him. But within only a few short days, Karma had taken his assignment to train this newcomer pup correctly, and they became best friends, tag-buddies, and nap companions until Bravo(RB) lost his battle with osteosarcoma.
We didn’t realize until later that the day we said goodbye to Bravo (March 4, 2021), was also his comfort puppy Shadow’s first birthday. Again, you simply can’t make this up.
So what do YOU think? Was there some really kewl karma and serendipity and shadowy magic happening here? For Karma arrived just in time for Seren’s birthday when, frankly, my old lady cat had been so ill that I feared her days were numbered. I know Seren would’ve argued that SHE never asked for a kitten for her birthday, but Karma certainly turned back the clock and gave Seren much needed new energy when he arrived.
I have no doubt that Seren-Kitty lived to be almost 22 years old (passing the end of November 2017) because Karma gave her an extra 4 years of energy to get that aggravating @#$%^YU! man-cat out of here! but at last, she fell in love with him, and he with her.
Having Karma around meant Magic suddenly discovered the joys of a kitty playmate that ADORED him. Sadly for Karma, that love affair ended in September 2017 when Magic also moved on to his next adventure beyond Rainbow Bridge.
In honor of all these special doggies’ legacy, purr-haps you’d like to share puppy love by gifting a dog-loving friend with my latest book DOG LIFE. It’s available on Kindle, and both softcover and hardback is here.
My mother passed away on October 30, 2021 at age 93. She gave me my love of pets, of reading and writing, and is the reason I write. So it seems appropriate that my pets and my mom have this connectedness.
Have you ever had new furry wonders arrive at JUST the right time in some weird-and-wonderful coincidence? What’s the best birthday or gotcha-day gifts your fur-kids ever got? Do tell!
In the play STRAYS, THE MUSICAL we included a very short, funny but poignant scene called INAPPROPRIATE PET GIFTS, in which a puppy asks an older dog about the best and worst gifts he ever received. Worst gifts include a hotdog costume for Halloween, and the puppy’s best gift was an old shoe that smelled like the owner–“Heaven!”
“What’s the best gift you ever got?” asks Puppy.
Old Dog answers with two words. “A home.”
So today, as I celebrate the happy accident and magic of pets past, and of Karma-Kat and Shadow-Pup present, I know that there will be a pet future. I’m just waiting for that next paw-step to enter my world.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
A pet adoption day is a special event. Eight years ago, Karma-Kat arrived. on January 31, the day before Seren-Kitty, Bravo-Dawg, and my Mom’s birthday. Yes, all three shared the same birthday.
I posted this (with updates) two years ago. It’s time for another update because we’ve lost loved ones–and gained them–over the past years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEREN-Angel!
When a friend discovered a kitten asleep in a flower pot on her back porch about the first week of June, I got the call for help. You see, her four-year-old daughter REALLY wanted this kitten, but my friend was allergic yet didn’t want to take the baby to the shelter. So it was Amy-To-The-Rescue.
As soon as I walked into her kitchen, this tiny baby with blue-jean-color eyes raced across the floor and climbed up my pant leg, put her paws around my neck, and it was all over. I was smitten. I wrote about this in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. The veterinarian judged her to be about five months old, so we counted backward to give Seren a February 1st birthday, sharing the day with my Mom, a huge pet lover.
So in their honor, purr-haps you’d like to share kitty love by gifting your cat-loving Mom with my latest book CAT LIFE. It’s available on Kindle, and both softcover and hardback is here.
I think the book makes a great Valentine’s gift for cat-moms. Just saying. 🙂 Karma-Kat’s picture is in the book.
Seven years ago, we prepped for a horrible ice and snow storm set to shut down North Texas for several days. On Friday January 31st, Magical-Dawg(RB) saw “something” dash across the back patio. A hungry, not-so-tiny kitten with blue-jean-color eyes came to the window and paw-clawed to get inside, never mind that a big black doggy face stared and wagged back at him.
He wore a collar, too, so I thought he must belong to the new neighbor. When I opened the door, he ran–I followed, and called for him. He kept running until I meowed at him. He stopped, mewed back, and then can running back to me. And a week later I blogged about him when we knew that Karma was home for good.
The veterinarian guestimated Karma to be about 7-8 months old, so we counted backward and–holy cats!–assigned his birthday in July on the same day as Magical-Dawg’s birthday. Ya can’t make some of this stuff up!
At first, Karma wasn’t too sure about him. But within only a few short days, Karma had taken his assignment to train this newcomer pup correctly, and they became best friends, tag-buddies, and nap companions until Bravo(RB) lost his battle with osteosarcoma.
We didn’t realize until later that the day we said goodbye to Bravo (March 4, 2021), was also his comfort puppy Shadow’s first birthday. Again, you simply can’t make this up.
So what do YOU think? Was there some really kewl karma and serendipity and shadowy magic happening here? For Karma arrived just in time for Seren’s birthday when, frankly, my old lady cat had been so ill that I feared her days were numbered. I know Seren would’ve argued that SHE never asked for a kitten for her birthday, but Karma certainly turned back the clock and gave Seren much needed new energy when he arrived.
I have no doubt that Seren-Kitty lived to be almost 22 years old (passing the end of November 2017) because Karma gave her an extra 4 years of energy to get that aggravating @#$%^YU! man-cat out of here! but at last, she fell in love with him, and he with her.
Having Karma around meant Magic suddenly discovered the joys of a kitty playmate that ADORED him. Sadly for Karma, that love affair ended in September 2017 when Magic also moved on to his next adventure beyond Rainbow Bridge.
In honor of all these special doggies’ legacy, purr-haps you’d like to share puppy love by gifting a dog-loving friend with my latest book DOG LIFE. It’s available on Kindle, and both softcover and hardback is here.
My mother passed away on October 30, 2021 at age 93. She gave me my love of pets, of reading and writing, and is the reason I write. So it seems appropriate that my pets and my mom have this connectedness.
Have you ever had new furry wonders arrive at JUST the right time in some weird-and-wonderful coincidence? What’s the best birthday or gotcha-day gifts your fur-kids ever got? Do tell!
In the play STRAYS, THE MUSICAL we included a very short, funny but poignant scene called INAPPROPRIATE PET GIFTS, in which a puppy asks an older dog about the best and worst gifts he ever received. Worst gifts include a hotdog costume for Halloween, and the puppy’s best gift was an old shoe that smelled like the owner–“Heaven!”
“What’s the best gift you ever got?” asks Puppy.
Old Dog answers with two words. “A home.”
So today, as I celebrate the happy accident and magic of pets past, and of Karma-Kat and Shadow-Pup present, I know that there will be a pet future. I’m just waiting for that next paw-step to enter my world.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Magic with his littermates and Greta, his mom. Guess which one is him?
Today, my baby-dog Magic celebrates his 9th birthday! I can’t believe the puppy I fell in love with now has a gray muzzle, and am so very grateful he remains the funny, energetic, loving bundle of furry delight. He doesn’t act like an aging dog at all.
We had been without a dog for about 8 years before we got him. After I lost my heart-dog, another wonderful GSD who inspired me to become a pet writer, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to adopt again. Part of that was my travel schedule at the time, and then Seren-Kitty came along. There came a point that the hole in our lives could only be filled with another GSD.
We were incredibly fortunate to find a fantastic breeder (Fernheim Kennels) in our neck of the woods, so close that we got to visit the Mom-Dog before Magic was even a gleam in Greta’s eyes. After being on the waiting list for two years, the “M” litter was born. We got unprecedented visiting and photo ops during his early weeks of life. Here’s little “orange collar” at 17 days old, our boy who became Magical-Dawg.
Magic at 17 days old.
Magic at 7 days old, probably during his temperament test.
These days, I get to help Gillian with temperament tests when she has a new litter (her “Z” litter just went to new homes). I was told Magic temperament test indicated off the charts for Schutzhund potential.
Magic was night-and-day different than our first silver and black GSD in so many ways. Our first boy had hip dysplasia and such bad skin/allergy disease (atopy) we couldn’t have afforded to keep up with vet bills if I hadn’t then been working as a vet tech with a discount on services. Our first shepherd also was fearful of strangers, and a “soft” doggy eager to please and easy to train.
Magic’s breeder does all the tests, and then some, on the doggy parents. He came to us already knowing a “potty command” and crate trained.
He was never shy or “soft” by any means. He’s smart, but hard headed. A smart aleck. A challenge. Driven. Healthy, thank doG, with sound elbows, hips, eyes and skin. A canine athlete willing to throw himself into every game, to such an extent that torn dewclaws and sliced paws and other such accidents “dogged” his early years. Easy to train–he did “puppy pushups” (sit-down-sit-down) on TV at age 9 weeks–and went to HARVEY (play) rehearsals and hung out with the cast at about 5 months of age. We were grateful when he outgrew the 9-month-old delinquent phase. The fact he adored us–BOTH of us–and still does, made it possible to put up with his few challenges.
First day home–8 weeks old. You can see his tattoo in his right ear which by now has faded. He was microchipped, too.
My husband didn’t grow up with pets, and our first shepherd wasn’t close to my husband at all. So I think he was surprised to fall so hard for Magic. It was a treat to watch the relationship develop between them. Today they’re still best friends.
Puppy kisses!
Seren-Kitty was not amused. During our long dog absence, she’d come into our lives and been an “only” cat for seven years. I planned the introduction and set up gates and schedules and relocated litter boxes and food 6 months in advance, and then more step-by-step intros once Magic arrived. He weighed 11 pounds when he arrived–and Seren never tipped the scales at more than 7 pounds. So from the very beginning, Magic was taught that “Seren is the BOSS…don’t care if she started it, she is the BOSS!” I wrote a case study published in the IAABC Journal about the introduction process that also won writing awards. Even then, Magic inspired my work. And nine years later, he still knows to bow to Seren’s rule.
It took 5 months before Seren would willingly come this close to Magic when he was awake. Philly cream cheese helped.
It took a while for the floppy ears to go up. And then it took another while for Magic to grow into the donkey-size appendages.
My first shepherd’s health issues inspired me to write about pet care and health issues. Magic’s joy and delight in everything inspired me to return to fiction-ing. Magic has never met a ball or toy or Frisbee he didn’t love. He is all about the PLAY! Does your dog find ways to make you laugh? Magic does, constantly! Magic also has patiently helped me with photos and product reviews. Here he is in the Thundershirt which he’ll be the first to tell you, he does not need. He loves loud noises! (Maybe it’s the puppy-party and treats he gets with each thunder-boom that helps, hmnnnn). Magic had to wait 7 years before he got to sniff cat butt up close and personal! I think Karma-Kat was the best gift he’s ever gotten and the pair of them are inseparable.
If you’ve read my fiction, you’ll recognize the character Shadow patterned after Magic as a youngster. I wrote the first book LOST AND FOUND using the name “Magic” and then changed it once the book was finished. Here’s Magic and Seren celebrating the arrival of my debut thriller (the old cover featured one of Magic’s doggy relatives…) My boy does love his “treats” and especially people food. He’s cleaning up the last of the yogurt.
Writing fiction is addictive. When it includes pets, it’s joyful. Magic again inspired some of the scenes in our play STRAYS, THE MUSICAL–and helped us promote it by serving as a model. GOOD dog!
I took this picture (below) about an hour ago. There’s more white in his muzzle now, and he’s a wee bit calmer. But Magic will still play Frisbee-Fetch forever, if you let him, still loves games of hose-tag, adores his BFF Karma-Kat, can’t wait to play and hang out with me and my husband–
He’s the perfect dog. And I am so grateful, and hope that he has many more healthy years ahead. Today, we’re spending lots of playtime together, and (shhhh! lotsa treats!). We’uns got lots more stuff to do together!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
As soon as I walked into her kitchen, this tiny baby with blue-jean-color eyes raced across the floor and climbed up my pant leg, put her paws around my neck, and it was all over. I was smitten. I wrote about this in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. The veterinarian judged her to be about five months old, so we counted backward to give Seren a February 1st birthday, sharing the day with my Mom, a huge pet lover.
I have no doubt that Seren-Kitty lived to be almost 22 years old (passing the end of November 2017) because Karma gave her an extra 4 years of energy to get that aggravating @#$%^YU! man-cat out of here! but at last, she fell in love with him, and he with her.
