Today's guest blog post is by my great friend and fellow published author and dog lover Lynda Fitzgerald. See below for more info about her books.
CONFESSIONS OF A DOG HOARDER
Lynda with Moxie, Fergus, & Chloe What do you call someone who keeps adding new dogs to her existing pack? A hoarder?
How about a sucker? Yes, I’m a sucker for dogs. Especially dogs who have been abandoned, neglected, or mistreated. Show me one of those, and I’m Jell-O Instant Pudding.
I was down to one dog once. Yes, only one. My best human friend and housemate had just died, and of the three Cairn Terriers we once had, only one was left. Fergus and I were both heartbroken. Devastated. Depressed. You get the idea. Then I saw Chloe on Petfinders, an online rescue site. She was a twelve-week-old German Shepherd puppy who had been abandoned and was almost hit by a car on a gravel country road. The folks who almost hit her sent their young son scooting under their car to drag her out. She was too terrified to move. Yes, Chloe came home with me. When I brought her in the house and put her on the floor, Fergus’s ears perked up immediately as he went over to sniff his new interactive toy.
How about a sucker? Yes, I’m a sucker for dogs. Especially dogs who have been abandoned, neglected, or mistreated. Show me one of those, and I’m Jell-O Instant Pudding.
I was down to one dog once. Yes, only one. My best human friend and housemate had just died, and of the three Cairn Terriers we once had, only one was left. Fergus and I were both heartbroken. Devastated. Depressed. You get the idea. Then I saw Chloe on Petfinders, an online rescue site. She was a twelve-week-old German Shepherd puppy who had been abandoned and was almost hit by a car on a gravel country road. The folks who almost hit her sent their young son scooting under their car to drag her out. She was too terrified to move. Yes, Chloe came home with me. When I brought her in the house and put her on the floor, Fergus’s ears perked up immediately as he went over to sniff his new interactive toy.
Chloe with paw around Moxie: nap time! Then I met Chloe’s best friend at Funnybones, her doggie daycare. The eight-month-old German Shepherd/Hound mix was dumped there by people who moved away. If I were charitable, I’d say they at least left her where she’d be well cared for. I’m not, the rotters. I took the horse-sized puppy home for the weekend to see how she’d do with Chloe and the somewhat shell-shocked Fergus. Remember, he was dealing with a German Shepherd puppy. Before I drove out of the parking lot, I decided she was mine and changed her name to Moxie. You know, force of character and determination in the face of adversity? The name fit, and so did Moxie. I’ve never been sorry.
Okay, so back to three, right? For a while.
Finally, Mr. Fergus McTavish, Cairn Terrier Extraordinaire, came to the end of his almost fourteen-year life, and we were back to two. It was terribly hard to lose him, but my two girls consoled me as best they could.
Okay, so back to three, right? For a while.
Finally, Mr. Fergus McTavish, Cairn Terrier Extraordinaire, came to the end of his almost fourteen-year life, and we were back to two. It was terribly hard to lose him, but my two girls consoled me as best they could.
Mr. Fergus McTavish 2006
Josie A couple years later, my daughter Nikki moved in with me, along with her ten-year-old son John, and Josie, one of her three dogs, a beautiful Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix I’d rescued almost two years before when she was five weeks old and was dumped in a neighbor’s fenced back yard. Nikki took one look at Josie the weekend I brought her home and said, “She’s mine.” And so she was, for a while. Now Josie is ours.
Lexie (top) with Moxie & Chloe Moving on. Nikki’s ex-husband moved in with his parents after the divorce and declared he could only keep one of their two remaining dogs. He threatened to get rid of both dogs unless Nikki agreed (which meant “mom” agreed) to take at least one. That’s how Lexie, dog number four, came to live with us.
End of the story, right? Not quite yet.
End of the story, right? Not quite yet.
Zoie About nine days ago, the wife and dog dumping ex-husband dropped the other dog off with us for a week while his parents were out of town because “he was never home to take care of her.” Excuse me? You have a dog, and you can’t curtail your social life long enough to take care of it? Apparently not. When I saw poor Zoie’s condition—infested with fleas, covered with untreated hot spots, her hind legs weak because her dog-deserting owner also didn’t give her the Glucosamine I bought for her, I pretty much exploded. But there’s a happy ending to this story, too. Zoie has now been to the vet, is on Trifexus (bye-bye fleas), and the hot spots have been treated. It will take a while for the Glucosamine to kick in, but I know it will.
Is she going back to him? Well, shucks. I guess not. Zoie is ten, and she’s a large Australian Cattle dog mix. She probably has two more years, and I intend for her to spend them comfortably ensconced with her menagerie of furry friends.
Is she going back to him? Well, shucks. I guess not. Zoie is ten, and she’s a large Australian Cattle dog mix. She probably has two more years, and I intend for her to spend them comfortably ensconced with her menagerie of furry friends.
What does all the above have to do with writing and dogs? Lots.
You see, I am a writer. A writer with six books published and more written. During the year my best friend was battling ovarian cancer, I was her caregiver. And then she died. During that time, I didn’t write a word. Me. Ms. Prolific. My dedication to writing finally resurfaced when I brought Chloe home and has grown exponentially since. Do the dogs interrupt my writing? Of course they do. Does it bother me? Heck, no. They’re a shining light in my life, a constant source of both entertainment and inspiration. Dogs remind us that life goes on. They teach us to live in the moment, not dragged down by the past or fearful of the future. They teach us that and so much more.
So call me a sucker, or a dog hoarder if you like. I consider myself a lucky person -- lucky to have those five dogs in my life and lucky to be writing again. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You see, I am a writer. A writer with six books published and more written. During the year my best friend was battling ovarian cancer, I was her caregiver. And then she died. During that time, I didn’t write a word. Me. Ms. Prolific. My dedication to writing finally resurfaced when I brought Chloe home and has grown exponentially since. Do the dogs interrupt my writing? Of course they do. Does it bother me? Heck, no. They’re a shining light in my life, a constant source of both entertainment and inspiration. Dogs remind us that life goes on. They teach us to live in the moment, not dragged down by the past or fearful of the future. They teach us that and so much more.
So call me a sucker, or a dog hoarder if you like. I consider myself a lucky person -- lucky to have those five dogs in my life and lucky to be writing again. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
* * * * *
Lynda Fitzgerald is a published author, teacher, and frequent speaker at writers’ conferences and workshops. Her debut novel IF TRUTH BE TOLD was published in June, 2007. OF WORDS & MUSIC came out in March 2009, and her mystery series, LIVE, was launched in Spring 2010 with the release of LIVE RINGER. LIVE AMMO followed in 2012 and LIVE IN PERSON in late spring 2014.
Although Lynda was born and spent much of her life in central Florida, she now lives in Snellville, GA with her numerous rescue dogs.
Check out her website www.fitzgeraldwrites.com for more info about Lynda and her books, including excerpts from all her works and some beautiful pictures of the area where her books are set.
Although Lynda was born and spent much of her life in central Florida, she now lives in Snellville, GA with her numerous rescue dogs.
Check out her website www.fitzgeraldwrites.com for more info about Lynda and her books, including excerpts from all her works and some beautiful pictures of the area where her books are set.
Follow Lynda on Twitter and Facebook, and check out her Amazon Author Central page and Goodreads Author page
From Kerry: A special thanks to my great friend Lynda for sharing her wonderful dog story, and a "bark out to muh dawgs" Josie, Moxie, and Chloe. Jose is my therapy dog Holly Jolly's best furry friend ever. You should see them play together - it's like they were soul mates in a former life. Yes, Lynda, they do teach us so much that's important, don't they?
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