This Week's Special Guest Marcia James

This week's special guest blogger at The AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Marcia James and she stops by to talk about pets.
 

Marcia James writes hot, humorous romances and finaled in eleven Romance Writers of America contests before selling her first comic romantic suspense, AT HER COMMAND. In her eclectic career, she has shot submarine training videos, organized celebrity-filled nonprofit events and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. in addition to writing fiction, Marcia presents author promotion workshops. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, she is enjoying "researching" and plotting her novels' steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many years.  

 

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NO MORE HOMELESS PETS 

            October is a month associated with dramatic fall foliage, Columbus Day sales, and Halloween trick-or-treaters.  But the calendar’s tenth month also calls attention to two important issues: breast cancer awareness and the plight of homeless animals.

           
Smokey, my Chinese crested hairless dog logo, proudly displays his breast cancer ribbon.  Breast cancer has touched many families, including my own.  Close to 200,000 people – men, as well as women – will develop breast cancer this year.  In addition to supporting cancer research, we can all be vigilant for signs of cancer and get our annual mammograms.

 

           
Today’s blog isn’t about breast cancer, however.  I’m blogging about the millions of abandoned animals in the U.S.  October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, and Smokey urges everyone who has space in their homes and hearts to consider rescuing a dog or cat from your local shelter.

 

Here's a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the dog breeds available at the nation’s shelters: 

Collie + Lhasa Apso mix = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport

Pointer + Setter mix = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund mix = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed

Pekingese + Lhasa Apso mix = Peekasso, an abstract dog

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever mix = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists

Newfoundland + Basset Hound mix = Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors

Bloodhound + Labrador mix = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer mix = Moot Point, owned by…oh well, it doesn’t matter anyway

Deerhound + Terriermix = Derriere, a dog that’s true to the end

Bull Terrier + ShihTzu mix = Uh, never mind…. 
 

 

           
Smokey, who was himself a shelter dog, points out that many of the animals who act in television and film came from shelters.  For example, Morris (aka Lucky), the spokescat for 9 Lives cat food — and his stunt doubles — were all shelter cats.

An Internet search reveals quite a few canine actors, who were rescued from shelters, including: 

1. Benji (aka Higgins), the Poodle, schnauzer, cocker spaniel mix star of the Benji movies

2. Old Yeller (aka Spike), the mixed breed whose breakthrough role was the lead in the movie Old Yeller

3. Sandy, the Airedale-Collie mix from Little Orphan Annie

4. Fang, the drooling Neapolitan Mastiff from the Harry Potter movies

5. Bruiser (aka Chico), the Chihuahua and Rufus (aka Chloe) the Bulldog, who star in Broadway’s Legally Blonde

6. Kelly, Chip, Topsy, Stella, Zelda, and Bo, the 6 mixed breeds who played Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

7. Lucky, the mixed breed from the Dr. Dolittle movies

8. Happy, the terrier mix on the TV show, 7^th Heaven

9. Papi, the tiny star of Beverly Hills Chihuahua

10. Most of the canine cast of the movie, Hotel For Dogs 

 

 

           
Readers who can’t adopt a shelter pet can still help the animals through donations or by volunteering at the shelters.  I was honored to be one of ten authors who wrote stories for the Berkley benefit anthology, Tails of Love, which donates 100% of the author proceeds to a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, OH.  This anthology is the pet project (pun intended) of New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster.  Tails of Love has raised over $10,000 for the shelter so far. 

 

           
All of my romances, including my Christmas novella, HeatingUp the Holidays, features Chinese crested dogs and other four-legged characters – not including shapeshifters!  I enjoy the humor and emotion a canine Cupid can add to a love story. 

           
Would you like to share your favorite pet stories – rescued shelter animals, remembered childhood pets, funny animal anecdotes, etc?  I’ll draw a winner from those who comment on this blog to receive a free download of my first book, At Her Command, a comic romantic suspense featuring Smokey in a key role as an undercover DEA drug-sniffing dog. 

As my Tails of Love co-authors would say, “Go pets!”

Marcia James

www.MarciaJames.net