For My Fellow Dog Lover Writers

There are only 8 days left to submit something for the AKC Family Dog's 26th Annual Fiction Writing Contest.

I've been very into dog fiction lately, ever since I found a copy of Dog is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship at a Cape Cod flea market. It's filled with fantastic (funny, sad, inspiring, etc.) stories about humans and their beloved canine friends.

I'm still hoping to carve out some time (between my freelance assignments and revising the second book of the Desperately Ever After series) to enter.

Of course, I need to think of a story first. Maybe this weekend. It only has to be postmarked on the 31st...

P.S. I finally opened my copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain, which has been sitting on my desk for months, and cried my eyes out in the very first chapter. My tear ducts are taking a brief rest, but I've heard it's fantastic. It's been a NYTimes bestseller for, like, centuries. More on that later.

Revision Vision

I finished the second book in the Desperately Ever After series over the holidays, and now it's on to those wonderful weeks of revising.

Luckily, while I sometimes want to throw my computer at the wall, I do in some sick and twisted way love revising. This is when the layers really start to emerge.

For me, the first draft puts me at JFK airport on a two-hour layover. The second, third, and come-what-may drafts get me out onto the streets, strolling Riverside Park at sunset, smelling the chestnuts at the corner of 43rd and Madison, soaking in the lights at Times Square, riding the glass elevators in the Marriott... you get the idea.

The hard part is staying sane while your mind wanders to other worlds and your body stays agonizingly still. Forcing yourself out of the chair every once in a while is key. And for writers, it usually does take FORCE. We could get lost in our manuscripts for days. It's our nature.

SO pretend it's New Year's Day again and make a list of things you can do to let loose for an hour at a time. This isn't a one-and-done sort of list that you just want to rush through and cross off. It's a bit-by-bit list. Chores, grocery shopping, and lunch don't count.

My go-to distractions this time:
- Planning a kick-ass vacation (or at least daydreaming about one)
- Learning to take (and edit) better pictures
- Working out (I want to do an obstacle race this year!)
- Adorning my house with sewing projects (a couch cover, a dog bed, 2-4 throw pillows, and a bench cushion as of now)
- Taking Shadow for a walk or throwing the ball for him in the back yard**


** I found the best thing ever for avoiding those slobber-drenched tennis balls that always cut our fetch sessions short... usually right before I'll need to go vomit. It's called Chuckit! and it has seriously has increased the quality of my dog-rearing life. I was GIDDY for days telling people about it. Then I left it outside and Shadow tore it to shreds... but I got more. And I'm guarding them with my life!

Christmas Day Emergency (a real nail biter)

Christmas Day 2012. Shadow is sitting on the carpet, hovering over his bone, waiting to play. All of the sudden, my husband realizes the outside nail on his left front paw is protruding at a grossly unnatural way. It's broken. Hanging on by a thread. Oh, and his paw is stained dark red. Sound the alarm!!

The torn nail

It was gross, and we freaked. Should we cancel all our Christmas plans? Hunt down the vet while he's at his house opening presents? Shadow had just come inside from a walk and from throwing the ball around. When did it break? How? And why on Earth did he not seem to care? Like, at ALL?

What we did:

This was one scenario in which the Dog Bible failed me. So a frantic Internet search told us that yes, we should consult a vet to avoid infection. But because it was a holiday and this was not a life-or-death situation, we had to wait until the next day.

Meanwhile, we used his Pawtector booty each time he went outside. We abandoned all hope of getting him to cover it up while inside the house, which turned out to be fine. Because the quick was already torn apart, I (cringing) cut the nail off completely so it wouldn't get caught on anything. Then I dunked his "toe" in Styptic for the first time, to lessen any pain.

Shadow visited the vet the next day. The fact that he wasn't touching/licking/biting at the injury, indicated that it was not infected. This was a $57, three-second diagnosis. (Meanwhile, his human counterparts have ignored their own ailments and $20 co-pays for years. Ain't it the truth.)

The vet's advice: Keep using that booty outdoors, and soak his paw for five minutes a day in an antimicrobial solution (1 tbsp Nolvasan Skin and Wound Cleanser, 1 cup warm water). Oh, and keep keep his nails trim!

Planning ahead: Nolvasan is available at Amazon.com, 1-800-Petmeds, and Doctors Fosters and Smith, to name a few.


This experience is one of many that will be added to the new page, "When Things Go Wrong." The point of this page is to give dog owners a little perspective when their furry friends run into trouble. Give it a read before panicking.