There was much excitement in the house over the weekend. Our new (new to us) dog came home with us on Friday, and he’s already entertaining us with his silliness. Say hi, Baxter!
I’ll never forget one of my first dogs, a Shetland Sheepdog named Heidi. She was a best buddy to us kids, but no amount of exercise seemed to save her from trouble. She was a little thief who liked to chew up our toys and shoes. Once, my mother had to write a note to my teacher explaining that Heidi really did eat my homework.
Out of all of Heidi’s crazy antics, this one is perhaps the most memorable:
To this day, we still don’t know how that happened. Heidi’s unfortunate mishap with dirty laundry is detailed in DO NOT MACHINE WASH. It’s one of the stories that appears in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: I CAN’T BELIEVE MY DOG DID THAT!, which releases today. Look for it at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Powells.
To celebrate the release day, I’m giving away a free copy. To enter, just comment below and tell me about a crazy pet you know. I’ll pick a winner this Friday at 5 PM EST. (Sorry, US only.)
Congrats on the story and the new addition. Baxter is a cutie. (Border Collie?) My crazy pet – my dog Jack. At 40 pounds he’s the smallest dog we’ve ever owned but I swear he thinks he’s a cat! He frequently rests on the backs of couches and jumps from high places, always landing gracefully on his feet.
Hi Carmella! Say hi to Jack for me. He does sound like a cat! Baxter’s an Australian Shepherd, but people do think he’s a Border Collie until they see (or don’t see) his tail.
Australian Shepherd would have been my second guess. We’ve had one of those, too. Best dogs ever. (Well, okay. They might be tied with Labs.
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Hi Steph! Congrats!!!!! How exciting. I can’t wait to read your story. My only crazy pet story (okay fine, crazy pet owner story, because I’ve only ever had one kind of pet, and fish just don’t get too crazy)) was when I was eight years old. I’d gotten my very first pet, a goldfish, and I named him Fluffy. I. Loved. Him. So much so that I spent the entire day watching him swim around his fish bowl. So much so that I lavished him with attention, fish food, gummy bears, and fresh-baked cookies. Yep, I didn’t want my new pet to deprive in anything, including my favorite foods. So I lined the bottom of his bowl with gummy bears and crumbled cookies into the water. He was dead by morning. And I learned a very important lesson about fish diet. Sigh.
Congrats again!!!!!
Thanks, Pintip! Sorry about Fluffy. You had good intentions, though!
Hey girl!! So excited about your Chicken Soup story — what an adorable picture–and that new puppy? So freaking cute it’s not even right.
Hope you enjoy every furry, silly moment!
He is dog-gone cute, isn’t he? Of course, I’m biased. Thanks for stopping by, Natalie!
Hi Steph! So glad Pintip shared this with me today. Your Baxter is beautiful and Heidi, what a sweetie–even in the spin cycle! Oh my goodness, I love Pintip’s goldfish story. As for me, I’m still trying to figure out how my flat-faced pug ate his way through our wall (in military housing…which I learned how to patch back up, something I’m proud to say I can now do) Seriously, if you could see my dog’s tiny little round teeth…he must have gnawed at that wall all day long. Which means I must have been a bad, bad mommy that day. Congrats to you though!
Hi, Carlene! Wow, that’s quite a feat for your little dog. Keeping them occupied is a challenge sometimes, isn’t it? I’m keeping an eye on my boy Baxter. Hopefully any future dog stories I write won’t involve ripped carpet and chewed up clothing!
Our cat is obsessed with trees. When the Christmas tree goes up, she climbs it. Immediately. Then she takes toys up there and builds a fort. We have a few fake ficuses and for a while she spent bedtime doing battle with them. No joke. Every night we’d hear the wretched sounds of intense war, then we’d wake to find our eight-foot ficus felled in the middle of the living room, and her wrapped proudly in its branches.
I have photos.
Congrats on the new release, Steph!!! I can’t wait to read it!
XOXO,
C
Thanks, Cecily! I’m curious about these photos now. Silly cat!
Stephanie,
What a funny story. And the picture in the washing machine is hysterical.
My crazy pet story…I had a cat named Gypsy who apparently thought it was a fun idea to make us think my Grandma had lost her mind. Every time my grandmother came to visit, she would misplace her jewelry. That was never like her, so we thought she might be heading into the early stages of dementia. Earrings? Gone. Bracelet? Gone. Hearing aid batteries? Couldn’t find those either. What was up with Grandma???
Then one day we had to open the vent in the basement, and out fell all my grandmother’s stuff. Gypsy had been stealing the stuff and dropping it all down the vent shaft. Naughty kitty! We caught her red-handed one time shortly after that. But it was only my grandmother’s things. Guess she didn’t want her visiting for whatever reason.
Good luck with the book! And thanks to Pintip for leading me over here. And her story about the goldfish was a riot, too!
That story is hilarious, Kim. But your poor Grandma! Oh, to know what was going through your cat’s mind.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
And the winner is…Natalie. Congrats and hope you enjoy the read!
Congratulations on your story! That is awesome, I can’t wait to read it. Your dogs are so sweet. I love the picture in the washing machine.
We currently have a crazy 17 pound black and white cat named Sylvester. He apparently thinks he is a dog as he opens doors, sits for treats, fetches, and when you come in the door he meets you and flops on his back so you can scratch his belly.
Hi, Dana! Your cat does sound like a dog! We once had a cat who did similar things–he’d even wait by the door every evening, anticipating our return from work.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ugh!! Steph, I just got back in town and I MISSED your giveaway. So sorry. Truly. I will have to make it up to you. The new doggie is adorable. Keep us posted!!
No worries, Romily!