Dogs Making a Splash!

What a Swimmer!

Ever since Brandi was  a tiny little thing living on Long Island, NY, she loved to swim and was good at it from first try.  Her little legs paddled across our above ground pool so quickly, we had to be in there with her to make sure that her beautiful nails didn't rip the liner on her way out.

 

Brandi Swimming

 

Never to be outdone, her older brother, Buddy frequently made the same attempt, but couldn't outshine Brandi as her agility skills were far too superior.

 

As described in my book about Buddy, called Finally Home, he wasn't one to go down without a fight, so,  he was relentless in learning. After a few tries, he was much better than when he first started .  He enjoyed a good splash in the water, but never could match Brandi's stamina, instead, he enjoyed swimming to a raft and getting pulled around by his obliging owners, yes, my husband and I.

 

Occasionally, Brandi would show him a thing or two by swimming over to his raft and like a child at play, bumped him off, leaving him to swim for himself.  This was one of many things that Brandi did to demonstrate her wonderful skills and perhaps even flex her alpha dog muscles once in a while.

Far better to have her flex them at play, rather than at war as for any dog that had entered our household, she had ninja techniques to subtly show them who was boss.  Throughout the years, no dog that has entered our home has ever been confused about their rank on the canine hierarchy.  

 

 

The Tradition Continues 

We have since moved to Las Vegas, NV and instead of an above ground pool, we have an inground which thankfully means, no liner to watch out for. 

 

As Buddy has since passed on, we are reminded of him by our dog Duke, whom we adopted last year.  Another dog who was unsure about stepping foot in the water, he's been with us a year and has since given in just a bit, satisfied with wading in the small area, while Brandi eases right in to a full swim.  Duke, looking on with amazement, watches her carefully.  I assume the wheels spinning in his mind the way Brandi swims circles around him.



Duke, trying to figure out Brandi's Swimming Techniques

 

As for Toffee, who knows how to swim, she wants no part of it, happiest watching from the sidelines for fear of getting her silky coat wet.



Toffee

 

Simplicity is The Best Medicine

These are the things that are simple, yet they are forever embedded in our minds about our dogs.  Every dog owner has a story.  Every dog owner can share a unique quality, a trait that makes their dog's personality one-of-a-kind.  Yet, in some way, we can all relate.  Some of the things our dogs do are similar.  It is those things that had inspired me to write a book on the topic, called, My Dog Does That!  It's for all of those quirky, untouchable things that make us love our dogs immeasurably.

 

What does your dog do that you find comical, sweet, or even frustrating?  Please share in the comments.  I'd love to hear your story!

 

~ Elizabeth Parker

"Bringing awareness about dog adoption and rescue, one dog at a time!"

Author of Finally Home, FinalJourney, Paw Prints in the Sand, Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished,My Dog Does That!, Bark Out Loud, Hearts of Gold, Unwanted Dreams, Phobia,Evil's Door and Faces of Deception. All books are available in Kindle andpaperback format on Amazon.com.

Hearts of Gold

Please join me in welcoming Duke in his SECOND cover model experience since we've adopted him less than one year ago.  Duke had come to us in November of 2012 and he was unable to walk and unwilling to eat. 
After a series of veterinary visits, tests and lots of prayer, we found out that our foster (at the time) had been diagnosed with Lyme Disease.  Even though he wasn't ours, we did everything we could to make him well again...and thankfully, he started walking and eating.
Since then, we've added him to our family and also to the cover of two of my books.  The first was Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished and the second is my newest book, Hearts of Gold.

Hearts of Gold:

A child should feel the safety of their parent's touch, the warmth of their compassion and the benevolence of their soul. For Peyton Bishop, it was quite the opposite. A victim of domestic abuse, Peyton, along with her mother, Morgan lived under constant fear of her father.
When Morgan sustains an injury from one of the beatings, Peyton needs to spend the night at her grandparents. As a method of enforcing her silence, her father gets rid of her golden retriever, Teddy and makes her believe it is her fault, showing her once again who is boss.
Once Morgan recovers, she promises that she will bring Peyton to safety in hopes of living a normal life, but Peyton continues to suffer from the sting of her father's words, an overwhelming guilt about losing Teddy.
A fictional story, centered around hope, love and loyalty between a child and her dog, that depicts emotional scars left from child abuse.

 

Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished

 

In the prequel, Paw Prints in the Sand, you read the heartwarming story about Foxy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever who was mistakenly sold to the owners of a puppy mill and lives to tell about it. Her story is one of encouragement and hope and enables us to realize how important it is to band together and save the lives of other dogs living in the same type of cruel environment. That is, if you can truly call it living. After all, these poor dogs are merely existing in cramped cages without proper food, exercise, medicine or love.
The inspirational sequel continues with a bit of a twist. A man suffering with what some might call a critical mid-life crisis (and then some) is contemplating life and trying desperately to find reasons to stay alive.
His wife left him, he hates his job and despises his less-than-appreciative boss. Life as he knows it is pointless. A chance situation gives him reason to smile and he finds himself conversing with a couple of men who are excited to begin a new venture building a modern dog shelter called, "Paw Prints in the Sand. "
Often, we hear about dogs that have been rescued by humans, but rarely do we acknowledge that the opposite is actually true. Discover how Harrison's life is drastically changed by opening his heart to these four-legged creatures. You'll find yourself in agreement that often it is our furry friends that rescue us just as much as we rescue them.

 

Can You Relate?

Dogs are walked and you think to yourself.  Self?  Time to relax.  Time to sit back, turn on that television you've been meaning to watch and enjoy your favorite television show.  But no, there's always one in the bunch that still wants to play.  In my case, her name is Toffee and she's on a mission.  As I sit to stare at the television, her toys are throw in the air blocking my view.  But, she has that award-winning smile. How am I supposed to resist? She thinks because she's been on the cover of a few of my books that she can rule the roost.  Well, guess what.  Ugh.  She's right.  We're going for a walk now.  She won...this time.  Stay tuned for more of Toffee's adventures.  They'll be plenty!

 

Toffee- Cover Model on Paw Prints in the Sand and My Dog Does That!

 

 

 

 

 

Hearts of Gold

Hearts of Gold was an emotional book to write as it combines the horrific life of a child who has experienced child abuse with the loss of a dog.  While a work of fiction, it demonstrates the strong bond between children and animals and how dogs can help heal on an emotional level.

Hearts of Gold is available on Nook, Kindle and in Paperback!!

~~A child should feel the safety of their parent's touch, the warmth of their compassion and the benevolence of their soul. For Peyton Bishop, it was quite the opposite. A victim of domestic abuse, Peyton, along with her mother, Morgan lived under constant fear of her father.
When Morgan sustains an injury from one of the beatings, Peyton needs to spend the night at her grandparents. As a method of enforcing her silence, her father gets rid of her golden retriever, Teddy and makes her believe it is her fault, showing her once again who is boss.
Once Morgan recovers, she promises that she will bring Peyton to safety in hopes of living a normal life, but Peyton continues to suffer from the sting of her father's words, an overwhelming guilt about losing Teddy.
A fictional story, centered around hope, love and loyalty between a child and her dog, that depicts emotional scars left from child abuse.~~

Click Here to Order!

Thanks for stopping by!  It's a Golden Thing is a blog in which I intend to devote solely to animals.  While it will contain a lot of cool dog things, don't be surprised to find pictures of cats, lions or any other animal!

 

This also means there will be lots of pictures, lots of links to other dog posts and lots of links to my dog books! Any information I have about dog products, reviews or services, I'll be sure to post here.

 

This blog was inspired by my passion for dogs and dog rescue, as well as by one of my books, called, Paw Prints in the Sand.  Stay tuned for future posts as I get this blog on its feet!

 

 

Paw Prints in the Sand

 

The perfect dog book for dog lovers everywhere.
Prequel to "Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished"
Love is a strong word signifying different things to different people. It is the relationship between man and woman, parent and child, siblings or friends. To many, it is the soulful bond between dog and its human.
Chelsea and Anthony were elated when they adopted Sugar and Spice, a male and a female retriever. The shelter attendant assured them that the female dog had been spayed, but the male dog needed to get neutered. When Sugar went for a checkup, they discovered otherwise; Sugar was pregnant.
So, when Sugar actually gave birth, finding the perfect owner for each puppy was arduous, but finding an owner for the last pup was downright heart wrenching. The last pup had just recovered from various health issues and had been nursed back to health by Chelsea. She had been in her care for six months--just enough time for Chelsea and her to form a powerful bond.
Alas, it was time to find the pup her forever home. Chelsea rejected many of the pursuers. None were good enough.
But on that warm summer afternoon, the seemingly perfect couple fit the bill. With tears in her eyes, Chelsea handed them the pup, the one she loved as if it were her own daughter. The one she secretly named Foxy.
Two years later, she received a phone call from the veterinarian. A loose dog was found and the microchip led them to Chelsea. It was only then that she discovered Foxy hadn't been given a good home after all. They had unknowingly handed her to the owners of a puppy mill.
As if a knife had been driven through her heart, Chelsea had a choice to make to save this dog. One that would make things right, as they should've been from the beginning. One that would change their lives forever.
A moving love story of sorts that demonstrates the unbreakable bond and sustainable love between dogs and humans.

A fictional novella about dogs.
*A portion of the proceeds will be donated to animal rescue.

 

 

 

The History Behind Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished

When I finished writing Paw Prints in the Sand, a strong emotion came over me.    As any author should, I loved the book.  I loved the characters, the story and of course, the dogs.  But more than that I loved the feeling that what happened at the ending could—and has—happened in real life.  At least on some level.

While reading the story, I felt as if I were on an emotional rollercoaster.  In order to fully portray the real horror behind puppy mills, I had do to something I didn't want to do. Research.  

I don't mind researching information for any story, but for this one, I knew what I found was going to break my heart, yet it was necessary.  

I found myself having to stop and take a break from writing because the tears were streaming down my face.  That should give you a good indication about how awful puppy mills truly are.  Once I pulled myself together, I continued on.  

At the same time that finished writing it, a puppy duck toller wandered into the hands of a rescue group and into my living room to foster.  The irony hit a chord with me.  See, duck tollers are not common here but yet as I was writing the ending, I was staring into the eyes of a breed that this very book was about.  A two month old at that.  I simply knew it was going to be special and because of that...I didn't want it to end.  Well, not quite. 

 

 

So, I took a break and in a month's time I thought of the perfect sequel.  And that is how Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished came about. 

The sequel, while a continuation of the first book, takes the story a bit further.  I wanted to demonstrate how powerful the bond is between human and dog.  It is very real and certainly tangible.  For those of us that have been there, we already know.  Some are just finding out for themselves.

 

In Paw Prints: Mission Accomplished, a man suffering with what some might call a critical mid-life crisis (and then some) is contemplating life and trying desperately to find reasons to stay alive.  

His wife left him, he hates his job and despises his less-than-appreciative boss. Life as he knows it is pointless. A chance situation gives him reason to smile and he finds himself conversing with a couple of men who are excited to begin a new venture building a modern dog shelter called, "Paw Prints in the Sand." 

Often, we hear about dogs that have been rescued by humans, but rarely do we acknowledge that the opposite is actually true.  Harrison often rolled his eyes at his friends who called their dogs "kids."  Now, he was one of them. 

Harrison's life is drastically changed by opening his heart to these four-legged creatures. You'll find yourself in agreement that often it is our furry friends that rescue us just as much as we rescue them. 

Every once in a while a dog walks into our life, changing our world forever, making us wonder how we ever got by without one.

 

Find it on Amazon!

Copyright © Elizabeth Parker 2013
"Bringing awareness about dog adoption and rescue, one dog at a time!"

Author of Finally Home, Final Journey, Bark Out Loud!, My Dog Does That!, Paw Prints in the Sand, Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished, Unwanted Dreams, Evil’s Door, Phobia and Faces of Deception

www.facebook.com/goldenbooks1

www.twitter.com/golden_books

www.elizabethparker.webs.com

Designer of Buddy Bracelets www.facebook.com/buddybracelets

www.twitter.com/buddybracelets

www.lvjewels.storenvy.com

 

 

Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished

The Sequel to Paw Prints in the Sand is OUT! 

In the prequel, Paw Prints in the Sand, you read the heartwarming story about Foxy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever who was mistakenly sold to the owners of a puppy mill and lives to tell about it. Her story is one of encouragement and hope and enables us to realize how important it is to band together and save the lives of other dogs living in the same type of cruel environment. That is, if you can truly call it living. After all, these poor dogs are merely existing in cramped cages without proper food, exercise, medicine or love. 

The inspirational sequel continues with a bit of a twist. A man suffering with what some might call a critical mid-life crisis (and then some) is contemplating life and trying desperately to find reasons to stay alive.

His wife left him, he hates his job and despises his less-than-appreciative boss. Life as he knows it is pointless. A chance situation gives him reason to smile and he finds himself conversing with a couple of men who are excited to begin a new venture building a modern dog shelter called, "Paw Prints in the Sand."

Often, we hear about dogs that have been rescued by humans, but rarely do we acknowledge that the opposite is actually true. Discover how Harrison's life is drastically changed by opening his heart to these four-legged creatures. You'll find yourself in agreement that often it is our furry friends that rescue us just as much as we rescue them.

Find it on Amazon! 

Copyright © Elizabeth Parker 2013

 

Author of Finally Home, Final Journey, Bark Out Loud!, My Dog Does That!, Paw Prints in the Sand, Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished, Unwanted Dreams, Evil’s Door, Phobia and Faces of Deception 

www.facebook.com/goldenbooks1

www.twitter.com/golden_books

 

Designer of Buddy Bracelets www.facebook.com/buddybracelets

www.twitter.com/buddybracelets

 www.lvjewels.storenvy.com