Norwegian Elkhound Puppies - Astra's Second Litter

On deadline, but wanted to take time out to share these adorable Norwegian Elkhound puppy pics with you! These are from Astra's most recent litter out of our breeder Jan Herinckx in Hillsboro, Oregon. You might remember Astra from previous posts. Mackenna has shown her in juniors and the breed ring. Rose used her for 4-H.

Aren't the pups oh-so-cute? Hard to believe our Cato was little just a year ago!

Meet the newest Brewer

This is a cute story about spring training, the Milwaukee Brewers and a stray dog. If the embed doesn't work, here's the link. Enjoy.

There's also this story in USA Today if you want to know more about Hank! So happy this little guy found a team and organization to not only take care of him, but love him!

Norwegian Elkhound Puppies - The Next Generation

I've lost track of all the Norwegian Elkhound puppy posts I've made so I decided not to number this one. These pups are from our breeder Jan Herinckx in Hillsboro, Oregon. We feel a special kinship with this liter because the mother is Grand Finale, who we had for a short time to socialize when she was a pup, and the father is Nash, who we had for several months last year when Cato went to live with Jan so she could work with him.

It's no wonder these are such cute pups! Add in the recent snow and well, I'll let you see for yourself!

Adorable, right? What better way to start the week than with puppies!

Have a great day! We have a snow/ice day here. No school!

BOB

Mackenna and Cato on Sunday

This weekend the girls, the dogs and I attended three days of dog showing in Enumclaw, Washington. The show, put on by the Olympic Kennel Club, is a big one with lots of breed specialty shows, including one for our dogs, Norwegian Elkhounds. I used this show as the setting for the final scene in The Man Behind The Pinstripes!

To say we had a good weekend doesn't do what happened justice.  At least that's what everyone in the know keeps telling us. All I know is my two girls and my two dogs did very well and I couldn't be happier for them!

Friday was the PSNEA Specialty Show. Not as many Norwegian Elkhounds were entered this year, but there were still going to be enough dogs for the show to count as a major. In order for a dog to get his/her championship, they have to win two majors and earn 15 points. There aren't that many Elkhounds in the Pacific Northwest so majors are a big deal!

Cato, our 10 1/2 month old puppy, was entered in Puppy Sweeps, Breed and would be shown in Junior Handling by Mackenna. Chaos, our 8 year old, was entered in Veterans and would be shown in Junior Handling by Rose. Since the girls were the only two Junior Handlers entered, I knew they'd be winning their classes and one of them would be Best Junior.

Other than Junior Handling we didn't expect any wins. Cato's not only a puppy, but also a boy puppy who is smart but very silly and has more growing and maturing to do. Plus he'd lost a lot of his coat and only recently stopped looking like a mangy coyote. Chaos is gorgeous, but is a thief and will steal any food left within her reach. She needs to loose a few pounds!

The competition on Friday afternoon began with Puppy Sweepstakes. This competition doesn't count for points, only bragging rights and a few dollars if you win. Mainly we wanted to get Cato more ring experience and this was a way to do that.

Cato won 1st Place in the 9-12 months Puppy (he was the only one in his class) then went on to win Best of Sweeps Juniors (i.e. best puppy that was was competing in the sweep!) We were thrilled. He and Mackenna looked so good together in the ring. I was a very proud mom of both my two legged and four legged kids. A great start to the weekend!

Next up was the Breed competition. The puppies went first. Cato one 1st place in 9-12 month old pups (only dog again.) But that meant he could now go on to compete for Winners dog. He surprised us by winning Winners dog. It was a three point major, too! His first major and his first points! None of us could believe it because he beat older and more mature dogs! 

A few of Friday's ribbons

Being Winners dog meant Cato got to go back into the ring for Best of Breed. There they pick the Best of Winners (between Winners Dog and Bitch) and the Best of Breed (aka BOB!.) We were stunned when Cato was picked Winners dog as well as Best of Breed! Mackenna had so many ribbon and prizes she needed help to hold everything!

But the day wasn't over. Mackenna won Best Junior showing Cato. (Chaos had placed second in Veterans and both she and Rose looked good in Juniors, Mack and Cato were on a roll!)

It was so exciting and everyone kept telling us how big this was! A dream day is how someone described it!

On Saturday, Cato won Reserve in Winners Dog (kinda like second place), then he and Mackenna made the cut in Juniors against twenty others. Not bad for the pup's first time in AKC Junior Handling. Rose and Chaos did well in Jrs. but didn't place.

On Sunday, Cato won his class and Winners dog. He was also named Best Winners again. His second major! That means all he needs is points to finish his championship. Not bad for a puppy! But he was finished showing by then. Mackenna took him into the Juniors ring for the Open Senior class and that was the last place he wanted to be. They didn't make the cut, but she couldn't complain after getting two majors in one weekend!

It was then Chaos and Rose's turn. They were spot on and won the Open Junior class. We were all excited. Wins for both kids and dogs. It doesn't get much better than that at a dog show!

Why it's Awesome to be a Nerd...

Wil Wheaton gives an infant girl a pep talk about being a nerd. This nerd loves this awesome video, and I had to share. Enjoy!




Have a great Thursday!

Stumptown

Chaos and Rose on Saturday

This weekend the girls competed with Chaos and Cato at the Portland Stumptown dog show.

This was Cato's first indoor show and beyond wanting to play with the other Elkhound in the ring when he went back in the first day, he did well. He and Mackenna look good together! The only problem is he isn't as into treats as Chaos so on Sunday morning she didn't feed him breakfast. That fixed the problem! A good thing they showed at 8 am!

Rose hadn't been in the Junior Showmanship ring since February, I believe. Back then, she was using our friends' Australian Shepherd, Piper, because Chaos was still getting used to her seizure medication. Well, Chaos is back. And she and Rose did fantastic. On Saturday, they won the Open Junior Class. That was Rose's first win as an Open. On Sunday, they received third place. Pretty exciting for them and us!

I bumped into a handler who'd helped Mackenna at this very show three years ago and planted the seeds for writing a romance about the dog show world. I'd forgotten to bring a copy of The Man Behind The Pinstripes to give her, but on Sunday (I stayed home to write) my hubby did!

How was your weekend?

Life Imitating Art

Becca Taylor, the heroine in my current release The Man Behind the Pinstripes, is a dog handler. This weekend I got a taste of what she does.

On Saturday, I took Grand Finale, a beautiful Norwegian Elkhound, into the ring.

Yeah, not what I planned on happening. I'd brought ring clothes just in case, but figured I'd just be holding leads. And it turned out exactly how you think it would.

Pretty much a nightmare.

I've been to handling classes with my daughter, but just to help out. I don't know how to stack or do much.

But there I was.

Did I mention it was a nightmare?

Poor Grand Finale.

But we survived.

She got lots of chicken.

I didn't trip or fall.

Hubby took a video of me in there but I haven't watched it yet. I lived it, no reason to see it again. But maybe I'll watch it someday. Then again, maybe not!

Hope you had a nice weekend!

Dog Handling Class

My children dragged me into the world of dog showing a couple of years ago. Until then, the only things I knew about the show dogs I learned from watching the movie Best In Show (actually pretty tame compared to the real thing) and the Westminster dog show on television. That is to say I didn't know much!

The descent started innocent enough...the 4-H dog program. Next came AKC Junior Handling. Then the oldest stepped into the breed ring.

To show for their dog showing efforts we now have lots of pretty ribbons, pictures of the kids and the dogs and judges on a podium, a few prizes and some fun memories spent at dog shows. I also have a book, my current release THE MAN BEHIND THE PINSTRIPES, that was inspired by my time spent at dog shows and much of it written at shows I attended last year.

The one thing I've never wanted to do (we're talking not ever) was show a dog myself.

For the past month (well, the last three weeks out of four), Mackenna and I have been attending a dog handling class to prepare Cato for his first dog show that's coming up. The instructor is a professional handler, dog behaviorist, and, I believe, breeder. She's a total dog person and really knows her stuff. Mackenna loves going. Given all the Norwegian Elkhounds that have been showing up for class (Cato, Nash, Chaos, Maia, Astra, Espen, Axel depending on the night) we've needed extra handlers. One of them has been me.

To say I'm uncomfortable doing this is putting it mildly. I'm not even sure I'd feel comfortable showing a cat!

But I'm a mom and mom's help out when called upon. Even if they have no idea what they are doing and probably look like they have two left feet when running around the ring!

Last night at the class, I was working with Chaos. It was my turn to stack her for "judging" then lead her around the ring and back to the "judge" again. Thankfully Chaos, who loves to be in the ring, knows what to do so I was just there to hold the lead. When we'd finished, the instructor said she'd make a handler out of me one of these days.

Most likely not, since I still have no clue what I'm doing, but it was nice of her to say!

Release Day!

The paperback version of my June book, The Man Behind the Pinstripes, goes on sale today! Now both formats are available!

I limit the reviews I read of my books, but I always check RT Book Review. I did this weekend, and I'm thrilled with what they had to say about my "dog" book. That's what I've been calling this story from the time I brainstormed it!

THE MAN BEHIND THE PINSTRIPES (4) by Melissa McClone: Caleb Fairchild, CEO of a skincare company, has always been cautious with women and careful about maintaining his professional image. But there’s something about Becca Taylor that makes his pulse race. Becca is trying to turn over a new leaf and erase her bad girl image when she is hired as a consultant for Caleb’s billion-dollar business. The two quickly butt heads, but both learn that life is all about taking risks in business and in love. Clearly, McClone is a fan of four-legged friends and she portrays their significance in this tale beautifully. Her latest is well written with likable characters — and canines.

Reviewed By: Jaime A. Geraldi

Chaos and Nash

I love that the reviewer mentions the dogs since they are secondary characters in the book. Chaos and Nash agree! I have a feeling that's because there's a Norwegian Elkhound in the book named Maurice. There's also many other types of dogs, too.

I'm planning to get a newsletter out soon. This will be my first in many years so if you want a copy there's a signup link in the right sidebar. Be assured, I won't be sending out lots and lots of newsletters. Just ones to announce releases or any big news.

Hope you have a nice day!

Going to the dogs!

Available in June

Do you like dogs? Do you have a dog? I'd love to feature your dog on my Facebook page. Info is at the end of this post!

I may be a crazy cat lady, but I love dogs, too. I'll be honest. I wasn't really a dog person until we adopted a Norwegian Elkhound named Chaos in 2008. We'd had dogs when I was a kid, but they were more my mom's dog not ours. But Chaos arrived, 2 1/2 years old and settled in that first night without a hiccup. It's been smooth sailing with the most perfect dog ever for us.

We now have a puppy living with us, Cato, who is Chaos' grandpup. Her daughter, Tango, gave birth to him in September. He's full of puppy and boy mischief and a lot of work, but so worth it!

Although Chaos was a champion showdog, she'd had a litter of pups, been retired from the ring and was ready for life with a family (i.e. us!) We knew nothing about the dog world, really dogs in general, so never even thought to change the AKC paperwork to our names.

In 2009, we were at a picnic put on by the Puget Sound Norwegian Elkhound Association in honor of all the dogs they rescued. At the same location, the AKC was hosting a breed day. There we met a Siberian Husky breeder who suggested my oldest look into dog 4-H. We figured 4-H was for farm kids, but we found out that the county where we live has a huge dog program for obedience and confirmation.

Mackenna with "Astra" in San Diego

My daughter, Mackenna, got hooked on dog showing. A year later, she competed in her first AKC Junior Showmanship competition and soon she was handling other people's dogs in the Breed ring. My youngest, Rose, didn't want to be left out, so last year, once she was old enough to compete, she started showing dogs, too.

Needless to say, I've spent many hours—okay, days—at dog shows. Writers find inspiration in different things, for my newest release from Harlequin Romance, THE MAN BEHIND THE PINSTRIPES, I found it in the four-footed-fur-covered cuties and dog handlers dressed in nice suits.

My heroine Becca Taylor took the blame for something she didn't do and paid a high price when she was eighteen. Now, she has put the past behind her and is focused on her goal to be a full-time dog handler. She doesn't want anything or anyone to stand in her way. But one person is messing up her plans—Caleb Fairchild. He runs his family's skin care empire and wants to put an end to his grandmother's obsession with dog showing. That means getting rid of dog handler Becca ASAP.

 Here's the actual blurb from the book cover:

His pinstripe suit is normally his armor…

Becca Taylor has worked hard to overcome her troubled past and start a new life. But when Caleb Fairchild marches into her life, the instant attraction between them is the last thing she needs!

CEO Caleb has learned the hard way not to suffer fools and to be careful of whom to trust. Why should Becca, gorgeous as she is, be any different? But he can't help but be drawn to her, to want to get close to her. So when her secrets are blown out into the open, betrayal seems inevitable. Unless the truth can start to crack the iron walls he's built around his heart.…

Do you have a dog? I'd love to feature readers' pups on my Facebook page, so if your game, please post a pic here with a brief description/story/whatever about your furbaby. I'll then take that info and put your dog on my timeline. The page is public so I'm hoping anyone can post. If not, use the contact button above, and I'll give you an email address to use.

Thanks!

Cato is back!

Our puppy Cato is back home with us. He's been with the breeder since the first weekend in April. Boy, has he grown! We're hoping he can stay permanently. He had a couple issues that needed sorting out so we'll see how he does.

Unfortunately that meant sweet little Nash went back to the breeder. We miss him, especially my son. Nash is a very nice little puppy. So much smaller than Cato, but he's nearly three months younger, too. But it was great to have him for the last six weeks! I spoke with the breeder last night and he's doing fine.

So is Cato. It didn't take long (a few minutes) for him to remember the house and get very excited. He even ran to where his old cushion used to be. (Nash wet on it so it had to go away, but we'll get Cato a new one.)

Needless to say, we're all very happy and happy that our baby boy is back home!

June Cover Reveal

This is the cover for my upcoming June release. There are many dogs in it since the heroine is a dog handler.

Here's the back cover copy:

His pinstripe suit is normally his armor…

Becca Taylor has worked hard to overcome her troubled
past and start a new life. But when Caleb Fairchild marches
into her life, the instant attraction between them is the last
thing she needs!

CEO Caleb has learned the hard way not to suffer fools
and to be careful of whom to trust. Why should Becca,
gorgeous as she is, be any different? But he can’t help but
be drawn to her, to want to get close to her. So when
her secrets are blown out into the open, betrayal seems
inevitable. Unless the truth can start to crack the iron walls
he’s built around his heart.…

You can preorder it here on Amazon.

Hope you have a nice Friday. I'm hoping my sick kidlet is feeling better so we can at least enjoy one day of spring break!

Chaos

Yesterday did not turn out as I expected. Not unusual around here, but this time our dog, Chaos, lived up to her name.

She had a seizure in the morning. According to the vet, a Grand Mal seizure.

To say it was scary doesn't really explain how helpless and terrified we felt when this was happening. Fortunately hubby was home. He was with Chaos when it started and yelled for me.

As soon as she stopped seizing, I phoned our vet and off to the animal hospital we went. Tests, x-rays—all normal. They didn't feel medication was needed at this point, but we were encouraged to make an appointment with a neurologist. She has one on Tuesday.

At the Animal Hospital

A second big seizure happened last night. This one was worse than this mornings, lasted longer and had a longer recovery period. And this time the two youngest kids were with her when it happened. They were terrified. Rose especially. Hubby wasn't home, either.

Fortunately, the same vet we'd seen earlier in the day was still at the animal hospital. A change of treatment was ordered. They were going to be putting her on two medications now. So as soon as hubby arrived home, it was back to the animal hospital to pick up a bottle of pills, then off to a 24 hr Walgreens to feel another prescription. It was almost midnight when we got home.

Life for Chaos has now changed. She can't be left alone in the house if no one can watch her. That meant sleeping in her crate last night not on our bed because the vet is worried if she has a seizure she could fall off. She was not happy about that, either. But once the medicine is in her system, she can go back to her old ways.

Many dogs have epilepsy. It can be controlled by medication. But the vet is concerned because she said most dogs show symptoms between the ages of 2 and 6. Chaos is seven-and-a-half. We'll see what the neurologist says. We'd appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for our beloved Chaos. She is such a sweetheart of a dog. We want her to feel better!

Proposal off!

I emailed my proposal to my agent around midnight. I love this story. I feel the same way about it as I did all the other Hood Hamlet ideas, but it's a touch bittersweet since this will wrap up the mountain rescue series. I always knew Paulson's story would be the last one.

Though even though this is the final book, it's not quite writing itself as I'd hoped! I had the wonderful idea yesterday to rewrite Chapter 3. Okay, not just rewrite, but start over. I didn't like what I'd had. Not the best idea given it needed to be sent later that night. Oh, well...

It's off.

Now I can work on the rest of the story and get the house ready for Christmas. The kids didn't want to do anything without me. Which is odd because they decorated for Halloween and Easter without me. Guess Christmas is different. Tonight, we're making a gingerbread house, too!

It's time for some puppy pics.

 Cato is really growing. He's getting better with the potty training, but still not quite there. We've moved him from the X-pen to crate training, too. Lots of barking and sleepless nights. This is the longest we've had a puppy. I'm waiting for it to get easier!

But Cato really is a cutie!

Rose dressed up the puppy in a costume. He didn't seem to mind too much unlike the cats who act like the end of the world has arrived and they will kill you. Yeah, dogs and cats are very different.

I love the picture to the left of grandma Chaos and her grandson Cato. The two don't always get along that well, but they're doing pretty good. Chaos will keep the pup in line and she's oh-so-patient with the nibbling and climbing all over her.

On my To Do list for today:

1) Post office visit
2) School with kids
3) Vet visit
4) Decorating house

What do you have going on?

Weekend Recap

It's been a dog-filled weekend (i.e. we attended a dog show on Saturday and Sunday.) Plus watching Cato, the puppy, is a full-time job if he isn't in the X-pen.

A good thing Cato's so cute. That little guy is living up to his name (named after the Career Tribute from District 2 in The Hunger Games.) He has no fear of anything, including the cats!

I feel sorry for them because the LOLcat to the left pretty much sums up the weekend the felines around here had! We had to be on guard all the time! But I must admit I'm impressed by the cats' patience with the puppy under the circumstances. I owe them all some special treats.

Cato and Mackenna

But we made good progress in potty training thanks to implementing a bell. A couple of friends recommended that and you should have seen our excitement when he actually rang it yesterday. He also had a bath. Not sure what he's been getting into, but that sweet puppy smell was being overpowered by something none of us wanted to smell!

I've also been working hard on my new proposal. It's due in one week.

While the girls and I were at the dog show, hubby and our son got more lights up outside. It looks so nice, but our son thinks we need more. He wants to decorate everything so I guess they'll be at it again as soon as they have some free time.

The boxes of Christmas decorations made it into the house, but between the dogs and writing, I didn't touch one of them. It didn't help that lights on two of the branches went out. I think Cato may have had something to do with that!

In other news, I gave my first quote on a book. Kissing Kendall is being released today by Entangled Bliss. Jennifer Shirk who writes "sweet" romance like I do asked if I'd give her one. You can see what I said if you click on the cover pic.

This is book two of a series, but it's very much stand-alone. I'd never read book #1 and had no problem jumping right in. You can read an excerpt of Kissing Kendall at Amazon to get a taste of her voice. Just click on the Look Inside near the cover. If you like the kind of stories I write, check her out.

Well, the puppy is barking. Chaos is pacing. The cats are sleeping. The kids are out of the house today which means I'd better get writing!

Hope you have a nice Monday.

Red Puppy

Grandma Chaos and Grandson

 Norwegian Elkhound pups are just so cute. I guess puppies by definition are cute, but red puppy was adorable and so sweet!

Yesterday Rose and I drove red puppy back to the breeder. We were sad to see him go. His personality really came out after Thanksgiving. He liked to run, chase and play with anything he could sink his sharp little teeth into. We had to watch our hands and clothing and most especially, shoes.

When he arrived, he'd never used a leash. It didn't take Mackenna long to get him leashed trained. He had no issues with it at all. He also learned when we took him out to the grass, it was time for him to go potty. Oh, there were still some accidents in the house, but he was doing much better by the time he left.

Hide & Seek or Naptime?

He wasn't quite sure why no one wanted to play with him. Not humans, but Chaos and the cats. He tried everything to get them to play. But he usually got bopped on the head by a cat or earned a growl from Chaos. Still I have to give him credit for trying. At one point he bopped Beauty on the head. She bopped him back. This went on a few times until the puppy crouched ready to play. Beauty, however, turned and walked away. Poor red puppy.

We'll be getting one of his brothers sometime this week to socialize so will go through the entire routine again: leash training, potty training, socializing. A good thing since the house seems really quiet now. And this house is rarely quiet!

What did you do this weekend?

Norwegian Elkhound Puppies and Surprises

Puppy pics showed up in the my inbox last night. What a nice surprise!

 I don't have any photos of Chaos when she was a puppy so have no idea if any of her three grandsons look like her. But no matter, they are still adorable! I just want to cuddle and hold them. Norwegian Elkhound puppies are the cutest!

The samples from my photographer friend, Jennifer, from the photo shoot came out great. I don't know if I can post them here, but she has a Facebook page. Here's the link if you want to see three of the pics. Since Camas Photography is a public page, you shouldn't need a Facebook account to see it.

I must admit it's been a week of surprises. I got my biggest on Monday. I'd gone to due a volunteer shift at the alternative school my youngest kids attend two days a week. My shift in my son's classroom falls on a holiday this month so needed to reschedule volunteering and consulting with the teacher.

I was so tired after doing revisions and sending them off Sunday night. All I wanted to do was sleep when I got home so I went straight upstairs. There was something on my pillow and it wasn't a cat!

My sweet hubby had purchased a Kindle Fire HD for me. A present to celebrate getting the book turned in. This was the book I wrote while sick. Pretty much I was sick most of the writing and revising process so to say it was a bear is putting it lightly.

He also got me a pretty red leather case for it. Red is my fave color. And a fast charger.

I was and still am so touched. We don't do presents around here. The kids get them, but it's rare we exchange more than a card. To get something like a Kindle and not have it be for anything special even... Well, I get a little misty eyed.

I've never had an eReader before because I prefer paper. But we have Amazon Prime and I love to watch movies when I have free time. Monday night I got to see Thor on my Kindle. Pretty cool! I did buy a couple of eBooks, too. So we'll see how that goes.

Have a great Wednesday. Mine won't be too crazy, but I do have a couple classes to teach at church!

Contest Winner and Norwegian Elkhounds

Chaos in her Halloween costume

The kidlets and Chaos had a very fun time Trick or Treating on Wednesday night. A friend of Finn's came over to join in the fun and spend the night.

Mackenna dressed up as a purple crayon. She headed over to a friend's house for the evening. That neighborhood has homes that give out King Size candy bars. She was happy with her candy haul.

Finn dressed up as Finn from Adventure Time. He got lots of comments about his costume. That show is more popular than I realize.

His friend Matthew was a lumberjack. He made an axe out of wood to carry. It was very cool.

Rose was a raccoon. She looked absolutely adorable with her little black mask and furry hood.

Of course, Chaos goes out, too. If not I wouldn't be able to answer the door to pass out candy. Can you tell what she is?

Last night we went to Camas Photography which is owned by my friend Jennifer. The Norwegian Elkhound breeder, Jan, from Hillsboro met us there for a photo shoot with three puppies. These three little guys are Chaos' grandsons!

We had so much fun! They are the sweetest little puppies. All over the place, but oh-so-cute all you want to do is cuddle them. I can't wait to see the pics. The one on the right I took with my iPhone so not the best quality!

It's time to announce the winner of the October contest. The winner is Jane who commented on my post Calling In Dead. Jane, please you the contact button to send my your email address and let me know whether you want a $10 amazon or bn.com gift certificate. You have 7 days to contact me or I'll pick another winner! Thanks to everyone who entered.

A new contest started yesterday. Each comment gets you an entry. Be sure to check back at the beginning of next month to see if you won!

Have a great Friday!

Puppies!

Still not feeling well so this will be brief. Chaos is a grandmother! Her daughter, Tango, gave birth to four puppies between last night and this morning. Unfortunately, the youngest pup didn't survive. But the other three are doing well! I can't wait to visit them. Norwegian Elkhound puppies are the cutest things!

Hope you have a nice Monday!

Links for Tuesday

I'm short on time this morning. Overslept my alarm after my dog decided she had to get up at 5:05 am to go outside. I must give Chaos credit. There was something tramping around in the wetland preserve to the north, but still...

These two stories came across my Facebook newsfeed yesterday. They are, of course, about animals.

The first is a great story about strangers (well, not on-line since they belonged to the same forum) coming together to rescue a dog who was injured and left by her owner on a mountain in Colorado. Now the owner has been charged with animal cruelty, and the person who found and later rescued the dog wants to adopt her. Interesting read and pics here on dogheirs.com. I'm still scratching my head about the dog's owner who left her on the mountain. I know a person is innocent until proven guilty, but his actions just don't make any sense to me.

After reading this next story, I was sure it had been put out by The Onion, but no, it looks legit since it was posted by NBC affliliate station KSEE. According to vet researchers, cats who beg for food or are too eager to eat their dinners may be suffering from mental illness. I'm wondering who paid for this study—a group of wanna-be cat pyschologists and feline psychiatrists, perhaps?

I've got a couple cats like this. The reason they act that way isn't because they have psychological problems or eating disorders. It's because they are cats. Those who have a strong hunting instinct, especially ones who aren't allowed outside, will want search for food anywhere it can find it, including the table and a human's plate. Hunger will also do it. If you want to read the original story from the UK Daily Mail, it's here.

Have a great Tuesday