The Dog Days of Summer


There's nothing like a puppy. Yes, they're whiney and goofy and needy and messy and bitey… and adding one to your family should not be a quick decision since they require lots of TLC... but they're also loveable, charming and have their own quirky personalities that add so much to your life.

Recently, we added Leia to our family. She's a mix of a cavalier cocker spaniel and a miniature poodle called a Cavapoo. However, some of the puppies in a litter can favor the poodle side more, as does our other dog, 3-year-old Zoey, or the Cavalier side, as does Leia. In fact, Leia resembles a cavalier king so much, my husband jokingly calls her a Cavacav…

When we picked her up from the breeder, she wasn't nearly as scared as Zoey had been. In fact, she went right to town investigating the toys and chewy puppy-approved bones I'd brought while riding on my lap in between snuggly naps. (It was a nine-hour drive). The weather wasn't on our side. It poured, the kind of rain that turns your clothes into second skin in under a minute. Yet every time we stopped to let Leia do her business, she gamely loped along on the end of the lead, soaked, but doggedly sniffing out a spot for herself. I knew, in an instant, the gutsy little girl would one day be the alpha of our little pack, at five pounds soaking wet. (literally)




Time only strengthened the impression. Zoey's always been a sweet girl who doesn't have one mean bone in her little body. She always wants to please... so alpha she is not. When she first met Leia, she was taken aback by the puppy's boldness in tackling her, playing tug of war, and insisting on sharing the coveted "mom lap" in the front seat of the car and just about everything else. There's nothing shy about Leia and it actually works for Zoey. There were a few snarly moments in the beginning, but they quickly became wrestling brawlers, dining companions and napping buddies- including sharing Zoey's bedtime sleep spot (aka- MY pillow- sigh*)



Anyone who doesn't think animals have feelings or individual personalities either hasn't owned a pet or shouldn't. Zoey and Leia are a bit of an odd couple with Zoey quieter and sweeter and Leia bolder and sassier, but they've become true friends. Puppies are a lot of work, and owning two dogs can be an exhausting, all-consuming act-of-love and sacrifice (in fact, I might need to ask my editor for an extension on my next book- lol). However, I don't begrudge a minute of "me" time since I prefer "us". Adding a new addition to the family is completely worth it for the pure joy and love only pets can bring. It's their world and we're so lucky to get to live in it :)

I'm giving away an advanced copy of my upcoming September release, Cole Loveland's romance, A COWBOY'S PRIDE (Rocky Mountain Cowboys, Book Four)! If you'd like to win a copy, please share the names of your beloved fur babies, past and present and their favorite toy or game or treat to be entered to win an autographed print copy. I'll announce the winner here on Sunday, July 8th. Good luck, friends :-)



Comments

  1. I love reading about your babies. Leia looks like a fun addition to the family. Good luck with the new release!

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    1. She's such a great addition! And she's certainly livened up our family. Now when I write, my new age soundscape music is drowned out by thundering paws as they chase each other around the house... but it makes me laugh to see them having such a good time together :)

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  2. Any kind of baby creature is adorable but puppies and kittens are love magnets aren’t they? I guess because we can witness their emerging personalities. Leia has a strong, appealing one already! Loved the photos and best wishes on the new release, Karen!

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    1. Thank you, Janice! She's the kind of puppy that when you say "no" she just cocks her head and keeps chewing on whatever bad thing she's gotten her paws on and looks at you with a silent "What?" lol

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  3. Love fun babies, even if I don't have one of my own. Congrats on your up coming release, anything to do with cowboy's is a winner to me.

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  4. Your dogs are so adorable! Because of your dog posts over the years, every time I see a Cavalier I think of you :). I have 2 large labradoodles (and 3 cats), so I know what you mean about leaning more in appearance towards one breed or the other. My oldest (now 10 1/2) is super, super curly and some of her coat is mixed with wooly, hairy, curly etc...Very hard to groom. My second is 4 years younger and has a light, thin, wavy coat. She doesn't even look like a labradoodle, yet she's second gen, whereas my first is a first gen (who had a wiry, wavy coat brother my friend got at the time). And their personalities are totally different and match up to the way you describe your Leia and Zoey lol.

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    1. My neighbor has a labradoodle and it's so cute! Very playful :) I hear you about the brushing! Zoey just gets a token "brush" (me must lightly passing the brush over her dense curls) because she loves the sensation so much- and I do brush her ears since those are wavy, not tight curls. Leia, thankfully, likes being brushed, too, but she actually needs to be brushed because her hair is like a humans and gets tangled easily. People reading this are probably cringing thinking of all we do for "animals" but they are family members to me :)

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    2. I totally agree that they're family members :). I do all the grooming myself too, including the cats (brushing, nail clipping) and the dogs when they sometimes need to be shaved, bathed etc...It's an all day bonding experience that can get frustrating at times lol. Imagine an 80 pound headstrong labradoodle who doesn't want you grooming her paws, so she tucks them under her body and gives you a 'let's see you try now' look. Gotta love them. Such kids!

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    3. LOL- agreed- such kids! Maybe if you don't see the paws tucked under my belly you'll forget you meant to cut the claws after all...? lol

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  5. my fur babies were very old and died. my dog name daisy had a dog toy she loved. I am looking forward to reading A COWBOY'S PRIDE (Rocky Mountain Cowboys, Book Four)!Thank you for the opportunity to win.Have a wonderful week and weekend.

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    1. Daisy is such a cute name! I'm sure you miss her very much. Thanks so much for sharing her favorite toy, Tina, and stopping by the blog :)

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  6. OMG, I adore Leia and Zoey! Puppy goodness. :)

    I haven't owned dogs since I was a kid, but I love them to pieces.

    My pets have all been cats in my adulthood, and I've had so many great ones who all still hold a special place in my heart.

    My first one was Bubba ... he was a buff tabby who never knew a stranger, sort of thought he was a dog instead of a cat and was the very best guy in the world. If you opened a jar of peanut butter, you better be willing to share because Bub could smell that stuff a mile away and loved it! We rescued him as a kitten and had him for 16 years.

    My next one was Jasper. He was a polydactyl (extra toes) dark gray/brown tabby with lots of soft white on his belly. We rescued him at 6 and had him for 11 wonderful years. He loved to follow you from room to room and snuggle in your lap. He loved kitty food ... any kitty food ... ALL the kitty food. :)

    Then came litter sisters Lucy (long haired orange tabby) and Ginger (long haired buff tabby) who we got as kittens. My sister-in-law rescued a pregnant stray calico and these were 2 of her 3 babies. Lucy was very shy and skittish, had the softest fur on her head you ever touched and was so sweet and gentle. Ginger was shy around strangers but a boisterous when she knew you. We had Ginger for 14 years and Lucy for 15.

    And last but not least is our current baby Missy. She's a Jasper mini-me looks wise. He was still alive when we first got her and if you only saw them from behind, you wouldn't know which one it was other than size difference. She's a little thing ... short legs, small body, big attitude. We guess her to have been about one when we rescued her, and we've currently had her for 16 years. She's getting old, but she's still loving her snuggles.

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    1. Awwww! Your descriptions of your fur babies is so vivid I can picture each of them. I had a black and white short hair with extra toes and crossed green eyes. He was so friendly that when he wandered to another street and another family took him in, he stayed until my sister knocked on their door to sell Girl Scout cookies and discovered him! Then it was quite the battle to get Mushi back because he was so loveable everyone wanted him! Needless to say, we got our kitty back, but we felt so bad for the family that had to give him back.

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  7. Your fur babies are so cute! I currently have two kitties named Ruffles and Precious. Ruffles is older and he tolerates his little sister and Precious is a character who loves to play toss-the-mouse-in-the-air and she really, really loves her older brother.

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    1. My cat Angel loved toss the mouse! Once he got it, he'd scoot under the couch to chew on his "kill" lol. Unfortunately, Angel's been diagnosed with lung cancer and, at 17, we're getting ready to put him down because it's metastasized to his bones and he now has foot pad infections. The doctor is having us try antibiotics to see if we can heel the paw and buy a little more time with our baby, but I sense we'll be saying goodbye soon to our sweet boy.

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  8. My cat growing up (into my 20s) was Sara! She was the best! I don't know if she had any favorite toys, but she would let me dress her up in baby clothes way too often. I miss her a lot!

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    1. Sara sounds like a sweetheart! And you can never dress a willing cat up in baby clothes too often- lol. Thanks for sharing that :)

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  9. I haven't had a dog now in over 8 years but I miss Simba every day. I got her when she was just 6 weeks old. She was part chow and shepherd , mostly chow. I had her for 14 years and having her go to rainbow bridge was one of the hardest thing's I've ever done. I miss her barking in her sleep, the tuft's of long hair near her ears, and her love of McDonald French fries! She had to learn early on not to jump on people as my second husband was in a wheel chair. She also stood beside me if I fell to help me get back up. She never went out the front door unless her leash was on her. I know she had a heart. When her cat buddy , Scrapper, died she would sit at the door looking for him. After my second husband passed on I seen someone in the distance with possibly a scooter. She wanted to go see if it was my then late husband!! She remembered him but didn't understand he was gone forever. She loved Doug , my now third husband. When he had to be gone several months I wondered if she would remember him? She didn't fail me. When he walked into the kitchen she was right there ready to knock him and me down to the floor. She didn't forget! He say's she could sense if he was close to a petite seizure and she would lay at his feet. I have yet to get another dog. I just can't. I love dogs so much but I have a spoiled rescue kitty that's almost 5 now and he has no clue what a dog is ! Stormy is glued to Doug for having been born in the wild. I can't wait for this new story of your's Karen!

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    1. I just fell head over heels for Simba! What a special dog. She definitely had loads of heart and clearly loved all of you. When you love and lose, it is hard to even think about starting over so I'm glad Stormy came into your life when you and Doug needed her :) And I'm excited for you to read A Cowboy's Pride, too, Pam :)

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  10. Your dogs are so cute. Love seeing them on your Facebook posts. I don't currently have any animals. It's the part about losing them at the end of their life that I can't do any more.

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    1. I completely understand, Roz. My neighbors lost their beloved dog, Cody, of 13-years in January and Carrie told me that she found Don by the pool crying on father's day because he missed his little boy. The pain of losing someone you love so much is devastating. I'm glad my pet pictures are making you smile :)

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  11. I love your dogs. We have always had 2 dogs so when our Dexter passed DeeDee was beside herself. I went to the humane society and got Daisy also a chihuahua they said but not. She is black just like Dexter and DeeDee is white. DeeDee has been such a mama girl to Daisy as she is 9 yrs older than Daisy. It is so funny when they play together as DeeDee will have a bone in her mouth and prance around the house and the next thing is they are running after each other. When DeeDee drops the bone of course Daisy who looks like the last thing she needs is a bone will have it in her mouth. They are my constant companion since I am home bound and I am so grateful for them. We had a big dog also whose name was Wishbone and Daisy has a part of Wish and Dexter in her. All of our dogs that have passed are buried on our land wherever was their favorite area.

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    1. Awwww! What a beautiful pet family you have! Daisy sounds like quite the character and the way she and DeeDee fight over the same bone sounds just like Zoey and Leia. Sometimes, I literally hold the bone in the middle so they can each chew one end- all while we have about ten other bones lying around... sheesh...lol. They bring us so much, joy though I can never complain! Thanks so much for sharing about Dexter, Dee, Daisy and Wishbone!

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  12. The kitten and puppy stage is so adorable. One of my cats (a rescue) is three now, but he still acts like a kitten, with frequent wild-guy moments when he careens off the walls.

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    1. LOL- so adorable! I'm glad your kitty still has the kitten playfulness. It's so much fun to watch them and play with them. I remember when we were kids we didn't have money for cat toys so we used to crinkle newspaper into a ball, tape it up, then tie it to a twig/small branch and we'd drag it around for our cat to chase all day!

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  13. What a cute pair! My girl, Roxy, just pawed her bed closer so she's lying actually against my chair and not just near it. She's nine now, but if you squeak a toy, she's a puppy.

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    1. Awww! My dogs love to mash up on the recliner with me when I write. They're our co-authors, right? Roxy sounds adorable. She needs to be showered in squeaky toys xo

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  14. Interesting that you post about dogs, and our dog has his own drama. At the groomer's he decided to lick the scissors. He's a licky dog, and will French kiss anyone. Apparently, the tongue bleeds quite a bit. We ended up with a free grooming, but a more expensive visit to the vet to find Charlie was fine. So, in case you were wondering, no, Cocker Spaniels are not the most intelligent of the dog breeds. Possibly the cutest, but not the smartest.

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    1. Oh no! You're poor baby. Leia is very lick-y. She also puts her paws on either side of your mouth to hold you so she can really go to town. She's aggressively affectionate if that's even a thing- lol. How terrifying for your baby to cut his tongue. I'm glad Charlie's okay and I'd say I hope he learned his lesson, but... he's a Cocker Spaniel so I'll say the groomer learned his/her lesson not to get those scissors near your sweet fur baby's mouth!

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  15. I have shadow love my black cat diva princess and then there is Zippy mittens, who is a boxer girl. And finally we just adopted a boy stray, and call him Charlie Bear..

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    1. You have the cutest pet names, Susan! They sound adorable and how kind of you to adopt Charlie Bear. We're in the process of catch a local feral cat we've been feeding and give him a home but he's super skittish... though I am super persistent when it comes saving animals so I already know how this turns out...

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  16. The first dog I can remember was a mix of miniature Manchester and rat terrier. He was a dog that was given to my Dad, who was a career Army man, for arranging to have a soldier’s tour overseas changed to his wife’s native country. He wasn’t going to be able to take the dog regardless of where he went. I can remember it showing up with his nails polished red and his wife crying because she was losing her “baby”. At 5 I told her that I would take care of her baby for her. I did just that letting it sleep in my dog buggy and he became my “baby”. His name was Chaffee – coincidentally we were stationed at Fort Chaffee, AR. I was a teenager when he crossed the rainbow bridge.

    My second dog was a silver toy poodle who was a birthday present on her 5th birthday. She wanted a black toy poodle and wanted to name him Haunky. Well, we didn’t know at the time that silver poodles were born black and that you have to look at the eye color to find out what they really are. Silver poodles have brown eyes while black poodles have black eyes. By the time he turned silver, he was our baby and no turning back regardless if he was purple. Jenet died when she was 17 leaving us with her furbaby as a living reminder of our precious daughter. We battled several medical problems taking him to specialist in Little Rock telling the vet that although we loved him and couldn’t stand the thought of losing a part of Jenet again, it was the quality of his life that mattered not the quantity. When time came, I held him as he crossed the rainbow bridge.

    It was an awful blow when we lost Haunky and it took a few years for the heart to heal to where we could open our hearts up again to properly loving another furbaby. In 2004, the time was right and Snickerdoodle found us. We had went to look at two puppies thinking we would more than likely take one but came home with the other after he looked into our eyes. He’s been our joy and our life ever since. He was the dog that my Dad bonded with the most in all my years. They would keep each other company as Mom and I cooked or cleaned house. When my Dad went to his heavenly home just 8 months later, Snickerdoodle went to live with my Mom to keep her company. About 6 months later, Mom said it was time for her little brown eye little man to come home – and he did When Mom came to live with us after a nasty cancer surgery and with Alzheimer, Snickerdoodle was her focal point and kept her company once again. She never forgot and said “Love” while pointing to him at bedtime the night she went to her heavenly home.

    Snickerdoodle came into our lives when the time was right. He is our furbaby and goes everywhere with us. I don’t want to think about his crossing the rainbow bridge, but also know he has medical problems including having starting taking insulin twice a day. We are soon taking a bucket list trip to Yellowstone National Park and all plans were made with him in mind – where we could stay, about his meals and where he could go. When we go, we will take lots of photos and memories to last a lifetime of the three of us, as a family, the Garrett’s – Kay, Dale and Snickerdoodle.

    Thank you for the chance to win an ARC of “A COWBOY'S PRIDE” the Rocky Mountain Cowboys, Book Four. I can’t wait for the opportunity to read this book. I am sure it’s every bit as wonderful and the ones before it.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Kay you made me cry. I think God created humans so that we could take care of his creatures and you are an embodiment of his wish. What a beautiful tribute to your pets, and your daughter and mother. It's clear you've loved and cared for all in your life and they've been lucky to have received that care. There will surely be a line-up of people and pets waiting to greet you, and thank you, when it's your time to leave this world for the next. My dog, Lizzie, had diabetes, btw and she had to have insulin shots. It's funny how you'll do things for animals that you'd never think yourself capable of doing because of the love they give us. Thank you for sharing your beautiful memories with us on the Heartwarming blog!

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  17. Mistletoe my MinPin she gives loves and smiles. She will be 15 in November. She has lost teeth and her hearing but she follows sign language. Love her!💜🐶

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    1. What a sweetie! And you’re taking such great care of her �� My Lizzie was deaf and blind in the last year of her life and she still trusted me enough to go on leash walks! Animals give so much love.

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  18. (Not entering) I love the stories about your fur babies, Karen! At the moment we don't have any pets (except some house trained spiders and flies, lol ) I would love to have a cat again, but hubby isn't ready yet. We had a wonderful white, blue-eyed ragdoll, she was deaf and she managed to make us smile at least once a day. We have great memories of her, especially when she went with us when we got married. At the registrar's office she was quiet, until- you guessed it - the question came if there was someone who was opposed to see us married, then she complained very loudly.

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    1. A blue-eyed rag doll- she must have been gorgeous and what a character! Animals add so much to our lives - I love her interruption at the wedding! She knew just when to vocalize to get a laugh 😂

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  19. Our current fur baby is Ace, he is my son's best friend. He loves toys that squeak and he loves to chase a ball around. Still a puppy at six

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    1. Ace sounds adorable and how awesome for your son to have a best friend and playmate at home who’ll always give him unconditional love ❤️

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  20. Oh my goodness!! A new fur baby! I love it and I love that they are already buddies! We haven't gotten a new one since our 2 babies died 3 years ago. It was devastating for us and the hubby doesn't want another one yet. I think it was too hard for him. :(

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    1. I know how you and your hubby feel! I lost my two dogs (Little Bit four years ago) and (Lizzie three years ago) my husband saw how devastated I was losing Little Bit, and the prognosis for Lizzie was she only had a year more with us at best, surprised me with Zoey. At first I wasn’t on board, but Zoey was actually good for Lizzie in her final year and she gave me so much comfort after Lizzie past away. If he hadn’t gotten Zoey, I wouldn’t have wanted another dog after losing Lizzie and Little Bit

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  21. I love your dogs Karen. They are so cute. I’m glad they get along although their personalities are different.
    I grew up with a beloved German Shepherd I’ve talked about numerous times here. Her name was April and 33 years later I still miss her.
    Currently we have 17 1/2 year old Kit-Kat, a male domestic short-hair cat we’ve had since he was 3 months old. At his age he doesn’t play much or for very long, but he loves the beds I’ve made for him out of cardboard boxes, old tee shirts, pillowcases and soft cotton material. After years of buying expensive pet beds, who knew?
    Love the cover of your new book!!

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    1. My grandmother had German Shepherds and I love that breed! I like your idea of a cardboard kitty house! I’m gong to try it 😊

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  22. I don't have any in-home fur babies, but I have been feeding a couple neighborhood cats. They come and they go, but one has been sleeping in the chair on the porch or the roof of the garage. I *think* it's a girl, but I had already named her Jackson after the movie "Action Jackson". There's a scene in the movie when the hotel owner tells Jackson to go "easy on the door" and kitty Jackson likes to jump against the storm door, making it thump.
    Unfortunately, I am allergic to cats so I can't welcome them in my home, but watching Jackson stretch out on the garage roof or curl up in the chair when it's 90+ degrees, brings a smile to my face.

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    1. Awwww! You’re so good to help out those kitties and I’m glad they have a place to get water and shade in this heat 😊

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  23. Josie, my Queensland Healer went to doggy heaven almost two years ago. When she was younger she would wear me out having me throw the ball for her to chase and bring back to me to throw it again. She was also the best mole chaser around, she would find their holes and sniff in them to see if a mole was in there and sure enough she would dig them up. She was such a good dog . I haven't been ready yet for another pet :( Thanks for the chance to win an autographed copy of this book!!!

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    1. Josie was such a good girl! It's amazing how a dog's sense of smell is acute enough to sniff out things buried in the ground. I'm sure you miss her so much. What a good pet mom you were to keep her busy with throwing the ball. Our neighbors have a Australian cattle dog and they're playing frisbee with him every day.

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  24. Congratulations, Kay Garrett! You're the winner of an autographed print copy of A COWBOYS PRIDE :) Please send me your mailing information at karenrock@live.com and I'll be sure to send it to you as soon as my ARCs arrive. And thanks to all of our wonderful Heartwarming readers for coming on our blog to share your beautiful pet stories. Our love of animals is one of the many things that connects us :)

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