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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Snickers and the yellow rain slicker

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.21.2010

I tweeted a couple weeks ago about taking my dog walking in the rain with her yellow rain slicker, and a bunch of you guys asked about it, incredulous.

Oh ye of little faith.

The truth is, Snickers is not a water dog. She hates getting wet. She will shy away from sprinklers and hoses. Giving her a bath is a two-person job and she shivers and has her tail between her legs the entire time.

I also am not that fond of wet dog smell.

So when I was visiting my friend Cheryl Wyatt in Illinois, we went to a store called Rural King, and I got this cute doggie rain slicker.

It works perfectly--it keeps the rain off her back and part of her head, and she smells much less when we're back from our walk.

What do you guys think?







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Comments

ME said…
I think she looks adorable if unhappy. It is very practical, and I wish my mangy mutt would wear one, he refuses coats or boots of any kind yet gets mad when he gets wet or gets salt on his paws. It is more about the practical than the fashion, I get it. With you on the eau de wet dog.
Thu Jan 21, 12:26:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
LOL She's actually unhappy because we just came back from a walk and she's cold, wet, and wants her dinner, but I made her stay in the garage so I could run in, get my camera, and shoot pictures of her! Poor pooch.
Camy
Thu Jan 21, 04:19:00 AM 2010
Vince said…
Hi Camy:

Those pictures are so funny. I immediately knew what the dog was thinking: “And I thought it was only mad dogs and Englishmen who didn’t have the sense to come out of the rain!”

Vince
Thu Jan 21, 07:40:00 AM 2010
Winter said…
Rural King, one of hubs favorite browsing stores when he's at drill.

Don't blame you for not wanting the wet dog smell. I don't like it either. The slicker is cute, even if you had to fly to IL to get it! LOL!
Thu Jan 21, 07:55:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
Juju--thanks! Er...Snickers says thanks. :)

Vince--LOL!

Winter--I loved Rural King! OMG it was amazing!
Thu Jan 21, 12:01:00 PM 2010
TDM Wendy said…
Love it. She looks like a fire fighter dog. Off to go save some people.
And just so you know, I had to type in "mampire" to get my comment verified. That should be a real word.
Thu Jan 21, 09:56:00 PM 2010
Camy Tang said…
ROFL!!! Wendy your comment cracked me up!
Camy
Fri Jan 22, 12:34:00 AM 2010
misskallie2000 said…
I love what Vince said. LOL She does look unhappy but the coat does help keep the rain from her coat and the wet doggy smell down.

I have cats and you don't have to walk them that goodness. When they do get wet I just towel them dry.
Fri Jan 22, 08:09:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
In her "I can't stand getting wet" shtick, Snicker is a lot like a cat!
Camy
Fri Jan 22, 02:35:00 PM 2010
Sheila Deeth said…
That looks so cute, and dry. Though I guess the feet still get muddy.
Mon Apr 19, 09:34:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
Yes, her feet unfortunately do get really muddy. Yuck! Usually I try to make her walk through a water puddle to get some of the mud off before we get home!
Camy
Mon Apr 19, 02:02:00 PM 2010
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