Dogs, Cats, and Me: Rescues Who Came to Stay

By Kathleen Clark

Smiling dog faces. Cats purring while sitting on your lap. These are some of the everyday occurrences experienced when sharing your life with pets. These experiences bring thorough enjoyment and satisfaction to the lucky person involved. Dogs, Cats, and Me is an ongoing story about the dogs and cats that have been part of my life over the last thirty years. Most of the events are hilarious, some are sad, but all are heart-warming.

You will be entertained by the different personalities these animals have and surprised by a lot of their actions throughout their life. The unconditional love and affection they display is unbelievable and always present. It is rewarding, funny, and satisfying to share your life with a pet. So, sit back and enjoy a few laughs, and maybe a tear or two, while sharing with me the remarkable experience of living with a pet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647505387

Kathleen Clark

Kathleen Clark is a retired accountant and former certified aerobics instructor. Since getting her first dog, she has shared her home with sixteen dogs and cats, primarily rescues. A certified Dog Trainer and Nutritionist & Dietician for dogs and cats, she—along with her husband, Bret, their four dogs and one cat—lives in Saint Augustine, Florida, and spends the summer months at Long Beach Island in New Jersey. Please visit kathleenclarkauthor.com for pictures, purchasing info and other info.  

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About the Author

Kathleen Clark is a retired accountant and former certified aerobics instructor. Since getting her first dog, she has shared her home with sixteen dogs and cats, primarily rescues. A certified Dog Trainer and Nutritionist & Dietician for dogs and cats, she—along with her husband, Bret, their four dogs and one cat—lives in Saint Augustine, Florida, and spends the summer months at Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

Please visit kathleenclarkauthor.com for pictures, purchasing info and other info.

Dedication

In memory of my sister, Joanne, a true pet lover.

For Carolyn, Amy and Kelly

Copyright Information ©

Kathleen Clark (2021)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, experiences, and words are the author’s alone.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Clark, Kathleen

Dogs, Cats, and Me

ISBN 9781647505172 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781645362258 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781647505387 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021914979

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2021)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

First and foremost, I thank my husband, Bret. Without him there would be no story to tell. I would also like to thank my daughter, Carolyn and her husband Wayne for reading the book and helping with the timeline. My good friend, Margaret Bush, who helped in many ways. Also, Benee Scola and the other friends that read the book and supported me and cheered me on.

A special thanks to my editor, Bonnie Hearn Hill, who was truthful and supportive at the same time. She also introduced me to my website designer, Adam Karpinsky, who did a great job and had a ton of patience. Thanks to all of you.

One

My obsession began when my daughter announced her engagement and subsequent plans to get married. Carolyn, my only child, had recently changed the agenda that I had set for her. Although we planned the wedding together, and I must admit that helping Carolyn was exciting, I wasn’t ready to let go. Throughout the following year, I walked around feeling abandoned and lost. I hated that my only child was growing up.

Each step she took toward adulthood and independence tore out pieces of my heart. Her impending marriage was a major step.

My daughter’s engagement is the reason I hold her entirely responsible for my obsession with dogs and cats. Shortly after Carolyn announced her engagement, we were shopping at the local mall and happened to wander into the pet shop. These days, I would never visit one that sold animals. I’m more informed about how pet stores work.

However, on that fateful day, as my daughter and I entered the pet store, my eyes landed on an adorable chocolate Labrador Retriever puppy. She was so irresistible that I knew I was in trouble. My daughter was aware that I was toying with the idea of getting a pet. She explained how the dog would keep me company once she married and moved out. We left the shop, went to lunch, and that’s when Carolyn talked me into getting the puppy. She and I left the restaurant and immediately marched back to the pet shop where I purchased my first dog. Little did I know that this was, and remains, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. So began my life with dogs.

Two

We named the puppy Tara. I don’t know where we got that name. Our choices were between Tara and Mocha. Looking back, I guess Mocha made too much sense for a chocolate-colored dog, so Tara won out. She was extremely sweet but timid. I had to drag her out of her crate every morning. In fact, at the pet shop, I noticed that the salesperson also had to drag her out of the crate. That should have raised some questions. What did I know? I was a novice dog owner, and she was such a cute puppy.

I made up a specific set of rules when it came to where and when Tara would be allowed to roam freely in the house. I bought a book about Labrador retrievers. The first rule, not from the book, was that Tara should sleep in her crate in the basement. The crate rule was a great idea, but the basement part was not. I am happy to say that Tara lasted only one night alone in the basement. Then, I moved the crate into the kitchen. That resulted in another one-night stand for poor Tara. Finally, I moved her into my bedroom, where she stayed permanently. As time went on, she no longer needed the crate.

Tara was a delight. However, she did have a problem with dry skin that the salesman said would disappear. She had it her entire life. When I took her to the vet for an exam, he gave me a tar-and-sulfur shampoo. I had to bathe her every night for two weeks. This sounds inconvenient, but I loved it. She was small enough to fit in the kitchen sink for her daily shampoo. After the bath, I would wrap her in a towel and carry her around like a baby. This is my fondest memory of her puppyhood.

I loved everything about Tara. She was alert, smart, and eager to please. As she became less timid, Tara was full of energy, and, of course, she wanted to explore. While I was at home, she had free roam of the house. I put her in the crate whenever I left. I wanted to start keeping her confined to the kitchen when I was going to be away for short periods. I thought a Saturday morning would be ideal for a trial run. At six that morning, I took Tara out of her crate. She ate breakfast and went outside to do her business. When she came in, I gave her a toy and put a gate up to confine her to the kitchen. I went back to bed to try and get more sleep. Her barking woke me not long afterward. Carolyn also woke up, and we both went downstairs and found Tara standing on the kitchen table and barking up a storm. She was afraid to jump down onto one of the chairs to get off the table. It was clear that she used the chair to get up there in the first place. Carolyn and I looked at each other and burst into laughter. The confused look on Tara’s face was priceless. She eventually learned to stay in the kitchen when I wasn’t home and never got up on the table again.

As the wedding date approached, I thought it would be nice to invite Carolyn’s future mother and father-in-law for a special dinner. When our guests arrived, we enjoyed appetizers and drinks and then sat down to our meal. During dinner, Tara kept bringing me empty tampon dispensers from the waste can in the powder room. I would quickly take each dispenser from her and slip it up my sleeve. I was certain that no one was aware of what was going on.

Finally, Carolyn asked, What does she have in her mouth?

I ignored her question. All eyes were now on Tara with an empty tampon dispenser in her mouth. I discretely took the offending object from her and got up to throw it, and my stash, away and close the powder room door. Carolyn, who saw what was going on, followed me into the kitchen, and we burst into laughter. We never mentioned it when we returned to the table. To this day, I wonder what her boyfriend’s parents thought of that scene. We often talk of Tara’s antics on that evening and die laughing.

When I bought Tara, I was working as a controller for a local company. Carolyn still lived at home, and the wedding date had not been set. Her college schedule allowed her to be at home with Tara during the day. As my daughter’s wedding approached, I started to worry about my baby being alone. She was nearly a year old by then and was accustomed to having company most of the day. The book I bought about Labs stated that they are active and friendly and need to socialize with people and dogs. The answer was clear. I needed another puppy to keep her company. I guess I hadn’t gotten to the chapter in the book about never buying a dog from a pet store because Carolyn and I went back to the pet shop.

This time we agreed on a yellow Lab puppy, and I selected another female. The salesman told me that females were easier to train. She was so adorable. I was hooked immediately. We had a name picked out for her, Linzee. So off we went with Linzee. When we got her home, Tara sniffed her thoroughly and immediately took on a protective and motherly role. I made an appointment with the vet for the next day. It seemed that Linzee had caught a cold. When the vet examined her, he said she was dehydrated, and he would have to keep her overnight so she could be on intravenous fluids. Unfortunately, her condition only worsened. She passed away the following day. I was very upset and called the pet store to demand a refund. Although I received my money back for the puppy, as well as payment for the vet bills, I realized, too late, why pet shops are not the place to purchase an animal. The puppies they have are from puppy mills that don’t care for them properly. This was a terrible way to learn a lesson.

I could not get that puppy’s face out of my mind. I had to get another one. This time I would go to a breeder. The next day, I purchased a newspaper and started the search for a new puppy. I found an ad for a 13-week-old female black Lab, and I called about the dog. Carolyn, her fiancé Wayne, and I traveled about an hour to see and, I hoped, buy this new puppy.

Unlike Tara, this dog was not crated and had free run of the house, and run she did. She seemed happy, and she was so friendly that it was as if she knew us. She ran and bounded and hung from her father’s ears. This puppy was the pick of the litter for the breeder’s daughter. The situation hadn’t worked out, and the daughter could not take the puppy, so she was now for sale. I couldn’t believe that anyone could sell this loveable creature, but I was thrilled that they would. Off I went with yet another dog. I also named this one Linzee. I sat in the backseat of the car with Linzee, and she licked my face, my hands, and everything around her during the entire ride home. This is another memory that warms my heart to this day.

Linzee was so easy to train. At least, that’s what Tara said. Tara was the one who did the training. Everything Tara did, Linzee did. The best part was that Tara trained Linzee to go outside to do her business. I really don’t remember going through the training process with Linzee. There’s an advantage to having an older dog train a puppy. These two were like a comedy act. Their antics constantly amused us.

Somewhere between the arrival of Tara and Linzee, Wayne had rented an apartment. Carolyn didn’t want Wayne to be lonely until their wedding day, so she decided that he should get a cat. They used ads in the newspaper to locate an available kitten and got an adorable black female. During the cat’s first checkup, the vet discovered that the female kitten was a male. Thus, Sambuca (Buca for short) joined the family.

Every time Wayne visited, Buca the cat came along. Tara and Buca tolerated each other. When Linzee arrived, she and Buca bonded immediately. Their relationship developed into a special friendship throughout the years they spent together. To this day, I have not seen a dog and cat play and show one another such affection as these two. Linzee gets the credit because she was a very sweet and tolerant dog. Buca, on the other hand, was a no-nonsense cat. He thought nothing of giving anyone and anything a good swat with his claws fully extended. He also would bite on occasion. Buca was extremely playful, but he played too rough for everyone except Linzee. For instance, he would put a paw on either side of her muzzle, holding her in place with his claws, and proceed to