Tails from Tao

By M. Shea Broderick and Karen McQuilken

Have you ever looked at your dog and wondered what they would say if they could actually speak? So many times, they’re our best friends with nothing but unspoken words and a life that we know nothing about. Tails from Tao is narrated by a soft coated Wheaten Terrier and gives us the unique insight into a lifelong journey that originates from the first days of life. Tao shares his thoughts, his fears, and his ambitions with anyone willing to listen and learn. As a result of his story, we’re able to answer many of the questions that we so desperately desire from the furry members of our family and confirm the true meaning of unconditional love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781467873765

M. Shea Broderick

M. Shea Broderick is a first-time author who, thanks to Tao, is now the proud owner of a soft coated Wheaten terrier named Myles. Her friend, Caryn, is mom to Marley, the actual brother of Myles. Both “boys” are very social, love to play with their many friends, and enjoy their frequent road trips to visit each other. They already have a tremendous appreciation for their yards and are beginning to take great pride in structured running (Shea is still trying to conquer their perceived lack of her speed!). Thus far, Myles and Marley have avoided emergency visits to the white coats and have visited Dr. G. only for regularly scheduled appointments. Shea and Caryn continue to smile at the mere mention of “Uncle Tao” and still reside in their same respective Florida cities of Port Charlotte and Brandon.

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Copyright © 2011 M. Shea Broderick and Karen McQuilken. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse    11/02/2020

ISBN: 978-1-4678-7374-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-7375-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-7376-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011960706

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue A Window and a Warrior

Section One It’s Just Me

Chapter 1    Hello, World

Chapter 2    New Experiences of Life

Chapter 3    Out and About

Chapter 4    The Power of Personalities

Chapter 5    Naming Rights

Chapter 6    Then There Were Four

Chapter 7    Water Snakes and a Tsunami

Chapter 8    An Endless Journey

Chapter 9    Separation Anxiety

Chapter 10    Signs of Eternal Love

Section Two About a Boy

Chapter 11    A Fuzzy Commitment

Chapter 12    New Faces and New Places

Chapter 13    Unanswered Questions

Chapter 14    Thank You, Harry!

Chapter 15    Pals and Parole

Chapter 16    Shadows of My Youth

Chapter 17    A King Rules

Section Three That’s My Mom

Chapter 18    A Not-So-Happy Birthday

Chapter 19    Boys Will Be Boys

Chapter 20    Full Circle

Chapter 21    The Protectors

Chapter 22    Bites, Bait, and Brutality

Chapter 23    My Fourth Brother

Chapter 24    Learning Manners

Section Four My New Friend

Chapter 25    Rules and Respect

Chapter 26    Born to Run

Chapter 27    Three Stages of Clean

Chapter 28    The Pack Leader

Chapter 29    Boot Camp

Section Five Always an Adventure

Chapter 30    The Crash Heard around the Home

Chapter 31    Robin Hood

Chapter 32    Sleep Visions

Chapter 33    Concierge Service

Chapter 34    Poles, Gadgets, and Tool Belts

Chapter 35    Sleepy Boy

Section Six Full Circle

Chapter 36    Chicken and Rice

Chapter 37    A Mom Knows Best

Chapter 38    Time for Night-Night

Chapter 39    Crossing the Bridge

Epilogue Happy Thoughts

Letter From Tao

About the Author

About the Book

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M. Shea Broderick:

Mom—you’re my best friend, my compass and my inspiration. I will forever strive to make you proud and can only pray that others are as fortunate to receive the same gift of pure love from their mom. I’m thankful each and every day to have you in my life as you truly are my heart and soul.

To my personal angels (Dad, Aunt Hanna, Gram, Evan, and Helen)—you’re the foundation of who I am today and the memories are endless. You will never be forgotten...we’ll chat later tonight (as we always do).

To my small circle of family (you know who you are!)—thank you for being you.

To Mahanoy City—I may have been gone for many years, but my heart still belongs to the big city. Thanks for always being my home where the people are real and the memories are second to none.

Tao—without knowing it, you showed me that I was missing something in my life and truly taught me the meaning of unconditional love. Thank you for introducing me to the world of furry friends. It’s because of you that this book is written.

Karen McQuilken:

Mom and Dad—you taught me to be strong, kind and work diligently on everything that I do. You supported me and inspired me to always do better by simply following my heart and being the best that I could be. I will forever remember you both as having the greatest influence on who I am today.

To my Family and Friends—thanks for supporting me, encouraging me and being such an important part of my life.

Tao—you will always be my handsome baby boy and I will NEVER forget you! Thanks for being my best friend, my wingman and my confidante. You protected me as much as I protected you…still miss you each and every day!

PROLOGUE

A Window and a Warrior

I heard the crash loud and clear. It sounded as if something had just smashed all of the windows in the front of my house. I had just gotten home from work and was in the process of putting away some groceries. When I realized the commotion was just a short distance away, I went running out of the kitchen. With a quick glance, I saw that everything looked fine in the living room, so I made my way to the hallway and started calling for Tao. As I turned the corner, I saw my boy weaving out of the second bedroom, with blood dripping behind him, on him, and around him. I lunged toward my little boy, and he literally fell into my arms. The blood was everywhere, but the rest of the horrific details still remain a blur to me. The puzzle was later pieced together by the neighbors, who were instrumental during a crisis of such magnitude.

Apparently, Tao was not happy that there had been a stranger mowing the front lawn outside one of his windows. My assumption is that he was protecting his territory and ensuring that my newly hired landscaper knew of his presence. Tao was seven years old and the sole protector of my home. Loved by everyone and continually praised for his calm demeanor, he was the perfect companion, but there were certainly exceptions to this ideal behavior. A smart person would never try to invade his house, wear a tool belt (he was definitely not a fan of the cable guy!), or bring another animal anywhere near him.

Fortunately, my neighbors were outside and saw exactly what transpired. They immediately rushed to our assistance with towels and dialed the number to the emergency vet. From what I was told later that night, Tao had pounced on the bedroom window with his front paws and continued to thrust at it until he finally crashed through it. My boy was then half inside and half outside of the house. Due to his fright and shock, he didn’t know what to do next. Tao made the bad decision to physically pull himself back into the house, thus slashing through the entire right side of his little body with the jagged glass from the window. He immediately came searching for me to mend his wounds.

SECTION ONE

It’s Just Me

Chapter 1

Hello, World

In the den of a four-bedroom ranch house, I was born on April 20, 2001, in Trinity, Florida. I had three brothers and two sisters. From what I recall, I had a normal birth, with lots of immediate love from my mommy, Tuda. She was very nurturing to all of us from the beginning and quite protective of our every move. I remember some of my siblings would get a little upset when they weren’t permitted to explore our small house, since Mommy would never let us stray too far away from her. Being the third boy and number four in the litter, I was very dependent upon Mommy for just about everything. My daddy, Willie, would come by and check on us every now and then, but he wasn’t real involved initially. It seemed like he paid more attention to my mommy than to the rest of us.

Overall, we got along fine, except for my little brother. He was the youngest of the family and an absolute terror. When it was time to eat, he wanted to sleep; when it was time to sleep, he wanted to play; when it was time to play, he wanted to eat . . . you get the picture. He drove us crazy because we were a team, and it made us all look bad. I guess there’s one of those in every family.

My mommy’s owners were Katie and Joe. They definitely had their hands full, but they were very attentive and made sure we always had the necessary essentials of food, water, comfy blankets, and a place to leave our business. Katie was with us most of the time and was the first person I saw when I opened my eyes. Every time she came into the den, she would lean over with this really big smile and fluff the blankets, so we always looked forward to her visits. Katie would talk to Mommy in adult language, like they’d known each other for a long time. Little by little, I started catching on to some of the words but for the most part, I didn’t understand any of it. Joe was gone a lot of the time, and it seemed like he only came home when it was dark outside. He would walk into the den carrying a square bag, but as soon as he got close to us, he would put it on top of this big box in the corner of the room. Joe didn’t say very much, but he would always pick us up individually and rub our bellies. We all agreed that it felt great, and we patiently waited each day until it turned dark.

My brothers and I were always cool. We slept close together and snuggled all the time, but my older sister was another story. She only wanted Mommy’s attention and would do anything possible to get Katie or Joe to touch her. The days and the nights were quite frustrating for all of us, as we were consumed with her continual whining and whimpering. I don’t think she had any desire to understand that I was a growing boy and needed my proper rest. When I’d go to bed at night, I would pray for her to go to sleep, just so the rest of us could get a little shut-eye, but that never happened. It drove all of us absolutely crazy. I tried explaining to her on a few different occasions that she needed to be sensitive to others, but she paid no mind to me at all.

My younger sister was really sweet and a completely different story. She was tiny and tended to stay very close to Mommy, but she tried her best to keep up with the rest of us. There was something about her from the first day that I absolutely adored. After a short time, my older sister left us, and I’m still not sure where she went. I just remember that Katie and Joe seemed very sad that day.

Chapter 2

New Experiences of Life

There were a few weeks that were very adventurous for all of us, and it seemed like a new experience occurred each and every day. We were starting to maneuver better and gain some strength in our arms, legs, and neck. Mommy was still very protective of us since we were so dependent on her for the basic necessities, but I think she knew that this phase wasn’t going to last forever. Probably because he was the biggest, my oldest brother was the first one to stand up and move around our young family. Then again, I guess I should clarify his movement. He would try to navigate as best as possible, but we were always cautious when he took his short journeys. He’d inevitably tumble on someone and then blame us for tripping him. My little sister was pretty fragile, so I always tried to make sure she didn’t get crushed, but I also had to ensure that I didn’t get squashed in the process. Although he denied it, I swear my older brother would intentionally stick out his back paw to trip our oldest bro, just to make him fall. Mommy never said a lot back then about his tumbles, but I’m pretty sure she saw what was occurring. We were certainly envious that one of us had greater mobility and aspired to be just like him.

Within a short amount of time, we were all up and about, stumbling over each other and everything else that came into our paths. I also came to realize that I was correct about my older brother. He did everything he