Friday Friends

While I am busy writing the Black Swamp Mysteries series (the fourth book in the series is due to be released next spring) and caring for my own angelfish - adults, babies and eggs - I have four dogs surrounding me. I am definitely never alone in this house!

I have Mattie, a Treeing Walker Coonhound rescued by the Richmond, VA SPCA. (Her brother Skipper is in the background; unfortunately, he passed away about two years ago.) She is the matriarch, who I refer to as Mama Mattie to the rest of the pack:

I have Simone, the tri-colored collie, who nearly died before she was rescued by the Robeson County Humane Society and I fostered and then adopted her:

One year after adopting Simone, we learned of Eddie, the Jack Russell who had been rescued by the Robeson County Humane Society after he was shot in the leg:

And our newest addition is Lucy Lou (referred to as Lucy LOO when she first arrived and wasn't housebroken). She is part Jack Russell and possibly part Corgi or Basset, because she is very long. Below are what I call "The Three Faces of Lucy":

How can I have so many of them? I have a wonderful fenced yard, three sets of doggie doors, and fortunately for me, they are all well behaved, loving and adorable!

Friday Friends

While I am working with the angelfish and writing my suspense/thrillers, I am surrounded by four rescue dogs.

The oldest is Mattie. She is a foxhound and specifically a Treeing Walker Coonhound. She and her brother Skipper were adopted through the Richmond, Virginia SPCA. They were seized from a hunting lodge in South Carolina that contains hundreds of malnourished and neglected dogs ranging from a few weeks old to three years old.

Treeing Walker Coonhounds, when kept as hunting dogs, only average a lifespan of two to three years. It's believed this is due to poor nutrition (some hunting lodges feed them only whole chickens, bones and all), no medical attention, being kept on the edge of starving, and forced to run miles during a hunt. It's a horrible life filled with cruelty.

If they are kept in a home, however, even they occasionally hunt with their master, and provided good nutrition, proper medical care and plenty of love and attention, their average lifespan is eight years. This is still very short compared to other breeds. It's believed this could be due to genetics.

Mattie is now 10 years old, ancient for her breed. She has arthritis and a heart murmur. She has good days and bad days. And we all love her!