I wrote all of my new release, The Viscount’s Vow, with Ayva, my mini doxie sitting on my lap.
I thought I’d share that story with you today.
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| Ayva the day I brought her home |
One of my dachshunds, Kiki, died last October after I accidentally fed her a tainted chicken jerky treat. I had no idea hundreds of dogs had died and thousands more had become sick from eating the toxic jerkyfrom China. I wasn’t going to replace her. After all, I still had four dachshunds and a lab, but after a month of watching me cry, my husband and daughter begged me to get a puppy.
How could I replace Kiki though? She was so devoted, calm, and loving. To make them happy, I halfheartedly began searching for a doxie pup.
My first choice was to do a rescue, but because I have other doxies and I work very part-time teaching, I was turned down. Quite by accident, I came across an advertisement for mini doxies. They were located in my hubby’s hometown. So after contacting the seller, my daughter and made the trip. I still wasn’t too keen on the idea of getting another dog.
A new puppy? Lots of work; just like having a baby in the house. And the house training? Did I really want to go through that again? Doxie’s are notoriously difficult to house train They don’t like to get their feet wet.
The seller had five puppies available. Two black, two chocolate, and one red. There was one female whose picture had touched me. She’d look terrified and had an odd scar on her forehead. When I picked her up (a whopping two pounds), she crawled onto my shoulder and snuggled against my neck. I looked at my daughter. She had that look on her face.
The puppy had picked me as dachshunds do.
I named her Ayva after the A-shaped scare on her forehead. The vet said it was most likely caused by a strep infection when she was born. Ayva was sweet, shy, and timid…for about a day. Then the real puppy emerged. A fearless imp that had no idea she was at the bottom of the doggy ladder. She chewed up nearly 60 things in the first three weeks: shoes, rugs, books, dog toys, purses—anything and everything she got her teeth on.
My hubby affectionately called her an alligator on day. I said, “No, she’s the Ayvagator.” The name stuck. We call her Baby Gator as often as we do Ayva.
I named a maid in The Viscount’s Vow after her. It’s just my way of having this rambunctious little darling live on forever. By-the-way, my current work in progress has a doxie named Kiki in it.
Ayva celebrated her first birthday September 4, 2013, the same day The Viscount’s Vow released. I’m convinced a higher force had a hand in bringing her into my life.
So, do you read or write with a pet nearby?
