I Was “Mister Magician”

Just a short message to tell you that we’re preparing for the Open House at “my” Pet Hospital. It’ll be a great event on Saturday afternoon. Many people will come by, I hope, to check out the facilities and meet the nice staff. The tickets will be one dollar and benefit the same Humane Society shelter mom and I support.

I’m going to talk about adopting a pet and mom will help sell my book. All monies we get will go to Humane Society’s shelter and to the Hospital’s own charity. So that less privileged pets can get good care and find a home. I’m so excited! It’s going to be exactly as I dreamed when I wrote the book!

In case you are curious about the place, below is a short excerpt from my book. I hope you enjoy the story about my inpatient visit last year. I promise to tell you all about the Open House next week. Now I’ll need to get a bath so I’ll be representable on Saturday. Love, Bumble

At the Hospital

At the Hospital

   “I have to tell you that I’ve been away from home for the first time on non-vacation. I’ve been in the hospital! I got sick one morning. I had to run to do my business all the time, and it was difficult for me to make it out on time. I started feeling like I have to go soon, then I immediately felt like I have to go now, and then I felt like I should have gone a long time ago. You see my dilemma. I made lots of work for mom in a few hours that afternoon – completely without any fault of my own.
Then, to avoid embarrassment, I had to stop eating and drinking completely. That made mom worried, and I have to admit I started to get worried too. Life was not pleasant, and my tummy was really kaput. Out-of-order. I was tired, and could hardly get up on my feet.
So mom took me to the hospital the next morning. I had to stay there for two days. Two days of IV treatment and antibiotics. You know, I had to lay down with lots of wires running to and from me. I was stuck, in pain and uncomfortable, but somehow I remained calm. I’m proud of myself.
Mom says it was pancreatitis, whatever that means. But I can tell you it was a complete tummy failure, and it wasn’t pleasant. First I was tired and snoozing away most of the time. Then slowly, slowly, I started to feel better. On the afternoon of the second day I felt a bit hungry and could actually think of tasting some food. I was offered a small portion of some new kind of soft food. I sniffed it carefully first, and then I ate all of it! It was not too bad. Soon I felt my strength returning little by little.
All the vet technicians were girls – and they loved me! He is so cute, they said. I pretended to sleep, but I heard them. They also gave me a nickname, Mister Magician!
I must admit I did a few tricks. Among other things, I got out of the IV drip and other wires completely by myself! Then I wandered around examining the place and saw some interesting things, like how they clean your teeth while you’re sleeping. It looks funny with all those buzzing, noisy machines in the patient’s mouth while he’s dreaming away. So that’s how they do it when I go for my tooth cleaning appointment. Interesting.
I think I finally succeeded in my invisibility trick because nobody stopped me. I have practiced it quite a bit at home, but mom always says she still sees me. It’s been a bummer – until now. So I walked around the hospital in peace and quiet for a while before the girls discovered I was no longer in my bed. No wonder they were impressed. No other dog had managed to do that. Ever.
When mom came to take me home I couldn’t help overhearing what they told her about my magical abilities. Such a clever dog…he’s a magician. But I’m trying to remain my humble self, Humble Bumble. Nurses have to be nice to patients, boost their confidence, right?”

Busy, Busy – and Thank You!

Today has been a busy day! First thing in the morning I took mom for a long walk in the nature reserve. We saw many birds and I have to tell you that this time I couldn’t test if any of them could fly. You see, they didn’t walk on my path. All of them were in the marsh enjoying the morning sun.

Big white egret in the marsh

Big white egret in the marsh

Mom and I liked this big white bird! It was beautiful and I couldn’t help but wonder how it could be so sparkling white, not a single spot on its feathers. I guess it’s not playing around in the grass, like I do. Or maybe it’s taking multiple baths each day? I could never do that, but luckily my coat is brown.

Then we went for a car ride to get some food for me from the Smart Pet store. I love car rides, particularly when my ears flap hard in the wind! And I love to drive the car whenever mom lets me. And today she did! I felt like driving a Maserati, but of course it was mom’s old SUV.

I'm driving - an illustration from my book

I’m driving – an illustration from my book

When we came back home, there was a huge box at the front door! No, I was not a box of treats for me. It was something even better – a box of my books! You see mom and I have been invited to be contributors at an Open House at the pet hospital where I see my doctor.  And the nice girls in the reception. They liked my book so much that they want us to talk to the visitors about adopting a pet, and also to have my book for sale.

As soon as we opened the box, I inspected the books. I am so looking forward to the Open House where people can walk through the hospital and see all their facilities from the inside and also meet the nice staff. I have such fun memories from there…for example, when I did my magic invisibility trick for the girls! You can read all about that in my book.

I'm inspecting the books

I’m inspecting the books

I’m so happy we’ll have another opportunity to make money for the Humane Society shelter we support and for the hospital’s own charity that helps less fortunate pets.  My dream is becoming a reality, slowly but surely! I want to thank all friends who have already bought the book and I hope more of you will take five minutes do a review so that others will learn what you think!

And I promise to tell you all about the Open House later this month! Love, Bumble

This Morning’s Adventure!

Hiff there! This is Bumble again. I need to tell you something that happened this morning when I took mom for her regular walk in the nearby nature reserve. Those of you who have already read my book know that place.  Lots of interesting things always happen there. And again this morning I witnessed a drama! No, I’m not being overly dramatic, you’ll see.

Squirrel watching

Squirrel watching

First when we arrived there, I was reading my morning paper in the bushes. Small birds were singing and everything was peaceful. I was just resting under a tree after the long run and watching a squirrel when I heard a bird cry! It was a big bird’s cry, very loud. I almost hurt my neck trying to see where it came from. Mom pointed up towards the blue sky and I saw that there was a nest on a big platform. Mom said it was an Osprey family. She knows these things.

Mama and papa Osprey

Mama and papa Osprey

I saw the mama bird still crying and the papa bird just arriving to help her! Then I saw why she was crying. There was another big bird, very similar to them, circling around the marsh where the nest is! But it seemed to me it was hungry for fish as it soon flew down, its wings almost touching the water.

Big bird fishing

Big bird fishing

And then it just flew away. Mom and I went down to the water and guess what? We could see the fish, it was still there, just under the surface in the dark water. It got lucky this time!

The fish in the water

The fish in the water

Soon peace was restored and I could continue walking mom. When we left the park, I could see the papa Osprey flying away, maybe for a fishing trip in the bay. He was so big! When he passed right above us, I tried to walk very close to mom. I’m always on protective duty.

Papa Osprey flying away

Papa Osprey flying away

Mom told me the Osprey family is expecting baby birds. I want to come back later to see them getting flying lessons. That would be awesome!

There is always something interesting to report from the nature reserve. This time I didn’t need to rescue anyone and I didn’t dig up anything valuable, but you can read about all those adventures in my book. I wish everyone a great day! Love, Bumble

 

 

 

100 Cents Minus One. How You Can Help Too.

I’m flying my book banner over the beach

Hi it’s me, Bumble, again! It’s been a wonderful spring-like week here at home and I’ve already forgotten all about the thunderstorms we had on Monday. I’ve been able to warm myself in the sun again! I hope you have also seen at least a few signs of spring where you live.

A castle of shells on our beach

It’s spring-break time and lots of people are visiting our area. Do you know what that means? Lots of kids are petting me when I take mom for her evening walks! I like that. They call me puppy! Can you imagine? And when I tell them I’m going on 14, they can’t believe me! That dialogue is a good icebreaker. So I can tell them about my new book and how it benefits homeless animals.

Here I’m inspecting the books

Also on Tuesday, mom and I went to the Humane Society’s shelter and donated a big box of books to their store. Mom says that such a box can bring many bags of food to all the dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals who are waiting for their forever homes. That kind of transformation is a bit complicated for me to understand, but I trust mom and the nice ladies at the shelter.

This is the shelter I support, the store is in this main building

And I have more great news to tell you! My book will be part of the Kindle Countdown Sale for three days only, from tomorrow Saturday until Monday. Everyone who has a Kindle or a Kindle reading app can buy it for 99 cents on Amazon.com! Now you can even gift Kindle books! And don’t forget that it is also available in Kindle lending library for Prime members to borrow for free. Every little bit counts in helping the big and little guys I saw playing outside behind this white fence. That’s how you can help too – one hundred cents minus one.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ♥ Bumble

Peachy Greetings!

Hi this is Bumble. I have to start my post by saying that I love our beach! Although I’m not allowed to walk right on the sand. Mom says that babies crawl in the sand and if I accidentally do my business there, it’s not good for the babies. Who could disagree with that? And I would absolutely refuse to wear diapers like they do. Very restrictive.

bumble on the balcony (2) ed_edited-1 copy

But we have other beaches nearby where babies are not allowed. They are just for us dogs. So we’re even. Observing the beach from the terrace is fun too. I’ve spotted many dolphins and a few manatees in my days here. No sharks as yet. I guess that’s just a matter of time.

The sand Alligator (3) ed

But there are animals on the beach, don’t be fooled. Alligators, like the one here. I’ve seen them when we walk in the nature reserve that borders to the beach. But there is something more exciting in the reserve itself: birds. Lots of birds. They stay in the marsh, mostly.

blue heron landed edx

And if they dare to come onto my walking path, I will test whether they can fly. I have a scientific mind like that. I can tell you that all of them do fly. These Ibis birds too!

five ibis birds walking EDX

We usually go to the park in the morning.  But I love to walk mom in the evening too…she needs exercise throughout the day and it’s my responsibility to ensure she gets it. We rescue dogs take our responsibilities seriously.

me on my black cat pillow

And coming home it’s so nice to curl up in the sofa. On my black and white cat pillow. Or even better on the king bed. I can sleep sideways and take more than half of the space if I stretch my legs really long!

Nowadays my life is quite peachy, or is it beachy? Not much to worry about. That’s all for today, I need to go check if there are any new treats in my bowl. The little banana-chicken ones are to die for! Soft and chewy, highly recommended. But mom may have given me carrots. You can read all about that in my book. Oh and I should say, have a really nice and peachy weekend folks! ♥ Bumble

A Reason to Smile :)

We are so happy for the positive feedback from the first readers of Bumble’s new book. We have heard directly from readers, through Face Book, email and even text messages! We hope readers will also take the trouble of writing a review on Amazon.

This morning, when Bumble was walking me here in our neighborhood as we do every morning, a woman (whose name we don’t know) approached us. She asked me if Bumble is “the rescue dog, who wrote a book”. Of course he is. She went on to tell us that she’d heard of the book from a friend, she got it and she loved it so much that she had just ordered 10 more books to give away as presents. What a great way to help homeless animals to find new homes! Needless to say we were very happy to hear the good news. Bumble smiled. No kidding!

bumble 2 July 2013 (2) edited

Great News!

Book Cover 1-100Confessions of a Rescue Dog is now part of the Kindle Owners Lending Library!

It means that all Amazon Prime members with a Kindle or a Kindle reading app (free download to a tablet, computer or smart phone) can borrow the book for free and still support the HS Shelter!!

One More Confession

So we managed to get through yet another day. It was not too bad for a Thursday. But it’s almost nine o’clock and my bed is not ready. Sniff. I checked – it’s not there! Where is my blanket, you know the red Ralph Lauren, made in China? Did you wash it, mom?

I’ll need to call it a day soon. Dad’s already in the bathroom, but what is mom still doing? This gives me a slight suspicion that my wellbeing might be of a lesser priority…and we don’t want that. Our relationship is built on trust! Mom better bring my blanket now. Or is she still sour about the little incident today? She needs to let it go!

I’ve gotten into the habit of reflecting back on the day before I fall asleep. It’s useful. I can learn from my obvious mistakes. Like the one today when mom left for her meetings. I should’ve seen it coming. It will only take a while, dear. Right! I thought she was talking about mixing something delicious for me just because it’s Thursday. But the tone was not quite right. There was some quilt in it. And she spent too much time in the bathroom. At least 15 minutes, I sat behind the door. And then poff, she was out of the door. I should’ve been ready. You know I love car rides…the flapping of my ears in the wind. There’s nothing more enjoyable, almost. And I could’ve watched her car.

But mom just went. And she left the radio on, not the TV. I can’t stand classic rock, but love watching CNN. How could she forget, so into her work? Or she just didn’t care? Now, what was I supposed to do? Nothing to do, it was going to be so boooring. But then I discovered she had also forgotten to close her office door. Maybe she was getting mature? That would explain it.

Bumble waiting for mom ed

I was about to jump onto her chair to see if she’d also forgotten to close the computer, when a faint scent reached my nose. Sniff, sniff – it was ham, positive! There it was, a piece of her ham sandwich from this morning in the little wastebasket under the office table. It was well wrapped in layers of soft paper so I had to work hard to get at it, but it was worth it! There were some other interesting things too, but nothing more eatable. I checked.

The rest of the afternoon I was pretty much occupied. Tried to clean up a bit in mom’s office, brought a few things into the kitchen close to the large garbage bin, the one with a lid. Thought she’d appreciate my effort. And then I probably also dozed off a little before she finally came home.

I got a treat and a belly rub. Lovely to have mom home! But then she walked into the kitchen. I heard a high-pitched what have you done here? She should see what I’d done, I’d been cleaning! No thanks for my effort – mom just walked right into her office. More noises. I can’t hear you now…I’m under the bed. I started feeling guilty, but should I? I didn’t leave the sandwich in the waste basket and I didn’t forget to close the door…something’s not right. Or fair? Eventually she’d realize that too…I know my mom.

And she did. Love concurs all. Peace. Back rubs, belly rubs, a good dinner, a nice walk, more treats and a nice film sitting in her lap. Can one ask for more on a day towards the end of the week? Oh, I was in my thoughts, thanks mom for the blanket…I knew she’d bring it! It smells good, here you go mom, a nose kiss for good night.

All paws, sleep tight, sideways on the bed is good! Love Bumble

(Adapted from Bumble’s book “Confessions of a Rescue Dog”)

The Truth About Mom

Mom and I worked together on the book for a few months, but we also do many other things together. For example, yesterday she asked me to respond to a blog award she had received. This is what I wrote.

“Ok, here we go. I hope mom doesn’t read this, she promised not to…and since I can only count to five plus one, forgive me if the number of things is not exactly the right number according to all the rules:
•Mom is very old, I mean she must be. She has a grand-daughter. She is three and she loves me. We like sitting in the easy chair together.
•Mom calls me by so many different names that it’s easy to get confused (and get blamed for dementia), like “Pludi”, which apparently has something to do with Disney, “Liti” for small, and “Bumpy” which tells me she really can’t pronounce my name. Bumble – how difficult is that? She an immigrant, you know, so I forgive her.
•Mom likes to sit on the terrace and look out on the water. She usually reads and has a drink. I like to sit with her on the lounge chair and when she goes inside, I’ll try to taste her drink. Water with lemon? It’s anyone’s guess.


•Mom is addicted to her Kindle. She calls it “fire” but I don’t see any flames, just the hot pink leather covers. So maybe she means that there is fire inside? But where’s the smoke?
•Mom always says she’ll go to the gym, but most days she just plans to go. Planning is good, better than nothing, right? At least she goes on long walks with me when I plan them.
•Mom’s clothes are at least one size too small. Why do I say that? It is obvious. The treats that she can get into her pockets are far too few and far too small. If she wore right sized jeans, for example, the pockets would be much bigger, right?”

I don’t know if this was sufficient, but that’s all I had time to write. And there’s much more in my book.  Delicate details, not this flattering. Be good everybody!

A Message from Bumble, the Rescue Dog

“I’ve learned to trust again. I’ve learned to play again. I’ve conquered my fears. But most importantly, I’ve learned never to lose hope.” That’s Bumble’s message to his readers on the back of his new book “Confessions of a Rescue Dog“. He generously shares what he has learned and let’s the reader peek into his world through touching and often humorous observations.

Bumble plans his escape

Bumble plans his escape

Bumble hopes this book will be a heart-warming treat for pet lovers of ages 10-100, but more importantly, he hopes it will raise awareness and much needed funds to help more shelter animals find loving forever homes. He wanted to post another excerpt for you to read here. It’s about one of his favorite activities, visiting a small uninhabited island for a swim and a nice picnic:

“I love to go to this one particular island. It’s uninhabited and few people ever go there. It has shallow white beaches, and the sand is soft. My family likes the crystal clear water, and we spend hours snorkeling. This is where I also go into the water to swim and snorkel. It’s such a wonderful beach….Last time we were there we got a surprising visitor, completely unannounced. We were all swimming and suddenly mom was screaming. I thought she’d been bitten by a big fish, like a shark or something. I was ready to swim to her rescue!

Bumble goes swimming

Bumble goes swimming

Then I looked more carefully and saw a large dolphin. They are nice, intelligent animals and not fish. Mom had told me that earlier when we saw two of them swimming ahead of our boat. This one was swimming around mom, who was now standing waist deep in the water. She had been a bit scared when the dolphin first came to nudge her, but now she was delighted. The dolphin stayed with us for a while and then swam out to the ocean. The whole experience was very special.

Another thing that I love about these small outings is that we usually go out in the morning and return just before sundown. That means lunch on the beach somewhere, and I mean an excellent lunch on the beach. Mom never brings my bowl or my food, so I get what they get. Usually chargrilled chicken breasts or yummy sausages! I love the lunch time on these trips. I get pieces from everyone, and no one keeps a count. That’s what I call a picnic! I’m suggesting we make a small boating trip a regular feature in the weekend calendar, every week. No one would ever be bored.”

His book is now available on Amazon sites world-wide as a paperback and also on Kindle!

He hopes you’ll enjoy it!