Missive from the Queen of England!

Readers! Back in January, I sent a copy of My Name is Rosie to the Queen of England, the world's most famous Welsh Corgi lover. Actually, I sent it to her Royal Secretary, The Right Honorable Christopher Geidt, along with a letter asking him to please give my gift to Her Royal Highness. I had Chloe White, the book's illustrator who is also British, review my letter to make sure I followed the proper protocol. I signed the book to the Queen's current five Welsh Corgis, whose names are Monty, Emma, Linnet, Willow and Holly with love from Rosie.  Great names, aren't they? I knew it was a long shot, sending a gift to the Queen. Would she get it? Well, apparently she has!! Last week I received a very personal letter from the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting, Annabelle Whitehead, saying how much the Queen appreciated my gift. I was ecstatic! I cried! And to think I almost threw the envelope in the recycle bin. I thought it was junk mail. Then I saw the "Royal Mail" emblem and realized it was a letter from England. The stationery is embossed with Buckingham Palace at the top and the greeting and sign-off in the letter are hand written in black ink. How totally wonderful! Now, I wonder. Has the Queen actually read the book?? It would please me so very much to know she held it in her hands and took a look and saw her dogs' names in the front. You, too, can read Rosie's book. Go to www.mynameisrosie.com to order her book online. 

That Scary Wind

Santa Ana-like winds blew through San Luis Obispo this week and Rosie was not happy about it. If you've read My Name is Rosie, you remember the snippet titled That Scary Wind where Rosie shares how much the door slamming, chimes clanging, and trees wildly pitching every which way scares her. In fact, at night she tries to sleep on our heads! I would say she's gotten a little better about the wind lately in that she cuddles extra close but not on our heads any more. That's a relief for my husband and me. During the day, when a big gust of wind comes up, Rosie rises from wherever she's lying and comes to one of us asking to be picked up, sometimes standing on her hind legs and begging for a lift up. It's very sweet, really. I try to reassure her in a calm voice that everything's okay. My daughter thinks it's a hoot how scaredy-dog Rosie can be. She's usually such a tough girl, so rough and tumble. I guess she's not any different from all of us, is she? We all have our particular fears. On windy days, Rosie is especially happy to go in the car with me - getting out of the house and away from the wind sounds is what she wants. Go to www.mynameisrosie.com to order the book and read more about Rosie's daily life. 

I'm a dog magnet!

Everywhere I go I meet dogs and their owners and we talk and talk about our dogs. Rosie is usually with me, and people are happy to learn about the book, My Name is Rosie, especially after meeting Rosie in the flesh. I give them Rosie's calling card that's got the cover of the book on one side and the web address on the other so they can go home and order the book online. That address is www.mynameisrosie.com.  

I was on my bike today, so Rosie had to stay home. At Joe Momma's Cafe in Avila Beach,  I met Jo-Jo, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who was visiting with his owners from the Bay area. Jo-Jo is Rosie's age, 4, and spends a good deal of her time being a therapy dog at her owner's dental practice. The owner told me this particular spaniel was bred originally to sit on the laps of kings and queens and keep them company as well as warm! And Jo-Jo does just that with some dental patients who are particularly uneasy about visiting the dentist. Isn't that cool? Her disposition is sweet and her brownish-red and white fur is especially soft to the touch, so I can well imagine the calmness she brings to an anxious patient. Jo-Jo's owner wants to write a little book like Rosie's that would be titled something like Jo-Jo at the Office. I say go for it! Write that book! If Rosie's book inspires someone else to write a book, I'm happy! Then there was Ingrid with her wire-haired dachshund, Deirdre. That's a most interesting name for a dog, isn't it? Ingrid, too, confessed she's got a dog book in her mind. I hope she writes it.

Off to the dentist!

Today I took Rosie to get her teeth cleaned by a group that specializes in cleaning canine teeth without anesthesia. (www.petdentalservices.com) This is Rosie's second time. My vet, Linda Powers, brings a specially trained dental technician to her veterinary clinic a couple of times a year. All day long, owners bring their dogs to have their pearly whites scraped and polished, all without anesthesia! Dogs who have serious dental problems or who are the snarly type are not candidates for this service, Dr. Powers stresses. Rosie sits quietly and lets the tech do the job, then lands a "Good dog!" or "Sweet dog!" on her chart. I'm so proud of her. I purchased some doggie toothpaste, salmon-flavored, and a little kid's super soft toothbrush for continued dental care at home. The importance of dog tooth care is right up there with keeping our own teeth healthy. While I was dropping Rosie off, I visited with the other dogs coming for a cleaning: Sterling, a 7-year-old black Lab therapy dog who planted a big wet kiss on my face and whose tail thumped hard against the floor whenever I said his name; Emmie, a shy and dainty 9-year-old Sheltie who stared me down and finally let me pet her; and Rooney, a wiry terrier mix who was only too happy to introduce himself to me. He practically jumped in my lap. What fun! And while I was there, Sterling's owner, Kathy, bought my book, My Name is Rosie, and felt especially pleased because she got to meet Rosie! Anyone can purchase Rosie's book online at www.mynameisrosie.com. I told Kathy to read this blog and she'd find herself and Sterling in it. I had to pull myself away from the dogs to get to a yoga class. On my way there, I passed an outdoor cafe in Shell Beach where a man and woman were seated with two dogs - a big black Newfoundland and a Corgi! Of course I had to stop and introduce myself to the Corgi, another Pembroke Welsh Corgi like Rosie. I asked his name and Karen, his owner, told me "Jones." Interesting origin, that name. Karen's husband's family is Welsh and many are Joneses! So it seemed fitting. What a love, that Jones. He sat and smiled at me and let me pet his head - the kind of pet where you cup the dog's face in your hands and push the ears back - that kind of pet. He loved it. If I stopped to pet Raider, the Newf, Jones would let out a little woof as if to say, "Hey, you were petting me!" I can't tell you how much I love running into dogs, learning their names, and talking with their people about them.  

Mondays with Evelyn

Every Monday Rosie and I visit my 95-year-old friend Evelyn. Evelyn and I sit together in her neat little house where she still lives independently and sip tea and chat while Rosie sits patiently, sometimes impatiently, at her feet waiting to play ball. I can't say enough about this incredible woman. She's tall and slender with impeccable posture and can bend over and pick up a tennis ball as easily as I can and I'm many years her junior. Her mind is sharp and she remembers everything. Once the tea and biscotti are consumed, Evelyn invites Rosie to play ball by throwing it across the room. Rosie jumps happily at the invitation and brings the ball back. She drops it at Evelyn's feet. Sometimes it rolls under the chair so that Evelyn can't reach it. Rosie scoots under the chair, grabs the ball, and drops it again at Evelyn's feet. Evelyn throws it and the two of them go on like this for about ten throws, bringing much joy to both of them. 

Rosie has come to expect this weekly visit and carries on excitedly when I say, "Let's go see Evelyn." If I couldn't drive and Rosie could, she'd know exactly how to get there!  

Pushups!

You've got to see this! Rosie exercising with John. Tess captured it on video. That dog! She's such a good sport. Something you need to know is that John tucked Rosie's frisbee under his shirt hoping that would keep her on his back as he did his pushups. An extra twenty pounds makes a better workout! 

Bath time!

Because Rosie has short Corgi legs and is low to the ground, she needs a bath on a fairly regular basis! Lucky for John and me, Tess loves to bathe her. The love is not returned by Rosie. She tolerates but does not enjoy a bath at all. As soon as we say, "bath time," her ears go back and she skulks around hoping we'll change our minds. But Tess entices her with kibble and plops her in the deep utility sink in the garage, too deep for Rosie to ever jump out. The entire bath process takes about an hour from beginning to end, including the drying and brushing after the bath. There's nothing more pathetic than a little dog doused with suds wanting to be done with it. And nothing cuter than two Corgis in a sink having a bath together! The last time Rudy, Rosie's brother, was here visiting us, Tess squeezed the two dogs into the sink and bathed them together. Double cute.