By Liz, happy to welcome Donna Andrews back to the blog! I love that she’s always good for an awesome animal story – and she doesn’t disappoint today talking about seven Pomeranians…take it away, Donna!
Recently a reader asked me how many Pomeranians I had, and I had to confess that I don’t have any. No dogs at all, in fact.
Then why, the reader asked, are there now seven Pomeranians in your series? And what’s up with those two cute dogs you keep posting pictures of on social media?
Ah. Thereby hangs a tale.
My brother has two dogs: Ginger, 12, a Shih-tzu, and Maple, 7, a Pomeranian/Bichon mix. (I call her a Pom bitch.) I only live a couple of miles away, so if my brother, a clinical psychologist with a lively therapy practice, is having a busy day, I’m the backup dog-minder. It’s not a big chore for me to dash over to take the girls (as we call them) out for their midday or late-afternoon airing. In fact, I enjoy doing it. Makes a nice break in what is often a very quiet day, especially if I’m immersed in writing a draft. I often stick around after I’ve rewarded the girls with their treats and we keep each other company. I read a book or listen to a podcast with one or both of them on my lap or leaning against me.
Ginger is a lady. Always has been. She’s quiet, well-behaved, self-contained–rather catlike. Maple is a wild thing. She likes nothing better than playing tug of war over a chew toy and then, when she wins, slamming it against the floor a few times, like a terrier killing a rat. Or eviscerating her toy–but she wants to be either in my lap or leaning against my leg while she rips the thing apart. And she’s jealous. Sometimes, if I pet Ginger, Maple will lunge and snap at Ginger. I am her property, and Ginger should know her place.
I don’t dare get a dog of my own. Maple would never forgive me. But it’s okay. I see my canine nieces all the time.
At the beginning of the pandemic, though, my brother and I made the decision to lock down separately. I missed him, and my nephews, and the girls. After a few months, we expanded our quarantine to include both households, and I was delighted to see them all again.
It was especially heartwarming to have the girls greet me with such enthusiasm that they twirled around in circles when I walked through the door. Of course, they do that nearly every time I arrive, whether I’ve been gone for months or only a few hours. Still heartwarming, every time.
But during that early stage of isolation, I was working on Murder Most Fowl, book 29 in my Meg Langslow series. The book had a plot thread in which Meg spots two unfamiliar birds devouring feed in the middle of her chicken flock. The intruders stand out, partly because they’re gray and white and the chickens are glossy black Sumatras. And also partly because they’re not chickens at all. They’re geese.
The following is a spoiler–but only for the subplot, not for the murder case: it turns out that Meg’s father has set his heart on getting some rare, heritage-breed geese–either Pilgrims or Pomeranians. (Yes, both are types of geese.) He’s found two Pomeranian goslings, but he wants a few more. And it turns out that he has mentioned this to Clarence Rutledge, Caerphilly’s large-hearted veterinarian, who spends much of his time rescuing animals from kill shelters and finding them homes. “I’ve got a batch of Pomeranians you can have,” Clarence exclaims. Unfortunately, Clarence missed the part about Dad wanting more geese, so in the middle of the murder investigation Meg comes home to find that Clarence has dropped off a litter of seven adorable Pomeranian puppies.
When I sat down to write the next book, I realized I had to account for the Pomeranians. And they’re darned cute, so wouldn’t it be nice to keep a few of them around? I already have Spike, the small evil one, and Tinkerbell, Meg’s brother’s Irish wolfhound, in the cast, so it seemed unlikely that Meg would want to add to their canine menagerie. But I liked the idea of them, so I decided to have them all adopted by Meg’s friends and family. Rose Noire, the cousin who lives with Meg’s family, takes one. So does Kevin, the cyber-expert nephew who lives in her basement. Her cousin Horace and her good friend Aida take puppies, and since they’re both Caerphilly deputies, when they’re on shift they often drop their pups off at Meg’s house to keep them from getting lonely. Robyn Smith, the rector of Trinity Episcopal and Ms. Ellie Draper, the town librarian, also take Poms, and the final one is given to Adam, youngest of the three orphaned grandsons that Chief Burke and his wife are raising.
This seemed to me a highly satisfactory solution. In any given book–in any given scene–I can have as many dogs as I want, for either humor or plot purposes. Since Horace, the county’s lone forensic specialist, has been training some of them as scent dogs, I can even get them involved in the murder investigations. Rose Noire’s and Aida’s pups are showing great promise as search-and-rescue dogs, and Horace’s own dog, who seems to prefer finding dead bodies, is quickly becoming a very useful cadaver dog.
And you know the best thing about modeling a batch of characters after my canine nieces? These days, if I go over and hang out with them for an hour or so, it’s no longer goofing off. It’s research!
Readers, tell us about your favorite pups, kitties, or any other animal friend (yours or a borrowed one) in the comments!
And check out Donna’s latest books:
Between a Flock and a Hard Place
Out in August 2024!
Out in October 2024!
The Wickeds 
Those are darling nieces, for sure, Donna! My big gentle tabby Martin probably wouldn’t like them, though. Thanks for stopping by the blog. Your solution to the Pomeranian problem is perfect.
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I might have cats if I hadn’t discovered I’m allergic! I adore black cats and yellow tabbies.
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Hi Donna,
Even upside down, those poms are terminally cute. Personally I am owned by a mini-schnauzer. She has a stuffed octopus that she shakes like your Maple does her chew toy when she wants to let me know she’s mad at me. But heaven help me if I consort with another dog; when I come home, every part of me is sniffed to a fare-thee-well, and I am offered only a cold shoulder (at least until dinner time).
As you know, I (like many, many other devoted readers) am a particular fan of the small evil one, so I appreciate it whenever he is able to sink his teeth into one of your villains.
Can’t wait for the next two!!
Best wishes,
Lee Sauer
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Aw, Maple’s lovely and that pic of Ginger laid back is priceless. I sometimes babysit my brother’s dog and love it. I don’t have a dog, but my social media is full of…dogs. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
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What adorable dogs!
Hubs recently adopted a Cavapoo from our local Humane Society. The dog was 3 months old at the time, someone from a neighboring town had bought him from an Illinois breeder, had him shipped to Maine, then, after two weeks decided he wasn’t ready for a puppy. Fortunately the person called the Humane Society who went to pick him up – a trip of over 100 miles. Kudos to the shelter staff. The dog spent Labor Day weekend with the staff worker who picked him up, and we happened into the shelter at the same time the shelter worker was bringing in the dog. Instant adoption.
He’s my first dog in many years, and adorable. Yes, he is a definite puppy and loves his tug of war toys. The cats are getting used to him, but so far, the balance of power is undecided!
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Maple and Ginger are total cuties, Donna! Thanks for telling us about them. Cheers!
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Of all the pets (and believe me, there have been many and of several species over all my many years), my favorite and the one that touched not only my life immensely, but those of so many, has to be Snickerdoodle. Our precious chihuahua crossed the rainbow bridge last year and still sorely missed.
My Dad took up with him immediately and was his napping buddy when mom and I cleaned house. At Dad’s passing, he went to stay with mom for a while as her comfort and companion pouch. Then after coming home, he often rode in his specially made sidecar for our Goldwing trike wearing helmet and goggles promoting motorcycle safety. He never met a stranger and love just about any one. When mom came to live with us after cancer surgery and the onset of Alzheimer, he was often her lifeline to realty. She remembered him and loved him until she went to join dad. Through it all he was momma and daddy’s little boy. Where most think of chihuahuas as high stung and yappy dogs, Snickerdoodle was the exact opposite. He was a huge part of our lives for over 17 years and will always be missed, but the love for him and him for us will live on.
This being said, I love ALL animals regardless of how big or small. Now retired, our biggest joy is capturing critters in their natural environment. In the process, I have educated myself to their habits and interesting things about them. It gives me a thrill to find a new critter or finally capture that shot I’ve been looking for. Every day I learn something new, met a goal and set another. Life is good and critters of all forms make it very good.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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I can’t believe Ginger is 12! I always love seeing there pictures and it’s great to see you here, too!
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So fun to learn the backstory. I’ve enjoyed Donna’s books since her prescient AI mysteries and look forward to each Meg story. As for pets I grew up on a farm and can’t imagine life without animal bosses. My two labs act a lot as you describe Ginger and Mabel, and Purrminator rules the barn cats.
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I love all the animals in this series, which is one of my main comfort reads. I read through the whole series at least twice during the pandemic, when I found it hard to concentrate on anything else. Looking forward to your next book as always!
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Thanks for the backstory on the newest dogs. I don’t know how you juggle everything you have going on in these books.
And your brother has supplied so many characters for the series. Where would Meg be without him?
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My three rescue cats bring so much joy and many smiles on a daily basis!
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I just recently listened to the audible version of “Murder Most Fowl” and the part about the mixup between the Pomeranian geese and puppies was one of my favorite parts, I was hilarious! I love the pictures of Maple and Ginger, they are so cute!
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I had a cat that was from a stray and her name was Dandilion. She did live for 12 yrs old and when she was little and also later on she would love to chase a small piece of steak. She would knock it around and play with it for a long time and then eat it. Along with her I had a dog, Spot, and my older son pick the dog out of 2 dogs that a friend was giving away. She did warn me about porvo and what to look for. I did see the symptons early enough to rush her to emergency where they gave her a 50/50 chance to live. She was a strong little puppy and so she made it through the weekend and then the following Monday I took her to the vet and they gave her medication and she was on rice for a week and actually did live till she was 15 yrs old. Unfortunately in her last days she had a stomach growth which had spread rapidly and within a week she past away. A few years ago we adopted a dog during the pandemic for my husband. He is a yellow lab/husky and his favorite thing to play is keep away.
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I always love hearing about Ginger and Maple!
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I love the dogs in the books, but as you know, I especially adore seeing pictures of the girls.
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I love your back story. Thank you for sharing. I have so many dog stories and a few cat stories that I could tell. But I will settle on Ghost Dogs and will shorten the stories. Punkin was our first Golden Retriever. My husband and I had labs before. She was amazing. She got cancer on her mouth (we had asked the Doc about it, and he didn’t think that it was anything unless it grew, and it did. So, we had it operated on and they thought that they had it all, but it had metastasized. We did all we could, but she left us on a December morning. About a month later, a neighbor driving by our house saw Punkin looking out the front window as she always did. When we brought Needa home a year later (we need a dog), she started doing things that we had not trained her to do. They were all things that Punkin knew to do. Then Needa died of a heart condition many years later here at home also. So, six months later we brought Texie home. All goldens. Texie was one of 12 and kind of the runt of them. So, when we first put food down, she would lunge for it. But all of a sudden, she stopped doing that and sat and waited for us to release her. She never has gotten on furniture or tried to go upstairs. All things we taught Needa. So many more instances, but we do believe in ghost dogs. And Texie is the smartest dog of all.
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