Mensch and I are Famous!

            You've probably seen pics of my incredibly adorable, Schnorkie, Mensch. Those soulful eyes, that face, I melt every time I look at him except when he's barking his brains out, which is how he communicates. I'd always heard that terriers bark a lot and are stubborn. I had no idea until this guy adopted me. I've discovered there's no way to get around it, considering he's half mini schnauzer and half Yorkshire terrier. But I digress.

            Around the time the total eclipse recently descended on Texas, a beautiful black lab appeared in our driveway and walked into our garage when my husband got out of the car. She was such a beautiful, sweet dog, clearly looking for love and a forever home. We ended up fostering her for a few days while we tried to locate her owner, which never happened because, unfortunately, our town is known as a place where people dump their unwanted dogs. Abandoned dogs run all over town, looking for their loved ones who are long gone. It really upsets me. I try to help rather than ignore the problem. 

            Eventually we did find someone who wanted her with all his heart. One of our town's police officers who transported her back and forth from the shelter in a larger city fell head over heels with her. We were ecstatic because they were clearly mesmerized with one another. Unfortunately, he couldn't take her home until the end of his shift the next day. So, the sweet girl hung out with Mensch in our back yard. It was pretty cute to watch the two of them play. At Mensch's full height, his head only came up to just above her knees. His body barely reached her knees. And that gave him a big advantage as they chased one another around the yard. Mensch ran wild and crazy circles around her, which made her spin like a top trying to catch our boy. When the sun went down, she and Mensch ate dinner together, and my husband made up a doggie bedroom for her in our breezeway. As soon as we turned out the light at bedtime, we discovered she was terrified of the dark. That poor dog was crying so loud that we were pretty sure the whole neighborhood heard her. We figured what's a few more cents on our electric bill to keep the light on for her. 

            Anyway, the story of Luna, as she came to be called, was one I couldn't forget. When Chicken Soup for the Soul issued a call for a new title: What I Learned From My Dog, I knew I had to write and send in the story of that very special dog who came into our lives near the total eclipse. Ya know, I've heard that strange things, magical things, have been known to happen just before, during, and after an eclipse. I never paid much attention to those accounts, but I sure do now. Luna was indeed one of them.

            The book was recently published and is now available wherever books are sold. Although the story isn't about Mensch, he did have a supporting role, and that's why he's included in the photo above. The Chicken Soup for the Soul folks sent us a bag of their doggie treats that I sparingly fed to Mensch while he helped me open the box of books. Now, every time I open the door to the kitchen pantry he charges in ahead of me, sits and stares at the shelf with "his" treats, and thumps his tail as though saying, "Come on, Mom!"

Till next time,