Hamster Horror Stories

When I was around 13 year old or so, I just had to have a cute cuddly little hamster. Mom and Dad said okay and we visited the local pet store. I picked out my first hamster named Lisa and thought about how lonely she would be in the big cage with no friend. So, I found Mikey in the same store….I think you can guess where this is headed. About a month or so later, I saw that Lisa had some movement under her. Aww, babies, how precious! The cubs grew quickly and less than a couple months later, … Continue reading

Luxury Pet Resort Opening at Disney World

I spent awhile deciding whether or not to run this story on my pets blog or Disney. Because I focused more on the pets angle for this article, I decided to post it here. Disney may already be a bit pet-friendly with kennels at their parks, but given the company’s love for a no-holds-barred vacation experience, I’m only surprised they didn’t debut a full-blown pets resort sooner. That’s right: the official Disney Parks blog has details on the soon-to-launch resort aimed at making Disney World the Most Magical on Earth for the entire family, four-legged members included. Disney’s always had … Continue reading

Why Parents Should Say “NO” to the Real Life “Wonder Pets”

“Wonder Pets Wonder Pets We’re on our way To help a friend and save the day…” Parents with young children feel free to join in: “We’re not too big And we’re not too tough But when we work together We’ve got the right stuff… GOOOOOO Wonder Pets… YAY!!” I dare you to watch even half an episode of the popular animated Nickelodeon show about a determined guinea pig, an independent baby turtle, and an adventurous duckling without humming the theme song for the rest of the week. I should know. My preschooler has been a fan of the show for … Continue reading

Animals in Historical Mysteries: An Interview with Mary Reed (and Eric Mayer)

Another author who recently humored my request for an interview is Mary Reed, who co-authors the John the Eunuch series with Eric Mayer. And actually I got double my money this go around because this dynamic duo is also a married one as well. I’m going to keep my intro short because in reading their answers you’ll come to see how much they not only love animals (especially cats), but also use animals in their work and have a lot of fun with it. Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? Mary Reed/Eric Mayer: We write historical … Continue reading

Swimming with Kangaroos and Author/Publisher/Pet Rescuer Dindy Robinson: Part I

Dindy Robinson runs the Swimming Kangaroo Books publishing company with her husband Bill. Like her name (both her given and her company’s), she is quite the colorful character who also happens to be quite the animal lover. She was kind enough to take time from her busy duties to answer my questions. Following below and in Part II are her answers. Courtney Mroch: How did you come up with the name “Swimming Kangaroo” for your publishing company? (It is very catchy!) Dindy Robinson: It’s from a family joke. We were carrying on a debate with a young man about evolution … Continue reading

Acclaimed Author L.C. Hayden’s “Killer” Effect

Author L.C. Hayden, photo courtesy of the author and used with her permission Sometimes we rescue an animal, adopt it into our family, and think we’ve done it the favor by saving its life. I’d like to share with you the following exchange I had with mystery, horror, and inspirational writer L.C. Hayden. (Her books include, Why Casey Had to Die, her newest release, What Others Know, which was a Left Coast Crime nominee for best mystery, When Colette Died, which was an Oprah On-Line Reading Café selection, and When Angels Touch You.) She’s had a lot of pets (and … Continue reading

Creative Uses for Toilet Paper Rolls

Not sure about anyone else, but in our house we go through toilet paper like it’s water. It’s absolutely crazy. I can walk into a bathroom at the end of the week to empty the trash can and there will be four empty toilet paper rolls in there! I won’t even ask what they are using it for, or better yet, how much they are using of it. That part seems to be obvious. Of course, we have five children who essentially share one bathroom, so there’s bound to be a lot used anyway. So what can you do with … Continue reading