Animals and Pets

When I was a child we were too poor to have pets of our own, but then my mother went to work for a veterinarian. To earn extra money, she took in dogs and cats that were recuperating, or that the doctor was boarding. What a joy it was for me to care for those creatures! It was a mixed blessing, though, because when the animals were well enough to go home, or when the owners wanted them back, we had to give them up.

For as long as I can remember, the two things I wanted most were to become a writer and to have pets of my own. My writing career has had many ups and downs, but the pets who’ve shared my life have been total blessings. Except for Annie (a gift from my daughter, Susan), all of my other pets have been "rescues" and came to me after they'd gone through bad times. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to give them good lives; they’ve given me much more.

Lady Ashley and Annie, waiting for TV time.

I met a lot of these big guys and their mates in East Africa, but this handsome gentleman - the Sean Connery of his species - is a Hollywood actor. Here we are on the ranch where he relaxes between movie assignments.

This beautiful female leopard - Eliza - had a sweet disposition normally, but when she started thumping her tail on the ground, I got away from her fast! It turned out she had an upset stomach, so the Vet gave her medicine to make her comfortable again.

When my former husband was dying of cancer, he asked me to adopt his dogs. I'm glad I could give these wonderful creatures happy lives. Standard Poodles Tuffy II and Robyn have passed away. Every time I see a black Standard Poodle my eyes get teary. Someday, I'm going to adopt one from the Poodle rescue organization I've heard about.

Clearly, I've never uttered the phrase, "no dogs on the furniture."

Annie was named for Annie Lennox.

Magic is my muse. He's such good company when I work, I put him into the second book in the mystery series, LOVE HER TO DEATH. 

Magic is no doubt wondering if Linda will include him in book three, "LOVE YOU MADLY," due out May, 2006.  Magic, you'll just have to wait and see!!