A Day in the Life of Phoebe the Pug

Phoebe's Schedule

5:00 AM – Snore. Open eyes when Man yells upstairs for me to go out. Fake sleep. Grumble and moan when he yells again. Go outside. Bark loudly when done so Man can bring me back inside. Go back to sleep.

5:10 AM – Yawn, stretch, look soulfully over at Woman who is getting up at this inhumane hour. Go back to sleep.

5:15 AM – Go downstairs and bang bowl around with head so Woman will get the hint and stop making her coffee and get me breakfast. Have a few bites. Go to Boy’s bedroom door and push door with head and snort. Give up and go upstairs and back to sleep with Girl.

6:15 AM – Growl, bark and attack the blankets when Woman wakes up girl.

6:20 AM – Yelp, growl, bark, whine and spin around like a demon dog when Woman tries to wake up Girl again. Sigh and get up. Pace back and forth making sure to weave in and out of human’s legs. Stay close to human’s legs to keep them warm. Get yelled at when they trip.

6:30 AM – Go downstairs to Boy’s room again. Push door with head repeatedly. When it opens immediately run under Boy’s bed and start eating objects found under bed. Get yelled at.

6:50 AM – Take position on top of sofa staring out window on to street. Observe humans leaving and getting in their car. Bark at them like you don’t know who they are.

7:01 AM – Go back to sleep.

9:00 AM – Get up and eat. Go back to sleep

11:00 AM – Dive bomb unsuspecting cat. Chase cat until she runs upstairs but don’t follow, (too much effort). Go back to sofa. Sleep.

12:00 PM – Sleep. Wake up and bark at falling leaf. Bark at elderly couple taking their walk, bark at cars driving past house – made them go away. Go back to sleep.

2:30 PM – Wake up and jump all over Boy. Lick Boy’s face. Go outside and run circles around front yard. Come back inside. Try and get back into Boy’s room to eat more small objects. Chew on some headphones. Get thrown out of room.

2:45 PM – Mailman arrives. Bark, snort, wail, jump on and off the couch, grab throw pillows with teeth and whip them around. Good – made him go away. Go back to sleep.

3:00 PM – Wake up and greet Girl. Jump on her lap and look in her book bag. Stick head deep in bag and extract tasty items like gum, candy, pencils or paper. Get yelled at. Go back to sleep.

3:15 PM – Wake up and greet Woman. Wag tail and snort. Stand in front of bowl and act like she forgot to feed me. Eat food forgetful Woman puts in bowl. Go back to sleep.

5:00 – 7:00 PM - Nap on sofa. Go in kitchen to see what’s cooking. Sit down and look pathetic . Drink water like I spent the day in the Sahara. Make sure to splash water onto the floor. Go investigate something good in the trash. Get yelled at. Go in bathroom and eat tissues. Go back to sleep.

8:00 PM – Greet Man. Wag tail and snort. Pretend I haven’t eaten to get another snack. Watch big box with lights. Go back to sleep.

9:00 PM – Yawn and stare at humans so they go upstairs to bed. Moan and sigh and walk with head down when being taken outside. Bark when done and race back into house. Jump on unsuspecting cat when she walks by sofa. Get hit in head by cat. Push Boy’s door open with head until door opens. Dive under bed and make lots of scraping and snorting noises. Get picked up and taken out of room. Nap on couch to wait for bedtime.

9:31 PM – Go upstairs to bed. Spread out on side of the bed on Woman's pillow. Look surprised when she moves me. Grunt and sigh and dig around the blankets for a good spot. Spread out and stick paws into human’s eyes, ears and back. Go to Sleep.

Love for No Reason by Marci Shimoff & Carol Kline

Love for No Reason by authors Marci Shimoff and my friend Carol Kline, was just released and is already bound for the NY Times Bestseller List! With endorsements from people such as Dr. Oz, Mariel Hemingway, Jack Canfield as well as authors John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) and Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love), both #1 New York Times bestselling authors, Love for No Reason is certain to become a classic.

Our attitudes, experiences and sometimes even the way we were raised can affect our ability to give and accept unconditional love, yet it's something we all seek. The kind of relationships we have with our young children and pets is often based on this exact thing - unconditional, non-judgemental love with no expectations. What if you could perpetuate this type of love into all your relationships and interactions? What if you could learn how to incorporate this into your relationship with yourself? Marci and Carol explore this and more using both current scientific research on the biochemistry of love as well as spiritual and cultural wisdom from around the world. They've created a 7 Step Program designed to help people with:

• Healing yourself of destructive behaviors like workaholism, self-sabotage, and addictions. (Yes, even these have a lack of love as their root cause!)
• Recovering quickly from the most stressful situations.
• Becoming the kind of parent you've always wanted to be—more patient, understanding, accepting, encouraging, and loving than you already are! (And it's never too late for this … no matter how old your kids are.)
• Boosting all areas of your health—physical, mental, and emotional—as well as increase your longevity, lower your blood pressure, and reduce the risk of depression.
• Enjoy more meaningful, lasting, and fulfilling relationships—not only with others but with yourself as well.
• Becoming more patient and accepting, while still finding the wisdom, drive, and confidence to go after any changes that truly matter to you.

Marci and Carol have collaborated on many projects before. They co-authored the NY Times Bestselling Happy for No Reason, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Marci Shimoff was a featured teacher on The Secret. Carol Kline was the author and editor of Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul - the book that started my journey as a published writer. Her guidance, support and ever-present sharp sense of humor (even at 2 am in the morning editing with me over the phone!), helped me build the confidence and experience I needed to pursue the dream of writing my own book. I've just started reading Love for No Reason on my Kindle and it was difficult to put it down to even update my blog! Here in New York we are digging out of a snowstorm - how fortunate for me that school is closed today - so back to reading!

Love for No Reason is available at Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and all major book stores.