Spotlight – Jill Shalvis – Read Humane® 2013
The Reading Cafe is pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty. Since Sandy and I are animal lovers, we are happy to be part of this wonderful campaign.
This is my rescue story. 11 years ago, I was grieving the loss of my cat, Brandy. My husband & I decided it was time to give a loving home to another animal, as we had enough love in our hearts to give out.
Zorro Koko
When my friend Debbie and I went to the local shelter, they had quite a few cats.Seeing so many cats, I decided to take two home with me. There was one cat who caught my eye. He was rambunctious, the only cat they let out of the cage. He was blind in one eye, having lost his sight due to an infection shortly after he was born. I decided to take him, and also took his brother. After being in a cage for a year, 11 years later they are two happy & contented cats, not to mention the love they give us. I never regretted helping rescue a partially blind cat, and his petrified brother.
Barb
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We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our site today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”
Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May). As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal. Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.
For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.
And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane. Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.
Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.
My Rescue Story
by Jill Shalvis
At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals. All of them rescued, always. It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.
A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full. Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints. We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler. Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog. Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab. And four teenage girls.
Actually, it wasn’t a house. It was a zoo.
But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab. And we missed having two dogs. Yes, we’re crazy. Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.
No. No way. I was adamant. I had enough on my plate. But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.
So we left the mountain…
And drove… 
And drove… 
We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.
The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first. We had no idea what we were going to find. A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me. I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.
Any animal in need is welcome.
Even the funny looking ones… 
The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it. She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.
We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs. And she did have two puppies. She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.
But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts. Nope, it was her little baby brother. The runt.
He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.
And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down. I tried. I tried hard. But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart. I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.
“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.
I told him to zip it. We were taking this dog and that was that. Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.
So we never put him down again. Meet Frat Boy…[
***
Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…
Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series. One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs! Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…
1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell. This will warn you to run like hell as well. Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.
2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog. No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself. And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story. Solid alibi.
3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries. Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you. And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him. Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.
4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman. If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in. Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.
5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat. Always. Just be forewarned. Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner. They have a habit of being a total bed hog. 
***
Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us! If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…
Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!
For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA). To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!
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This is a wonderful post, and I wholehardely support. I have one dog and three cats.
I rescued one cat that I had found outside as a kitten on a cold night, and he is the ring leader of my pets. My dog I took from the shelter, when she was only 6months old, as she was abandoned. As you can see, I am a big animal lover. Great post TRC.
This is a wonderful topic to bring to everyone’s attention when there are so many animals in foster homes and shelters just waiting for a family to love. After losing our beloved lab to bone cancer, we went online to search for a rescue dog. Becky was described online as a “love muffin” and a more accurate description could not be found. Becky was a 6 month yellow lab rescued from Alabama and in foster care. She traveled up to PA, where we picked her up. We had such a wonderful experience with Becky, that we decided to give her sister to play with. 4 months later, we adopted Holly-Berry into the family. She was a 6 month golden/terrier mix from Tennessee. Holly keeps us on our toes. Must be the second child syndrome. We couldn’t ask for more loving and affectionate pets. Rescue is the only way for our family now.
I also passed along my wonderful experience with rescue dogs to a friend who lost her beloved siberian husky. When the family was ready, they went online and found Petey. The newest member of the family was adopted and at home with a loving family within a week of their search.
Wonderful cause. Great idea and promotion from Jill and Penguin books
Yes, I currently have 2 beautiful cats, although mine are not rescue pets. Wonderful cause, as Alicia said.
All the pets in my kids have recued dogs or cat in their homes. I love them all I don’t have a dog of my own anymore as I live with my daughter so I love hers. My oldest just lost her Rotte and went to a pet auction and got Rufus who is a cross between a Shar Pai and a Rotte he is so cute. I think it is cute they now have a Rufus and Roxie. Great work they are doing.
While not from a shelter, my brother-in-law found 2 kittens crawling around in the parking lot of a local market. We’ve had had Sweeney Todd and Cullen, you know it!, for four years now. Love the post and your generous work!
Great cause but no pets for me. But I do have a 16 month old little boy maybe when he is old enough I will get another pet.
We don’t have any pets, but my friend got her cat from the North Shore Animal League.
Great post, great cause. We have always rescued stray cats, and have given a number of them loving homes. Sadly so many out there that are homeless. We have an empty garage, and in the winter we would let a few strays that came often to stay in the garage in bad weather and get fed. Of course, they wanted to go out when the weather cleared.
this is a wonderful cause. i have a dog and a cat. my son and i got our cat from the local shelter. The dog we got from a friend who had puppies.
Great post and wonderful cause. I love animals but unfortunately am terribly allergic to pet dander and fur. Love the dogs as sidekicks piece, totally fits my cousins dog on a couple of those reasons 😉
Very worthy cause. Thank Jill Shalvis.
Such a wonderful cause, so close to home for me.
My “rescue” stories begin with Butter. She was rescued by my Vet’s office, and since I had just lost my cat, Kitters to kidney disease, they called and ask me if I would like to take a look at her. I didn’t think I was ready for another cat so soon after losing Kitters, but I fell in love with this 5 month old orange tabby. Butter was perfectly content being the only cat in our house for 7 years, when my son’s girlfriend found another orange tabby living in the parking lot where she worked. She brought him to me and asked me if I would keep him until she found a home………….oh yeah, Ziggy found his home alright. With me.
Butter and Ziggy hated each other, but they came to an understanding. They just didn’t interact. Which was fine. Then when Butter was 16 and Ziggy was about 5, these 2 adorable orange kittens started living in my back yard. They were
the cutest things! But I had two cats, my husband didn’t want any more in the house, so I was able to find a rescue group who would place the kittens for adoption. The day they were to go to the rescue group, my son got so upset and we were so sad…….yeah, you guessed it………….now I have another 2 orange males named Bizzy and Bogie. That same year, Butter passed away and
I think the kittens helped me get through my grief over losing her. So there’s my rescue stories. Oh, I do feed another feral cat that is also an orange female I named Ms. Fox! She doesn’t seem to want to come inside…………….well maybe I’ll have another rescue story soon!!
I love all animals, I’ve had dogs and cats but all my cats are rescue cats. It starts with my first cat Whiskers, that i found as a kitten that was lost in the street. The funniest thing is when my husbad and I got in the car the cat (tabby)jumped in the back seat on the drivers side. He placed the kitten on the sidewalk and when I went to get in the car she jumped in the back seat on the passengers side, well that was a sign from God and she went home with us . She lived to be 19 years old, and a very loverable cat….. then I needed another cat, but we were going to wait a while until one summer night, while I was waiting for a pizza to be delivered, and my husband to get home, I heard a liitle sound like a baby crying. I crossed the street and their was a palm size kitten, (yeelow and white) tangled in the bushes and crying. I took it home and gave it little bits of milk and of course I kept him. We named him nutty because he ran around the house like a nut. He lived to be 13 years old and died from feline leaukimia…….. While Nutty was sick in the house next door, a cat gave birth to 5 kittens but abandoned 2 of the kittens. I tried to find them a home, but no one was interested. Of course they went home with me. Both are male kittens, one is all white that I named polar, the other one my husband named Triangle (?), cause he has a triangle shaped in black on his back.
As of tnow I have another cat that visits me eveyday for his daily meals, Day and night. When its to cold or when he doesnt want to leave, he stays is our basement overnight and goes out in the morning. Well for now… thats all the cats I have.