When Love Walks In A Short Romance Fiction Story  by Dorothy Wills-Raftery    A fun note: The Siberian Husky’s name in this story – “Ginger”  –   was selected from of a list of  31 fantastic Husky names suggested by my FiveSibes Facebook & Instagram followers, and then  voted on for the overall favorite.  Thank you to all who participated!   So thrilled to learn today - January 5, 2026 - that this story is a Finalist in the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) Competition! L anie turned the skeleton key and gave the old wooden door a hefty push. Greeted by a blast of musty air, she scrunched up her nose. “We need to open a window, Ginger.” Her blue-eyed, red-and-white Siberian Husky tipped its head in response. Stepping inside what once was the town’s train station turned Walt’s Pet Depot, autumn leaves rolled in through the open doorway. Lanie pushed the door shut then unclipped Ginger’s leash. The dog...

  From 2014, Gib spies with his blue eyes, Binx, our handsome feral tuxedo cat! While we did a post for International Cat Day , did you know that August 17th was  International Black Cat Appreciation Day ? Yes, I knew about it and had this post ready to go, but now I'm over a week late, but you know how life goes! But I had to pay homage to the most beautiful black cat I ever knew...our beautiful feral boy, Binx, who as I mentioned in another post was brought to our house when he was just a kitten by our other adopted cat, Smokie. My daughter kept talking and sitting with him, building up enough trust that he  finally one day accepted treats from her hand!  He never allowed any one to pick him up, but he did eventually permit us to pet him, and purred his joy,   I even had him vetted to be healthy, and also microchipped. We got a collar with tags on him so anyone who didn’t know him would know he had family and not try to trap him or harm him.  Now, catchin...

T oday is a day to fondly remember all of our beloved pets who have made their journey to the Rainbow Bridge...while we do remember them and hold them close in our hearts every moment of every single day, today is a special day set aside for them. No matter if you sit quietly and reflect on the wonderful fun-and-love filled days with them, or maybe you are lighting a candle and flipping through a photo album filled with their photos, or even watching videos of them running and playing and enjoying life as part of your family.    There is saying that goes, "Where there is great love, there is great loss," and no truer words have held so much meaning. For when we have great love, the loss we know we will face one day, is equally great. The loss can render us numb in grief for a long time, in some ways for always. When our last of the FiveSibes, pupster "Wolfie" was still with us, he, too, grieved for the loss of his pack family of Harley, Gibson, and siblings Chloe an...