Wags, Sniffs and Rascally Kitties – The Blog of Flynn, Super-Dog in Training

About

Flynn is a black Labrador. He loves playing catch with a tatterdy old tennis ball, going for long walks, and children. So far, so normal, but you see, he is anything but. Because Flynn is a Super-Dog in Training for Irish Dogs for the Disabled. When he grows up, he will be an Assistance Dog to a disabled child or adult.

You can find out more about Irish Dogs for the Disabled and the wonderful work they do here http://www.dogsfordisabled.ie/ and if you like Flynn’s blog, please consider donating.

And while you’re at it, pay a visit to our friends at Galway Cat Rescue http://www.galwaycatrescue.ie/ because where would we be without rascally kitties?

With thanks to The Wet Nose Studio http://www.wetnose.ie/site/ for the glorious puppy pic of Flynn.

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Oh when!

When will somebody make a laptop with a keyboard that fits paws! Here I am, typing with my nails! Like a secretary in Mad Men or something! I am a Labrador not a style icon! Mind you, I’m told I’m a Very Handsome Fellow Indeed.

But anyway! Let’s not dwell on my amazing doggie good looks. Let me tell you instead – slowly as it goes, what with the tiny-keyboard-paw-ratio – about my new home.

So, I arrived here on Valentine’s Day, the smell of flowers strong in my nose. But I wonder why the Human Being Man didn’t want me to eat them? Strange creatures, these Human Being People. I met the Human Being Lady too, and two Human Being Boys. Along with – wait for it…. a CAT with no tail. CAT! CAT! CAT! No tail!

The Human Being People, of course, don’t realise that I am highly conversant in many languages apart from dog. Oh yes, swan, duck, dove, cat, ant, you name it I know it.

Human Being too, but I can sometimes have selective understanding with that one. All a ruse to get treats, you understand, in case you have any misguided notion about my intelligence.

I know too, that this won’t be my forever home, that I will be going on to do my Important Work, my special coat fluttering in the breeze, my noble head angled just so. Think Superman and you get the picture.

But back to the present, and I find that I need a little snooze in the sun. Besides, my paws hurt from all this typing.

More later.

Later.

The Human Being Family are in bed.

‘Pssst,’ says No-Tail.

(Cats too, are conversant in other animal languages, the clever ones anyway).

‘Mmm?’ I was sleepy, in my crate.

‘Who are you then?’ says the cat.

‘I am Flynn, Super-Dog in Training!’ I replied, yawning.

Well! The cat slapped his furry thigh with his paw and laughed his cat laugh.

‘We shall see,’ says he. ‘And are you allowed to jump on the table and ask for a saucer of milk too?’

At this stage, I knew he had me at a disadvantage, the rascally kitty! As if dogs are allowed on tables! So I feigned sleep and started snoring. Now, as anybody knows, it is easy to tell when a dog is really asleep, for our paws move as we chase things in our dreams.

But I heard No-Tail pad closer and the next thing I knew, he laid his paw on my forehead and said softly, ‘you have much to learn, young one.’

And when I opened my eye, for a little peek, he had gone…

Will No-Tail get our pooch in trouble with the Human Beings? Will the ducks on the nearby canal share their bread? And what happens when there are two new kitty arrivals in the Household? Tune in next time for the further adventures of Flynn, Super-Dog in Training.

Lucretia’s life as an astronomer is quickly turned on its head by her eldest brother when he is commanded by the king to build the grandest telescope in the land. Her nights spent on rooftops gazing at the stars are replaced by adventure as the family move to be nearer the king. In a race to build the Forty-foot telescope on time, misfortunes take their toll. The lady astronomer finds court life to be more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Can she find the strength inside to overcome the obstacles threatening her destiny? Only the stars will tell.

Untold Press

Buy it here and here 

The Scarlet Ribbon (as Derry O’Dowd)

The Scarlet Ribbon follows James Quinn, a young Irish surgeon battling prejudice, suspicion and personal demons in his controversial quest to change the face of medicine. Following his marriage, tragedy strikes, thrusting James into a life of turmoil, alcohol and despair. Throwing himself into his work, the young surgeon eventually begins to find solace in the most unexpected of places. From the backstreets of Paris, through the glittering social whirl of London, and finally back to Ireland again, this is a story of the thorns of love and the harsh reality of life in the eighteenth century, where nothing is simple and complications of all kinds surround James Quinn, man midwife.

The History Press Ireland

Buy it here and here