I don’t know about you, but animals are a huge part of my life. My husband and I live on a mini-farm we’ve named Manners Manor. We have a dog, two cats, chickens, an aquarium full of fish, and a stocked pond. I thought it would be fun to step inside my dog Axel’s mind and show you a typical day on Manners Manor from his perspective. So, here we go…
Hi. My name is Axel. I’m a handsome fellow, aren’t I? I love my home and my humans, Tim and Mary. They rescued me after a lo-o-o-o-ng six months in the animal shelter. I never thought I’d get sprung from the joint, but the moment Tim and Mary saw me they fell in love with me. I sure am a lucky guy. Here I am on the drive to my forever home with Tim at the wheel (you may notice the orange and white shirt—he’s a diehard Tennessee Vol football fan)
Mornings are my favorite time of the day. I wake up the humans when the birds start to sing and roosters crow (I live on a mini-farm which is pretty cool). Breakfast is yummy with a splash of broth spilled over the doggie chow. My buddies from up the hill scamper over and we play a little game of chase before they head back home and I wander down to the chicken coop to check on my twelve sisters. We say good morning and catch up on all the neighborhood gossip. Sometimes Colby and Rascal, my feline brothers, wander over to join us.
When Tim leaves for work it’s up to me to be the man of the house and keep watch over Mary. Sometimes I help her through writer’s block with a raucous game of fetch. She gets a great workout playing tug of war with my rope, too. I usually let her win (but don’t tell her the game is rigged). When she’s done writing, we walk down to the garden together where I check things out and make sure the plants are coming along nicely. Mary’s a great gardener so it’s no wonder salads are a staple in our house (but not for me…yuck). I have to make sure everything’s in order and no little interlopers have taken up residence among the tomatoes and lettuce leaves.
Life at Manners Manor keeps me on my toes. I settle in on the back deck after a long day to enjoy a rawhide treat and watch the sunset. It’s oh-so-relaxing and too beautiful for words (well, maybe not for Mary, since she’s an author).
Whew! Every day is an adventure on the mini-farm. When my work is done, I let the humans rub my belly before I put myself to sleep. I snuggle up with my favorite toy and then it’s lights out…until tomorrow!
P.S. Mary let me in on a little secret. She’s giving away an e-copy of her latest release, Autumn Hearts. Be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. One winner will be randomly selected on August 31. Don’t delay! You’re gonna love this collection of five autumn-themed romances better than a truckload of rawhides!
Good luck in the drawing. Now, I’m off for a game of hide and seek with my brothers and sisters. Happy reading!
Mary Manners lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, mischievous cats Colby and Rascal, 6 rambunctious chickens, and 13 fish. Mary writes small-town family romances laced with faith, hope, and humor. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, flavored coffee, and chocolate…lots of chocolate.
How cute to hear about a day in the life of Axel. I love dogs and cats too! They really keep you company and are so much fun. Ours came from a shelter too. Autumn Hearts is on my TBR list.
Hi Axel! Thanks for helping Mary with her writer’s block and keeping Manner’s Manor in good running order. You make the canine breed proud. Didn’t know that chickens were the gossiping type. Always stayed away from my girlfriends chickens, who pecked my ankles. Please tell Mary that I have preordered Autumn Hearts and am looking forward to two new authors in the collection. Best wishes to you and Mary. Enjoy your day!
Hi Axel! sounds like you have a very busy, fun, day. Our cats usually wake us up early, too :)
We have 3 indoor cats & 1 outdoor, stray cat. You would love them :)
I love all of your Axel pictures. I love dogs and cats. We have two indoor cats currently. Have almost always had at least one cat and sometimes three at a time. They are so much fun.
Loved hearing about Axel! Miss our little Ray Dog, but don’t want to get another just yet.
Greetings to Axel. It sure sounds like he lives a dog’s life. Mitten and Audrey are glad to know he has feline brothers. It almost makes up for the orange and white shirt of his male human. Our male human abhors those and much prefers the blue and white Kentucky variety.
Loved reading about Axel’s day! So happy to hear a rescue got a good home! 😃🐶
Love the fun and cute post! Better not share it with my kiddos – all four of them have been begging for a dog; I’m just not ready for another baby in the house yet!
Hey, Axel! What a great family you have, and way to go watching out for everyone! I know the Manners family is sure happy they have you around! Loved hearing from you today!
Enjoy your mini farm! We moved from a townhouse to a house 1/3 of an acre and feel like it is a small farm.
How cute! How old is Axel? He looks somewhat like my dog Copper. He’s 7 and beginning to slow down. He sleeps the vast majority of the day. 😉🐕
How cute! Axel has such a tough life, keeping everyone, including his two humans, in line!! I love that he “lets” you win at tug!! The cover of the book is beautiful!!!
Very sweet! Just got a puppy for my kids this summer. They are loving him.
Love it! I’m on a small ranch with tons of critters too. I write from a place that I love and inspires me!
I love animals but couldn’t afford vet bills if there was an emergency so we have no pets. :(
That was so cute! I’m a dog lover, but, after losing my precious furbaby, I was given a cat! No where near the same! Thank you!
Mary, this is adorable :) love this post!
Nice to meet you Axel! We have an aquarium full of fish too :)
I loved a day in the life of your dog! Very cute.
Thanks for the post.
I haven’t read about talking dogs in inspyromance yet, though many books feature animals as part of how couples get together, this was new to me.
I’m from a big city with no animals around, no friends with animals, so I find it very hard to relate, but I’m always open to the new experiences.
What a cute dog!
Hello Axel, I can’t believe that you are such a good friend to the chickens who live on your property. It must take great fortitude to just be nice to them and not chase them around. It sounds like you have a magnificent life!
Fun to read your post from “Axel’s” point of view. Was he well trained when you got him form the shelter or did he require a lot of work?
Love your pictures of Axel what an amazing dog !