by Caro Lamont from the Pampered Pets Mysteries by Sparkle Abbey

Although you'll notice I titled this "Pets Are People Too" they aren't really, are they? I mean we love them like members of our families. To tell you the honest truth, there are times I like my pets: Dogbert and my cats, Thelma and Louise better than some of my family members. They are for certain better behaved that some of the kin on Mama's side aka the Montgomery clan.

As y'all know, I'm a pet therapist (though it's almost always the pet parents who need my help) and so I get to see a lot of different animals. One of the things I love most about them is like humans they each have different personalities.

Just like people some are more upbeat and others a bit more pensive. Some are couch potatoes and others are all about adventure. Just last week, I had a session with a runaway Jack Russell who would head for the hills at every opportunity. Bongo had escaped so many times that his parents had the animal control officer on speed dial. He'd jumped fences, dashed out open doors, and even given the dog walker the slip. Jack Russell Terriers are high-energy dogs and love games. As crazy as it sounds that was my assessment. Bongo viewed the whole escape thing as a way to play and I recommended his parents spend some intensive game nights with him. It's a much safer way to burn off all that energy and need for excitement. I'll check in next week to see how it's going but I predict a big change in Bongo's behavior.

Now if it were only that simple with humans. I have a few people, like my cousin, Mel, who I'd like to steer toward some less dangerous types of adventures. Her latest escapade involved "glamping" which is glamorous camping for those of you who, like me, have never had the pleasure. Somehow in the middle of expensive RVs, fancy campfires and gourmet s'mores, Mel and her part-time employee, Betty, got themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. Again.

I tell you, pets are a whole lot less trouble than family.

How about you? Are your pets (and family members) well-behaved? Or do you sometimes have challenges, too?

Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets--Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). If you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by their website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.