Dog Days of Summer

Life with six dogs means laughter, chaos, and the occasional stolen dinner—especially in the sizzling Texas summer heat.

I don’t know about you guys—where you live, or what the temps are like—but here in South Texas it’s been scorching hot! I mention this because my dogs, all six of them, like to hang out in the backyard in the sunshine. So, my back door gets opened. . .a lot. 

So far my electric bill has remained reasonable, but these dogs are wearing me out with their in-and-out antics. I call them inside and one (Ginger) refuses to budge from the chair on the back patio. They simply love the sun.

Me, on the other hand? I’m all about the A/C.

These Dogs, Y’all! 

I love ‘em. I do. But sometimes (just keeping it real) they give me a run for my money. The blame is usually my own. The story I’m about to tell happened because I was uber-distracted, working on a blog post. Had I been paying attention, my 81-pound cattle dog, Benny, would never have gotten away with this. 

I planned to make Chicken & Gnocchi soup for dinner yesterday. The shredded chicken was pulled from the freezer and placed on the countertop (in a snap-and-seal container like the one in the pic below) to thaw. But when I got ready to start the soup mid-afternoon, I couldn’t find the container. It was MIA. 

I literally tore my kitchen apart looking for that container. I even opened the fridge to make sure I hadn’t put it back in there. 

Nope. No where. Gone. Poof. 

I went ahead and cooked more chicken. (The soup needed to be made; I planned to post the recipe as my first official Storybook Kitchen post. 

The soup turned out great. Very yummy, in fact. I think Aunt Rosa (character from my Weddings by Bella series) would be happy with it.

But I still didn’t know what happened to the original chicken and its container. 

Until I climbed the stairs later that evening, headed up to my bedroom. 

That’s when I found the empty container on the stairs. 

Mamma mia, che disastro!
“Oh my goodness, what a disaster!”

I don’t know how he did it, but Benny somehow managed to leverage that container down from the countertop, OPEN the snap-and-seal on all four sides, eat the chicken, and lick the bowl clean. I don’t know whether to discipline him or give him a high five for his ingenuity. 

The reality is, I’m easily distracted by my work. I’ve always joked that I get “in the zone” when I’m writing. In fact, I once said, “The whole house could burn down around me and I probably wouldn’t notice.” 

The house didn’t burn down, but the dog’s belly is very, very full. And, at least for now, one of us is very, very happy. I suspect he’s dreaming up his next big adventure, even now.

Oh, and soup turned out great. You can check out the Chicken & Gnocchi recipe here. 🙂

About the Author

Janice Thompson is a bestselling author, blogger, and lifelong dog lover whose four-legged friends often inspire her stories. Known for her heartwarming romantic comedies and cozy reads, Janice brings the same warmth and humor to her blog, where she shares glimpses of life with her pups alongside recipes, party ideas, and writing tips. When she’s not penning her next novel or baking something sweet, you can find her spoiling her dogs, dreaming up literary-themed events, or enjoying the Texas sunshine, (usually from inside, looking out of the window).