Christmas & Dogs with Abbie Roads of Hunt the Dawn + #Giveaway

Christmas is for Kids Dogs


Okay. Yes, Christmas is for Kids. But when you don’t have kids… It’s for dogs!

My husband and I don’t have two-legged human babies. We have four-legged fur babies. Dobby and Brindle.


Dobby’s Story: 
We got Dobby from the local Humane Society ten years ago. It was love at first sight for me and love at first jump for my husband. I’d visited the shelter earlier in the day and fell in love with Dobby and dragged my grumbling husband there after he got off work. While the worker went to get Dobby, my husband walked down to the far end of the kennels to look at the dogs. The worker walked in holding Dobby, then set him down. Immediately, he raced for my husband and literally leaped into his arms.
Sold! He was ours.
And the name Dobby… If you’ve ever watched the Harry Potter movies our little dog looked just like Dobby when we got him. Bones and skin and ears. He had been starved and beaten. But now he’s plump and happy.
He’s been our sweetest dog. He just loves to be loved and loves giving stinky kisses in return.


Brindle’s Story:
Brindle came from the Boston Terrier Rescue eight years ago. Her mother was found wandering alone and pregnant. The Rescue took her in and after she had the puppies we had to go through an extensive interview process—home inspection, a personal interview, and access to our vet records to prove we really do take care of our dogs. We passed the test. And Brindle’s been a delightful handful ever since. She’s got a zany, fun-loving personality despite having to deal with numerous health issues. In 2013 she randomly went paralyzed in her back legs and had to endure three months of physical therapy to learn how to walk again. I say endure, but I know she enjoyed herself. Everyone at the rehabilitation center knew Brindle. When around other people, her personality would swing between sweet and loving or snarling. She certainly made an impression.


Some of my favorite Christmas traditions revolve around Dobby and Brindle. Every year we dress them in Christmas clothes. We love it. They hate it. But we force them to wear their little outfits for a few hours at least. Secretly, Dobby enjoys his sweaters—they help him stay warm in the winter—he’s part Chihuahua.

Brindle dresses up as our snow princess.
Dobby dresses up as our elf.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is Christmas morning with Dobby and Brindle. Watching them open their presents. Yes. We are the couple that buys their dogs presents.

Every year we buy two giant packs full of ten different stuffed toys. One for each dog. That’s twenty total toys. On Christmas day—they open their presents first thing. Dobby loves to sit on the couch surrounded by his new toy stash squeaking the toys, until he finally rips a hole in the toy and pulls out the noise maker out. Then on to the next one. Brindle likes tossing them in the air and running around after them. They don’t play together because Brindle gets too possessive over her toys.

Dobby has the funniest ritual. Usually by the end of Christmas night, most of the new toys have disappeared. Nearly twenty toys gone! Dobby spends Christmas day quietly carrying them all upstairs and hiding them under the bed. Brindle can’t crawl under the bed because of her back and bad knees. So he’s pretty much secreted all the new toys away for himself.

Randomly during the year, he’ll pull a toy out from his secret stash and play with it until he’s destroyed it. By the time December rolls around, his secret toy stash is getting a little low. But then it’s Christmas again and he’s well stocked for the whole year again!

Don’t worry about Brindle not having anything to play with. We have baskets of dog toys on the first floor and second floor of the house from what we buy them during the year.
No… Our dogs aren’t spoiled. Not at all.

Do you get your dogs Christmas presents?
Do you dress your dogs in Christmas outfits?

Hunt the Dawn 

(Fatal Dreams #2)

by Abbie Roads

Paperback, 352 pages

Published December 6th 2016 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

ISBN 1492639206

Out of darkness and danger...

You can’t hide your secrets from Lathan Montgomery—he can read your darkest memories. And while his special abilities are invaluable in the FBI’s hunt for a serial killer, he has no way to avoid the pain that brings him. Until he is drawn to courageous, down-on-her-luck Evanee Brown and finds himself able to offer her something he’s never offered another human being: himself.

Dawns a unique and powerful love

Nightmares are nothing new to Evanee Brown. But once she meets Lathan, they plummet into the realm of the macabre. Murder victims are reaching from beyond the grave to give Evanee evidence that could help Lathan bring a terrifying killer to justice. Together, they could forge an indomitable partnership to thwart violence, abuse, and death—if they survive the forces that seek to tear them apart.

AMAZON | B&N

Fatal Dreams Duology

About Abbie Roads:

Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor known for her blunt, honest style of therapy. By night she writes dark, emotional novels, always giving her characters the happy ending she wishes for all her clients. Her novels have finaled in RWA contests including the Golden Heart. Race the Darkness is the first book in the Fatal Dreams series of dark, gritty romantic suspense with a psychological twist.

GIVEAWAY:
Sourcebook is offering 1 print copy of Race the Darkness to one reader (US only please). To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway