When a pet becomes the unsung hero in your story

I’m sure almost all of us have pets—dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc. I’m not fond of reptiles—lizards, snakes or anything that’s long, slimy and slithers for a pet, but I admire you if you have some. I do love dogs and cats though. They’re hilarious and loyal to their human mom and dad.

In Next Door Temptation, Dillon, Paige’s Yorkie, steals the show. He’s tiny and yet Paige employed him as her security guard. For Paige, it doesn’t matter if Dillon is no larger than a cat; he has a personality like a German shepherd. And she loves him to death.

Had I not reminded myself to control the plot in this book, Dillon would stampede everybody and emerges as the hero. And in retrospective, he has become one. He had demonstrated skills of protecting and guarding his mistress. The scenes are cute, hilarious and charming.

Other than Dillon, this novel also employed Melvin, a baby robin that Paige rescued from drowning in her neighbor’s pool. Mind you, other than chickens, I never had a bird as a pet. I know they’re wild and are best to be left alone.

I love taking pictures of them. Birds are one of my favorite subjects. They’re difficult to shoot and you need a long lens to capture their images. I was lucky when I stumbled upon a baby robin and his mom at the Boston Public Garden many springs ago.

I came to the park to take pictures of tulips, the majestic magnolias and crabapples. But, there were so many creatures around—squirrels and birds. I wanted to capture them with my camera. That was when I saw the robin waiting for his mom to bring him breakfast.

It didn’t take long before I took pictures of the mother bird, perching on the sign that said, “Please stay off the grass!”

Since then, I’ll always stop to watch robins when they’re on the ground, making a beeline for a worm or grub. The male robin will sing for hours and I just love to hear his love song.

What would be the best place to share my observations about my favorite pets and wild creatures but to write them in a story?