WRITERS and their FURRY ASSISTANTS - #takeyourpettoworkweek

Did you know it's "Take Your Pet To Work Week®"?
First celebrated in 1999, TYPTWW runs from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21 this year.

But many writers get to celebrate it EVERY day!  Our furry companions often take it upon themselves to become part of the creative process.

Read on to meet some of the "assistants" to the authors at Here Be Magic...

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Scruff keeps Maureen Bonatch 
in her writing chair!

MAUREEN - "Scruff appointed himself as my writing assistant from the moment he was adopted.

Initially he believed his job was  to challenge me to find time to write while chasing a puppy who tried to eat the push pins that fell from my writing boards.

Now he often lays behind my chair to make sure I don't try to escape and I get the words on the page."  ~ Maureen L. Bonatch

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Linda Mooney's writing buddies

LINDA - "This is Bo and Rusty, and their help in my writing took me a while to understand. You see, they frequently need to go outside to potty.

"At first, I was slightly irritated with them for this “constant” interruption, until I realized that (1) I needed to get my butt out of chair and my eyes off the screen every now and then, and (2) my going outside to throw the ball was beneficial to both of us.

"They’re my writing buddies, I love them dearly, and Bo also makes an excellent foot warmer in the winter months." ~ Linda Mooney

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Cloud proves cats make great supervisors 

NICOLE - "Cloud keeps me company while I write from home, sometimes supervising from her perch behind me, sometimes giving me an excuse to get up and stretch my legs as I obey her imperious commands to be let in or out. ~ Nicole Luiken

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Cindy Spencer Pape's canine brigade

CINDY - "We sit in judgement of your efforts. Also we will bark at the letter carrier or demand to go out right when your words are flowing best. Because we are 300 pounds of DOG on your couch." ~ Cindy Spencer Pape

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PG Forte's pals take her happiness seriously

PG - "Because I work from home, every week is Take Your Pet To Work Week. Here they are, patiently waiting for me to stop working and give them a treat or take them for a walk (they’re not allowed outside unmonitored anymore because of their high prey drives and total lack of intelligence when it comes to skunks—yeah, don’t ask).

"If it’s nighttime, the big one will try and make me go to bed whenever he’s tired because, apparently, he can’t sleep until he knows I’m tucked safely away.

"I suppose you could say that making sure I take regular breaks for exercise and food, and that I don’t stay up all night contributes to my health, which counts as contributing to my writing?  Yeah. It’s a stretch. But they make me happy, and that definitely counts." ~ PG Forte

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DANI - "I’ve always had a pug or two to supervise my fiction-writing career. Scooby was my Official Muse for every word of my very first novel, and five more books after that. His favorite place was wedged beside me on the couch, acting as a furry armrest as I typed on my laptop. He always preferred to watch the screen — I think he was proofing!

"Currently, my writing assistant is Toby, who feels it’s his sworn duty to cram into my lap while I write (and that’s where he is right now as I type this.) I often have to move his chubby little chin off my keyboard…

Tux and Toby are Dani's current assistants

"I’m also helped by Tux, a boxer-pitbull cross who believes himself to be 100% pug. Apparently he’s decided that my writing career has advanced to the point that I now require a bodyguard... Accordingly, he defends me from the garbage truck, the UPS van, and the evil squirrel in the backyard." ~ Dani Harper

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More About TAKE YOUR PET TO WORK WEEK – 

The idea is credited to Pet Sitters International. The purpose is to draw attention to the many benefits of pets as companions and to encourage adoptions from shelters and rescue organizations. It is traditionally celebrated the week after Father’s Day. 

Take Your Pet To Work Week®, Take Your Dog to Work Day® and Take Your Cat To Work Day® are trademarked by PSI.