Bay Area Book Tour 2018: George the Dog and Steve the Cat

After an exhausting but fulfilling Sunday of presenting my books and meeting the public, I went back to Kevin and Siena’s house in Danville to fix dinner and chill out a bit. George was waiting for me with a paper bag in his mouth, part of a game we play. I’m required to lock Steve in the bathroom when I’m gone so he won’t get into trouble, and as soon as I opened the door he zoomed out and looked for his doggy buddy.

I decided to make a simple sandwich for dinner and George watched me with interest in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Steve was prancing on the dining table and counters, something he is not supposed to do. At one point, he jumped into the sink! Luckily, there were no dishes in it. Steve is eternally happy and playful; George just wants my attention, and now he had a ball in his mouth so we could play catch later. 

I have known George since he was a puppy, and he always remembers me, no matter how long it has been since my last visit. This was my first encounter with Steve. He was hesitant at first but we became quick pals. He started following me around the house, sitting in my lap when I’m at the computer desk or watching TV. By the third morning, Steve greeted me in the hallway by jumping up my pant leg and clawing his way into my arms. Awwww. 

I have never seen a dog and a cat get along as affectionately as these two. One evening, as Steve was sitting on my lap, George came over to rest his head on my leg so he could give his friend a friendly lick. In return, Steve placed a gentle paw on George’s snout. It was amazing and touching to see this interspecies bromance. 

George and Steve are quite a handful, and I could see why their humans need someone to stay with them. Many times I had to break up their playful wrestling matches because George is so much bigger, although I’m sure he would never intentionally hurt his friend. As the week continued and I sold more books, the empty boxes became the boys’ playground, in the same way that little kids like to play “fort” with chairs and sofa pillows. Steve loved jumping from box to box, even as George grabbed brown shipping paper in his mouth to run across the house with it. Of course, Steve got excited by this and chased after his buddy. By the end of my stay, I had quite a mess of shredded shipping paper to clean up! 

More to come . . .