“
Don’t stand behind a strange horse, don’t look a strange dog in the eyes, don’t rub a strange cat’s belly, and for God’s sake, don’t let strange men handcuff you to your bed.
”
”
Maggie Stiefvater
“
I wanted you from first time I see you. From beginning. I told you that. First time I touch you, I have no control and I put baby inside you. I slept on floor because I couldn’t be in our bed without you. Your dog is no good guard dog and she make me rub her belly too much, but I pet her because she is yours.
”
”
Theodora Taylor (Her Russian Surrender: 50 Loving States, Indiana (50 Loving States #10))
“
It's kind of a rule with us dogs. Belly rubs equal instant friendship.
”
”
Anya Allyn
“
When I was a little girl my uncle
Was a veterinarian
And I was a little girl who loved animals
I had a cat and a dog
And once I asked my uncle (who was a veterinarian)
Why does my dog love belly rubs
But they make my cat attack?
I showed him scratches up and down my arms.
He said the thing about cats you have to understand Is they are predator and prey
They can hunt and pounce and kill
But they’re small and light and probably
Delicious
So they take some things very very seriously
I was a little girl when he said this
But when I became a woman in this world
I understood what he meant.
”
”
Nat Cassidy (Mary)
“
to pull away. “I promise this dog will not hurt you,” he said. “This is a golden retriever. He has a scary bark because he’s big, but he would let anyone into the house. For a belly rub, he’d help the thieves carry the valuables to their getaway car.
”
”
Melinda Leigh (See Her Die (Bree Taggert, #2))
“
218.The same principle probably explains why dogs, when feeling affectionate, like rubbing against their masters and being rubbed or patted by them, for from the nursing of their puppies, contact with a beloved object has become firmly associated in their minds with the emotion of love. The feeling of affection of a dog towards his master is combined with a strong sense of submission, which is akin to fear. Hence dogs not only lower their bodies and crouch a little as they approach their masters, but sometimes throw themselves on the ground with their bellies upwards.
”
”
Charles Darwin (The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals)
“
Redneck alarm,” Charlie told her. You couldn’t step foot in the Holler without a hundred dogs howling your arrival. The deeper in you went, the more young white men you’d see standing on their front porches, one hand holding their cell phone and the other under their shirt rubbing their belly.
”
”
Karin Slaughter (The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter, #1))
“
In my next life, I wanted to come back as a dog—a very spoiled, adorable house dog whose main concern would be whether to sniff my own butt or take another nap. No more dating, no more having to juggle men and their demands, no more emotional rollercoasters. It would be just me and my treats. Maybe some belly rubbing too.
”
”
T.S. Snow (Frenetic (Arcane Mage, #4))
“
(Brett) “Making friends?”
She jerked, then her spine straightened into posture nuns would be proud of and she turned her head. “He’s hard to resist, really.” Another belly rub. “You’re late.”
He crouched down to sit on his heels, and his knees spanned to either side of her arms. Reaching around, he scratched Beans behind the ears. Brett was positive the dog actually sighed with happiness. “I’ve been here, just didn’t think to look for you on the floor.
”
”
Jeanette Murray (The Game of Love)
“
Even in the best of times, when we’re not stressed or needy, many of us enjoy petting our dogs as much as any other aspect of dog ownership. This is not a trivial need. Quiet stroking can significantly change your body’s physiology, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. It releases endogenous opiates, or internal chemicals that calm and soothe us and play a significant role in good health. Lucky for us, most of our dogs adore being touched. Most normal, well-socialized dogs cherish getting belly rubs and head massages and butt scratches. Many dogs like grooming so much that they’re willing to work for it, pawing or barking whenever needed to remind their human not to stop.
”
”
Patricia B. McConnell (The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs)
“
Ralph, none of us are strong enough to stand on our own, or to bear our own sins. That’s why Jesus died for us. Your soul is crying out to Him and you just don’t know it.”
“Isha, I’m not ready to start going to church, okay?” Every now and then she invited him to worship with her and he always declined. It wasn’t that he had anything against Christians, most of the best people he knew were Christians. When ever he’d run into an anti-Christian bigot, on the other hand, he was always taken aback by their hypocrisy. If they were “tolerant” as they claimed, then they’d accept both homosexual and Christian viewpoints, for example. Instead, they choose sides and called those that disagreed with them the bigots. Ralph suspected “tolerance” was really just a smoke screen for people who wanted to hate Christians. He couldn’t explain it, he liked Christians and disliked their opponents, but it just wasn’t for him. Isha looked at him like she could read his mind.
“Sometimes we think something might be good for other people, but not us. Then we find out we didn’t know what we were missing.” She smiled at him, leaned over and rubbed Tabooli’s belly. “Of course, I’m talking about dogs.”
Ralph smiled back.
”
”
Joseph Max Lewis (Baghdad Burning)
“
With my gaze on anything but Cade, I moved around the room but when Scout spotted me he trotted over. I knelt down and rubbed his ears. The silky fur between my fingers stirred memories.
Scout’s tongue flicked under my chin. I leaned my head back and smiled.
“He kissed you,” a little boy said. “That means he likes you.”
“You think so?” I scrubbed my hands over Scout’s neck.
“Yeah. Right, Cade? Dog kisses mean they like you.”
I kept my eyes on Scout to avoid looking at Cade.
“Yep, means he likes her.” He sat a few feet away and his words wrapped around me, his voice comforting.
Scout lifted his paw and placed it on my knee.
“What’s that mean, Cade?” The little boy pointed to my leg.
“Hmm, maybe he doesn’t want her to leave.” I peeked over, and Cade met my gaze. “He likes her too much.”
I looked away.
“Maybe he loves her,” the little boy said in a singsong voice.
Without missing a beat Cade said, “Maybe he does.”
The little boy broke into a fit of belly laughs, and Cade scooted closer. He poked him playfully in the side. “Hey, what’s funny about that?”
“He’s a dog. She’s a girl.”
“That’s true,” Cade whispered. “But a pretty one, so can you really blame him?”
The little boy giggled more. “That’s silly.”
Scout nudged me with his wet nose and I cupped his face. “It’s okay, boy, the feeling is mutual.”
Scout swiped his long tongue across my mouth. I grimaced and wiped my lips. “Not that mutual.”
Cade lowered his voice and leaned slightly toward me. “And now he’s just rubbing it in.”
The little boy laughed as he ran away, yelling something to his mom about the dog being in love with me.
”
”
Renita Pizzitola (Just a Little Flirt (Crush, #2))
“
Night: and once again, the nightly grapple with death, the room shaking with daemonic orchestras, the snatches of fearful sleep, the voices outside the window, my name being continually repeated with scorn by imaginary parties arriving, the dark's spinnets. As if there were not enough real noises in these nights the colour of grey hair. Not like the rending tumult of American cities, the noise of the unbandaging of great giants in agony. But the howling pariah dogs, the cocks that herald dawn all night, the drumming, the moaning that will be found later white plumage huddled on telegraph wires in back gardens or fowl roosting in apple trees, the eternal sorrow that never sleeps of great Mexico. For myself I like to take my sorrow into the shadow of old monasteries, my guilt into cloisters and under tapestries, and into the misericordes of unimaginable cantinas where sad-faced potters and legless beggars drink at dawn, whose cold jonquil beauty one rediscovers in death. So that when you left, Yvonne, I went to Oaxaca. There is no sadder word. Shall I tell you, Yvonne, of the terrible journey there through the desert over the narrow gauge railway on the rack of a third-class carriage bench, the child whose life its mother and I saved by rubbing its belly with tequila out of my bottle, or of how, when I went to my room in the hotel where we once were happy, the noise of slaughtering below in the kitchen drove me out into the glare of the street, and later, that night, there was a vulture sitting in the washbasin? Horrors portioned to a giant nerve! No, my secrets are of the grave and must be kept. And this is how I sometimes think of myself, as a great explorer who has discovered some extraordinary land from which he can never return to give his knowledge to the world: but the name of this land is hell.
”
”
Malcolm Lowry (Under the Volcano)
“
On these lands, in both the occupied places and those left to grow wild, alongside the community and the dwindling wildlife, there lived another creature. At night, he roamed the roads that connected Arcand to the larger town across the Bay where Native people were still unwelcome two centuries on. His name was spoken in the low tones saved for swear words and prayer. He was the threat from a hundred stories told by those old enough to remember the tales.
Broke Lent?
The rogarou will come for you.
Slept with a married woman?
Rogarou will find you.
Talked back to your mom in the heat of the moment?
Don't walk home. Rogarou will snatch you up.
Hit a woman under any circumstance?
Rogarou will call you family, soon.
Shot too many deer, so your freezer is overflowing but the herd thin?
If I were you, I'd stay indoors at night. Rogarou knows by now.
He was a dog, a man, a wolf. He was clothed, he was naked in his fur, he wore moccasins to jig. He was whatever made you shiver but he was always there, standing by the road, whistling to the stars so that they pulsed bright in the navy sky, as close and as distant as ancestors.
For girls, he was the creature who kept you off the road or made you walk in packs. The old women never said, "Don't go into town, it is not safe for us there. We go missing. We are hurt." Instead, they leaned in and whispered a warning: "I wouldn't go out on the road tonight. Someone saw the rogarou just this Wednesday, leaning against the stop sign, sharpening his claws with the jawbone of a child."
For boys, he was the worst thing you could ever be. "You remember to ask first and follow her lead. You don't want to turn into Rogarou. You'll wake up with blood in your teeth, not knowing and no way to know what you've done."
Long after that bone salt, carried all the way from the Red River, was ground to dust, after the words it was laid down with were not even a whisper and the dialect they were spoken in was rubbed from the original language into common French, the stories of the rogarou kept the community in its circle, behind the line. When the people forgot what they had asked for in the beginning - a place to live, and for the community to grow in a good way - he remembered, and he returned on padded feet, light as stardust on the newly paved road. And that rogarou, heart full of his own stories but his belly empty, he came home not just to haunt. He also came to hunt.
”
”
Cherie Dimaline (Empire of Wild)
“
He’s definitely young,” she laughed as he began his up-close investigation of her feet and legs. “You’re so fast, Archer!”
Morgan knelt when the dog finally came to a complete stop and looked at her with his tongue hanging out of his catfish mouth, grinning and wiggling. He danced his way closer and bumped against her leg, so she took it as an invitation and finally reached out to pet him.
“He’s so soft,” Morgan exclaimed as she ran her hand down the dog’s khaki fur.
“Yup, my velvet hippo,” Nathan said, leaning against the truck and watching them with a bemused expression.
Archer was lean and muscular, with an athlete’s body and a comedian’s face. The black mask around his muzzle highlighted the fact that he looked like a reverse vampire with his two lower canines jutting out in a pronounced underbite. He slid his body to the ground with a plop, then rolled onto his back and swatted at Morgan to pet his belly.
“Okay, bossy,” Morgan said, reaching out to rub as instructed.
“Bro, let’s go.” Nathan laughed at his dog thrashing around in front of Morgan. “He’s never going to let you stop now. Arch, c’mon.
”
”
Victoria Schade (Dog Friendly)
“
about the future or harboring resentment for past wrongs, he pursues his passion with abandon and demands that the world accept him, quirks and all. Like so many dogs, he only requires five things — food, water, shelter, belly rubs, and Mr. Ballie. No costumes, no elaborate resumes, no honorary degrees, no Facebook likes. Just good old-fashioned love, family, friends, and purpose.
”
”
Heidi H Speece (My Journey with Ernie: Lessons from a Turkey Dog)
“
They’re waiting for us in the… room,” Cora sniffs, pulling back to glance at me through red-rimmed eyes. She swipes at the tears along her cheekbone. “Mandy’s at work. She said it was too hard to be here. Mom and Dad are going to wait out here, but… did you want to come in with me? To say goodbye?” “Of course.” I don’t hesitate. We rescued this dog together, and I’ll be damned if I’m not with Cora when Blizzard takes her last breath. Goddamn. Cora gives a tight nod, then alerts one of the staff that we’re ready to go in. I follow her, a solemn silence settling between us. It’s a quiet, peaceful room, adorned with electronic candles and soft music. Blizzard is lying very still on a dog bed in the center of the floor, her fluffy chest heaving ever so slowly with each breath. I feel my emotions get stuck in my throat when I lay eyes on the dog that has felt like my own for the last ten years. I’d dog-sit her when the Lawsons took family vacations. I’d take her to the dog park with Mandy and Cora, watching her chase tennis balls and make new friends. Blizzard always greeted me first when I’d walk through the front door with Mandy, collapsing onto my feet and rolling over for belly rubs. She always sat beside me at the dinner table, waiting for the snack I’d inevitably offer her, and she always wagged her tail in adoration as I sang karaoke in the Lawson’s living room.
”
”
Jennifer Hartmann (Still Beating)
“
Sorry,” Brodie said with a grin as he covered the last ten yards at the end of the pier, a small mutt racing down the docks behind him. “Didn’t mean to startle.”
“So, an Irishman and an Aussie walk into a bar,” Kerry said, recovering quickly and teasing Grace’s husband as he stopped a few feet away. She bent down and clapped her hands as the scruffy mutt came skidding to a stop in front of her. “Hello, Mr. Whomper, and how are you today?” She gave him a good ear scratch, then laughed when he immediately wriggled over to his back in hopes of a belly rub to go with it. Laughing she obliged, then straightened, leaving the dog to sniff out Cooper’s feet, hoping for more of the same from the newcomer.
“Heck of a watchdog you have there, Monaghan,” Cooper said, squatting down to give the dog a good once-over.
“You realize,” Brodie said, “you’ve just made a shameless love slave out of him for life.”
“Well, he has good hands,” Kerry said, then lifted her own in mock surrender when both men looked at her. Cooper was certain his surprised expression mirrored Brodie’s. “What?”
Brodie chuckled, and his grin had the same cheek Cooper had been told his did.
”
”
Donna Kauffman (Starfish Moon (Brides of Blueberry Cove, #3))
“
Whoa, baby, look at you! Damn me, girl—you’re cooking a good one there!” He rubbed a big hand over her belly. “Preacher, you dog—you did fine work here!” “Yeah, I sure did.” “You’re about to pop, girl.” “Pretty soon,” she said, grinning. “How’s your wife doing?” “She’s great,” Zeke said. “I thought I could sneak one more kid by her, but she says I’m all done. I don’t know what her hang-up is. We only have four. You think four is enough?” he asked Paige. “I think that’s more than I’m having.” She laughed. “I don’t know how you tricked her into that many.” “What can I say.” He shrugged. “The girl’s been lightin’ my fire for almost twenty years now—since the first time I saw her in that cheerleading outfit.” He whistled. “Those pom-poms just knocked me out.” “To
”
”
Robyn Carr (Second Chance Pass)
“
What else do I see? Packs of dogs, heads hovering low, roam the periphery of things. The long-standing human-canine alliance has been irretrievably severed, I’m sincerely sorry to report—the gnawed bones and matted chunks of hair scattered along the shores of Lost Lagoon testify to this. It’s sad, but then again those plump collies and German shepherds don’t seem too weighed down by nostalgia for bone-shaped vegan treats and belly rubs from the opposably-thumbed as they wander about, licking their chops. Anyway, it’s not their fault. We’re the ones who broke the deal.
”
”
Adrian Barnes (Nod)
“
That's Schatzi."
"Fräulein," he says, and switches his endearments to what sounds like flawless German. In moments, she is on her back letting him rub her pale grey belly, wiggling in delight. Stupid dog. Last night when I tried to pet her she nipped me. We've been living like roommates that hate each other. She spends most of her time curled up in the front turret window seat, coming to the kitchen to get fed. Our first night I'd set up her plush little dog bed in my bedroom, and in the morning discovered she had dragged it out into the hallway while I was asleep, and there it has stayed. We take a longish walk in the morning; she gets let out at lunch into the yard so she can go to the bathroom, and then another longish walk after dinner. Other than these bits of contact, we don't really spend any time together.
”
”
Stacey Ballis (Recipe for Disaster)
“
He howls when the Bee Gees play on the radio, like he always has, though she’ll never know if this is a complete coincidence or if Gibb falsetto is the only frequency her deaf dog can discern. But that’s Auggie’s only real mystery, other than where he came from. Minnie knows her best friend. She knows his excited bark from his anxious bark, his I’m-hungry whine from his I-have-to-go-out whine. When he rolls on his back, he wants to be rubbed not on his belly but on the top of his head, and she shares his belief that the pizza delivery guy simply must be given a hero’s frenzied welcome every time. She’s given him food and shelter, walks and tossed Frisbees; he’s given her courage and strength by first giving her unconditional love. She never had to ask for it. It came into her life. All she had to do was trust it.
Which is so much harder than it sounds.
”
”
Kate Racculia (Bellweather Rhapsody)
“
I tightened my hold on Nisa's leash since Longganisa and his dog, Poe, if I remembered correctly, were barking and circling each other warily. Nisa calmed down after a few good sniffs. Poe still had a low growl going till Xander stooped and rubbed his neck---Poe's eyes half-closed and his tongue flopped out in pleasure. What a good boy.
"This is Longganisa," I said, stooping down. "And that's Poe, right? Could I pet him?"
"Sure. He's quite friendly; just make sure you don't move too quickly since sudden movements startle him."
I held out my hand for him to sniff, and when he lowered his head to me, I gave him a good scratch behind the ears. "Nisa absolutely loves attention, so feel free to pet her if you want."
Xander obliged, and he soon had Nisa flopped on her back for belly rubs. He squatted beside the dogs, both of them vying for his attention, which he gladly gave.
”
”
Mia P. Manansala (Blackmail and Bibingka (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #3))
“
She’s okay, strong pulse. I think she just got knocked unconscious,” I replied, unable to stop myself from petting her soft, orange fur. She hated me and would probably try to murder me after she knew I had pet her like a dog. So I rubbed her belly for good measure.
”
”
Jeneane O'Riley (What Did You Do? (Infatuated Fae, #2))
“
We'd just finished setting the table when Longganisa's barking alerted me that our guests had arrived. Jae had quickly become her second-favorite person (I was her number one favorite, obvs), so as soon as I opened the door, she launched herself at him. Jae dropped down on a knee so he could give her all the belly rubs and attention she desired (and deserved). The two of them were so darn adorable, my heart could barely take it and I tried not to be jealous that my dog got first dibs on Jae's cuddles and kisses.
”
”
Mia P. Manansala (Murder and Mamon (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #4))
“
Before Alderheart could reply, Fuzzball hurled himself at Jayfeather and crouched down beside him, beginning to part the fern fronds and clumps of moss as he searched for thorns. “Are you blind?” he asked Jayfeather, staring at his eyes. “What’s it like being blind? How did it happen?” Jayfeather opened his jaws: not to reply, Alderheart guessed, but to deliver a stinging rebuke. But Fuzzball chattered on obliviously. “Was it in a fight with a badger? Or a dog? Did the dog die? Is your belly hurting? How bad? Would you like me to rub it?” Turning his head, Jayfeather glared at Alderheart, almost as if he could see him. “When I get better, I’m going to kill you,” he grumbled.
”
”
Erin Hunter (River of Fire (Warriors: A Vision of Shadows, #5))
“
He subscribed to the medieval policy of polypharmacy – chucking in sometimes dozens of ingredients on the principle that some of them were bound to do you good, ignoring the possibility that some of them might be toxic. As well as ‘fistfuls’ and ‘half-handfuls’ of miscellaneous greenery, ivory shavings cropped up quite often, sometimes having been burned first. The genitals of a cockerel might come in useful, if you could find them. Breast milk should be drunk ‘from the breast by sucking, and if this be loathsome to the patient [regardless of the feelings of the donor] let him take it as hot as possible’. Cat lovers would be horrified by Gaddesden’s recommendation of an ‘astringent bath: take young cats, cut their entrails out, and put their extremities [paws and tail?] with [various herbs], boil in water and bathe the sick man in it’. Another feline recipe: put ‘the lard’ of a black cat, and of a dog, into the belly of a previously eviscerated and flayed black cat, and roast it; collect the ‘juice’ and rub it on the sick limb. ‘The comfort derived therefrom is marvellous.’ A specific for nervous disease is the brain of a hare. If the hunting party kills a fox instead, they could boil it up and use the resulting broth for a massage. Treatment for a paralysed tongue sounds more cheerful: rub it with what the translator called ‘usquebaugh’, i.e. whisky; ‘it restores the speech, as has been proved on many people’. Animal and avian droppings found many uses, such as peacocks’ droppings for a boil. A cowpat made a good poultice, with added herbs. For those who could afford them, gold and silver and pearls, both bored and unbored, were bound to increase the efficacy of the medicine. Gaddesden recommended his own electuary, using eighteen ingredients including burnt ivory and unbored pearls, with a pound of (very expensive) sugar; ‘I have often proved its goodness myself.’ In a final flourish, he suggests putting the heart of a robin redbreast round the neck of a ‘lethargic’ patient, to keep him awake, or hanging the same heart, with an owl’s heart, above an amnesiac patient; it will ‘give [his memory] back to him’. Even better, the heart of a swallow cooked in honey ‘compels him who eats it to tell all things that happened’ in the past, and to predict the future.
”
”
Liza Picard (Chaucer's People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England)
“
I like the name Princess,” Hadley said, mainly because they just needed to call her something. “Gross. No.” Skye shook her head. “Okay, what name do you like?” “I can’t name this thing. Then it will never leave me alone,” she said even as she started rubbing the dog’s belly. “Okay then how about Queenie?” Hadley held back her laughter, knowing that Skye would absolutely hate the name. “Man, you stink at this. I’m going to call her C-4.” “Wait…what?” “C-4. It’s my favorite type of explosive.
”
”
Katie Reus (Innocent Target (Redemption Harbor, #4))
“
The five of us spoil that dog like crazy. You should be so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful women who feed you treats, rub your belly, let you kick them off their beds, and tell you that you're the most wonderful being in the universe.
”
”
Katie Ruggle (In Her Sights (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters, #1))
“
Listening to a man brag about unloading the dishwasher or the incessant need to announce every single thing he did in a day. That stuff is worth something. Give him a bone! Men are dogs ... they just are. They need constant praise and rewards. Women are pack mules—we work without praise for long days, recover quickly, and wake up the next day plodding right along again. No treats. No pats on the head. No belly rubs.
”
”
Jewel E. Ann (Not What I Expected)
“
Men are dogs ... they just are. They need constant praise and rewards. Women are pack mules—we work without praise for long days, recover quickly, and wake up the next day plodding right along again. No treats. No pats on the head. No belly rubs.
”
”
Jewel E. Ann (Not What I Expected: Special Edition)
“
Longganisa was curled up on her bed beneath my desk but stood up to greet me. Today, she was outfitted in a leaf-patterned hoodie that bore the Brew-ha Cafe logo. Cute, simple, and practical since Longganisa hated the cold. I clipped on her leash and led her around the cafe. Her usual admirers surrounded us, and we spent some time on pets and belly rubs. When we got to the front of the shop, Leslie was helping Adeena bag her order.
"Longganisa, show your Tita Adeena some love."
Adeena was more of a cat person, but she loved my little wiener dog almost as much as I did. Longganisa adored her as well, and Adeena was the only person other than me and Jae who was allowed to pick her up. Even Tita Rosie didn't get that privilege.
Adeena snuggled Longganisa close to her chest, and Longganisa rewarded her with a few licks. "Oh, my bestest girl. Your kisses will sustain me through all my family lecturing.
”
”
Mia P. Manansala (Guilt and Ginataan (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #5))
“
Men are dogs ... they just are. They need constant praise and rewards. Women are pack mules—we work without praise for long days, recover quickly, and wake up the next day plodding right along again. No treats. No pats on the head. No belly rubs
”
”
Jewel E. Ann (Not What I Expected)
“
Ultimately, all are commissioned. All are called. All belong to the holy order of God’s beloved. The hands that pass the peace can pass a meal to the man on the street. The hands that cup together to receive Christ in the bread will extend to receive Christ in the immigrant, the refugee, the lonely, or the sick. Hands plant, and uproot, and cook, and caress. They repair, and rewire, and change diapers, and dress wounds. Hands tickle giggling children and wipe away tears. Hands rub heaving bellies of big, ugly dogs. Hands sanctify all sorts of ordinary things and make them holy. Through touch, God gave us the power to injure or to heal, to wage war or to wash feet. Let us not forget the gravity of that. Let us not forget the call.
”
”
Rachel Held Evans (Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church)