Hi, I'm Tinker and just like Lae Lae has Patches and Timmy, Lae Lae's friend, has Bubbles, Mimi, who writes this blog, has me.  When Mimi brought me home from the animal shelter, Mimi's granddaughter named me Tinker Belle.  Mimi had to explain that I am a little boy so now I'm Tinker Beau.  I try to be a good boy but sometime I make mistakes like climbing into Mimi's flowerpot that she had  just filled with baby flowers.  I think that she shouldn't have put that chair so near the flower pot so I could climb in.  I just have one eye and don't know my boundaries very well.  But I am a sweet boy and Mimi loves me very much.  

Mimi has asked me to help her blog so I am going to talk about the animals and especially dogs since I know a lot about them.  Did you know that there are estimated to be about 400 million dogs in the world; more than 400 official dog breeds and even more mixed breeds?  The dog has been one of the most popular companion/working animals for 15,000 years.  

We dogs have great hearing and we can hear sounds four times further away than humans.  We can also see in the dark much better than humans can and although some think that we can only see in black in white, that's not true; we see in tones of colors.  And we have great noses! We can tell if we like something or someone by sniffing so we do a lot of sniffing.

Well, that's enough for today but I am going to look up fun animal facts to blog about next time. So visit often and watch for all of my animal blogs.  See you soon!  

Something to get the creative juices flowing...I recently attended a writer's and illustrators retreat with other children's book producers that was held at the mission of San Luis Rey in southern California.  Located on a hill overlooking a lush valley (now developed commercially), the mission was one of the last missions founded in California's long line of coastal missions and during its history became the most prosperous.  The Church, completed in 1815, is still an operating church today and the mission is now used as a retreat and conference center.  

What a peaceful location to have a quiet yet productive retreat. For three days we just wrote and learned.  I gained so much insight from other writers and illustrators who are producing everything from children's picture books to novels and chapter books for young adults.

I recommend a retreat to everyone in the creative arts to take the time to get a new perspective and a clearer creative path.