Pets and Relationships + Book Release Fun!

“When you adopt an animal, you get much more than you give.” – Heidi Mastrogiovanni

Can I get several thousand amens?

Last week I had the supreme joy of chatting with Heidi, an accomplished comedic writer, dedicated animal advocate and one of my dearest friends, about pets and relationships on Girl Boner Radio. Some folks might consider this an unusual way to celebrate our latest books, but if you stream the episode or know either one of us, it probably sounds like a near given.

“We got our dog when I was seven in Connecticut and he died when I was 23,” Heidi told me. “He stayed with my parents when I went to college. He stayed with my parents when I moved to New York. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that he was my baby brother. That was it. I was hooked. I’ve always loved animals and I can’t have a home without an animal in it. I can’t.”

Years later, when I met Heidi, she’d adopted cats and an elderly beagle, Eunice, whose back legs didn’t function well but whose spirit and gumption (especially when she was pursuing a snack) more than made up for any challenges. Others who encountered Eunice after she’d been found in very poor health saw little hope. Heidi, on the other hand, saw only her beloved pet. Thanks to Heidi and her husband, Tom, Eunice went on to thrive for several years. She also bonded with my deaf American bulldog, Zoe.

Pets have remained a huge part of our marriages as well as our writing lives. Heidi’s latest book, Lala Pettibone: Standing Room Only, features feral cats. And like Heidi, the delightful main character of the series, Lala, also has a penchant for older dogs.

I dedicated Girl Boner: The Good Girl’s Guide to Sexual Empowerment, which released for Kindle last week and releases this week in hardcover, to Zoe. And all of my pets/animal “coworkers” are named in the book’s acknowledgements.

At the studio in true Girl Boner style, Heidi and I explored pros and cons of adding a pet to your relationship—with the disclaimer that we are ever so slightly biased! Even so, we aimed to keep it real, as far as challenges pets can bring, as well as ways to navigate them.

Relationship Pros and Cons of Getting a Pet

Some of the perks and challenges we explored:

• Boosted health and moods
• Financial investment
• Reduced stress and/or more stress
• More bonding hormones
• Communication with a partner
• Grief when they pass away
• Less freedom in certain ways
• More freedom in others

We also explored a question from a listener with the help of sex and relationship therapist Dr. Megan Fleming: What should you do if your new pets make spontaneous sex less feasible?

We wrapped our chat up talking about our book releases and a theme Heidi features in her Lala series: It’s never too late to begin again. When I asked Heidi for tips for such renewal, she offered this:

“I have found that the way that I can stay the most optimistic and the most energized, the most positive, is to consciously choose to surround myself with people who share my values and to consciously choose activities that reflect my values.”

This makes so much sense to me, whether we’re moving through a hardship or working to create the life, career or relationships of our dreams. Both Heidi and I can attest to the many ways animals have helped us cultivate all of this. And you can bet that no matter how hectic our author or book launch lives become, our furry and, in my case, feathery, friends are at the heart of them.

Find the Girl Boner Radio episode on iTunes, your favorite podcast app, Spotify, iHeartRadio or below! For links to our books and resources we mentioned, scroll down.