What’s your most embarrassing pet story?

Californians love their pets. We take them on vacation, we bring them to work, and Americans collectively pay billions every year to keep them healthy, fed and entertained.

But man’s best friend – like many human friends – is also capable of mortifying us under the right circumstances.

For our upcoming Pets Issue, we want to hear from you about a time your dog, cat, bird, rabbit or other feathered or furry friend left you red-faced.

To get you started, here’s a taste of the submissions we’ve received so far:

Gracie. (Submitted by reader Lance)

“We were hiking and let our dog Gracie off the leash for the first time. She did great – until we heard a commotion ahead of us where we could not see her. Gracie entered a small family’s picnic and ate one of the small child's sandwiches.

“The family was very gracious about the whole ordeal; and, Gracie remains on her leash on our hikes.�

– Lance

(Submitted by reader Mary Clark)

“Years ago, I missed the sign(s) that said ‘No Dogs Allowed’ on the Santa Barbara Pier. My beautifully trained and slightly shy corgi mix and I walked halfway down the pier, when an employee spotted my dog. The employee screamed into an intercom, ‘No dogs on the pier!’

“My dog, who had never so much as peed on someone's lawn, squatted down and pooped in the middle of the pier. The invisible announcer had literally scared the ... out of her.�

– Mary Clark

“It was the night before Thanksgiving and we were hurriedly making last-minute preparations and entertaining a house full of guests. So it wasn't until the next day that we noticed our beloved orange tabby, Finley, was missing. Most upset was our then-6-year-old, Emery. They are true soul mates: He sleeps with her, bathes with her and gives her hugs when she's sad.

“So, we hung signs, posted to our neighborhood Facebook page and local lost pet sites, scoured our neighborhood and hoped for the best. But a week later we got the call we'd been dreading: An orange tabby had been found, hit by a car. No collar but then again he'd been missing a week. When I was called by my husband for identification purposes I found myself suddenly confused and not altogether certain it was him. But pretty sure. I mean, he'd been gone a week and hit by a car.

Finley in the bathtub. (Submitted by reader Erica Campion)

“So we broke the news to our girls, had a graveside ceremony in our backyard and began the public mourning of our little friend. It was much harder than I expected. We donated his belongings to a local cat shelter and told stories about the time he crawled through the screen, how much he liked to be vacuumed and how he could deliver chipmunks (as gifts) upon request.

“Another week later, my husband was out of town, the girls were watching TV, and I was cleaning up after dinner when my phone rang from a number I didn't recognize. It was a neighbor, and she had ‘my cat.’ I immediately felt sad and frustrated and assumed it was another orange tabby – a sign I forgot to take down, or a little old lady with nothing better to do than peruse weeks-old NextDoor listings. So I called her back: ‘You must be mistaken, we found Finley last week and he died.’

“But I literally gasped when she said ‘Oh, I'm sorry. I just called the number on his collar.’

“In between sobs and hysterical laughter I ran like a screaming lunatic to tell my daughters. We raced a short two blocks away and there he was. We hugged and pinched ourselves and declared it the miracle of Christmas!

“To this day we don't know whose cat is buried in our backyard.�

–Erica Campion

Now it’s your turn. Tell us: What's the most embarrassing thing your pet has ever done? Your answer may appear in our Pets Issue. (Submissions may be lightly edited for clarity and length.)