Coco's Birthday Party, Day 1: Author Sandra D. Bricker and Her Rescue Dog

I don't even know Sophie and she already has a spot in my heart not only because she's a collie but she's a rescue dog! Yay! I encourage you to go to your local shelter or rescue and consider adopting a pet or just donating your time or some food and supplies if you can!

Here's Sandie and her furry pals, past and present!

When writing the sequel to Always the Baker, Never the Bride, I had to create some new characters as memorable and compelling as the ones in the first book. When Sherilyn, my heroine, emerged, a sweet and organized Type A, I wanted to give her something or someone to butt heads with. My dog Caleb sprang instantly to mind!

When I first brought Caleb home, he was quite a nightmare. An Old English Sheepdog, so dirty and matted that you could hardly tell what kind of dog he was! ... but somehow I managed to fall in love with him beyond appearances. His behavior, however, was another thing entirely. The dog ate anything that wasn't nailed down, and often things that were! At the time, I was an entertainment publicist, so my day planner had celebrity addresses and phone numbers in it that couldn't be easily replaced. I went out to get the mail one day and came back to find the corner of the planner hanging out of Caleb's mouth, and the notebook rings laying on the floor at his feet. The dog had eaten my day planner in the time it took me to walk outside to the mailbox! Later, he ate things like the corner of a wall, a kitchen cabinet, countless rolls of toilet paper, even the entire back cushion of someone else's sofa! And every time he got into the car, moving or not, he barfed. The dog was a nightmare, and it seemed like a no-brainer to immortalize him in print as Sherilyn's nemesis, Henry. A lot of the stories in the book are based on my early relationship with Caleb.

The old boy flunked doggie college three times before he finally got it right, and in later years he was the most devoted, well-behaved dog on the planet. But it sure didn't come easily! He died of bone cancer at the age of 16. I grieved his loss more than almost any other loss I've ever suffered. I selfishly kept him alive much longer than I should have, and he really suffered in those last few months ... so I had no choice but to finally let him go.

I had sworn there would be no more dogs in my life, but that didn't last long. Caleb's departure left an enormous hole in my life with his passing. Finally, I gave in and went looking for a new best friend. Eventually, I found Sophie, a red-haired Collie mix who stole my heart away. I'm a true believer in rescue adoptions, and someone at one of the organizations I work with called and told me Sophie's sad, sad story. Still, she was everything I didn't want. She was a girl, and I wanted another boy. She'd just had her third litter of puppies, and she wasn't even 2 years old! She was a shedder with thick undercoats of fur. So I said no, about four times. Then a girlfriend called me and said, "Remember that Collie they wanted you to adopt? Well, I'm down at the adoption drive in the Petco parking lot. You've GOT TO GET DOWN HERE! This is YOUR dog." I reluctantly drove over, and Sophie caught my eye before I ever reached her. She stood up in her cage and wagged her whole body, with intense eye contact the whole

time, as if she'd been waiting for me to arrive. We've hardly been separated for more than a few hours ever since.

The beginning of Sophie's life was so tragic, and I think she's well aware of the concept of being rescued. She is a total goofball, really funny!, and as loyal as Caleb ever was. I think she truly behaves as if she owes me her life. I guess no one told her the truth: I'm the one who owes HER.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COCO -- With love from Sandie and Soph

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Sandra Bricker is the author of many great books including several Love Finds You titles and the one I can't wait to get my paws on, Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride from Abingdon Press.

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