SHADOW THE DOXIE ANSWERS READERS' QUESTIONS

We recently interviewed the precocious dachshund author of I AM SARGE* and I AM DACHSHUND. We promised our readers that we would bring him back to answer some of their questions, so we are pleased to have him as our guest again today.



MDH: You have recently visited several dachshund rescue societies in various parts of the country. Would you like to share a little about those with our readers?

SHADOW THE DOXIE: First of all, thank you for having me back. I never miss an opportunity to promote my books! My main thrust in visiting the dachshund rescue societies was to commend the staff for work well done. My doxie buddies, I've found, don't have much interest in books--seems they mostly seek treats--so I focused on putting paw prints on copies of my book for the workers. They are special people, and it is wonderful how they help my fellow wiener dogs find a new lease on life in loving homes.

MDH: Well, then . . . what did you find to be the most fascinating detail about these rescue societies?

SHADOW THE DOXIE: As a dog myself, the most fascinating detail for ME in the societies was the dedication of the workers. Dachshunds of all colors, coats, ages, personalities, and health are accepted and loved. It is wonderful to see humans being so accepting of them. If humans want to adopt a dachshund, they should check out the rescue societies first.

MDH: Thank you for giving us insight on that. Now, let's get to our first reader question. This one comes from a dachshund owner named Patrick in Toledo, Ohio, who asks: "You have said that Papa Duke was your favorite character in your books. Since he is no longer on the scene, do you plan on having another favorite in the third book, DACHSHUNDS FOREVER?"

Papa Duke

SHADOW THE DOXIE: I'd like to point out that Papa Duke wasn't on the scene when I wrote the first two books, either. You see, in both books, I write about Papa like he is still alive. There are so many family stories about him that this is my way of keeping him with us, so to speak. He loved dachshunds so much.

Regarding the third book, DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, Papa Duke remains my favorite, although I distinctly love all of my characters, most of whom are people I actually know. Papa's friend Sellars is so much like Papa . . . I never actually met him, either, but I've heard so much about him! Sellars passed away a couple of years ago, but hopefully, "the fishing story" in my first book will keep him alive for years to come. That actually happened with him and Papa, you know! I wasn't actually there; other than that tiny detail, the story is true.

MDH: Papa Duke wins hands down, I see. Here's another question from a ten-year-old reader named Reed in Detroit, Michigan: "I read your first book and loved it. We have a red dachshund named Princess, and I believe your stories because she acts a lot like you. Are there be any other dachshunds in I AM DACHSHUND, besides Duke?"

SHADOW THE DOXIE: Yes. In fact, I do meet up with my real doxie sister, Precious, in I AM DACHSHUND. This event also happened, you know. Momma Holly met a lady at work who also owned a dachshund, and after talking about us, they realized that the lady's dog and I were siblings! We all had a wonderful time at our reunion, too.

MDH: Thank you, Reed, for a great question. Marlene from Fairbanks, Alaska, poses an interesting question for you: "Shadow, you talk about Alaska quite a bit in your first book. We don't see too many doxies up here. Have you ever been here yourself?"

SHADOW THE DOXIE: I'm sorry to say that I've never been there, although I've heard about it all my life. Several of my family and friends used to live there, you know. They all talked about it like it was the best place on earth to live. That's also where Papa Duke and Sellars' fishing story happened. Maybe I'll get up there in the summer--I'm pretty cold natured, so I don't think I could handle an Alaskan winter!

MDH: Here's a different sort of question for you now, emailed to us from Waylon in Louisiana:
"Do you have any animal friends other than dogs and cats?"

Resting with Aslan

SHADOW THE DOXIE: Well . . . no. There are so many different dogs and cats in my circle that I've just never really branched out. I stay pretty busy with personal appearances around the country as well. A family friend owns a parakeet named Horatio, but that bird freaked me out, sounding so human. He's always calling me "Pretty Boy." The first time, when I barked back at him to thank him for the compliment, he then said,"'Hey, baby, wanna dance?" and proceeded to make some cool moves around in his cage. I got away from that dude--he was nice enough, but a bit too frisky for my taste.

MDH: One final question for you today--this one comes from Grandma Wilson in Marquette, Michigan: "How many books in the series do you plan to write, and what are your plans after you complete the series?"

Duke

SHADOW THE DOXIE: That's a valid question, and an interesting one. Hmmmm. I have DACHSHUNDS FOREVER in the works, but it is getting so long that I will probably divide it and create a fourth book for THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES. My buddy Duke is thinking about "taking up the mantle" when I retire, so I'll leave it at that. I am eleven now, so I don't know how many more books I have in me. Duke is only five, so he's chomping at the bit to get into print. He told me the other day that he's ready. We'll have to see.

MDH: Thank you for your candid remarks, my friend. We've enjoyed "the rest of the story," as commentator Paul Harvey used to say. Unfortunately, we didn't get to all the questions we had slated for today, but we'll save them for another time. How does that sound?

SHADOW THE DOXIE: It was my pleasure. Perhaps I'll have some insight about a publication date for DACHSHUNDS FOREVER. I so want finish it soon, since a number of readers have been asking about it. It just might "see the light of day" by fall!

MDH: Readers, please join us next time, and thank you so much for your participation in sending in questions for us. Keep them coming, and when we can nail down a date for this busy doxie to return, we'll have him answer more of them.

Until next time . . .
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*Shadow's pen name for his books. Since he's a real dachshund with his AKC-registered name, he isn't going to change that.