I still recall the day.

When I knew I had to share my dachshund, Frankie’s story.

Even though I hadn’t a clue how to put a children’s book out into the world.

And I was scared.  Very scared.

But the drive to make a difference pushed away the fear.

I offered my prayers up to God telling him I was up for the challenge and the work and asked for His guidance. He didn’t fail me. I didn’t fail him.

It has been seven years since I published Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog.

And to this day, I still receive emails from people sharing with me how the book has touched them.

This means more to me than I can ever express adequately in words.

Today, I share with you one such reader, Danielle, who reached out to me recently to let me know how Frankie’s story has not only positively impacted her life, but the lives of her 4-year old twin girls. (Just a side note that she also refers to Cassie Jo, who was my chocolate Lab):

I’ve been reading your blog for years, and I’m finally getting around to contacting you.   Why?  I originally started reading your blog when Frankie was alive.  My own Dachshund, Dixie, had gone down when she was 4, so your posts about Frankie were uncannily relevant to my experience and of course, inspirational. 

Fast forward to today.  Dixie is 15 years old.  She is still going, but not as strongly as before.  She continues to teeter around or use her cart.  I have expressed her bladder and bowels for 11 years now.  It’s our version of “normal.” 

For my 4-year-old twins, normal is a dog who cannot pee or poop on her own, cannot jump, and whose non-wagging tail cannot express her joy, although she is still patient beyond belief, soulful, and our best friend.

Now that my twins are finally old enough for “Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Dog” I read it to them (slightly abridged).   They delighted in the story of a dog that was “just like Dixie.”  They were tickled that a story finally reflected their reality with their pet—they probably also felt that their reality was validated. 

Through the story, they also came to understand Dixie’s experience of becoming disabled, how she endured surgery and recovery, beginning to use her cart, etc.  The story helped them to connect more with Dixie and better understand my connection to this amazing being that has been a part of my life since she fit in my hand and her eyes were still closed as a puppy. 

Also, through the telling of Cassie Jo’s death and later learning that Frankie has since passed on, they began bombarding me with a series of questions about the death of Cassie Jo, and pondering Dixie’s mortality.  I feel they are better prepared now for Dixie’s inevitable decline and for what is certain to come within a few months.

Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your and Frankie’s story.  When I read about it years ago, I never imagined how it would impact my future children.

-Danielle

And then the love icing on the cake, recorded in their own voices, messages from each of Danielle’s girls about Frankie:

Thank you, Danielle, and your beautiful girls for touching my heart.

Thank you for visiting!

If you like my journal posts, you can subscribe here today.