The story of Duggee and how he inspired a children’s book…
Duggee joined our family after our two cats, Micio and Basia, passed away in 2020. It was the Covid era and we worked hard to create a happy, little isolated life at home but we still worried about our young son, Cesare, and his need for sharing and loving another being, other than mom and dad.
The problem was that Cesare was scared of dogs based on the limited experience he had had in and around our neighborhoods. Before deciding on adopting a puppy, we briefly considered helping a local family by hosting their dog, but we quickly realized that this wasn’t the best idea for us because it was impossible to train the dog fast enough to help our son with his fear.
At that point, we realized the best way to support Cesare through these feelings was to adopt a puppy and start from scratch. My husband and I picked a Golden Retriever based on our mutual love for the breed. Our dream was for Cesare, who was four years old at the time, and Duggee to grow up together. And so, this is what has happened.
Duggee became an instant hit inside our home as well as out. Everywhere we went, people adored and flocked to meet and greet this high-energy, fluffy furball who just couldn’t help but melt hearts with his big, brown eyes, pink tongue and reddish-golden color. Many people frequently asked us questions about what it is like to have a dog like Duggee, perhaps because they were considering adopting as well. Then, one summer day, after dropping Cesare off at his summer camp, it dawned on me that I needed to write a book for children about our life with Duggee! And so I did, also with the help of Cesare himself, who has enjoyed this project immensely with mom, proud of the important role he has played.
Life with Duggee shares some of the joys and not-so-easy moments of what it is like to be raised with a Golden Retriever puppy from the unique perspective of a young boy, who is just like many other young boys and girls out there in the world with their own fears, concerns, needs and big emotions. And Duggee is just like so many other dogs out there who are unique in themselves and deserve respect, love and a safe home. With the help of best-selling, Brazilian Illustrator Victor Tavares to bring the story to life, we’re now on a mission to get our first book published in both Italy, where we live, as well as in the USA, where I’m from. We hope to share our story and continue spreading happiness, kindness and awareness through our experiences shared with this wonderful, imperfectly-perfect dog named Duggee, who we also call family. -Katie
