Erin Dealey

Hey everyone — let’s welcome Carol A. Foote to the blog today and wish TROUBLE DOG a Happy Book Birthday!

About the Book:

A thrilling story of a dog who found the perfect job and a loving home, based on the real heroes of Working Dogs for Conservation. (Illus. Larry Day / Eerdmans Books for Young Readers) 

“A fascinating look at a lesser-known field for working dogs and a surefire hit for a fictional tale that has uses for both cross-curricular connections and young dog enthusiasts.” —SLJ

“With humor, heart, suspense, and adventure, this story will win over animal lovers of all ages.” —Kirkus

Time for some Questions:

Q 1. We’re guessing that the inspirations for TROUBLE DOG were the real dogs (and trainers) of Working Dogs for Conservation, the world’s largest and oldest conservation dog organization. Can you tell us a bit more about this? How did you discover this organization?

Carol A. Foote: Yes, the book is based on the real-life conservation dogs Pepin and Wicket, and their handlers with Working Dogs for Conservation, Megan Parker and Aimee Hurt. I’d never heard of conservation dogs until I saw Pepin and Megan at an expo in San Francisco put on by a wonderful organization called Wildlife Conservation Network.

Megan told the audience how conservation dogs help biologists by sniffing out invasive plants and animals not easily detected by humans, and by finding the scat of rare or endangered species so scientists can study the animals without disturbing them. Pepin demonstrated his powerful sniffer by finding things Megan hid.  

As a lover of dogs and wildlife, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more. But what inspired me to write this story was hearing that these talented dogs are often abandoned because they’re too rambunctious and full of energy for family life. Fortunately, organizations like Working Dogs for Conservation have learned to search shelters for such dogs and give them a second chance at life. The moment I heard that, I knew I wanted to write that story.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Q 2. Can you tell us more about your decision to make this a fictional story instead of nonfiction?

Carol A. Foote: I decided that a fictional book, based on real dogs, would bring alive what touched my heart and made me want to write the story—that these talented, amazing dogs could be rejected but then recognized for their abilities and given a home, love, and work they enjoyed that benefited the world.

It was hard to imagine the heart of the story effectively conveyed in a nonfiction format, but fiction could include fascinating facts about conservation dogs and motivate readers to do their own research to learn more. 

Research

Q 3. What kind of research did you do on this project?

Carol A. Foote: I did a lot of reading and looking at online videos of conservation dogs, many featuring Pepin and Megan, but the bulk of my research consisted of interviews and email exchanges with Megan, Aimee, and Pete Coppolilli, Executive Director of Working Dogs for Conservation. All three were super generous with their time, answering countless questions about the training, the type of troubles the dogs can get into (pretty much anything you can think of!), and their adventures in the wild. I also went to several more of Pepin’s demonstrations and even got to give him a hug.

Process

Q 4. How did you land on the character of Tucker?  

Carol A. Foote: Tucker is a composite of the two real conservation dogs, Pepin and Wicket. Every episode I wrote about in the book happened to one of them. I started out writing about Pepin and Megan, who I had seen at the expo, but eventually, I added Wicket and Aimee. Having two dogs allowed me to have events and aspects from both of their lives to work into the story.

Q 5. Were there many drafts and possible plot directions?

Carol A. Foote: In terms of the number of drafts, it depends on what you consider a draft. I have more than a hundred different word documents on my computer with progressive numbers or dates, though many only have a few changes. In terms of major revisions, I probably have more than ten, though the general direction from misfit dog to conservation dog was always there. 

In early drafts, I spent a lot more time describing Tucker getting into trouble and his being abandoned at the pound. But I eventually realized much of that could be shown in the illustrations, which illustrator Larry Day did brilliantly. Paring back that writing left more room in the story for Tucker’s training and adventures in the field. It was quite far along in the process that Megan told me about the problem she and Pepin had finding cheetah scat in Zambia, and I knew that would be a good final episode. 

Two Scents

Q 6. What is one of your takeaways from the research that didn’t end up in the book?

Carol A. Foote: One thing I learned that surprised me was that a dog can collect scents over more than one sniff. I knew, of course, about the superior canine sense of smell, but I didn’t realize that a dog’s nose has two sections, one for breathing and one for smelling.

The smelling one sends scents into an area with some 300 million olfactory cells compared to the 5 to 6 million humans have. Since dogs exhale through slits at the side of their noses, odors can build up in the olfactory section over multiple sniffs. Maybe that’s why my dog lingers so long over a smell—he’s letting it grow. I would love to have that ability when I’m trying to hold onto the lovely scent of a rose or chocolate! 

Let’s talk Illustration

Q 7. What’s your favorite spread?

Carol A. Foote: I have so many, it’s hard to choose! One of my favorites is the scene in the kitchen where Laura has a hand on her hip, the screen door is torn, the toaster is hanging off the counter, and the stools are knocked over. Chaos reigns, and Tucker is looking up at Laura with a toy in his mouth, his expression saying, What? 

I laugh every time I see that. But I also adore the illustration at the end when Tucker is kissing Laura and she’s hugging him, and the cup and hat are falling but Laura doesn’t even notice. It’s just a moment of pure love. 

Q 8. Were there any surprises that illustrator Larry Day brought to the project?

Carol A. Foote: Some of the mischief Larry had Tucker getting into were surprises because they were his own idea. But my biggest surprise was just seeing the story brought to life by his wonderful illustrations, which are so filled with color, emotion, humor, and movement. I love how he captured Tucker’s joy whether he’s knocking over a fish tank, playing tug-o-war, or ready to work.

Takeaways

Q 9. What do you hope  readers will take away from reading TROUBLE DOG?

Carol A. Foote: I hope readers take away the idea that everyone has strengths and is capable of doing amazing things, even if that hasn’t been recognized yet. I love that this story has that message at its core. As much as it is about the enduring relationship between dogs and humans, and about the positive work being done in the field of conservation, it’s also about everyone having worth and a place in the world.

Thank you so much for joining us on the blog today, Carol. I have fond memories of meeting Carol at SCBWI many moons ago, so this is an extra special celebration.

Carol A. Foote: It’s special for me to be here with you, too, Erin! Thanks so much for having me!

To learn more about Carol and her work, check out her website: carolafoote.com

And follow her on social media: Instagram: carolafootewriter

Facebook: Carol A Foote

Blue sky: carolafoote.bsky.social

Next up on the blog: We chat with Natasha Tripplett about her latest pb

Planted with Love: Growing Into a Family

Illustrated by Adriana Predoi (WaterBrook)