Local puppy publishes his first book

A local puppy from Laverstock, Salisbury, has published his very own storybook documenting his journey from puppy to adulthood during the pandemic.

Raven, a black labrador, was born on 10th March 2020 just as the Covid pandemic took hold. ‘Raven’s Pandemic Tails’, is a humorous take on his first year of life, which shares his thoughts as he tries to make sense of the strange world he has been born into.

Raven’s owner, Susan Stennett said, “This is the first book that Raven's written. I have dabbled in writing things before and I have several unfinished books.

“A publisher came back and said they were really interested in ‘Raven’s Pandemic Tails’ and that’s when I really started thinking that it could have some mileage in it."

Susan was inspired to help Raven write his self-published book during the pandemic when she was sharing her thoughts on her Facebook page.

“One day, Raven decided that he'd like to put a post up and it was very well received. That's when Raven said to me “you should write my thoughts down."

“That's when I got the idea of writing it about his first year of life and growing up in the pandemic. It is also about his relationship with the other animals in our house.”

For Susan, the book is for dog lovers, older children and adults alike.

“I think it's quite a universal story. It's a really good book for people who don't usually read books because you could sit down and read it in one or two sittings over a cup of tea or a glass of wine.

“I wanted it to be fun and a feel-good read, but also a documentation of a period in time that we all lived through.”

Raven’s stories are all accompanied by illustrations of himself and his fellow housemates - Louie the evil cat and Scout the ‘know-it-all’ older sister.

“Nicole did the illustrations and she's a graphic designer by day but she also does private commissions. I met up with her and I gave her a character sketch of all of the three animals - Louie the psychopathic cat; Raven, who might be articulate, but at the end of the day he's not very bright and he relies heavily on his looks, and Scout, who I wanted to be portrayed as being slightly grumpy with life the whole time because she basically is!

“I sent Nicole lots of pictures and she really captured them. By looking at the illustrations, you can really see their personalities.”

Raven’s Pandemic Trails costs £8 and is available at Stuff Emporium on Winchester Street, Salisbury, Monty & Mabel's dog café in Wilton and Bluestone Canine Hydrotherapy in Amesbury.

You can also buy the book from Raven and Susan directly - email susan.stennett@hotmail.co.uk

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