The Infamous Miss Wigglebutt, the Best Farm Dog

One important necessity of country life is having a very dependable, loyal farm dog. Eight years ago, I felt like it was time for our family to search for a puppy. With my husband traveling every week and my three kids being so little, I wanted to have a dog for protection and to give my kids a "Nana" to guide them around the yard just like in Peter Pan. With babies and cats at home (chickens came later), the puppy had to be a perfect fit for our loud and active family. I searched local pet shelters for a puppy to rescue, but since the younger dogs are always the first to get adopted, I couldn't find one before other dog lovers got to them first or one that could handle being around cats.

Brock holding Skye for the first time

My aunt was helping me be on the lookout for a puppy, and she found a labrador breeder that had a litter of 12 yellow labs. Our family drove out to the breeder's farm to check out the five week old little puppies. The breeder let us know when we got there that we could have the first pick of the litter, if we chose one of his puppies.

What a hard choice it was!

We sat down on the ground watching the puppies wrestle with each other, hiding in the corners of the barn, squealing for their mommy, and being just plain cute. But one special puppy eventually stood out from the crowd. She walked straight towards Brock, my oldest son, wagging her tail while trying to climb onto his lap. The confident way she pranced around each person of our family was like she already knew us. It was love at first sight, she was ours and we were hers.

Being obsessed with Paw Patrol, Brock named her Skye after the yellow dog who flies helicopters. Since my husband is a pilot, we thought her name was absolutely perfect.

Rosie with her puppy doggie

Skye grew up as one of my kids. I don't even know if she thinks of herself as a dog, she knows she is a part of my pack. At one time Skye and Rosie, my youngest, were the exact same size. It was like having two newborns at once, definitely a lot less sleep for mommy for several months! She has since become the best family dog, extremely loyal and friendly to everyone she meets. I'm already dreading the day she crosses the Rainbow Bridge, she's the best dog ever and we love her so much.

The one thing she isn't friendly towards, the one thing she doesn't tolerate... is anything that tries to attack my chickens. Her value greatly increased when we moved out to the country. The chicken coop is located pretty closely to my house, and when it is dark outside, Skye is my night guard. She either growls or points at the front door to alert me that something is lurking around the

coop. When she warns me about an attacker, I get my bathrobe and my boots on, get a shovel ready, and off we go together to investigate. It's amazing the things we have chased away from the coop...groundhogs, tons of raccoons, possums, squirrels, and one time we both almost got sprayed by a skunk when it tried to break into the coop. Over the years Skye's scent has been branded into the woods. Her scent and her constant habit of chasing animals off our land has created a peaceful sleeping experience for the chickens and me. Skye hardly has to wake me up anymore to warn me about attackers, and with her help, I've never had anything break into the coop at night.

Skye is the inspiration of one of my children's books called Miss Wigglebutt's Dance Academy. Her best features are her saggy skin that she never quite grew into around her face, her loud snoring that can be heard all the way out to the moon, and her tail that shakes so hard when she meets friends that her backside wiggles out of control...earning her the sweet nickname of Miss Wigglebutt.

One day, when Skye was about two years old, she was chasing her tail around our living room like she was doing a waltz. Rosie, now a toddler, started mimicking Skye by pretending to chase her own "tail" around the room. They did this a couple times before the idea of Miss Wigglebutt's Dance Academy was created in my head. Why couldn't a dog teach kids how to dance or do tricks? I was seeing it happen in real life right in front of my eyes! While I was writing the story, I couldn't help but laugh picturing Skye teaching kids to dance by playing tug of war and fetching balls.

Miss Wigglebutt's Dance Academy has been rejected by 200 agents and publishers, but I'm still trying to find the perfect way to get it on the bookshelves at everyone's library. Maybe it will be my next book to self publish. I've been able to read Miss Wigglebutt to several kids (they are, after all, my severest critics), and the reaction is always the same, a bunch of giggles and wiggles.

Thanks for reading my Country Squawk,

Kelly

PS I will be at The Living Truth Christian bookstore in Noblesville, Indiana on Saturday, October 11 from 11:00-1:00 to sign copies of my new book called Pastor Jay.