Return to story

'daddy's Girl' Celebrated

June 20, 2009 12:36 am

WOMEN AND DOGS analyze the same clues to character when they prepare to entrust their hearts to a man. We need a man who will always shove away his laptop, remote control or book to make a place on his lap for his living, adoring beloved. Send us a man who comes in the door smiling; looking for us with nothing but affectionate greetings on his mind.

We require a man who would rather bite off his tongue than criticize. We want to know that the man in our life would spend his last nickel to care for our physical and mental health.

When blessed to find this longed-for loved one--latch on. Guard him like the treasure he is. Dog mom Bonnie Baker has created a book, " JoJo, Daddy's Little Girl," that shows the world why and how the dog-father at her house is a keeper.

DOG DADDY PICKS JOJO

Baker's words and pictures begin with the day dog daddy, Ronnie Meaux, brought home 8-week-old border collie-Labrador retriever mix JoJo. Baker's words and pictures resonate with eloquence and unconditional esteem for her life partner and her dog.

Ronnie Meaux is the sort of man a puppy meets and thinks, "Please, please, please pick me and take me home."

Fourteen years ago, Meaux walked into the Spotsylvania animal shelter. All the lonely dogs wiggled, lunged and clawed at the kennel runs to attract the attention of this man who had come looking for his forever dog.

JoJo sat quietly in her corner; watching. Did JoJo think: "There's my dad"? We don't know. We do know that Meaux scooped her up, tucked her under his protective arm and took her home to be "daddy's girl."

Every night of her life in the Baker-Meaux family, JoJo spent her evenings on her dad's lap. She rode shotgun every time his vehicle moved. She gave her whole attention when he trained her. Meaux devoted himself to keeping JoJo safe and loved. She was his little girl, albeit canine.

JoJo's humans were inconsolable when JoJo died of renal failure. Even with the best of health care and family nurturing, her aging body wore completely out and her time with her family had to end.

REMEMBERING A GREAT DOG

Bonnie Baker wrote "JoJo, Daddy's Little Girl" to document the times, people and places that JoJo loved. The book, she says, took her on her journey from the depths of grieving the pain of loss to reliving and celebrating the life of a dog who loved her family to her very last breath.

Baker explains, "As I sorted through her pictures, taken with so many people who loved her, I could close my eyes and feel the love and joy that made her such a special pet. There were times I truly thought I detected the smell of her fur after a nap in the sun on the deck, or heard her 'bossy' bark.

"Each photo flashed back to a time and place of joy and the reason it was a captured moment. These memories brought smiles, and helped to fill my empty place with the joy she would want me to remember."

Avid dog lovers frequently admit that they do not read books about dogs because they are afraid the books will make them cry. JoJo's story triggers an anguished frustration to accept that so fine a dog is no longer sitting in her dad's lap where she belongs. But the celebration of a life joyously lived is captured in Baker's words and photographs.

" JoJo, Daddy's Little Girl" was published by Heritage Makers (your storycenter.com). If you love a dog, have treasured pictures and enjoy journaling and scrapbooking, this company offers exciting memory products and publications.

This is the fourth family storybook Baker has published. She raves about the company's products and guidance from planning to printing, saying, "Selecting the pictures took a long time, because we have such a huge collection. JoJo gave us so much to remember about her that fitting the copy was the easiest part.

CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK

"Heritage Makers offers an option to manage your pages, enabling you to move the location of pages if your sequence goes astray. Adding photos is done by a 'drag and drop' interface program which fits digital and scanned photos into the space you've designated. "The storybooks range in price from $34.95 to $125.95, based on the book size and number of pages. Our book was in the $40 per copy range. That price included all facets of the online studio software, as well as availability of a consultant."

Would you love to create a book to capture the life of your great dog? Can you see your dog's face honored on a book cover? Baker offers tips: "Take many pictures to preserve those moments that may become less clear as you travel through life with your pet. Make sure those photos include the people, and other pets, who have a relationship with your pet. Write short notes on the photos' backs, so details will be saved.

"Save your pictures as JPEG files with the highest resolution possible for detailed printing quality. Focus on one main idea for each book, rather than trying to cover too many aspects in one story."

Honor your dog by capturing his unique life and spirit in his very own book. Record his antics, activities and style. Your fine dog deserves to tell his story.

Sarah A. Ferrell of Spotsylvania County, author of "Devoted to Dogs: How to Be Your Dog's Best Owner" (available at abrohamneal.com or amazon.com), runs Dog Manners and Obedience. E-mail her in care of
Email: gwoolf@freelancestar.com.