Fido and Friend in Five: Randi Reisfeld and DJ!

What the Dog Said

Randi Reisfeld

Randi Reisfeld is one of those authors that must run on one hour of sleep a night. And she's one of those authors that leaves me feeling like a total slouch. I mean, she's got close to 100 books and articles published! Can you believe that? She started out (when she was probably 12) as an editor at 16 Magazine, interviewing and writing about celebrities. How jealous do you think I am that she actually interviewed Johnny Depp?! Very! She also interviewed Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Michael Jackson and many others.

Randi went from writing articles about mega-stars to writing books about stars, and then original stories based on movies such as Clueless and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She also worked closely with author HB Gilmour. Together, the wrote T*Witches, which became a ten-book series. They also wrote a number of other series for teens and tweens including Oh, Baby and Making Waves. 

Making Waves

Rehab

Her new, stand-alone novel, is the one that caught my attention and led me to her. What the Dog Said is a poignant, funny, fanciful and emotionally impactful story about loss and love. Thirteen-year-old Grace's beloved father is killed by a possibly not-so-random shooting. Grace is utterly devastated. Then a very special rescue dog named Rex comes into her life. He loves her, he understands her, and he talks to her--literally! Rex also helps her solve the mystery of what really happened to her dad, and he helps her heal. Trouble is, Rex is being trained as a service dog. The day will come soon when Grace must give him away. But can she?

Fortunately, DJ is Randi's forever dog. Let's meet the two of them in today's Fido and Friend in Five:

1. How did you and DJ (Desmond Jones) find each other?  Our dog is a Barbet. He's a French water dog--very much like a Portuguese water dog, which we've had in the past. That's the same kind of dog President Obama and his family have. We were looking for a similar breed--that is, a non-shedder, medium sized, good with kids, less headstrong than the Porties, joyful, and loyal. We found the Barbet at the "Meet the Breeds" expo in New York City, sponsored by the AKC. Right now, the Barbet is on the "waiting list" for acceptance into the AKC. So far, it's rare in the U.S., but very popular in Europe and Canada. In fact, this year, we are part of the group exhibiting our dog a the very same "Meet the Breeds" expo in which we found him. He's a great pup and I hope to get another (her name would be Mollie Jones. Desmond and Mollie are from the Beatles song, "Obla Di, Obla Da."

Desmond Jones

2. What makes DJ's tail wag?  Going for a walk, getting treats, playing with other dogs, getting his belly rubbed. Lots of petting and affection.

3.  What's your all-time favorite dog story?  I have to say, What the Dog Said. I did read The Story of Edward Sawtell  and The Art of Racing in the Rain, and other popular books. Alas, I wasn't impressed. I plan to read others--including your newest.

4. If DJ could change just one thing about you, what would it be?  Letting him eat table food, and never leaving him alone.

5. In five words, tell us what DJ means to you:  Unconditional love, affection, companionship, laughter (puppies are hysterical!), happiness.

So, so true! Many thanks to Randi and DJ for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit Fido and Friend in Five. Be sure to check out Randi's website to see what all she's written and find out more about her. She's one prolific lady!