Fido and Friend in Five: Kathy Nuzum and her pack!

Kathy Nuzum

Kathy's book, The Leanin' Dog, grabbed me from the cover as soon as it came in to the library where I work. The face was a hound-looking dog with soulful eyes starring out at me. I knew exactly how those ears would feel rubbed between my fingers: velvet. So of course, given the cover and the word "dog" in the title, I had to read the book right away. And it did not disappoint! The Leanin' Dog is a gorgeous, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and heart-lifting story about how angels can appear even in brown, hound-dog disguises. Kathy is also the author of the teen novel, A Small White Scar, another powerful novel about the invisible things that bind us. Both books of Kathy's are multi-award winners.

Kathy, her husband and boys share their farm in Colorado with: two horses, three cats, five dogs, one pot-bellied pig, one hen, one tropical fish and about a million wild rabbits. I've finally met a crazier dog-lady than me! I was really pleased when Kathy agreed to take time away from all those animals to answers THE five Fido and Friend questions:

A Small White Scar

Kathy' Pack

1.  How did you and your dogs find each other?  Well, from my oldest to youngest: Elizabeth the shih tzu' my husband went hunting for because our youngest son wanted a dog that would always stay small enough to cuddle. The Christmas Puppies, Merlin the schnauzer and Toto the cairn terrier were a Christmas present mix-up (my husband was planning to surprise me with Toto at the same time I was adopting Merlin--oy!) Kiwi, the Australian herding dog was dumped on a road in Utah, sent to our local shelter, and badly needed a home. Our latest addition, Ripple the hound had an unhappy childhood with an abusive, alcoholic drifter. She landed at a friend's house, but couldn't stay, so she came to us. We are a perfect example of the line from "Field of Dreams": If you build it, they will come. Except we would paraphrase to, "if you have the heart and room, dogs will come."

2. What makes your dogs' tails wag?  Just about everything! Mealtime, walk time, cuddle time, and last but not least, CATS (we have three).

3. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  Eric Knight's 1938 Lassie Come-Home (a woman after my own heart)

4.  If your dogs could all change just one thing about you, what would it be?  They would all want me to bark instead trying to get them to quit.

5. In five words, tell us what your dogs mean to you: Communion, safety, adventure, comfort, mindfulness.

Thanks so much to Kathy and her pack for stepping into the Fido and Friends spotlight! To find out more about Kathy and her books, check out her website:  www.kanuzum.com