Discovering Ziggy

The inspiration for my first children’s book, Ziggy the Shy Spaniel, was a lovely little dog at a pub in the United Kingdom. My daughter lives in a village outside Cambridge, England. Her home at the time was neighbor to The Crown, their local pub. Very typical of English pubs, it is warm and welcoming complete with a fire in the hearth and a friendly barkeep. Housed in a 17th century coaching inn, its authenticity makes the pub the perfect spot for a drink or a meal. It is family-oriented and yes, dog-friendly.

On a visit, we stayed in one of the Crown’s rooms in their accommodation behind the pub. The night’s stay included breakfast in the pub dining room. Our daughter and her partner joined us before we started our busy day of exploring the English countryside. I glanced over to see a small black spaniel curled up in a corner by the pub owner’s desk.

“That’s Ziggy,” said my daughter. “His family owns the Crown. He’s here every day.”

We worked hard to coax him to our table and with time, he begrudgingly came over. He kept us at paw’s length, leaving his escape options open. He was the canine version of a painfully shy child. His enormous brown eyes and floppy black ears broke my heart. On subsequent visits, we had Ziggy sightings and on rare occasions, a pat on his silky dog head.

During one stay, I visited the nearby playfield with my daughter. The place was alive with dogs running after balls and chasing Frisbees. They were tussling with one another while their owners visited and laughed at their antics. It was a mishmash of sizes and breeds. At the edge of the field, I saw a shiny little streak, black in color, retrieving a ball and darting back to his human for a repeat performance. My daughter affirmed it was Ziggy.

That afternoon made me think about shy little Ziggy and his community of fellow canines. I imagined all their different personalities and peccadillos. I wondered if Ziggy’s shyness extended to his interactions with the dogs he met.

By the time I was back home in the good old USA, I had written Ziggy’s story in my head. I had no grand plan to write a children’s book; it had never crossed my mind, to be honest. But Ziggy just flowed. After I crafted all the characters in book Ziggy’s world, I realized each could have his or her own story. So now, I’m busy giving each of Ziggy’s six pooch peers his or her unique adventure.

Ziggy still goes to work every day with his humans. And he’s still shy. But I’d like to believe that, just like book Ziggy, real live Ziggy has figured out he’s exactly who he should be.