Want the perfect family dog? Suzanne Burke of Highland Village has a few words of advice, “Go greyhound!” Suzanne has written a popular children’s book about the power of positive thinking, Logan’s Secret, the true story of her dog’s adventures.
A greyhound owner since 2002, Suzanne cannot say enough good things about the dogs as pets, “They’re docile, loving, they shed very little, and with only 16% body fat they have no dog smell. They’re big quiet couch potatoes.”
In September the story’s planned sequel Logan Takes the Lead should be in print, and by November a third story Logan’s Heritage will complete the trilogy.
“Logan was a winning racer,” Suzanne says, “but one day– right in the middle of a big race– he just stopped and refused to budge. He was unhappy, but he never gave up on his search for happiness. His persistence in the face of personal adversity is a lesson for us all.”
Though greyhounds have a 12-15 year lifespan, the average racing dog only runs for two or three years then retires at the ripe old age of four or five.
“Disposal of slow dogs inspired the creation of the National Greyhound Association, and numerous rescue and adoption groups around the world,” Suzanne says. She volunteers at Greyhound Adoption of Texas, and has over 900 Internet greyhound friends around the world.
Upon retiring from the racing life Logan ran away from his first adopted home, and found his way to the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas shelter. Volunteers found Logan a foster home, but he ran away again. This time a stranger picked him up in downtown Dallas then gave him to a friend with a family and a farm on the south side of town. The farmer saw the numeric tattoo inside one of Logan’s ears, knew this was a special dog, and contacted the League. Logan went home with Suzanne seven years ago, and the rest is happy history.
Logan’s Secret is entering its second printing. The hardcover book is 60 pages long with the same number of color illustrations derived from photos shot by John Hudson of Flower Mound, and Shawn Fernandez of Lewisville. At the end of the story the book has educational exercises to improve spelling, creative writing, and critical thinking skills in readers aged 8 and older.
On August 18 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. Suzanne and Logan will do a book signing and “pawtographing” at Brilliant Sky Children’s Toys and Books in The Shops at Highland Village.
The Logan books may be purchased at Amazon.com and at www.greyhoundstories.com. They are also available for Kindle readers.
“And of course,” Suzanne adds, “adoptable greyhounds may be located at www.greyhoundadoptiontx.org.”
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