Elmer and the Talent Show

Inspired by a real dog from Danny & Ron’s Rescue from the popular documentary, Life in the Doghouse, this first book in a sweet chapter book series follows an old dachshund who forms an unlikely friendship with the boy in his new family—a great fit for fans of Bruce Cameron’s Puppy Tales series

Elmer is a small dog with a big personality living at Danny and Ron’s rescue. He wants nothing more than for someone to become his forever family. But as an older dog with a floppy tongue that doesn’t stay in his mouth, it seems like he never fits the families’ idea of the perfect pet.

Benny’s family just moved (again), and what he wants are friends. So, when his parents announce they are getting a dog, he’s so excited to show it off—until they come home with a funny-looking older dachshund. To make matters worse, his parents have signed them up for a pet training course that will end with a big talent show in front of a crowd of strangers.

Thrown together, Elmer and Benny learn that the perfect best friend might be different than they imagined—but even better than they’d hoped.

Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta are horse trainers and animal lovers who began helping dogs way before 2005. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, their rescue began in earnest as they saved over six hundred dogs from that national disaster. For their work during Katrina, they were 2008 ASPCA Honorees of the Year. Since then, Danny and Ron have used their personal home for Danny & Ron’s Rescue, formed as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that has saved over twelve thousand dogs, all placed in loving homes. Danny, Ron, and their rescue were the subjects of the award-winning documentary Life in the Doghouse. They have also been featured on the Today show, CBS Evening News, the Hallmark Channel, and Pickler & Ben, as well as several other TV shows. Their mission is a lifetime promise of love and care to every dog they take in. Visit them @DannyRonsRescue and DannyRonsRescue.org, and learn more at LifeintheDoghouseMovie.com.

Crystal Velasquez is the author of the Hunters of Chaos series; the Your Life, but… series: Your Life, but Better; Your Life, but Cooler; and Your Life, but Sweeter; and four books in the Maya & Miguel series, based on the television show—My Twin Brother/My Twin Sister; Neighborhood Friends; The Valentine Machine; and Paint the Town. She holds a BA in creative writing from Penn State University and is a graduate of NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Currently an editor at Working Partners Ltd. and a freelance proofreader, she lives in Flushing, Queens, in New York City. Visit her website at CrystalVelasquez.com, her blog at YourLifebutBetter.Blogspot.com, or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/CrystalVelasquezAuthor.

Laura Catrinella is an illustrator and character designer based in Vancouver who loves to play with shapes and colors.