Hello, my name is Bailey.  I am a yellow labrador and one-half of the

writing team that produced the novel, Good Neighbours.  How, you

may ask, could a dog help to write a book?  I'm glad you asked because

my contribution to the novel was indispensable and great.  You see, I

am a writer's dog and with that position comes certain responsibilities.  

Before I go into that, I'll tell you a little bit about my writer.  

She is the alpha female of the pack and I have heard her called by

many names:  Beth, mom, honey, Bailey's owner, and "hey you", but

these words mean little to a labrador.  I know her by her scent which is

an admirable mixture of cooking smells, tea, perfume that smells of

summer flowers, soap, and those funny wintergreen sweets that I

hear her crunching on as she works.  And so in these articles I will call

her "Wintergreen".

 

I love Wintergreen just as I love Strong Coffee (the alpha male), Sweaty Athletic Trainers (the female cub) and Orange Juice (the male cub).  Together we are a close and happy pack and we live in a house near many fine parks and woods where I can run around and smell things.

 

But writing requires a lot of time spent indoors and for humans it can be an isolating pursuit.  That is where I come in.  When Wintergreen has packed the cubs off to school and Strong Coffee off to work, I am her main companion as she sits typing away.  Throughout this series of articles I'll recount for you the time we spend together and, in doing so, give you a picture of what life is like when you're a writer's dog.