Who are the Dogs on the Cover of PJ and The Paranormal Pursuers – The Phantoms of Pittenweem?
Well, the small white dog, who appeared on the cover of my first PJ book, The Mackenzie Poltergeist, was designed from a photograph of my beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Smudge.
Sadly, at the time the first book went to print, Smudge, who was almost 17 had been terribly ill for a while. The book has a dedication to him but he went to the Rainbow Bridge before publication and I wanted his memory to live on.
He does so as ‘Dug,’ Shuggie’s JRT in the book and as the motif on the covers. The other dog, added for the Phantoms of Pittenweem is modelled on Gus, another family dog. He was a Schnauzer who was also a lovely soul.
When he wasn’t freshly groomed, he was a shaggy dog on whom I modelled Buddy, PJ’s dog. Gus had also travelled the Rainbow Bridge by the time the new book was published and he joins Smudge on the cover of my second book.
As many people will understand, the grief of losing a pet, who is very much a family member, friend and companion is hard – often just as hard as losing a human.
I was devastated at the loss of Smudge and resolved never to have another dog of my own because the pain and trauma was too great. I know that many people say that you should offer another dog a happy home and believe me, I have been tempted – until that wave of grief crashes over me and reminds me of what we went through.
I have written about Smudge extensively on my blog; one part (For the Love of Smudge) telling his story and the second part (I’m only talking to my dog today) which explains the strange events after his death which convinced me he was still around and sending messages to say he was OK. These can be found here: Jacqueline Dempster – Medium. I hope that the articles help those of you who find themselves grief stricken after the loss of a beloved pet.
My days of doggy love are not over, however. Although we don’t have any of our own, we did join an organisation called ‘Borrow my Doggy,’ which offers just what it says on the tin!
For a small annual fee, you can offer to borrow other people’s doggies when they need company during the week or a place to stay when their people want to go on holiday.
It’s worked out brilliantly for us and we’ve had the joy of looking after Winnie, a Jack Russell Terrier (who looks remarkably like Smudge) and Arlo who is a very cheeky little JRT/Shih Tzu cross.
We also look after our grandpups, Willow (guess what – a JRT whose arrival as a pup was accurately predicted by one of the animal psychics I consulted after we lost Smudge) and Pepper, a Poodle/Bichon Frise cross.
We have a new boy, Joe, (JRT) coming to visit and stay for holidays very soon! I am certain that Smudge knows that we’ll never replace him but has a hand in bringing all these perfect friends into our lives.
It is very strange how all of the borrowed doggies who’ve arrived on our doorstep have been JRTs and I am certain our boy has a hand in it. To be honest, I love each one of them dearly and while they are not our dogs, the grief of losing any of them will be hard.
I can console myself, however, knowing that we’ve been able to give them a welcome and the comfort of a loving home from home whenever their mums and dads need a holiday, or just to stop them getting lonely while their people are working.
They return the love in spades and I wouldn’t be without them. They’ve also been very willing to read my books as you might gather from the photographs!
To learn more about Jacqui’s books and enter the Giveaway, click the link.
