Kate Bales and Assistance Dog Bonnie work together on nonfiction and fiction writing.In the International Assistance Dog Week newsletter, we’ve been asking people to share their stories of their dogs in the workplace.
Although she describes herself as semi-retired, Kate Bales has found a new career as a writer. Here’s the story submitted by Kate Bales about her retirement career of writing, and how Bonnie has been a help and inspiration.
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Bonnie and I are both semi-retired now, but she is heavily involved in my new retirement career as a novelist. Her somewhat unorthodox manner of performing her tasks is typical of a pit bull. Her greatest joy in life is to cause people to laugh. That gave me the incentive to write her life story, which was accepted for publication in an anthology.
From there, we branched out to fiction. We are currently working on a four book series about a group of internet list pit bull owners who charter various means of transportation and go on tours with their dogs. The first book in the series, “Crazy Ladies on a Bus”, was published last winter, and the second, “Crazy Ladies on a Train”, is nearly complete and is scheduled for release in late October. The combined antics of the dogs keeps the reader laughing hysterically throughout the stories, and an element of crime and just a smattering of romance are the glue that holds them together.
Bonnie, as my service dog, plays a leading role, as does my deaf pit bull, Fionna. Fionna has only one manner, and it is bad. If there is any way to get into trouble, she will find it. All proceeds from the series are being donated to pit bull rescues around the country.
We are also working on a serious novel about a mystery writer and Homeland Security. Internet research on the many ways to kill a person and cause nationwide panic has attracted their attention, and our writer is being held for investigation. His escape and the ensuing pursuit by various law enforcement agencies should captivate the reader. He was badly injured during one encounter and, while hiding in a remote area, comes across an abused, abandoned dog who helps him in his recovery, ultimately becoming a working service dog. Bonnie, working under a pseudonym, will be the dog who saves our writer.
Kate Bales & Bonnie
Elko, Nevada
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International Assistance Dog Week 2014 is August 3-9. Learn more about IADW and subscribe to the newsletter at http://www.assistancedogweek.org/about/.
Tell us how your assistance dog helped you to get and/or keep your job. Send in photos of you and your assistance dog at work. You can send your stories and photos to [email protected].
