Weekends with Daisy, Part II of my exclusive interview!

My new role model.

Just back from a weekend with the incredibly kind folks at Southboro Kennels (check out my post tomorrow on exactly how it was that I ended up there, because it's quite a tale of human foible). I happen to be completely exhausted, which is not unusual. I can empathize, then, with Daisy. What must it have been like for her to hustle from one place to another every weekend? I am sure that she was much loved wherever she went. Maybe she was like me, and simply took advantage of every situation as it unveiled itself.

However, I know better. In my last post, trainer and author Sharron Kahn Luttrell said that Daisy epitomized the best in life. Hooray for her! Let's learn more about Sharron's life with Daisy, shall we? We'll go back to cataloging my own charming foibles soon enough.

T: As a blogger, I know it can be hard to keep up with writing even when you have lots of ideas. How do you manage writing and dog and people raising?

Sharron: It’s a lot easier now that my kids are nearly grown! (My son is 15 and my daughter is 19.) Even so, self discipline is hard for me. Deadlines help.

T: Congrats on the movie deal. Is it in production? Who will be playing Daisy? I've been told I'm very handsome: any call for extras? I mean, I wouldn't want to steal the movie, but still...

Sharron: With the right makeup artist, maybe you can play the lead. Anyway, we’ll have plenty of time to think about it. The screenwriter is still working on the adaptation.

T: What have you planned for the movie premiere? Will pups be allowed in the theater when it's showtime?

Sharron: Service dogs will be (that’s the law). We brought our last puppy-in-training to the movie, “The Artist.” She slept the entire time. That is, until the canine star of the movie barked. Our puppy’s eyes sprang open at the sound and she rose to her feet, searching the theater for the other dog. I had to pop treats into her mouth to keep her from barking in return.

T: What do you hope the book and movie will do for prison pup training efforts?

Sharron: Most people who stop me to ask about the puppy are impressed by the logic of teaching inmates to train service dogs. After all, who has more time to devote to the task than a prison inmate? The genius of the arrangement, though, is that it allows convicted felons to do something good, many for the first time in their life. The puppy shows them how to nurture and teach, and to love. I think we’re all better off if a prison inmate develops these qualities before being released back into society. I hope that the book and movie bring that message to a few more people than the handful who stop me in the supermarket on weekends.  

T: Are you training a pup now?

Sharron: I am! I’m working with Rescue, a black Lab. He’s 10 months old now and is showing great promise as a service dog. Rescue was named by the Worcester Firefighters Association in memory of Jon Davies, a firefighter with the department’s rescue unit who was killed while searching for victims in a burning apartment building. It’s an honor to help prepare Rescue for his future as a service dog.

Thank you, Sharron, for inspiring us and teaching us. Best of luck with your book and we look forward to the screening!

Weekends with Daisy can be preordered at your local bookstore or on Barnes and Noble or  Amazon! Check out Sharron's web site, too, for info about her and the other lucky dogs she's trained!