Dylan’s Dilemma follows a young cocker spaniel in South Korea, who is searching for his forever home, leading him on a wild adventure that brings him to sunny Southern California. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story? 

Dylan’s Dilemma is based on the true story of my dog Dylan. It originally began when a friend, an American professor, moved to South Korea to teach. He was lonely and so he bought Dylan, an American Cocker Spaniel, from Walmart. (Yes, you can buy almost anything at a Walmart in Daejeon.) I told my friend that he needed to train Dylan and he thought not. It was his plan to have a dog with no restrictions. All was well until my friend married. Dylan had become a serial chewer by that time and destroyed their apartment—eating all the furniture, the coverings off all the electrical wiring and eating the interior of their BMW. But when he ate their wedding pictures and the negatives, my friend’s wife declared Dylan’s time was up. Dylan was sent to me.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I believe that there is no such thing as a bad dog. All dogs want to please. They deserve your love and respect and will benefit and thrive with consistency. High on the list is pet responsibility and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

Dylan provides readers with a lot of entertaining moments to enjoy. What was your favorite scene in this story? 

The ending.

Aiden, Dylan’s former owner, comes to California to visit. Dylan is excited to see Aiden again. All too soon Dylan realizes that Aiden is only there because Dylan is now famous and can do something for him. Aiden tells Dylan to choose: Dylan can go home with him or stay with Casey. Dylan is torn. There was a time when Dylan would have given anything for Aiden to want him again. Dylan looks to Casey but Casey stays silent. Dylan doesn’t understand and his heart starts to break all over again. But then Casey raises his right hand and uses American Sign Language to sign, I love you. Dylan realizes that is the answer he needs and wants and runs to Casey.

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Dylan and the direction of the second book?

Casey and Dylan continue to bond and grow by learning Agility Training, Obedience Training, American Sign Language and complete American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen training. They also begin learning search and rescue techniques. After a successful search and rescue mission on Catalina Island, California, they dream of having their own dog training school someday. But someday seems a long way off.

Dylan’s training is soon put to the test when he accidentally gets lost. Dylan is determined to get home but he also knows in his heart that he and Casey are a team—Casey will and does find him. Not long after, their best friend, Sumo, runs away from home. The police have no leads and it looks hopeless. It’s up to Casey and Dylan to use their search and rescue skills to find Sumo and to bring him home. That’s when Casey, Sumo and Dylan decide to become Dylan’s Dog Squad—it’s a dream they can have now.

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