Safety Dog Diego Gets Adopted is a heartwarming children’s book about an adventurous French Bulldog who learns the value of safety and how mistakes can be stepping stones to success. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Our story is inspired by our real-life French Bulldog, Diego. During the 2020 lockdown, Angel, a Safety Professional, was assigned to work full-time in San Diego for two months. While there, he adopted Diego and brought him to work with him every day. Diego quickly became a beloved member of the job site, charming the safety crew with his playful personality. Two years later, when we became grandparents, Tracey was inspired to write a children’s book for our grandson. Diego’s adventures and the lessons he unknowingly helped teach about safety made him the perfect character to bring this vision to life. Safety Dog Diego was born from a heartfelt desire to share meaningful lessons in a fun and engaging way, creating a story that blends adventure, learning, and the joy of new beginnings.

The theme of learning from mistakes is powerful. How do you hope it resonates with young readers?

Through Diego’s journey, we hope to inspire children to embrace safety, resilience, and the idea that even small lessons can have a big impact on their everyday lives. By watching Diego navigate challenges, young readers can see that making mistakes isn’t something to fear—it’s an opportunity to grow, learn, and improve. We want children to understand that setbacks are a normal part of life and that by learning from them, they become stronger and more confident. Our goal is to encourage kids to approach new experiences with curiosity and a problem-solving mindset, knowing that every mistake is just a stepping stone to success.

Can you share more about the process of collaborating with the illustrator to bring Diego and his adventures to life?

The process of working with our illustrator to bring Diego’s character to life was truly enjoyable. We wanted to ensure that the illustrated Diego not only resembled our real-life Diego but also captured his fun-loving spirit and playful personality. To achieve this, we provided pictures of Diego as a puppy, highlighting his expressive face and energetic nature. It was important to us that his character reflected his silly, rambunctious, and lovable qualities—traits that make him so special. Diego has a natural ability to bring joy to those around him, especially children, and we wanted that warmth and charm to shine through in every illustration. Seeing him come to life on the pages of the book was an exciting and rewarding experience.

Do you have plans for more books featuring Diego and his safety lessons?

Absolutely! We have so many more stories to share. The second book in the Safety Dog Diego series will introduce Diego’s older and wiser sister, Coco, a Shih Tzu who is also part of our real-life family. Their dynamic was very much like a classic big sister-little brother relationship—Coco being patient and wise, while Diego was the playful and sometimes mischievous younger sibling. This book will tell the fun and heartwarming story of how they went from playful rivals to best friends. Beyond that, we have a variety of adventures planned, including a Halloween story, a Christmas story, and an exciting cousin’s camping trip. This story will follow Diego and his cousins as they embark on an outdoor adventure, learning valuable lessons about nature, teamwork, and, of course, safety! Our goal is to continue building the Safety Dog Diego series with engaging, fun, and meaningful stories that not only entertain but also teach important life lessons along the way.

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