Adventures in Petsitting
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Stories of Horses and Hounds
How a housesit led to the creation of four very special books.
By Jane Thomas
We started the stories back in 2022 after I looked after Mary’s rescued horses, one former racehorse and three barrel-shaped Dartmoor ponies. Mary had read some of my other books and was keen for me to bring her animals to life, and after a particularly successful year when we’d brought out The Christmas Gift Horse and conquered the Cornish Christmas markets she was eager for one to be created in honour of Elly.
Elly is the latest addition to Mary’s home on Rose Farm. She arrived weighing nearly 90lbs, smiley-faced but barely able to break out into a lollop. Her entire life had been spent within the four walls of an elderly gentleman’s home, never leaving the space for any reason and only being fed human food; her gentle nature showed she had been treated with kindness.
Mary and her husband Mike found Elly through a local rescue group. I remember Mary sending me a video of this grotesquely overweight dog who moved slowly but contentedly around a garden. She had a calmness about her that perfectly suited the retired couple.
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