My book is a talking toolkit, set around two Jack Russells, which I hope will enable families to talk about difficult issues. This includes issues which affect their family members or family life. By acknowledging life’s delights and dilemmas family members can reach out for help.

The ‘Human Highlight’ sections at the end of each chapter clarify the issues before moving 8 Canine Capers onto discussion and dialogue questions called, ‘Sniff It Out!’

The questions have been designed to open up conversations about the subjects featured in each chapter. They are open-ended questions which cannot be answered by just ‘yes’ or ‘no’, so help people to open up and talk about problems, issues or any worries.

Once dialogue has begun and where more help is needed, there is a comprehensive list of charities who can help with all the issues featured.

The book is written through the eyes of Apple and Maci, my Jack Russells. This is because dogs have an unpolluted view of life. They see the real person and the real picture; they give unconditional love which is sometimes lacking in our modern world.

I am a shameless dog lover and because of this I have included a chapter on Jack Russell traits and behaviour. This is to save dogs suffering unnecessarily simply because their owners have not considered the type of dog and its inherent traits which ideally suit their family.

The initial inspiration for this book came from seeing how my lovely Mum suffered in later life because her parents only communicated with her about the day-to-day aspects of life, never about her worries, dreams or aspirations in life. This left her lacking the ability to express her emotions, talk and discuss issues which affected her, make friends and suffering from low self-esteem.

Canine Capers is designed to prevent this happening to anybody else. It is not only an icebreaker which facilitates the free flow of communication within families, but is a toolkit to help fix problems.

It has been a great honour for me to write this book for my Mum, who is hopefully looking fondly down on us. Please take time to read this with your family and savour the conversations which will hopefully arise from it as you too consider life’s delights and dilemmas through dogs’ eyes.