There shouldn’t be an issue of Eden Prairie Lifestyle without at least one dog. This issue’s dog, Pickles, just so happens to be a very good girl because she inspired a children’s book.
When Katherine Pendergast’s parents-in-law adopted Pickles from an animal shelter following the 2011 Souris River flood, they were surprised to learn the affable mutt had already been adopted – and subsequently returned – numerous times.
Katherine imagined all the mischief Pickles could have gotten up to that might have earned her repeated visits to the clink. This line of thinking led her to write Pickles the Dog: Adopted in which the titular mongrel is taken to a farm where she proceeds to pester the pigs, bother the bull, harass the hens and annoy the cow.
But Pickles’ new master doesn’t give up on her. With love and the power of squeaky toys she helps Pickles outgrow her roguish ways, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Pickles later goes on other adventures. In Pickles the Dog: A Christmas Tradition she learns about the peculiar German tradition of hanging a pickle-shaped ornament in the tree, and in Pickles the Dog Goes to School she learns about the special bond which dogs share with children.
Pickles is currently on hiatus from adventuring while Katherine, whose pen name is Kat Socks, coauthors a new book with her five-year-old son titled I'm a Spinosaurus: Bigger Than T. Rex.
If you would like to learn more about Pickles and order her books, please visit katssocks.com.