Today we are chatting with Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta, authors of The Life in the Doghouse series
Read on for more about them, their book, and a giveaway of all three books in the series!
Meet Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta:
Danny Robertshaw is a horse trainer and animal lover who began helping dogs way before 2005. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, he and Ron Danta began their rescue in earnest as they saved over six hundred dogs from that national disaster. For their work during Katrina, they were 2008 ASPCA Honorees of the Year. Since then, Danny and Ron have used their personal home for Danny & Ron’s Rescue, formed as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that has saved over thirteen thousand dogs, all placed in loving homes. Danny, Ron, and their rescue were the subjects of the award-winning documentary Life in the Doghouse. They have also been featured on the Today show, CBS Evening News, the Hallmark Channel, and Pickler & Ben, as well as several other TV shows. Their mission is a lifetime promise of love and care to every dog they take in. Visit them @DannyRonsRescue and DannyRonsRescue.org, and learn more at LifeintheDoghouseMovie.com.
Ron Danta is a horse trainer and animal lover who began helping dogs way before 2005. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, he and Danny Robertshaw began their rescue began in earnest as they saved over six hundred dogs from that national disaster. For their work during Katrina, they were 2008 ASPCA Honorees of the Year. Since then, Danny and Ron have used their personal home for Danny & Ron’s Rescue, formed as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that has saved over thirteen thousand dogs, all placed in loving homes. Danny, Ron, and their rescue were the subjects of the award-winning documentary Life in the Doghouse. They have also been featured on the Today show, CBS Evening News, the Hallmark Channel, and Pickler & Ben, as well as several other TV shows. Their mission is a lifetime promise of love and care to every dog they take in. Visit them @DannyRonsRescue and DannyRonsRescue.org, and learn more at LifeintheDoghouseMovie.com.
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram
About the Series: Life in the Doghouse
Inspired by a real dog from Danny & Ron’s Rescue from the popular documentary, Life in the Doghouse, this third book in a sweet chapter book series follows a pair of pups hoping to find a new home together.
Millie and Daisy are two bonded dogs who’ve been through a lifetime of ups and downs together. Finally finding safety at Danny & Ron’s Rescue, Millie settles in easily, while Daisy still feels anxious, especially during thunderstorms.
A big adoption event for the rescue dogs is coming up, and Millie can’t wait. She wants to convince a family to take both her and Daisy together, so she comes up with a plan to make them stand out. Daisy’s not so sure she wants to be adopted though and thinks that while adoption may be right for Millie, living at the rescue is what’s right for her. But Daisy doesn’t like the thought of being apart from Millie, and she doesn’t want to ruin Millie’s dreams.
As the big day arrives, will Millie and Daisy be able to find the right solution for both of them? Or does finding their perfect forever homes mean saying goodbye to each other?
~Author Chat~
Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm
Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm?
Ron: Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm is a story close to our hearts. Millie and Daisy were two original Katrina dogs we rescued in 2005. They came huddled together in one crate with a note explaining that their owner sadly drowned during Hurricane Katrina. So, it was essential to both of us to create a fictional story for children and to include in the back of the book the true story of Millie and Daisy, who ended up living their entire lives at our rescue as cherished sanctuary dogs.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Danny: My favorite character in the book is Millie because in real life she was the one that was so hard to figure out and reach. It took her a good amount of time to accept us. Daisy was her ‘go-to’ for the longest time, and their bond was exceptional. I think she always had secrets we were never able to know.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
Ron: I really think the title and the novel came at the same time. Millie and Daisy came from Hurricane Katrina, and during their entire life at our house, they were always still scared of storms. So, they were kind of our weather girls because it could be blue skies and they would start pacing in the house an hour and a half before we even had a thunderstorm. They knew it was coming.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
Danny: What I like about the cover is that it really looks like Millie and Daisy, even in this cartoonish version. I love that they’re sitting on a round rug together. It just makes me reflect on the story of their rescue during Katrina. They were found together on a round dining room table floating in the house. It was the only safe, dry place they could get to.
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?
Ron: We are excited for our fourth Life in the Doghouse series children’s book, Finn and the Feline Frenemy. We think kids will enjoy reading this story about the camaraderie of Finn, a three-legged hound, and his friend, a three-legged cat.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
Danny: I just finished reading Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman. The main character is an ordinary, non-special character but proves to be everything in the end. I relate that so much to some of the rescue dogs we have that are so bland in the beginning, but when they begin life with their new family, they start to bloom, and you find out the real hero within.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Ron: We are very excited about our next memoir for adults, Forever Home with HarperCollins. It’s an 80,000-word book that tells the story of Danny and me—our childhoods and our journey through life. It describes how we met and joined together with the same passion and love of animals. We’ve saved over 13,000 dogs through our organization, Danny & Ron’s Rescue.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
Danny: Like Millie and Daisy, children often do many things together. They need to truly look at each other and understand if one is going along with the other because he’s afraid not to or if the other is going along willingly. There’s usually a leader and a follower, and the leader needs to consider the follower’s feelings.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Danny: I think our superpower if we have one at all, is resilience. Sometimes we feel like we could be beaten down and get into such blue funks or sad moods over some of the dog rescue situations we encounter, but if we didn’t have resilience, we wouldn’t be able to bounce back and keep going forward.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Ron: We are close to Danny & Ron’s Rescue because we are the organization’s founders. We are proud of what this nonprofit has done through the years and the thousands of dogs we’ve saved. I genuinely believe we’ve saved so many people’s lives, joining them with such great pets, and so that really is special, too. Danny and I are also excited about all our outreach programs helping not only canines but helping humans at the same time.
Book’s Title: Life in the Doghouse series: Moose and the Smelly Sneakers; Elmer and the Talent Show; Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm (newest book)
Author: by Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta
illustrator: by Laura Catrinella
Release Date: New book (Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm) publishes 7/12/22
Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: (for Millie) 1534482687
ISBN-13: (for Millie) 9781534482685
Genre: fiction
Age Range: ages 7-10
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
Five winners will receive a copy of Life in the Doghouse series: Moose and the Smelly Sneakers; Elmer and the Talent Show; Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm (Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta) ~US ONLY
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
These look adorable
The animal story lovers at my school would go crazy for these!
I love books about dogs and these covers are adorable and the stories sound fun.
this look like a really cute series