From the Wayne County Dog Shelter to a storybook
Author AudraKate Gonzalez recently held a book-signing at the Wayne County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center. After adopting a deaf dog from the shelter and later a guide dog, she decided the experience would be worthy of a book series.
Sometimes, the most unexpected events can inspire the most beautiful stories. For author AudraKate Gonzalez, a routine visit to the Wayne County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center in 2018 began an adventure filled with love, resilience and a series of books.
As an established horror author, Gonzalez stepped outside her lane when she wrote a series of children’s books based on her experience with Flop, her deaf dog, and Howard, Flop’s guide dog.
As Flop settled into his family’s new home, Gonzalez quickly realized that while he was loving and eager to learn, his deafness made navigating the world complicated. The walks were disorienting. He missed cues. He didn’t know when it was time to eat, when people were in the house or when the front door opened.
After some soul-searching and research, Gonzalez found an unexpected solution: a guide dog for her dog. So back to the shelter she went. This time Gonzalez met Howard, the soon-to-be guide dog to Flop.
The two dogs bonded, and Howard took on the role of leader, guiding Flop on walks, alerting him to changes in their surroundings, and offering the confidence and companionship he needed.
“If the dogs are outside, when it is time to come inside, all we have to do is call Howard’s name, and he goes and gets Flop,” Gonzalez said. “He will herd him in.”
Gonzalez had only owned one other dog before Flop, but an advertisement prompted her to visit the shelter after that dog died. When she spotted Flop, she couldn’t resist taking him home.
“I never trained a dog before or owned a deaf dog; it was a whole new learning process for me,” she said. “But honestly, he learns just like any other dog, except he learns hand signals and body language.”
Gonzalez said the book series would never have happened without Flop and Howard, and it also vaulted her writing career to the next level.
“I was always self-published before writing this,” she said. “For this series I was signed by Twenty Hills Publishing.”
Shelter staff are excited about the success of the pair of pooches.
“We’re incredibly proud to have played a small part in Flop and Howard’s journey,” Dog Warden and Shelter Director Katelyn Lehman said. “Their story reminds us of why we do this work — to help connect animals with the people who need them just as much.”
So far there are three books in the series. For more information about future releases, visit www.authoraudrakategonzalez.com.
Dan Starcher is the public communications coordinator for Wayne County.