#KidLit #Pets - Toby's #Dog, Max. Plus A #Giveaway!

I wrote the first drafts of all five Toby books one after another, before returning to revise them. It's a good thing I did, to be honest, since it was while working on the second book - Toby's Monsters - that I knew for certain what breed of dog Toby's family's dog, Max, should be.

I needed something that - to a six year old, at least - would seem large and hairy, but that was suitable to live in a family home, and potentially trustworthy with a disabled child. I also wanted one where anyone familiar with the breed wouldn't be surprised to hear it had been eager to run off and chase something while out on a walk. At first I was torn between a Golden Retriever and a Rough Collie, but the Retrievers I've known have been rather slobbery, and I didn't want too much slobbering going on. So, in the end, I decided on the Collie.

For those not familiar with the breed, here's a little about it:

The Rough Collie shares it origins with the Smooth Collie in the working sheepdogs of Scotland. The earliest Collies were smaller than today's dogs and largely black/white or tricolour or black/tan. The first sable, Old Lockie, born in 1868 caused a sensation and from that time the sable/white become the most popular colour. However, the tricolour and the blue merle are still very much evident in the breed.

It was not until 1870 that there were separate classes for “Sheepdogs Rough” and “Sheepdogs Smooth”. The founder of the Kennel Club Mr S.E. Shirley promoted the Rough Collie and Queen Victoria brought some from Balmoral to her Royal Estates including Windsor Castle.

Perhaps it is the “glamour” of the coat which attracted many people to the breed at the expenses of the Smooth Collie and for many years the Smooth was considered the poor relation.

Breed Group: Pastoral
Vulnerable Native Breed: No
Size: Medium
How much exercise? Up to 1 hour per day
Length of coat: Medium
How much grooming? Every day
Supposedly sheds? : Yes
Town or Country: Either
Type of home: Small House
Minimum Garden Size: Small/Medium
Lifespan: Over 12 Years

~Above taken from this page on the Kennel Club's website.

If you want to see the part Max the dog plays in the Toby's Tales series, you can do so by grabbing your own copies of the books. They're available in multiple eBook formats, paperback, and now also in audio - read by Joseph A. Batzel.

The following links will take you to where you can buy the books in one - or sometimes more - of the above mentioned formats:

Book 1 - Toby’s New World
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 2 - Toby’s Monsters
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 3 - Toby’s Outing
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 4 - Toby’s Games
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

Book 5 - Toby’s Special School
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

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Want a free set of the audio versions of the books in this series?

You're in luck! I have some free copies to give away via Audible, and I'm giving you a couple of chances to win them.

Today is your last chance during the audiobook launch. So...

To get a free copy of each of the five books in my "Toby's Tales" series, simply send me an eMail with the answer to the following question in it:

When was the eBook version of "Toby's Monsters" published?

If you're one of the first six people to send an eMail to keroberous2004@gmail.com with the subject "Toby's Tales" and the correct answer to the question, I'll eMail you back with the codes to claim free copies for all five books.

The codes will be one use only codes for either Audible.com or Audible.co.uk. Please let me know whether you would prefer codes for Audible.com or Audible.co.uk in your eMail.