Sandi Swiridoff - Reagandoodle and Little Buddy: The True Story of a Labradoodle and His Toddler Best Friend

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE , OREGON

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Verses marked HCSB are taken from the HCSB, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

Cover design by Mary Eakin

Cover photo Sandi Swiridoff

Interior design by Janelle Coury

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

Reagandoodle and Little Buddy

Text copyright 2018 by Sandi Swiridoff and Wendy Dunham

Photography copyright by Sandi Swiridoff

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7464-6 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7465-3 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Swiridoff, Sandi, author. | Dunham, Wendy, author.

Title: Reagandoodle and little buddy / Sandi Swiridoff with Wendy Dunham.

Description: Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, [2018]

Identifiers: LCCN 2017061384 (print) | LCCN 2018001557 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736974653 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736974646 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: LabradoodleAnecdotes. | Human-animal relationships. | AdoptionAnecdotes. | Foster home careAnecdotes.

Classification: LCC SF429.L29 (ebook) | LCC SF429.L29 S95 2018 (print) | DDC 636.72/8dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017061384

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Contents

B y profession, Im a registered nurse. And because of my desire to help children in need, I started my career in pediatrics. But Im also a wife, mother, Christian, friend, quick-witted punster, and passionate photographer who loves to bring joy to others through my photos. I have found symmetry and balance behind the camera lens. Photography is what energizes me and keeps me focused on the beautiful things in life. But in life, as in photography, focus can change. One day, without much notice, foster grandchildren entered my world, and I turned a corner to discover a wonderful new journey. Thus begins my @Reagandoodle story.

A few years have passed since then, but sometimes, when I think back on that period, I can still feel the bittersweet and raw tug of the emotions I experienced. My foster grandsons, whom I loved immeasurably, were getting ready to transition from my daughters home to their adoptive home. My husband, Eric, and I had been their grandparents, Opa and DeeDee, for 18 months. We had been very involved in their lives, and now they were leaving us for their forever home. It was a beautiful but difficult time for our entire family. These two boys were my first foster grandchildren, and their adoption would leave a huge hole in my heart.

And so, as silly and clich as it sounds, Eric and I thought a puppy might help us fill the child-sized void we would soon experience. One Sunday afternoon we took a drive with our grandsons to just look at a litter of Australian Labradoodle puppies. However, when we arrived, we discovered only one pup was left in the litter. As I reached down to pick up this little ball of fur, he licked my face. At that moment I knew he was going home with us. That was the day Reagan and I first met.

There is nothing quite like puppy therapy to get through a rough time. Reagans spunk and playfulness helped us all. Our grandsons quickly latched on to the notion that we had adopted Reagan. We took that and ran with it, using Reagans story as an example of real life adoption and how, even though he was sad to leave one family, he was welcomed with love and acceptance into his new family. The boys loved talking about Reagans adoption as they prepared for their own.

The weeks flew by, and before I knew it my foster grandsons had transitioned to their new home. Thankfully, Reagan was there to help ease my heartache. He gave me something to focus on (pun intended), loving my camera as much as my camera loved him. We were a match made in heaven. After posting countless photos of Reagan on Facebook, my family suggested an Instagram account for him. I was an Instagram rookie, knowing not a thing about this social networking app, but I was hooked after I viewed some amusing and quirky dog accounts. And so @Reagandoodle premiered in August 2014 when Reagan was six months old.

In the first four months, @Reagandoodle grew to more than 10,000 followers. I was fascinated with the creative design process and began to produce more imaginative photo/video shoots of my precocious pup. Reagans IG followers climbed in numbers. When Reagan was 11 months old, a new foster grandson entered my life, Little Buddy. Coincidentally, he was also 11 months old, just like Reagan. From the moment they first met, Reagan and Little Buddy have been the best of friends. Reagan always brings a smile to Little Buddys face and elicits endless giggles. Watching their bond warms my heart, as they have the same energy level and personality. I began to share glimpses of their special relationship through photos, never directly displaying Little Buddys face and always respecting his privacy as a child in foster care. The images of Reagan and Little Buddy soon became my most popular posts on Instagram, and the number of followers continued to increase. Comments left on the posts indicated that the photos touched hearts and often made people laugh. Eventually, the photos caught the attention of several media outlets and were shared globally, along with our story.

My Instagram account has raised public awareness and focused attention on the needs of children in foster care. The sale of my yearly Reagandoodle calendars gives me the opportunity and privilege to donate all proceeds to be used to enhance the lives of foster children and their families. It was Reagans IG fan base that inspired me to seek publication for this book, with his and Little Buddys story delightfully narrated by Reagandoodle himself. It serves as a great opportunity to give even more to my foster child campaign.