Stephen Foster's Blog

Hello Stephen,

Really enjoyed Walking Ollie; in fact it in part inspired me to start writing about my dog Lily, from her perspective, initially as a blog but now as regular feature column in Dogs Monthly magazine. I have been considering the possibility of putting the collections together as a book at some point; I wondered if you could pass on any advice, in particular with regards to approaching publishers, using literary agents; could you recommend any etc.

I hope you don’t mind me contacting you this way and thank you for your time.

I look forward to reading Along Came Dylan – best of luck with that.

Kind regards
Steve

Hi
I just finished reading your book “Walking Ollie’. Are you really writing one about Dylan? I can’t wait! I have a Toy Fox Terror of my own that could fill a couple hundred pages of accounts describing ultimately why we do go the extra mile for “difficult”, but at the end of each day, dogs nonetheless! Thanks so much for a GREAT read!
Mary
Forked River, New Jersey
USA

Hi

Yes, there are many town parks, and we live close to the Barnegat Bay that offers beaches and trails. There is a 20 minute ride to the ocean, but taking the Toy Fox Terror there could prove disasterous! I think the UK is much cooler than Forked River NJ! Can’t wait till “Along Came Dylan” comes stateside!
Have a great day, and you’re quite welcome!

Mary

Hi Stephen,

Like my fellow commenters here, I have just finished reading “Walking Ollie” and wanted to let you know how much I loved it, and how it made me laugh. I have four rescue dogs, all of whom are saluki/desert crosses. One of them, Louis, is a total basketcase (bless him), has been abused, is scared of everything, snaps at your hand if ultra scared and thinks there is no other way out, and yet is such an incredible, affectionate character and is coming on beautifully after 18 months of enormous patience and hard work. So many of Ollie’s exploits made me laugh, because I have practically verbatim stories about Louis! I can’t wait to catch up with Dylan now!

Hi
We own a Saluki/Greyhound bitch, who is 15 months old. We have paid for 2 dog beviourists to visit us and we have now come to the conclusion there isn’t much hope that she will ever be normal! She doesn’t really like other dogs coming within 10 feet of her and will snap, likewise with people she doesn’t know. I have found reading your books so helpful and have re-read walking Ollie many times. Now, halfway through Along Came Dylan – I am so pleased i am not the only one to cope with a dog with issues!!!

Hi Stephen

I’ve just finished “Walking Ollie” and I loved it. I realised exactly why my friend had leant it to me when I got to page 16: “… and worse than that he is a rescuse lurcher with Saluki in him”. Ahh, so that would be like Sam who I adopted from Lurcher Link about 6 weeks ago!

Happily progress seems speedier with Sam perhaps because he is older (5-6 according to the vet though he looks younger as he relaxes into his new home). I found your attitude to other dogs and and particularly some owners very refreshing!

I watched Sam and my whippet Amy run like mad things around the local reservoir this morning and what a joy it was. I think we have a better breed of fisherman around Sheffield (maybe because you can put money on the fact that round here one of their relatives breeds some sort of sighthound!). The dogs made one jump this morning but he then spent the next ten minutes telling me what great dogs they are I know.

Will be settling down with book number two tonight.

Thanks
Lucy

Thoroughly enjoyed ‘Walking Ollie’ so we got ‘Along Came Dylan’ at the weekend and my wife and I have now both read it.

We have borderline collies and we have had to cope with rolling, bird and rabbit chasing, kite barking. Have particular sympathy with your comments about cyclists and joggers.

Delightful – thanks for a great read.

Berny and Kathy

I haven’t finished “Walking Ollie” yet, but I am ruled by a Saluki mix who loves nothing more than to run… and run… and run. And jump our fence to do some more running. As you describe Ollie and his behaviors in your book, I am constantly noting to myself, “That’s Kumo.” There have been days when I wonder why I brought him home from the pound – the signs were all there of what I was getting into, but now that he’s here, his third home, it is his final home despite all the hassles that surround owning him. His crowning achievement, however, has been figuring out how to make friends with our Lab/Boxer mix who is not dog-friendly, but who now loves to play with Kumo as he races around our yard, using his tail as a rudder to out-manuever her until he can make his full on bowl-her-over and “nibble, nibble, nibble” her to death. Thank you for your book – I am happy to know we are not alone!

My sister bought Walking Ollie for me last year because we have a Saluki/Greyhound, Diesel. He was only two when we got him but we were his third home. Luckily he instantly made friends with our other dog, a four year old ‘mutt’ called Holly.

It is so nice to know we are not the only ones who have to contend with a wilfull dog who will do exactly as he pleases no matter what and then we get grief off ‘weekend walkers’ when all he wants to do it play. Holly is happy to run with him but if he goes full blast she just can’t catch him, much to his delight!

I have just finished Along Came Dylan and I completely identify with the whole not coming back scenario, I can’t count how many times we have had to stand and watch him lashing about on the other side of the field just waiting for him to get fed up and come back. A few weeks back he followed a man and his two dogs out of the field where he has his walks/runs, got hit by a car then ran off. My Dad who was walking him spent the whole day searching for him to no avail. When I came home from work I took over the search with help from my 12 year old nephew and we eventually found him back at the field 9 hours after he had gone missing! Thankfully he didn’t break anything, he was just bruised and not happy he had been out in the cold and wet all day. He has not been for a run since as he is still a bit battered but he has attempted to chase cars while out for a circuit round the block! He will get off the lead again though, it is so lovely to see him run free with his sister
He is very handsome (looks like a vibrant ginger greyhound with lovely saluki eyes) but has a mind of his own, although Holly is still top dog, he hasn’t worked out how to depose her yet.

Really enjoyed both books and I’m really pleased Dylan and Ollie are doing well, I’m sure Diesel would love to meet them

Katie, Holly and Diesel

Tearfully passing the “Body and Soul” to me over the breakfast table this morning, I am told, by “management” not to miss your poignant account entitled “The dog that broke my heart”. Having failed totally to get over the loss of “Panzer”, our German Shepherd, I am now faced with the sudden world shortage of tissues.
Also you should know that Panzer was similarly put out of his pain some 20 years ago.

Today, like any other day, we exercised at day-break at West Stowe, complete with detachable 11 year old Visla, George. Mornings, like this morning, sort out the dog lovers from the posers -with a combination of east wind and sleet a real test for the three of us. He is a “pointer” rather than a “chaser” so is always off the lead and great on recall, enabling us to freely run or walk the miles of free amenety presented by the Forestry Commission. We cannot imagine life without him and although the inevitability looms larger, that awful day will one day dawn. Ollie will surely be there to help us.

I’m so sorry to hear about Ollie, Like Karen I’m one of those pesky Weimaraner owners. I’d never even heard of a Saluki until Karen rescues Stella.

I started writing when we got our second rescue dog. Our first was a handful but once things settle down it’s easy to forget just how far he (and us) had come. I look forward to reading more about both Ollie (RIP) and Dylan’s escapades.

My Weim bitch rescue has her own blog where I am tracking her progress. She is at this moment teasing the male with her rope pull toy with me in the middle.

I wish I could ease your pain.

xxx

Hello Stephen,

I’ve just finished FWCHTAD and enjoyed it greatly, thank you, recognising the ever-present pull of S-o-T on the psyche as much as the actual places you describe. I’m from Tunstall, a little older than you; my parents ran Rhodes’ sweet stall in Tunstall market and my mother’s family were the Copes who had fruit, veg and flower stalls there. We moved from Pinnox St when I was 11 to live on High Lane and every Friday night of my early teens were spent dancing to sweet soul music at Chell. Is your auntie one Mildred Brereton? If so I was in her choir after the merger of the three Tunstall methodist churches in the late 60s. So much resonated in the book for me (apart from the football, although we did live in an ex Port Vale manager’s house at High Lane) and it’s particularly touching as both my parents have died recently and connections with Tunstall are loosening. There’s quite a divide between those of us who left for whatever reason and never went back and those who never understood a need to leave.

Sounds as if you escaped the political correctness of the 80s better than me but that proud work ethic just doesn’t go away does it? Have you read JB Priestley’s chapter on S-o-T in his English Journey? Very accurate description of the proud independent but ultimately puzzling (to him) people he encountered there.

I’ve been a bookseller most of my working life and know how hard it is to get published; well done and all the best for the future.

Hi and thanks for your reply; I remember a Saturday girl called Jane but not Lynn although I left Tunstall in 1973 to go to Leeds University and might well have not known who was working on the stall for the next few years.

I became a bookseller by accident (nearly all booksellers start that way) as I needed a job after University and the student’s union there was looking to develop a bookshop employing graduates with links to the academic staff. Then radical book distribution through the early 80’s (heavy political stuff!); a stint at The Women’s Press and then a move to Edinburgh to start Bookspeed in 1986 with my partner Kingsley Dawson. We began by wholesaling B format paperbacks which were seen as cutting edge and literary and other wholesalers didn’t know what to do with them. We also introduced the notion of next day delivery into a trade that liked to take 2-3 weeks to get books from publisher to shop. As bookselling has diminshed to Amazon and the retail chains we have developed consultation and supply to specialist retailers in the Visitor and Gift markets who want to sell relevant ranges of books but need a single source of advice and supply. I’m not active in the business sadly anymore because of health issues but it’s thriving and strong.

I’ll be in Tunstall in two weeks time for a gathering at the Sneyd Arms to celebrate my parent’s lives and no doubt will go across to the market hall to see what’s happening there now.

Congratulations on your successes and good luck with all future books. Norwich is a good place; do you know Peter Tollhurst of Black Dog Books there; he’s published three collections of Norfolk stories in beautiful editions.

Cheers

Annie

this is continued from previous response as i clicked submit by accident.
fargo now has a new brother dooley who is a collie cross greyhound about 18mnths, he is a rescue and a sister ella a redsetter about a year, got from a pup .i walk all 3 with my dogs i have a staff diva who is 12 and exceptional for her age, she can be a bit grumpy with dogs and i have max a year got him from 5 mnths, he is cross jack with pommeranian he is a handful but i must say he is getting better day by day i have to mention my old dog percy who was a staff sadly lost him at 9. you can only imagine what its like when i go out with all 5 dogs, dooley barks at any dog that passes us which sets them all off then i have to shout at dooley to stop and then diva gets anxious and buggers off to the other dogs owner, everything is fine until the owner dares to strokes his dog and then diva snaps at it then i have to shout dont worry shes got no teeth. then the owner gives me a look and quickly walks off. so im bit like you trying to find places to walk so it can be relaxing but its all worth it in the end they warm your heart .
sorry to have gone on for so long but i was wondering if you could give me some tips on writing as i would love to write a book thanks for taking the time to read this. say hello to ollie, dylan, trezza and phil oh and ask phill does he have a tip for the grand national take care theresa

I finished reading, Walking Ollie, this afternoon and did a quick search to see if there were any updates since. Our stories have many parallels beginning with our first Golden and our two rescues.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope someday to share our original story (the main domain) and our rescues’ story.