Author creates ‘Doggy Doctor’ book

Illustrations in “The Doggy Doctor and the Upset Tummy” depict author Jacqueline Johnson’s pets as veterinary assistants. (Illustration by Chennon Roberts)

Author creates ‘Doggy Doctor’ book

Scripps Ranch resident Jacqueline Johnson is a veterinarian who is creating a new book that will give children a behind-the scenes look at the type of work she does on a regular basis.

Johnson has written “The Doggy Doctor and the Upset Tummy,” and the creation of accompanying illustrations is underway. Next, the project will go to a designer. She is hoping to release the book sometime in the fall.

The characters are a veterinarian who works at an animal hospital along with her assistants, which are all animals – including two based on her real-life dog, Jiminy, and her cat, Dinah. A parrot answers the office phone.

The book’s illustrator, Chennon Roberts, is creating cartoon-like images for the book. Johnson is pleased that the visual portrayals of her pets look accurate.

“I have two little girls who are two and three years old, and I’m always trying to tell them stories about work and they’re always wanting to hear about the things I do, and they keep saying I’m a doggy doctor,” Johnson said. “And they wanted to hear all my doggy doctor stories.”

Her husband suggested she write a children’s book and the idea started snowballing from that point, Johnson said.

The story is about a dog that has an upset stomach. The team at the veterinary hospital takes X-rays and find that the canine patient has eaten a lot of things it shouldn’t have. The dog must have surgery to remove the foreign objects, then goes into the recovery process.

The story shows children a little about veterinary medicine from a realistic perspective, Johnson said.

“It gives kids a behind the scenes view of what they actually do (in a veterinary hospital),” Johnson explained.

Johnson, who works at Cabrillo Pet Hospital in Point Loma, hopes this will be the first in a series of “Doggy Doctor” books – each with a story written in rhyme.

Now, she is working on her next story for her second book. Every book in the series will feature a different veterinary case that the readers can actually see, she said.

The book is written for children ages 4 to 8, but younger children will also enjoy the story, Johnson explained.

Those interested in following the book’s progress can subscribe on the website beardeddogpress.com or on Facebook: @doggydoctorstories.