Before Plamondon-based author Charmaine Hammond penned any of her nine books, she and her husband, Chris Alcock, adopted a five-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Toby.
Hammond told Landing Trail Intermediate School students last Monday that Toby knew basic commands and seemed perfectly behaved.
However, one day Alcock came home to discover their house so badly torn apart that he believed a crime had taken place. Taps had been turned and plants had been overturned, creating mud. The lid for the toilet tank had been shattered, and a computer had been chewed on. Furniture had been moved and shelves cleared of their contents.
While other couples might have marched the dog right back to the adoption agency, Hammond and Alcock brought in a trainer who said Toby simply needed a job to do.
That job, Hammond decided, would be as a therapy dog visiting patients at an Edmonton hospital every Wednesday. As she watched a dog that had destroyed her house help heal people, she was inspired to write what Toby had taught her about acceptance.
She was first published in 2009 in one of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and since then, she’s written children’s and adults’ books, many focused on Toby. One of the books, On Toby’s Terms, is being made into a film, and some of the film may even be shot near Plamondon, Hammond revealed.
Hammond told students about her writing process (she uses a dictation software that types what she speaks), and she answered their questions (it takes her anywhere from three weeks to a year to write a book).
She also brought a special guest: Toby Jr. Toby Sr. passed away nearly two years ago.
Most importantly, Hammond shared a dog-centric anti-bullying message — one that relies on portmanteaus (pawsitively improving lives through an ambassadog) and acronyms like BARK: Be Accepting, Respectful and Kind.
Hammond has made a close study of human behaviour; she was a corrections officer out of college. Still, she said her message is nothing new. It echoes what parents and schools are already trying to do.
“But for some reason, having a dog here and having the story be based on this imperfect dog makes it safe for kids to talk about these issues, and it makes it memorable,” Hammond said.
