A northeast Iowa boy who has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers through his “I’ve Pet That Dog” social media accounts is taking his enthusiasm about canines to the page in a new book.
Twelve-year-old Gideon Kidd of Cedar Falls co-authored the book, “Pet That Dog,” with his mom, Rachel Braunigan, who says she’d never considered writing a book.
“Neither one of us are writers and it seemed rather daunting,” Braunigan says, “but we were guided by a wonderful publisher and a literary agent who helped us take it step-by-step so that we could write the whole book.”
When he was just eight, Kidd decided to share his love of dogs with the world through his Twitter and Instagram accounts, which chronicle the many hundreds of dogs he’s met. His Twitter handle, @IvePetThatDog, has more than 384,000 followers.
Kidd says the book can introduce all of those fans and other dog-curious people to the best ways to make four-legged friends.
“There’s tons of sections and we made one section at a time,” Kidd says. “There’s Dogs in History, What to Name Your Dog — like a quiz — What Kind of Dog You Are, also a quiz, A Dog Tracker to keep track of dogs you’ve met.”
Kidd says there are rules you should follow when meeting a dog for the first time.
“Of course, you first have to ask the caregiver and if he or she says yes, then you stick out your hand, your palm,” Kidd says. “If the dog comes up and sniffs your palm, then it’s okay to pet the dog.”
In addition to the colorful illustrations and dog trivia, the book offers tips on how dogs communicate through body language and more about how you can safely interact with dogs, and fun dog facts to share with friends.
Published by Quirk Books, “Pet That Dog” is available through Amazon.com.
By Charity Nebbe, Iowa Public Radio