Happy Tails Books

About Happy Tails Books

Kyla Duffy, Founder and Co-Editor

Kyla Duffy fell in love with dogs after becoming an emergency foster for a Boston Terrier with kennel cough. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, two rescue kitties, ex-puppy mill breeder Bill, and a perpetual stream of foster dogs. She enjoys rehabilitating the tough cases, and helps them build up muscle and confidence on long hikes through the beautiful Colorado Front Range.

Kyla is an entrepreneur and athlete, who retired from professional snowboarding in 2001 to pursue more “leisurely” activities, such as adult gymnastics, high-flying trapeze, and aerial fabric. She holds a BS in Marketing, a BA in Spanish Translation, and an MPS in Organizational Leadership. After years of business ownership experience, she founded Happy Tails Books to raise awareness of and funding for dog rescue efforts. She enjoys the creative and philanthropic nature of Happy Tails Books, and is always excited to share the passionate stories written by dog-lovers whose animals have clearly changed their lives.

Kyla has recently also founded Up For Pups!, a non-profit (pending) organization that promotes good pet ownership and responsible breeding practices through unforgettable community lectures. Visit the Up For Pups! website to learn more or to book Kyla to come to your organization and give a presentation.

Lowrey Mumford, Co-Editor

A lifelong pet owner, Lowrey (pictured here with her parents’ dog, Clyde, from the Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre in Scotland) currently owns a Siamese fighting fish and two rescue dogs. Chutney found Lowrey, and her husband Matt, when she was ten weeks old at Lifeline Puppy Rescue, Colorado. Twiglet found his “forever home” with Lowrey, Matt and Chutney after he’d been in three homes in 10 months. In ill health, and considered a tough case, he now has a clean bill of health, was house-trained in two days, and learned everything else after one mistake. This “problem child” just needed some exercise, love and guidance to help him blossom—he hopes to attend school and be a therapy dog next year.

Another of Lowrey’s passions is writing (imagine!), She has worked as a journalist both for print and television, served as an writer/editor for web sites, as well as for books. She has contributed to magazines in the past too. She is also an avid letter-writer, photographer and lapsed poet.

More recently, her professional writing career has been restricted to mediation agreements, so she loves working with all the creative submissions to Happy Tails Books.
 

Don't Kill Bill! The Inspiration for Happy Tails:

A rescue dog named Bill was the inspiration for Happy Tails Books. In 2008, two-year-old Bill was released from a puppy mill breeder and put out to auction after spending the first two years of his life sitting in a cage. When Mid-America Boston Terrier Rescue took him into their care he was in horrible shape. Overweight and terrified, he simply cowered in the back of his crate.



He was adopted out, but then quickly returned due to his poor psychological state. The family wanted a dog to play ball with, but all Bill could do was shiver and shake. It may seem callous, but they knew they hadn't the patience or desire to embark on the long road to rehab, and ultimately did the right thing by returning him to the rescue group.

As if things weren't bad enough for Bill, tragedy struck again when he and another female Boston Terrier broke free from their foster home’s yard. The female, a socialite, was recovered within minutes. Bill, on the other hand, confused and afraid, went into hiding. He hid so well that he eluded an intensive community search brigade and somehow surviving for three weeks, alone in a woodlands area where coyotes have dens. When he was finally spotted by a jogger, he weighed thirteen pounds down from twenty-three, and was only a quarter mile from where he first escaped! Captured and delivered to a shelter, he was so hurt, sickly and scared that the shelter didn’t even know if they could save him.

Fortunately, Bill’s micro-chip reunited him with his foster family. The shelter and the family jointly decided he deserved a chance. Bill began the long road to rehab with a deadness in his eyes. He barely moved or even looked around. A deep gash on his front leg required bi-weekly visits to the vet for bandage changes and laser treatments to help stimulate healing, but this physical injury was nothing compared to the tremendous psychological trauma poor Bill had been exposed to his entire life. He was so scared, that for the first few months back in foster care he had to be carried outside to potty. As the pattern continued it seemed Bill would never find happiness; but then, after four months, a glimmer of hope appeared...



With the help of other dogs at the dog park and a fantastic trainer, Bill began to come around. He transitioned from waiting to leave at the dog park gate, to becoming the star quarterback (kind of like that movie “Rudy”--he's small but fierce!). With positive reinforcement training, daily "drags" turned into races and potty time became an exciting moment to dance around about.

These days, the first thing people notice about Bill is how his right hind leg flies out sideways as he sprints to greet them with a big smile on his face. This has nothing to do with his injuries, he’s just trying to run and wag his stubby little corkscrew tail at the same time. Bill’s always trying to do two things at once to make up for his lost "puppyhood," like bark and yawn at the same time when the car arrives at his favorite trailheads! He runs up rocks like a mountain goat and rolls down hills like a ninja, all the while making sure that his mommy is close by to share in the fun.

The light in this world burns brighter now that it has returned to Bill’s eyes. This gentle, loving lost soul has been found, and has since touched the hearts of everyone who meets him.

Bill's foster (and now forever) mom, Kyla Duffy, founded Happy Tails Books as an effort to educate people about the joy of dog rescue and the horror of puppy mill breeding. She asks that you please help put an end to animal cruelty and shelter overpopulation by choosing adoption over pet store purchases and understanding the breed before adding them to your family to ensure your new dog is a good fit.