The little dog, Mayzie, in The Wattle Lane novels was inspired by my own dog, Finn. Like Mayzie, Finn is a funny little bitzer with a big personality. He has a tuft of hair that stands up on top of his head and looks so adorable.

Finn was a very mischievous puppy, chewing the corners and legs of furniture, and the edges of every rug in the house. He also managed to destroy every toy we bought him. He took great delight in digging up the back lawn, pulling plants out of the garden, upending plant pots and dragging out the contents. But we forgave him all his naughtiness, because he was only being a puppy, after all. He has a friendly, playful personality, is very sociable and loves to play with other dogs.

Finn is sixteen months old now. He has boundless energy and is still very demanding, but…