Have you met the dogs of Sweetheart Creek, Texas? I didn’t quite realize just how many dogs I had in the series until all the brothers and their girlfriends had their pups at the ranch. Wow. It was quite the zoo!
Brant Wylder, the middle born Wylder works as a veterinarian and he also works the animal control contract for the county. And that means he finds quite a few animals in need of new homes. Lucky for Brant, he knows just the people who will give these dogs a second chance at love and life! And lucky for his family and friends, Brant is an excellent doggy-human matchmaker!
Allow me to introduce you to the 15 dogs of Sweetheart Creek and some of their stories! (Including some behind-the-scenes Easter eggs!)
P.S. Brant tends to give people a dog once he approves of them. (Which is one of the reasons his girlfriend gets so upset when she has to beg for a pup.)
P.P.S. I didn’t mention Mrs. Fisher’s dog here, because I should probably draw the line somewhere…right?
In The Cowboy’s Second Chance, Ryan insists that Brant find a dog for Carly to protect her and round up her goats which keep coming over the ranch and nibbling his backside. Sergeant Riggs is the dog he comes up with. Carly adores him!
Lupe is definitely top dog around the ranch. He’s a serious, steady dog. Just like Levi–the eldest brother on the ranch. Fellow author and friend Kay Correll gave me inspiration for Lupe’s moping when she mentioned their old Australian Shepard used to mope. You never know what conversations might spark something in a future novel! (P.S. You can read about Lupe and Target (shown below) in the Cowboy’s Stolen Heart for free this month–find the ebook on your favourite online store. These furry friends are waiting for you!)
Adorable Ribbons! Ribbons is fashioned after the dogs my in-laws have had over the years I’ve known them. They are little “bolters” meaning they will bolt if not on-leash which is where Brant’s concern for Ribbons comes from when he leaves her in Karen’s care at the library one day in The Cowboy’s Secret Wish. Ribbons is a mixed breed with a fair bit of cavalier in her.
Target! Oh, Target! The TROUBLE he gets into! Maybe I should spell “terrier” as “terror!” He’s way too smart for his own good and the jump-in-someone’s-arms trick he does is based off a friend’s Jack Russell terrier. But don’t worry about the trouble he gets into, Laura is taking good care of him in The Cowboy’s Stolen Heart.
Ella has been mentioned in passing, but will be featured more in the upcoming novel where Daisy-Mae finally finds love. (Mental note: must add scenes with Ella into that draft I am working on.) I hope to release Daisy-Mae’s book late this fall.
Joe–doesn’t he look like he’s a little leery about getting his photo taken? This is so Joe! He hides out a lot in The Cowboy’s Second Chance. He doesn’t care for the ranch much and prefers to sit on the back of the couch and bark at people from the safety of his spot behind the window.
Is that a dog? Goose rarely looks like a dog which is why I love this photo so much. In The Cowboy’s Surprise Return Cole mistakes poor Goose for a throw-cushion on Jackie’s couch! Needless to say, taking Goose to the ranch is like dragging a mop through a barnyard. But he loves it there! And so does Jackie.
Oh, poor Bonkers. Such a great ranch dog who breaks his leg when the boys are young. Good news? he helps guide Brant to his calling to become a veterinarian. And he is so good at it!
So what is Kurt–April’s son–going to name this cute little puppy? Maybe I’ll have to run a giveaway where readers name this pup!
Little Missy doesn’t show her cute little face in any of the books, but is referenced a few times. Carmichael, the Wylders’ 79-year-old grandfather has this cute little button in his house and only takes her out when it’s safe. She’s happy being a lap dog, and while he’d likely never admit it, this crusty old cowboy has a big gooshy soft spot in his heart for this small dog.
Buckey! This is such a great photo that really encaptures how I envision Buckey. Sweet, playful, attentive, and ready to PLAY! Buckey also happens to be one of my kids’ favourite Marvel universe characters. (AKA The Winter Soldier or Buckey Barnes.) Personally, I prefer Captain America. Buckey appears in a few books, but is most often seen in The Cowboy’s Secret Wish. (I do see her with a more square shaped head though–do you?)
Oh my gosh! Isn’t this puppy totally one you could see Cole raising? In The Cowboy’s Surprise Return Brant gets Cole a puppy which is still unnamed! I need to name these new puppies! This little guy is full of mischief and adorable. Kind of like Cole…
Aw, Ralph. My husband asked me to rename this dog Ralph while I was drafting Sweet Troublemaker, cousin Nick Wylder’s novel. He also asked if I’d make him a three-legged dog. Not sure why, but it fit Nick and his dog and so here we are! (We took in a stray cat we named Ralph when I was a kid–right around the time we also took in Jaws who lost one of his front paws at one point. Ralph became an indoor cat, but Jaws wasn’t quite ready for that level of commitment. Just food and medication as needed.)
Bingo doesn’t get a lot of page time, but he sure means a lot to Maria in Sweet Joymaker as well as the later Sweetheart Creek books. Their relationship is one of those the-right-pet-at-the-right-time kind of deals. Yay for Brant and another win!
Speaking of Brant, what about his dog? Well, Dodge is a calm dog who loves everyone–kind of like Brant. He also had a bit of a stiff leg in one book–not sure why exactly–so when I saw this wagon photo I knew it was the one.
I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting the dogs from the series The Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas as well as some of their hidden back stories.
Take care and happy reading!
XO
Jean
P.S. Have a doggy you want to talk about? Feel free to leave a comment about your furry friend.