Animal Lover Turns Writer
The Children's Book Dusty Inspired by Real Life Feline Companion
Jul 16, 2009
Believers of the adage that dogs are a man’s best friend have never met Joseph Frank Baraba and his companion of 9 years, Dusty, an orange domestic cat.
“She’s more than a pet,” Baraba said. “She’s like having a child.”
Baraba has turned his love for his pet and companion into a way to advocate for animals and also wrote a book featuring Dusty called Dusty, which was published by Publish America April 10, 2006.
The book is about a boy who finds a cat. Baraba put Dusty in the role of the cat and wrote about the real life Dusty’s antics, such as bringing home rabbits and fetching birds.
Baraba’s Love of Writing and Animals
Baraba’s love for animals started young, when he was always bringing home stray cats. He felt like they needed help and someone to care for them because they couldn’t care for themselves.
Into his adulthood, he was still bringing home strays. Dusty followed him and his friends around while they were looking at apartments several years ago. Not a person to let a cat wander around homeless, he looked down at the cat and decided to take her home.
“You don’t adopt them,” Baraba said. “They adopt you.”
He was very inspired in his youth to read and write. He had a fourth-grade teacher who was pivotal in developing his love for reading. His teacher, Mrs. Siegal, who he remembers fondly, would give her students 50 cents a month to buy books.
It was a natural fit for Baraba to write about Dusty since he always had a life long dream to write.
He started writing poetry as a teenager. When President Kennedy was assassinated and Marilyn Monroe passed away, he was very touched by their deaths and wrote to work through his emotions.
"I do treat it as a hobby; I know I'm not going to get rich," Baraba said. "My belief is if I could make someone enjoy reading, especially children, to me it's important."
Dusty and Baraba's Community Involvement
The relationship between Dusty and Baraba is quite special and unique but one that other pet owners can relate to. Baraba has a fenced garden patio at his home in New Mexico which allows Dusty to roam freely outside in a space that’s 8 feet by 12 feet wide. He also has Dusty leash trained which led them to be featured in their local newspaper.
Baraba is very involved in the pet community of his hometown of Santa Fe and donates copies of the books to local charities, including St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and some of the proceeds of the book are donated to the Doris Day Foundation.
Baraba also paints and has donated paintings to be auctioned off to raise money for his local shelter.
Baraba would like to see his book adapted for film, but in the meantime he is working on a sequel to his book, The Adventures of Dusty."In writing, if I touched people's emotions or imagination then I accomplished what I set out to do." Baraba said.
For more information about Dusty and Baraba, visit his website.
Source
- Joe Baraba was interviewed via telephone on June 29, 2009.
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