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Desert Dogs Aren't Good Dogs
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 20 2026
Pages: 26
Weight: 0.21
Height: 0.07 Width: 8.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
My book is called Desert Dogs Aren't Good Dogs. It's a children's book based on my real experiences with the stray dogs I met while deployed in the Middle East.
The whole story plays off the things we were constantly told about them - that desert dogs were dirty, dangerous, vicious, couldn't be trusted, couldn't be tamed, and couldn't love people. Each page introduces one of those assumptions and then shows, through my actual experiences with the dogs, that it wasn't true.
Cooper is the main dog in the story. He was a stray who literally showed up to work with us every day, happy to see us, and became part of our routine. The book ultimately ends with the idea that maybe desert dogs aren't good dogs - they're great dogs.
It's written for younger kids, so the wording is simple and repetitive, but underneath it is a bigger message: what other people say about someone doesn't determine who they are. Sometimes all it takes is one person believing differently and giving them a chance.
It's also a way for me to share a small, positive piece of my deployments with my kids. Those dogs made some really difficult days better, and this book lets that part of my story live on in a way children can understand.
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