Can Pets & Animals Help Us?

Cover of 2021 Guide Post's Daily Devotionals featuring pet and animal stories: All God's Creatures.

Can Pets & Animals Help Us?
 Susie Caron
(c) 2021

Introduction
​As a pet owner I’ve enjoyed many  pets. I especially treasure the unconditional love they so freely share.  Preserving this love and memories alive for myself and others motivates me to paint pet portraits for people who love their pets.  This isn’t the only way people use pet experience to keep the memories alive and recall the lessons and inspiration pets offer.  I’ve asked several wonderful people who use their personal pet experiences to share these with us.   
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Today I am pleased to interview Tracy Crump, an accomplished author, editor & instructor who contributes articles in numerous magazines and books. Tracy offers writing workshops, webinars and her course “How to Write for Chicken Soup for the Soul”, is a Serious Writer Academy’s Top Seller.
 
I met Tracy on Facebook when I read she contributed to the 2021 Daily Devotional for Animal Lovers, All God’s Creatures. I bought the hardcover book from Guideposts and after reading  I knew I wanted to share more about Tracy and her work with you. 

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Tracy Crump Author, editor, instructor and contributor to 2021 All God's Creatures, Guide Posts

*An Interview with Tracy Crump, author, editor and contributor to All God's Creatures, Guide Posts Daily Devotionals for 2021
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​​Susie: Tracy, tell us a little bit about you, your family, faith and occupation.
 
Tracy: My husband, Stan, and I were high school sweethearts and have been married 44 years. We live in north Mississippi and homeschooled our two sons, who are grown now, and each has two children of his own. Years ago, I worked as an intensive care nurse and now enjoy writing articles, devotions, and short stories. We’re both active in our church-(except during Covid-19 restrictions)-and my 99-year-old mother-in-law lives with us.
 
Susie: Tell us a bit about your pets or pet/animal interests and any stories you may want to share.
 
Tracy: Except for grandchildren, we are currently pet-less, but we’ve shared our home with a variety of cats, dogs, gerbils, hamsters, finches, and parakeets, some of which have taken center stage in my writing. Our Siberian husky became ecstatic whenever it snowed (which it seldom does in the Mid-South). He would jump into my husband’s lap and sled downhill with him. We also had a golden retriever who had two sets of nine puppies. That’s when we learned there’s nothing sweeter than puppy breath.
 
Susie: What do you do, or have you done because of your interest in pets and wildlife? 
 
Tracy: When we homeschooled, I jumped right into whatever my children were interested in. One son considered becoming either a veterinarian or a park ranger, and the other wanted to keep bees. Both boys volunteered at wildlife rehabilitation centers and the Memphis Zoo. I’ve taught school children about wildlife, put on puppet shows, worked at a butterfly exhibit, and sloshed through ditches at night hunting frogs for an amphibian monitoring program.
In one of my more daring moments, I allowed my son to keep a rehabber’s pet kingsnake in our home for use in a school program. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad, and the streets became too icy to do the program or take the snake back to her owner. I had failed to add frozen mice to my grocery list that week, so we were left with a hungry snake. She latched onto my son at one point, but thank goodness, she was too small to swallow him!
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Susie: Do you have any interesting products featuring pets or animal themes for sale?
 
Tracy: I’ve published stories about dogs in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books and one about a cat in another anthology. A story about our husky will release in The Dog Who Came to Christmas later this year. I wrote about my favorite wildlife rehabber and a hawk she taught to hunt in The Ultimate Bird Book (no longer in print). And of course, Susie, you first saw my name in Guideposts’s All God’s Creatures: Daily Devotions for Animal Lovers 2021.  I had six devotions in that book and will have ten in the 2022 edition. [Photo attached.]
 
Susie: Yes! I found and read your contributions as soon as I received the book. I was personally moved  by  one about how a dog helped your Mother recover from an illness.
Can you tell us where my customers can find these? Do you have a website, or how can they contact you?
 
Tracy: All the books can be found on Amazon or in bookstores, except the Guideposts book, which can only be purchased on their website at https://www.shopguideposts.org/bibles-devotionals/all-god-s-creatures-2021.html. Additional formats available may be found here:  https://www.shopguideposts.org/bibles-devotionals/all-gods-creatures-daily-devotions-favorite-formats.html
Your customers can connect with me at https://www.tracycrump.com/ or any of the sites listed at https://linktr.ee/tracycrump.

Thank you for having me as a guest on your website, Susie. Your artwork does justice to the animals you paint, and I think that’s the highest praise a portrait artist could receive.
 
Susie: Thank you for your compliment and for taking the time for this interview.  It was my pleasure to share you, your appreciation for pets and animals and how you inspire us through your work. I feel motivated now to write up some of my pet stories.
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Do pets and animals teach, inspire, or bring you comfort?
Comment below about this or ask questions.

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