Rooney Doodle, a 4-year-old goldendoodle living in Tellico Village, has her own book, “Doodle on a Noodle: Volume 1 The Early Days,” with two additional books tentatively scheduled for release by the end of the year.
Joyce Schuster, who retired from teaching kindergartners and fourth-graders after 27 years in education, self-published the book earlier this year explaining Rooney’s puppy years through pictures and rhymes.
“I tend to write cards with funny little poems,” Schuster said about her efforts to record the life of the dog. “When I got Rooney as a puppy, I‘d take her picture and make funny little poems about her life.”
Schuster enjoyed spending time with her golden retriever after moving from Johnstown, Pa., to Tellico Village until the dog became ill and had to be euthanized. Schuster and her fiance, Ron Harvey, agreed their lives were too active to consider purchasing another dog.
“That lasted for about a year,” Schuster said, laughing. “One day, Ron came home and I was crying. He asked what was wrong, and I told him I needed another dog. My friend had a goldendoodle. They don’t shed, and they have a tremendous personality.”
Being a dog owner her whole life, Schuster said Rooney is the smartest dog she’s owned, noting the dog brings in the groceries, mail and the newspaper. Rooney’s love for helping others combines with a poodle’s intelligence and a golden retriever’s personality.
Although family and friends have graciously supported the book launch since May, Schuster said she wrote the book for herself.
“The closer you get to the other side, you really realize the things you want to accomplish,” Schuster said. “The book is Dr. Seuss on steroids.”
Although she misses interacting with children on a regular basis, Schuster said she doesn’t miss the schedule.
“There’s not a lot of creativity in teaching anymore,” she said. “There just isn’t time for it on top of everything else you’re required to do.”
Schuster geared the book toward third- and fourth-graders, although any dog lover will enjoy reading the rhymes, she said.
During her spare time, Rooney visits friends at Rover Run dog park in Tellico Village but also enjoys meeting residents at Sweetwater Nursing Center each Tuesday morning.
“Dogs are very intuitive,” Schuster said. “She’s wonderful at it. They laugh and smile and tell me about their dogs. It gives them a chance to be young again and remember those things. It’s really hard for me to keep my emotions in check because they’re always telling me they want to leave and go back home.”
Rooney enjoys taking walks and listens well, according to Schuster, who said she’s curious around new places, quickly picks up on vocabulary and desires to please everyone.
Schuster is gearing up for another release in October on Rooney’s life in the dog park and potentially another work in December on the dog at home with family and friends.
She hopes to either write another book or begin blogging about life as a baby boomer.
“I’m extremely proud,” Harvey said about Schuster’s self-publishing accomplishments. “She’s put in a lot of effort and time, and I’m glad to see it came to fruition. It was a long time coming.”
“With a lot of frustration,” Schuster added, noting that her second book will be easier to write.
“From beginning to end, I think it took at least six months just researching and making sure we were not violating any copyright laws,” Harvey said.
