A Hamilton woman has taken her passion for writing and her experience of adopting a small sickly dog from the SPCA in South Africa and turned it into a book.
Margaret Cameron had no idea when she adopted Penny in 2004, that she would end up publishing Penny's Dography, tales of Penny's adventures, 10 years later.
Mrs Cameron, 74, was contacted by the local SPCA in South Africa where she lived at the time, and asked to come and meet a maltese poodle cross they were about to put down. Mrs Cameron said it was how Penny reacted to all the new experiences with her new family that made her want to document them.
Mrs Cameron went on to draft a few more books following Penny's adventures over the next two years.
It was in 2006 that Mrs Cameron's husband was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma, that the couple packed all there belongings and moved to New Zealand.
"Our family said we would receive better medical treatment over here. So we packed up all our things. We had to have Penny put down the day we left. Then two weeks after we arrived, my husband died. That was really tragic. And that's why I haven't touched the book, until now. I found it in an old box and thought, I wonder what I should do with it. But it's too good to throw away. So I went through the yellow pages and found a copy press in Nelson. And they published it for me."
The book has beautiful sketches of Penny and Angus, and would appeal to an older audience, eight years and over. Depending on how well Penny's Dography sells, Mrs Cameron may publish the sequel.
"The other books talk about an encounter with a gorilla, and trips to a vineyard. But we'll just see how this one goes first."
To purchase a copy of Penny's Dography for $15 email margacameron@orcon.net.nz.