David Anderson was born in 1982 in a La Junta, a small Colorado town. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to another small town in Nebraska, where David grew up raising animals on the family farm.
An avid animal lover his whole life, David had a special love for dogs from an early age:
“I remember being 5 years old and wanting a dog of my own so badly it’s all I could think about. I begged my parents for months on end until I finally wore them down. When our neighbors Brittany Spaniel had a litter of puppies, I got to experience the joy of having a dog for the first time. ‘Frosty’ and I were inseparable.”
As he grew up he also got to experience the pain that comes from losing a best friend when Frosty passed away unexpectedly at age four.
“I think I was blessed to learn early on that life was precious. I was crushed by the loss of my best friend and it took me a good year to be ready to have another dog. This time my parents encouraged it, and we soon got two dogs ‘Rusty’ a Golden Retriever and ‘Dolly’ another Brittany Spaniel.”
David spent the next 10 years running around the hills and valleys of his family farm with Rusty and Dolly. The two dogs were best friends and the three of them grew up together, creating memories that would last a lifetime.
“I firmly believe every young child should have a dog. The memories I have from my youth are ones I still cherish to this day, and I still feel a strong emotional attachment to my first dogs, even though they have been gone for many years. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to grow up with them, and believe they helped teach me responsibility, friendship, unconditional love, and empathy as a young boy.”
After graduating high school, David studied Business Administration and Education at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. He graduated in 2006 and continued his education, graduating from Lehigh University in 2009 with a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership.
“College is where I really developed my love for writing and my passion for teaching. I really developed a deep respect for my professors who could motivate and teach really effectively. A few who stood out seemed to be able to command a deep respect just through their manner and words. It made me realize that teaching people is an extremely valuable skill, and pushed me into the educational field.”
After college, David started writing, but soon got distracted by his teaching career. As a full-time High School business teacher and basketball coach, he had a hard time finding the necessary hours to dedicate to his writing. Soon though, the addition of a new family member pushed him back into it.
“After being married for about 5 years and moving constantly for work and school, my wife and I had settled down enough to get a dog. Her mother had seen a Shih Tzu/Maltese mix and was raving about it’s temperament and friendliness. My wife soon found out this mix was referred to as a ‘Teddy Bear’ puppy, due to their love of cuddling and devotion to their owners. She was sold and we soon found our new puppy ‘Buddy’.”
Buddy soon reignited David’s passion for dogs and the two would spend all day together playing and exploring the world. Since Buddy was a mixed breed, it was hard to find good information on “Teddy Bear puppies” and David saw an opportunity to help educate other owners through his experiences.
“Once I got Buddy I started to write about our experiences together so that other teddy bear owners could gain a perspective that I didn’t have before we got him. I started a website for Buddy called Mini Teddy Bear Puppies, that was designed to help owners of the cross breed with information about what to expect as an owner of a Shih Tzu/Maltese or Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise mix.”
The website soon became extremely popular in the small world of the Teddy Bear puppy, and it didn’t take long before David’s writing and advice had attracted a large, dedicated audience. He soon realized that writing a book (something he had always dreamed of) could help out the community even more. With the help of two experienced authors and dog experts, David started the long process of writing his first book.
“I didn’t really realize what I was getting into right off the start. Fortunately I had two great writers to help me out and aid me in the process. I learned a TON from the experience of writing my first book, and I’ve been blown away by the success of ‘The Complete Guide to Teddy Bear Puppies’.”
The success of the book inspired David to continue writing and he soon published his second book “Pomskies: A Guide for New Dog Owners” just a year later.
David just finished his third book, another educational book for owners of the Australian Cattle Dog a.k.a Blue Heeler, and already has another “breed education” book in the works.
“I think I’ve really found my niche, educating potential dog owners on their breeds. At first I thought I couldn’t give great advice if I hadn’t actually owned and raised that breed. But I soon realized that there were dozens of experts out there who would be willing to help me learn through the writing process. Their expert help and advice has been invaluable to my writing process.”
Through the writing of his books, David has also honed his skills through contributing to articles and guest posts on other dog related blogs and websites.
David is available to write on a small basis and can be contacted at: davidandersonauthor (at) yahoo.com