Puppy Brain

In a departure from her popular crime series, Jennie Finch has teamed up with her cousin, Jem Cooney, to tell the story of promises, hope and Woodstock, the little underdog who achieved extraordinary things. 'Puppy Brain' is the tale of two women who adopt the dog of an old friend. As well as taking Lucy, a Tibetan Spaniel, they also promise to honour his last wishes - for Lucy to have puppies and to train them to show. Although Liv and Petra are experienced dog owners, they are total amateurs in the breeding and showing world. They gather a small group of people around them from the dog showing community - the Puppy Brain group - and embark on a new and challenging course. Over several years, they face opposition and hostility from several sources as some in the insular world of dog showing try to drive them out, including Liv's own sister. Determined to honour their promise they persist, making new friends and allies in unexpected places as they aim for the 'Big One' - a place at Crufts. Inspired by their mutual love and admiration for these lovely and tricky little dogs, Jennie and Jem shared stories and experiences to produce this novel, the first of three. 'Puppy Brain' is not a typical 'fluffy dog' story but it can amuse and inspire with its humour and its heart.

Jem (Jeremy) Cooney is a stable owner and dog lover from Cork in the Republic of Ireland. Following his studies at agricultural college, he set off to see something of the world, travelling widely through Europe and Asia. Whilst hiking in Nepal, he discovered Tibetan Spaniels - and had a close and rather frightening encounter with several Tibetan Mastiffs. He spent several years in Japan where he gave English lessons to support himself. He still jokes there are Japanese students speaking English with a Cork accent! In 2011, he was in Tokyo when the earthquake struck. Deciding this was enough adventure for one lifetime, he returned to Ireland and set up his stables. He wrote a small book about his travels that was well received by family and friends and nursed the hope he might write something longer but his busy life kept getting in the way. He acquired a pair of Tibetan Spaniel puppies and established a small, select kennel. He shows them occasionally and enjoys a reputation as a skilled and kind trainer and handler. In 2017, he was contacted by Jennie who was seeking members of her Irish family. Travelling to England to meet her, they established they were cousins through her missing family. Delighted to learn she was not only a lover of Tibetan dogs but also a published author, Jem proposed a joint project that grew into this book. They shared stories and experiences and Jennie did much of the writing.