Dear Readers, If you’ve been following our Shady Pines stories, you already know the two, four-legged "children" of Harold and Enda Sanders are as different as night and day. But do you know their true origin story—and how they actually ended up living under one roof?

Before getting lost in our small Southern town, Boomerang was growing up out West at the U.B. Good Ranch. He spent much of his time becoming a first-rate herding dog separating and corralling cattle at will. During down time, he hung out in the bunk room with the cowboys. Boomer was such a handsome guy that the men rustled up some cash and entered him in a dog show out East. The ranch foreman was driving him there in his truck when... well Boomer never got there.

Meanwhile far away on the east coast, Halley’s Comet, grew up as a pampered pet in a manicured neighborhood up North. The young daughter of the family loved spending time with the beautiful, silver cat. They were constant companions. Halley enjoyed playing silly games with the girl. As a reward, the youngster fed her feline friend tasty, tuna treats.

The family was on a vacation heading south and, of course, Halley was making the trip with them. Much like what happened with Boomer, Halley became separated from her family. And, just like her soon-to-be sibling rival, Halley found herself alone and lost in Shady Pines.

First Encounters

Harold found Boomer wandering near his Nuts 'N Bolts Hardware Store in downtown on Main Street. Their first encounter involved a ripping sign, a nearly disastrous fall off a ladder, a bark and some licks to the face. A few blocks away on Dogwood Drive, Edna discovered Halley hanging out by the back door of the Sanders' Home. Let's just say that a trip to the recycle bin with a bag full of items nearly tripped up Edna like nobody's business!

And what Happened when Harold and Edna brought the two animals together for the first time later that same day? Well, the face-to- face meeting kinda set the tone for their long term relationship. Was there a problem, you ask? Well, there was a hilarious, high-speed chase right through the aisles of the hardware store with a determined dog racing pell-mell after a nimble, fast cat. Picture this if you will: a certain cat's claws ripping into burlap bird seed bags, tangled garden hoses, falling objects from shelves - and you get the idea.

Checking Out the New Digs

Back at the Sanders home for the first time together, Boomer and Halley had a chance to survey their new home. Those first adventures together also proved to be filled with mishaps.

Anyone who's tried it will tell you that adjusting to a "blended family" is a process filled with laughter, a bit of chaos, and plenty of heart. Boomer and Halley Lost and Found allows us to watch two total opposites figure out how to share a home and gives kids a fun, relatable way to process their own big family changes. With nearly 18 million people in the country now living in a blended family the story has real life application

As with every Boomer and Halley book, this new eBook edition is fun to read together because it has four life lessons embedded in the the storyline with built-in "Stop and Talk" prompts marked with a PAW print on the page. The lessons in this book are:

• Showing Kindness when tempers flare
• Obeying parents (and keeping out of trouble!)
• Respecting property (and take care of each other’s stuff)
• The Importance of Family (However you define it)

Floating prompting questions and a printable bookmark allow for discussion of these soft values any way that makes you comfortable. This approach is part of the Little Lessons. Big Results .trademarked program that is part of the Shady Pines Story Town initiative. The idea is that if you introduce and reinforce important life lessons early in a child's life, it will pay off in better behavior later on.

We're still waiting to see those result in Boomer and Halley!

The eBook edition of our Mom’s Choice Gold Award-winner, Boomer and Halley Lost and Found – Learning to Live in a Blended Family, is available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Go to our Books Page where links to both outlets are available. CLICK HERE

One thing's for sure. These two rascals wound up with wonderful parents. And they now live in a tight knit community that supports them with kindness and caring. It doesn't get much better than that!