A Doggone Good Interview

This week on the blog we have a very special interview. The Scruffy Princess had the opportunity to interview her new friend, Franklin the Pup. Franklin’s dad, Joshua J. Masters wrote a book all about Franklin and The Scruffy Princess has the scoop!

Hi Franklin, Ruby Mae here. You may know me better as The Scruffy Princess. My sissy said you have a new book out and I have some questions!

Hi, Ruby Mae! High Paw! It’s so wonderful to meet you and I’d be happy to answer your questions. My daddy didn’t tell me you were a princess! That’s PAWsome and I’m honored to be interviewed by royalty. I’m most often called Franklin the Pup, but I have other names too. Sometimes they call me Boo-Bear, Boo-Biscuit, and when I pretend to be Russian, I call myself the Boo-Boo-Balah.

I’m a Teddy Bear dog. That means I’m part Shih Tzu and part Bichon Frise. You have curly hair like me, but I think you’re bigger than me. I’m only 11 lbs. What kind of a dog are you? 

I’m a black miniature poodle and I weigh 15 lbs. I’m what they call a Party Poodle, because I have a white strip of hair that goes down my chest instead of being one solid color.

My sissy says you had a hard life before you found your human mommy and daddy. I’m sorry. Do you want to tell me about it? 

It was awful. I was born in a puppy mill. The owners were mean and they neglected me. I had been abused and was suffering from mange, flea infestations, eye infections, and ear infections. I was so sad and scared—but then I was rescued! Now I sleep on a comfy king bed and I’m pampered with treats. My daddy says people need to be rescued too—that they’ve been hurt and neglected by the world but God sees them and wants to rescue them.

How did you meet your human mommy and daddy? Will you tell me all about it?

It was so wonderful. I had been nursed back to health by a rescue organization in New Hampshire. I didn’t know my new mommy and daddy were coming that day but the worker brought me out to meet them and I was so happy. They told me they’d been looking for me a long time and that I’d never need to feel neglected or abandoned again. Wouldn’t it be great if every dog—every human experienced the joy of having that promise?

I love cuddling with my humans, taking long naps, being outside, and going on UTV rides. Oh, and I really have fun getting the zoomies! What do you like to do? 

I’m the happiest when I’m around my pack. I want everyone to be together. I especially love Coffee Cuddles. There’s a whole chapter about it in my new book, A Faith Unleashed, but when my daddy sits in the lounge with his coffee, I like to crawl up and take a nap between his legs. I call it my leg nest because it’s so safe and comfortable. Sometimes, my daddy says he’s having Coffee Cuddles with God while I’m having Coffee Cuddles with him. Just like I’m the happiest when I’m resting with my daddy, he’s most content when he’s resting with God. 

What’s your favorite:

Food: I eat an organic dehydrated food. It’s so yummy—but my favorite snacks are broccoli stalks, pup-corn, and pizza crust—actually any crust will do. I love carbs.

Color: I don’t know what it’s called, but I like the color of the treat bag.

Toy: Oh, I love my stuffed dragon. I’ve actually had lots of them because I like to pull them apart. The last time I went to the pet store, I picked out a raccoon—which really surprised my family, but Dragon is still my favorite.

Place to take a nap: In the afternoon, I like to take naps on the couch. I especially like it if my mommy and daddy are sitting next to me. That’s were my daddy and I are right now. I’m answering the questions, but I don’t have any thumbs, so he has to type it for me.

Place to ride in a car: I love going downtown. Greenville is super dog-friendly and there are stores I just love to walk around and smell all the smells. I like going to Mass General Store and then we sometimes get french fries and ice cream. We usually go to the park downtown too. Those are some of my favorite days.

My sissy wrote a book about me, but she hasn’t found anyone to publish it yet. She says the book about you is already out in the world. Will you tell me how your daddy found a publisher for your story? My sissy says that’s really hard to do so your book must be really good! 

Well, I think my book got published because I’m super cute—but you’re cute too and also a princess—so, that’s a tricky question. It took a really long time to get my book published too. But God always has a plan to put the right people together. We had a book proposal but it was rejected several times. I didn’t like that because it reminded me of being rejected as a pup. But one day a friend introduced us to Bold Vision Books and they loved my daddy’s proposal. I think you have to write the best proposal you can and pray God puts the right people in the right place at the right time.

Will you tell me about your book? Is it really all about you? Is it one I would like my sissy to read to me? 

It is about me! But it’s also about people’s relationship with God. It’s called A Faith Unleashed: Living in the Hope of God’s Rescue. My journey from isolated brokenness to hopeful belonging is the backdrop for the greater story of how God rescues, restores, and adopts people into His family. People aren’t dogs or pets, of course, but they do have to overcome a lot of bad things that have happened in their lives. The book is filled with heartwarming stories about me and lots of biblical application for humans. There’s even discussion questions for humans to gnaw on with their packs. 

Humans are a funny bunch, but maybe I can tell some of them about your book. What kind of humans do you think would like your book?

ALL HUMANS! I say all humans, but my daddy says it’s for people who want to better understand what it means to pursue a healing, growing relationship with Jesus. It’s deep enough for mature believers but it’s also approachable for new believers or people who have questions about faith. I don’t know what most of that means but there’s a cute picture of me on the cover, so it’s good for anyone who loves dogs too.

Can humans listen to your book or read it on those screens they’re always staring at? 

Boy, those screens really annoy me. Sometimes I have to nudge them out of my daddy and mommy’s hands so they’ll pet me more. Our book doesn’t have an audio option yet but we hope to make that happen in the future. I hope it’s narrated by Jennifer Garner (or Morgan Freeman if she’s not available), but my daddy says it will probably be his voice. 

Does your daddy have any other books out? 

Yes, but I’m only in the acknowledgments instead of being in the whole book. His first book was called American Psalms. It was a finalist in the Serious Writer Book of the Decade contest and teaches humans how to pray for the nation without getting swept up in all the politics. It’s pretty good but it would be better if I were in it more.

Will there be another book about you one day? 

I certainly hope so. A Faith Unleashed is mostly for adults, so I’d love to write some children’s books based on the lessons in this one.

Thanks for answering my questions, Franklin! Is there anything else you want to tell me or my sissy?

I’m just really glad God used my family to rescue me and want everyone to know He’ll do the same thing for you. If you want to connect with me or my family, you can visit my website: www.FranklinThePup.com

An interview between The Scruffy Princess and Franklin the Pup. #AFaithUnleashed @franklinthepup @thebatpastor

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I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed that interview between The Scruffy Princess and Franklin the Pup. Huge thanks to Joshua for asking Franklin Ruby Mae’s questions and passing them on to me. If you want to purchase Franklin’s book, you can find more information on the website mentioned above or purchase a copy here.

Until next time,

Josie