It has been a whirlwind month culminating in a case of Covid which resulted in me quarantining alone with Keb and Kili, my two search dogs, over Thanksgiving. I tend to see the bright side of life and am grateful I have  had a few days to decompress after a very busy couple of months. Admittedly it was disappointing to miss some of our traditional family fun such as our outing into the snow and mountains to cut a Christmas tree.

Our adventure memoir, A Dog’s Devotion was released on October 15. And, while making money writing our book never was our goal, we have been off to a good start with all 5-star reviews on Amazon to date and even getting a #1 New Release Banner in the law enforcement category a few days. As expected, it seems our book resonates with dog lovers, SAR volunteers,  outdoors and crime/mystery buffs. If we go beyond breaking even– typically reserved for bestseller established authors –  we are committed to sharing a portion of our proceeds with SAR organizations.  If you have read or read our book in the future, Keb, Guy and would be grateful for any support, for example sharing the book with friends and family in person and on social media, AND writing reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Goodreads – our publisher says this really helps with the “algorithms???” – we are still on a steep learning curve when it comes understanding the publishing industry. Here is a direct link to Amazon reviews: https://bit.ly/3CCXwjk. If you you don’t have time to write a review,  even just a numeric ranking would help – takes less than sixty seconds, I promise.😊

In late October we had an amazing book Launch Party attended by 75 fans of Hero Dog Keb. The event was catered by Café Louvre in Edmonds and former Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling and local arts afficionado and friend Marnie Muir moderated the event. We almost ran out of books – I guess that is GOOD news. Both the Edmonds News and Edmonds Beacon gave us media coverage. Thank you.

• Edmonds News: https://myedmondsnews.com/2022/11/canine-celebrity-keb-takes-center-stage-at-book-launch-honoring-her-as-search-and-rescue-hero/
• The Edmonds Beacon: https://www.edmondsbeacon.com/story/2022/11/17/a-and-e/edmonds-hero-dog-book-launches/27680.html

In early November Keb, I and my husband Scott also traveled to Palm Beach Florida where we and the finalists in a total of 7 categories of dogs – military, law enforcement, shelter, service, therapy and, of course, search and rescue –  were celebrated in the American Humane Hero Dogs Award Contest for a week culminating in a star-studded Gala event on November 11 where Keb was announced as the winner in the search and rescue category. Ethan, the Shelter Dog won the overall hero dog category with an amazing story of resilience and survival. We made many lifelong new friends. The 2022 #HeroDogAwards broadcast will air to @CircleAllAccess on December 6 at 9 p.m. ET! (https://www.circleallaccess.com/watch-circle/)

Fox News did a nice article on all the dogs:

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/top-dog-finalists-american-humane-hero-dog-awards

We have also been involved in several recent bookstore events including a book signing at the Woodinville Barnes and Noble bookstore where Duncan Cox and his wife Marla, as well as Guys sisters were amongst many walk-ins and friends visiting with Keb, Guy and I.

Last week we also did a presentation to the Phinney Community Association.

This weekend we are doing a presentation and book reading with a condo association in Everett, followed by a bookstore presentation and book signing/presentation at Village Books in Bellingham on December 8: https://www.villagebooks.com/event/litlive-elshult-mansfield-120822

We already have events lined up in the new year including a presentation to the Arcteryx headquarters in Vancouver BC, a Rotary presentation, more bookstore events and more interviews for podcasts and articles. Stay tuned for an upcoming podcast interview with Marcie Davis, host of the very popular Working Like Dogs show on Pet Life Radio. Here are links to some other recent interviews:

• Interview with Jacqui More, reporter with SeeMyBeach.com in the Keyes Florida: https://seemybeach.com/keb. This was a spontaneous interview moments before we left the Key Lime Sailing Club where Keb, my husband Scott and I decompressed with some diving and sailing after the American Humane Hero Dog Awards Gala event.. Captain Paul, the owner of the club, was a fantastic host.
• Dog Talk and Kitties, Too! NPR Radio Broadcast and Podcast Interview with Tracie Hotchner on the Radio Pet Lady Network): https://www.radiopetlady.com/shows/dog-talk/a-dogs-devotion-true-adventures-of-a-k9-search-and-rescue-team/
• Embracing Death. Podcast interview with Julia Sheehan: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suzanne-elshult-human-remains-detection-k-9-handler/id1641769800?i=1000586251035

We are so honored  to be able to share the important work all SAR volunteers, both four-legged and two-legged – do with the rest of world. Today I am thankful for all that 2022 brought me and my family, but above all I am grateful to be nesting with my dogs as I am spending my first ever Black Friday quarantining with my dogs while the rest of the family is finding the perfect Christmas tree.

Talking about the Holidays? Need an idea for a Christmas gift? Something you can snuggle with under a blanket by the fire? Hint, hint!

I hope all of you get the Holiday Season you are wishing for.