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The Odd Dog Shop

Created by Leia Barrett

The Odd Dog Shop is full of fun swag for dog and book lovers alike!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Digital Dog Reward coming your way! Here's how to redeem it.
25 days ago – Fri, Oct 02, 2026 at 02:08:27 PM

Greetings everyone!

It took a few weeks to sort this out, but I'm FINALLY able to provide the digital version of The New Dog via BookFunnel. I won't bore you with details, but this is the best solution for providing a high quality digital product that also protects New Dog from piracy. I'm able to integrate it with Backerkit, so you will receive a notification about your rewards if you backed and have filled out your survey.

I know that it's been a while, so I completely understand if you cannot remember whether you've filled out your survey or not. I'm going to send a notification to anyone who has not to ensure you'll receive this in a timely manner.

ALSO

I BELIEVE that I will receive a limited number of New Dog hardcovers in time for holiday shipping. After crunching my pre-order numbers, I believe I have enough to provide everyone who pre-ordered with a copy of The New Dog. I will let everyone know as soon as I do if that is possible. My plan would be to send out those early copies and then finish fulfilling orders as soon as the others arrive.

Speaking of hardcovers-- here is the video we received of the initial proof copy. There are already some changes we'll make, but we are SO excited with the initial proof. One part that's particularly cool (to me, at least) is the duplex dust jacket with the 3/3/3 rule on the back. It's super cute and informative.



I'll be able to provide more updates as I can, but for now, I hope you're as excited as I am for New Dog!

Leia

PS-- While New Dog is making its way through the printing process, I'm currently working on the 3rd installment of the Odd Dog Squad Series, The Giving Dog. I'm planning to offer pre-orders in January and this one will be guaranteed by the holidays in 2027. This is probably my favorite installment yet, so if you love a good 'it's the thought that counts story' please follow the pre-launch page.

WE HAVE AN ARC!
about 1 month ago – Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 12:58:16 PM

Good evening everyone!

Before we go any further with some exciting news, I would like to invite you to check out my friend Katie's book, The Snow Globe, which is currently part of Printopia 2026! This book will be mailed by the holidays, so please check it out!

And now to the news! I am BEYOND excited to announce that the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) for The New Dog is COMPLETE!

Here's what that means:
1) In a few days you'll be receiving a link to the DRC (Digital Reading Copy), fulfilling that portion of the book.
2) Keep in mind- there might be MINOR changes before the book officially publishes, but you are the first people to see The New Dog.
3) The book is with the printers, which means we still need to get a proof copy before receiving physical books.

Here's the tricky part. I doubt the books will be available before the holidays. There's still a chance, but it's pretty slim. If that does occur, and they arrive before the holiday window closes, I will absolutely let you know!

You'll be receiving more updates because.... well, there will be more updates!

Meanwhile-- here's a preview of the book in all its glory! I'll be reaching out in the next week or so with the DRC, so stay tuned!











A peek at The New Dog and an exciting new bonus!
4 months ago – Mon, Jul 13, 2026 at 03:40:14 PM

Greetings gentle readers!

Although I haven't provided an update in a while, we've been working like crazy behind the scenes on this book. Just a quick re-cap:

When last we spoke, we decided to change the title of The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends to The New Dog. This meant going back to the beginning, which included scrapping the illustrations that were already underway, re-thinking the writing, and basically getting to know our new main character.

Well-- that took a WHILE. It's interesting how much baggage you can have with a book when you've got it almost completed. There were so many beautiful moments in the original version of the book that were, frankly, tough to let go of when we got down to business. That said, we are SO close on this one, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse into the book.

Our 'New Dog', Tiny, made a few appearances in The Odd Dog...



In The New Dog, we foreshadow Tiny as a puppy being given as a gift. When Tiny gets too big, he finds himself in a shelter before meeting Odd and becoming part of Odd's Family.

We wanted to give Tiny a few quirks of his own, so we decided that he would chronicle his first three days, three weeks, and three months through scrapbooking.


Each significant period (three days, three weeks, and three months, will touch on elements of the 3/3/3 rule before moving on to Tiny's unique experience.

We ended up with forty REAL dogs in this book, so many of the dogs are sprinkled throughout the book, interacting with Tiny and Odd at various locations.

                              

                                Now here's the exciting part!


Since this book touches on 3/3/3 versus being a user manual for it, we've made the decision to create a three month journal that families can use to create their own memories. It'll include prompts that are age appropriate and fun activities kids can do that involve their new dogs. We'll be providing a QR code that provides a free digital version in every hardcover copy or a $5 downloadable version on my website. I'll also add it to Backerkit once it's closer to being completed as an option for those who backed previous campaigns but not this one.

Obviously all backers for this project will receive a free early release copy as part of your support!

My hope is to eventually do a print run that includes a sticker sheet and other fun scrapbooking touches so it can be a beautiful memory book kids keep of their new dogs FURever.

A lot of my work on The New Dog is now in Shannon's capable hands, so I'm taking this little breather to work on the journal. It's my hope that the digital version will be available around the same time as the digital version of The New Dog is in your hands.

As always, thank you so much for your support and patience on this project. You'll be seeing more previews and announcements as we cross the finish line on this project, and I'll be able to provide more concrete dates on when you'll receive your books soon!

Thank you all, and have a wonderful summer!

Leia

New Year, New Name, The New Dog
10 months ago – Wed, Dec 31, 2025 at 11:57:29 AM

Greetings everyone!

I wanted to provide a few quick updates on The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends. 

First-- as I hinted at with my last update, we've decided on a different name for the book. 

The new name is...

The New Dog

Believe it or not, we spent quite a few days arriving at this name. We went back and forth on whether to keep odd in the name somewhere, but decided that maintaining 'the' and 'dog' would give us more of a series feel. We also felt this gave us a chance to expand the universe beyond Odd, opening up the possibility for more dogs to share their stories.

This did bring up an interesting point however; who should tell the story? 

Interestingly, after we renamed the book, we took a hard look at the writing and realized something.

It no longer fit. 

Although we were in the storyboard phase (i.e. when the writing is done and you start to illustrate), it still wasn't quite right. That was when we realized it needed to be from the new dog's perspective.

This may seem like a small thing, but the characters in a book only have as much life as you give them. This meant that I needed to go back to the drawing board and get to know the new dog.

And I realized something...

I had no idea who Tiny (AKA The New Dog) was!

I'm actually really grateful we went back to the drawing board, because I realized that Tiny was more like a prop than his own character. So, in short, we've scrapped the story and we're nearly finished with the new iteration. Because, honestly, this topic means a lot to me and I want to get it right. 

So here's what you can expect. 

We're hoping to have a new cover very shortly.
We're planning to re-start storyboarding in the next month or so, during which you'll get exclusive first looks at the book.
I'm hoping to have an eBook ready as soon as possible, with books getting printed in the interim.

That means that, ideally, the book should be ready late spring if not sooner.

As I reflect on 2025, a year with a lot of highs and lows, this book has definitely been weighing on my mind. I'm so eager to get it in your hands and in the hands of rescues and shelters, but I want to make sure it has the time and space it needs to go from good to great.

I appreciate your patience on this journey. Right not, The New Dog has my full attention until it's completed, and once it's at the printer, I'll be able to announce the follow-up book which, if I'm honest, has given me significantly less trouble.

But in the end, isn't is the difficult dogs we love the most?

Thank you, as always, for listening to my ramblings. 

Have a safe and happy New Year's, and here's to a 2026 filled with Odd Dogs!

Sincerely,

Leia

A quick update on the Odd Dog Guide
about 1 year ago – Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 03:41:53 PM

Greetings everyone, AND


It's been a busy few months for The Odd Dog. Since launching we've won several awards and have been able to donate more than $3,000 to local shelters and rescues as well as books to local nonprofits serving families and children. My personal goal is to surpass $5,000 in donations by the end of the year, and I believe we'll get there!

Meanwhile, Odd Dog Guide is continuing onward. Shannon will be starting illustrations soon, and as that progresses I'll do my best to share tons of in-progress pictures.

While Shannon is creating, I will be rolling out some fun Odd Dog holiday merchandise and a special Odd Dog holiday bundle.

My HOPE is to have an eBook version of The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends available by the end of the year. I can't promise this for sure, but will do my utmost to make it happen and, at the very least, it'll be pretty far along.

Right now we're aiming to have the book to the printers by December/January. Since most offset (i.e. bulk) books are printed in China (mine are, for example), it's important to keep an eye on Chinese New Year as this can delay printing for weeks if not months if you submit during that holiday. Since it's at the end of February, I'm confident we'll be able to beat that deadline.

Thank you for your infinite patience as this project progresses. Life has thrown both Shannon and I a few curveballs that have delayed the book, but we're both super excited to share it soon!

Please enjoy the fall weather, and thank you for your infinite patience!

Sincerely,

Leia

PS-- While the project is out of my hands a little, I'm re-thinking the name. I'd like to simplify it. Any suggestions?