Children’s book author makes special stop in Paris to promote blind dog book series

By Casandra Turnbull

An author with ties to Paris is travelling across Canada in her camper van to promote her two children’s books, making a recent stop in Paris as part of her countrywide tour.

Dawn Gibbons is the author behind a blind dog book series designed to guide children who might have similar anxieties and adventures in life While she calls Calgary, Alberta home base, these days home is wherever the 100 square foot camper van stops and on July 21st and 22nd , the van stopped at the Paris Night Market reconnecting her with her roots and bringing back some special memories in the process.

Gibbons was born at the Willett Hospital in 1961 but only lived in Paris for a short while until her parents divorced when she was very young. Although she spent most of her life in Kitchener- Waterloo, she returned to Paris frequently to visit her father Gerry Gibbons who lived his entire life in Paris until his death in 2004. She fondly recalls days spent at the Paris Fair Labour Day Weekend, family reunions at Lions Park and somber visits to the cenotaph for Remembrance Day to lay down a wreath for her uncle Alfie who was missing in action and presumed dead in 1942 at the battle of Dieppe. Each trip back to Paris, Ontario, ignites special memories she holds close to her heart For 19 years her father was a custodian at the old Sacred Heart School, so she was quite surprised on a recent trip home to see that Sensity – the Deafblind & Sensory Support Network of Canada, is now housed in that former school. Perhaps one day she might return to the former school her father spent so much time in to promote her books, isn’t that the definition of full circle?

Let’s start at the beginning of Gibbons’ story. She always expressed an interest in writing but was never published until she penned Daphne the Blind Dog Gets Adopted, a book that was inspired by her rescue pup and life changing fur baby, Daphne

In 2016 Gibbons adopted four-year-old Daphne who was surrendered by a breeder. She was 100% Havanese and was obviously confined and bread most of her life. She had very little quality of life or life experience before Gibbons came along Continued on page 25

When Dawn Gibbons adopted a blind dog named Daphne, she had no idea the impact Daphne would have on her life. She was the inspiration of a two-book series called Daphne the Blind Dog.

“When I took Daphne out and people realized she was blind, they often asked about her story and they were inspired by her,” said Gibbons. “A simple conversation with a family member prompted me to start thinking of writing about Daphne’s journey in a children’s book.”

And that’s how the concept was born. It was a daunting process, Gibbons recalls, but with a little help from FriesenPress and a whole lot of commitment Gibbons published the first book in December 2019, Daphne the Blind Dog Gets Adopted. Six months later she published the second book, Daphne the Blind Dog Goes to School (inspired by Daphne’s real-life visit to training school, of course!). Unfortunately, the timing of the books fell smack dab in the middle of a not so convenient global pandemic and all the challenges it brought “As soon as the first book got into bookstores and libraries, those facilities were closed. My plans to share the book at vendor markets around Calgary were all cancelled,” she remembers. During this time, friends and family were also encouraging her to travel to Ontario to promote her book, but the logistics of working full time and travelling during a pandemic were not adding up. It was also during the ‘lock down days’ that she discovered van life on YouTube and a new idea was on the horizon

“In 2021 I purchased a van and scheduled a custom conversion so that Daphne and I could live and travel full time in comfort. At the end of June 2022, we headed out on a book tour and travelled across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Our first Ontario event would be in Paris,” she said.

Unfortunately, fate had different plans.

Even though Daphne (RIP 2022) was the inspiration behind Dawn’s books, these days Maxwell (pictured above) is the star of the show at all book signing events!

Enroute to the 2022 Paris Night Market, Daphne became gravely ill with a neurological condition called Geriatric Vestibular Disease. Gibbons had to attend the Market without the star of the show and only one month into the book tour, Daphne was not recovering and she was put to rest, fittingly in Gibbons’ hometown of Paris.

“Daphne was with me for five and a half years, so more than half her life I had spent many years of my life alone Miraculously, we were brought together to rescue each other.” Daphne’s passing also created another miracle and opportunity for the book tour to continue with a new ambassador named Maxwell.

“In trying to reconcile with Daphne’s passing, I concluded that she opened space for another blind dog to have a good life I also felt strongly that I needed a companion to continue the book tour with me.”

So, Gibbons drove 10 hours Iowa to pick up Maxwell who was also a blind dog who was surrendered He also came with a list of health issues but a natural curiosity and whole lot of love to give.

“Maxwell is very friendly with people and especially wants to hang out with men He is quite content to travel long distances in the van and he early walks around a new location almost every day,” said Gibbons.

The duo stopped in at the Paris Night Market last month in Paris to continue to promote Daphne’s books, which were just recently transcribed in Braille.

“I was at events in Paris and Brantford area last year, I met many people who are blind and even more people who work with the blind. Through their interest, I was encouraged to have my children’s books transcribed in Braille,” said Gibbons She stops at events across Ontario to sell her books and it’s not unusual to find her and Maxwell at retiree groups sharing her story or at Indigo bookstores signing books

It's been a remarkable journey so far; one she never saw coming.

“I never expected to become a published author. I actually swore that I would never even have a dog! When you open your mind and heart to new possibilities, sometimes a different path just opens before you. If you choose to follow that path, it can lead to amazing and wonderful things.” Gibbons will be back in Paris eventually When she does return to the area, she hopes to coordinate visits to the Sensity - the Deafblind & Sensory Support Network of Canada and the W. Ross MacDonald School. She has a story to share, and after all, Maxwell enjoys the company! Learn more about Gibbons’ story or how to purchase her books online.