Color Me Canine (Herding Group): A Coloring Book for Dog Owners of All Ages

Whip-smart and eager to please, Herding Dogs want nothing more than to work by your side.

Like the Maxwell Award-winning "Toy Group", "Color Me Canine (Herding Group)" has details about each breed, from energy level to life expectancy, from coat care to trainability. Where do they come from? Do they shed? It's all in there.

Each breed has a distinctive, non-copyrighted coloring page. Try to find the name of the breed somewhere on each page! All the artwork has been done by me, a multiple Maxwell award-winning artist. I love detailed, realistic, yet whimsical work and I hope you do too. On the inside back and front covers are precise full-color renditions of each breed. That way, you can either duplicate the actual colors or go wild; the inspiration (and the fun) will be all yours'.

The plethora of breeds in the world never ceases to amaze me - there really is one for every circumstance and situation. I love the variety available and am astounded by the dedication of breeders who have worked so hard to create, maintain and improve our canine best friend.

This is the second volume of my adult coloring book series "Color Me Canine", which will eventually have all the AKC breeds.

My mother took me to my first dog show when I was eight. This fascinated me, and I immediately wanted to show our Standard Poodle. Mom explained the many reasons why this wasn't possible, and I understood but there was a little voice in my head that said, "Someday you're going to do that." Of course, being eight, the next week I was telling everyone that I wanted to be a jockey. I have always loved to draw and filled sketchbooks with an attempt at professionalism. My older sister Lucy was much better than me, so one day in frustration I asked her, "How do you get to be so good?" "Draw what you see," she replied. It's the best art advice I've ever received. Following that tip, I have always created works that just seemed right to me - realistic, accurate but with a twinkle that no photograph could capture. While living in Germany I was accepted as an art student by the Munich Academy. I attended one day of classes where I was told bluntly that I was doing everything wrong, that I needed to fix all my techniques and procedures. Hmm, I thought. Maybe I'll do just fine on my own. Never went back. As a young mom, I started breeding and showing Silky Terriers. I loved it - it was the fulfillment of a dream. Fast forward almost 40 years and Tessier Silky Terriers has just completed its 130th AKC champion and we have had many top winners, including two World Champions. For more information about our dogs, you can visit www.tessier-silky-terriers.com. Several years ago, it occurred to me that it would be fun to take up drawing again, this time specializing in canine art. As well as custom work, I have an ever-expanding line of greeting and special occasion cards, available at https: //sandy-bergstrom-mesmer-designs.myshopify.com. I also have a line of over 150 pen and ink limited edition prints. In 2012 I won a Maxwell for my German Shepherd "Headshot" print. It can be seen on the German Shepherd breed page. I was recently thrilled to hear that the first volume in my Color Me Canine Series, the Toy Group, has also received a Maxwell.