COEUR d'ALENE - Let's see, there's Dave the Shih Tzu and Mary the Cocker Spaniel. There's also Nancy the German shepherd, Lucy the Collie and Ted the Cockapoo.

And then, in that black and white picture, in the middle of this collection of man's best friends, there's Linda Konecny.

They were more than her best friends.

"I was always telling stories about them to my friends," she said.

Those friends told her to write those stories down. Get them into print. Submit them to a publisher.

So she did.

The result?

Those canines were the inspiration behind her children's books, "Dave's First Christmas: A Dog's Adventure," and "Dave's Thanksgiving: A Visit from Grandma."

Both tell the tale of Dave's quests. In the first, he searches for - and finds - the true meaning of Christmas. In the next, he finds out what it truly means to be thankful, and "what it truly means to feast!"

The books are based on Christian principles and designed to share a message of hope and faith, explain who Jesus is, in a fun way that kids can understand.

Each book is filled with artwork of a brown and white Dave and his colorful friends. Each includes Scriptures in the dedication.

"The true meaning is put in there," she said.

The five dogs that shared a home with Konecny and her husband had a good life. They slept in the house, were allowed on the couch and were given bones to chew on.

"They've got me trained," Konecny said, laughing. "We feed them, we pick up their poop."

She came by them via different routes.

One she found homeless on the streets of Moscow. Another, on the streets of Los Angeles. One came from a pet store, one from a woman with too many dogs, and one, Ted, came with her new husband.

"It was a sign. It had a human name," Konecny said, smiling. "OK I'll marry you."

The Coeur d'Alene woman, her friends will attest, is dedicated to dogs. She cares for neighbors' dogs at every chance, and welcomes them into her home.

Konecny is one of those who adopts the old dogs at the shelter that might not otherwise go home with anyone. On family camping trips to the St. Joe area, the dogs come along because she hates leaving them at home.

"I just love dogs," she said.

There has been grief, too.

Dave, Lucy and Mary all passed away in the same year.

"It was difficult," Konecny said.

The emotions of each moment spent with her pets, the tears and the laughter and the exasperation, come through on each page that tells Dave's stories.

Konecny, who says she's a "political news junky," also operates an embroidered linen greeting cards business with her husband. She said it was much tougher than she thought writing a children's book. Honestly, she figured it would be easy.

Far from it.

The first book, 20 pages, took three years to write, which Konecny chuckles about.

"I know that sounds pathetic," she said. "But I had a lot to learn."

She spent a year on "Dave's Thanksgiving" another 20 pager, that was released in August by Tate Publishing, and has two more books about Dave coming out. "There's Dave's first Easter" and "Dave Goes Camping."

While writing Dave's adventures was difficult, Konecny wanted to be sure the book's message was clear and easy to understand, and that it shared the true meaning of Christmas.

"It had to be fun for kids," she said.

Konecny, a native of Southern California, was one of seven children in her family. They didn't have lots of pets growing up. But still, she came to adore dogs.

They are there, without failure, to provide comfort and chuckles, too. And their antics make good fodder for children's books, too.

"They do funny stuff," she said.

"Dave's First Christmas" is $9.99. "Dave's Thanksgiving" is $12.99 hardback and $8.99 paperback. Both are available locally at Hastings in Coeur d'Alene and North Country Chapel in Post Falls.

Info: www.DaverDogAdventures.TateAuthor.com