One of the fun things about writing a book that is part fiction is that you can do whatever you want! Naming your characters is one of those things. I knew when I started writing about Special Ed that two of the characters would be named Betty and Bandit after my Llewellyn English Setters. My dogs are from the same litter but have completely different personalities.
My Betty Boop is outgoing, jumps on you, licks your face, barks, and lets reprimands roll off her back. She always has to have all the attention!
Jim's Bandit Boy was 9 months old before we heard him bark! He is very laid back, will get right in your face until you feel his whiskers but never lick you, and holds a grudge when he is reprimanded. He has learned some bad habits from Betty Boop and now he jumps on you and barks - if she does.
I used my dogs' personalities to give another dimension to the calves. Special Ed's friend Betty is outgoing, speaks her mind, and never backs down when she knows she is right. (This will be especially noted in the sequel.) I knew that I wanted pink ribbons in her ears to distinguish her from the others. I think Jose has captured her sassy spirit in his illustrations.
Bandit is laid back, more contemplative, yet supportive. I thought the ball cap worn backwards would show that he was easy-going and fun-loving. For some reason it struck me that his favorite expression would be "Dude." Later on I decided to have part of Bandit's tail missing when Betty was pointing out the differences in the others. Jose also did an excellent job with his illustrations of Bandit.
The accompanying video shows Betty Boop with the pink collar and Bandit with the blue. As you can see she is a barker!
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