New children's books chronicle local pugs
By Julia Ybarra-Young
News staff writer
Lela Labree Stute is like a
lot of mothers.
One of her first tasks in the
morning is to wash her three
girls' faces.
"We have to be sure they
are really clean," Stute
explained, "because they
have so many rolls."
Well, pug dogs do have
rolls.
Although Stute has a
grown son who lives in New
Richmond, this Somerset
mother also claims three pug
dogs as her "children:"
Cissy, 7, Beatrice, 4, and
Ingah DuPonte, 2.
"They are just like kids,"
Stute said. "They have such
expression — you can see
them smiling, frowning.
Anyone who has a pug
knows they have such personality."
It was this fascination with
pugs that has lead Stute to
publish her first book, "Pugs
Go On Vacation." The book,
published by
Three pugs in the pugmobile.
PublishAmerica, has a
release date of Jan. 16, 2010.
Although it chronicles the
adventures of Cissy, Beatrice
and Ingah DuPonte taking a
haphazard vacation in 30
Lela Labree Stute poses with
one of her "children:'
full-color photographs, Stute
insists that it is not just for
children.
"Anyone who loves pugs
can enjoy this book," she
said.
Stute is the editorial director
at Photo S ource
International in Osceola. She
is quick to credit her employers
with encouraging her
childhood fascination with
pugs.
"Six years ago I had a pug
with diabetes," she said. "I
had to drive back and forth to
give her medicine and food,
so they said I could just bring
her with me to the office.
They helped let me spend the
last year of her life with her."
She said she had always
wanted a dog since she was
young, but her parents did
not want one. It was not until
she first got married that her
then-husband presented her
with her first pug.
Since then, she has had
nine pugs.
As an editor and writer for
photographers market letters,
she dealt with both photography
and writing on a daily
basis. Since her pugs accompanied
her to the office, it
seemed only natural that the
three converge.
"I take thousands of photos
of my pugs and I've
always made stories out of
them," Stute said. "It was
actually my boss's wife that
suggested I get them published."
"Pugs Go On Vacation" is
the first book to be published
in the pug series. Stute has
written four more stories —
all to published in 2010. The
other titles are "The New
Guy," "The Big, Bad
Blonde," "Runaway Pugs"
and "When Pugs Fly."
The books will be available
at Barnesandnoble.com
and Amazon.com, as well as
through her Web site
www.lelabree.webs.com.
Stute said her husband
Bill, a deputy sheriff with
Washington County, treats
the girls as members of their
family.
"He's been very encouraging
of the books," Stute said.
"As a matter of fact, he
bought me the camera I use
for the stories."
Although she doesn't
know how far she will continue
the series, she said that
she has plenty of material
just living with the three
pugs.
"They have matching harnesses
and coats, and they
even have a `Pugmobile' — a
big green stroller they can all
sit in — that makes an appearance
in the books," Stute
related. "Bill cooks them
special dehydrated chicken
strips every Saturday."
Hope the pugs' newfound
fame won't go to their heads.