We’re dog lovers here at Haiku By Two. In fact, “dogs” is one of our most prolific tags.

So when Kathy Troidle Jackson emailed us about featuring her dog-themed haiku as a guest blogger on Haiku By Two, we just couldn’t say no.

When we found out that her dog-themed haiku are all inspired by her rescue dog, we were even more convinced we needed to highlight her poems.  As Kelly is the proud mama of a rescue dog herself, her soft spot for animals that have been given a second chance is large and mushy.

And so, without further ado, let us extend a warm welcome (or should we say a sloppy wet kiss?) to Kathy Troidle Jackson, whose haiku will appear here over the next six days.

Kathy Troidle Jackson, a recent breast cancer survivor, lives and works in New York’s upper Hudson Valley with her husband David and rescued Westie, Islay (EYE-la) Bear, who reminds her to always live in the moment.

This delightful dog has become her muse and inspires many “one breath poems,” or haiku, since he came into her life in the summer of 2009. His funny antics keep Kathy and David laughing, and she loves to share the White Dog joy through haiku.

Kathy self published a book called White Dog Haiku on lulu.com (proceeds go to Westie Rescue), has created “write here, right now” workshops for kids that she takes on the road while maintaining a website, blog and a White Dog Haiku Facebook fan page (not to mention the ever important day job). Two of Kathy’s White Dog Haiku appear in the December issue of Berry Blue Haiku, an online Haiku magazine for kids, and many of her haiku can be found on the daily Twitter #haikuchallenge.

A member of the Haiku Society of America and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI), Kathy has a passion for engaging children to read and experience the wonders of the written word.

You can find White Dog haiku at WhiteDogHaiku.com and on Facebook.

You can also find Kathy on Twitter.