A PERFORMING dog has inspired its owner to write a series of children’s books.

Claudette Evans, from Westbourne, has written 12 books based on the adventures of Busby, her Parson Russell Terrier, who performs tricks such as picking up the phone and playing basketball.

She bases her stories, such as Busby and the Train Crash and The Labradoodle Mystery, around the dog’s real-life adventures. The two were recently invited to go to Scotland by Loch Ness Cruises, so that Busby could search for the Loch Ness Monster.

She said: “Busby doesn’t like the water, but he learnt to swim so that he could hunt for Nessy. He lost his ball in Loch Ness and he swears it was the monster that took it. Busby also helped to deliver the post in Loch Lomond when we were there.”

Ms Evans is currently looking for a publisher for her stories and hopes children learn from her books.

She said: “I try to incorporate the local history and environment of wherever we’ve been into the story, so that the books are educational as well as fun.”

Ms. Evans has had Busby, who is now five and a half years old, since he was a puppy.

She said: “We began obedience training when Busby was 16 weeks old and trainers at the Friendly Dog Club encouraged us to learn tricks as well.

“Busby can now play basketball and quoits and also helps me around the house, by putting rubbish in the bin, bringing me my toolbox and sorting junk mail.”

Ms Evans works as a musician and believes that her experience in performing has helped make Busby unique. She said: “My background in entertainment meant that I was able to take the tricks that Busby does and turn them into a routine. He enjoys line-dancing and we recently created a two-minute routine called Dog in a Million”.

Ms Evans also takes Busby to nursing homes, where he performs his tricks for the residents, and runs workshops that explain how the principles of obedience can enable better interaction between dog and owner.

“I like writing the stories and songs but I also enjoy taking Busby out to demonstrate how useful training can be and show that there’s far more rewarding aspects of having a dog than just petting it and ending up with a couch potato dog. People adore watching Busby do his tricks,” she said.