“You cannot share your life with a dog...or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.”~Jane Goodall, Anthropologist

What do butterflies and dogs have in common? It may sound like an odd question, but the answer would be the Papillion dog. The Papillion breed originated in France and is known to be one of the oldest toy spaniel breeds. Papillion in French means butterfly. The distinct ears of the Papillion are what has given this breed the nickname of the “butterfly dog”. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) this breed is a very athletic, happy, alert and friendly dog. This introduction starts the storybook life of Bella and Emmie, the butterfly dogs.

This is not just a history lesson on Papillion’s but an introduction to Vicki Smith and her two Papillion pups Bella and Emmie, also affectionately known as her fur-babies. Vicki and her husband Bobby Lee, live in Bolingbroke, GA, but both grew up and met in Perry, GA. They both lived on small farms in Perry and were blessed enough to run across each other’s paths and eventually marry. Vicki’s mother worked for Whipple Realty and as a school teacher for many years in Perry, so it is not surprising that she followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming a realtor and sharing her love of animals and books.

Fast forward to today, both Vicki and her husband own a successful real estate company, Properties Plus Realty, that services all of Middle Georgia. Though Vicki stays remarkably busy, she found the time during the height of the pandemic, as many did, to follow a passion. This passion was to write a children’s book about Bella and that passion led to a second book about Emmie. Vicki has written and self-published two children’s books about these majestic little dogs. The idea for the books came from Vicki’s own frustrations of finding good stories to read to her grandkids. Though there are many children’s books out there, she found it hard to find any that reached out to the younger age group that weren’t just picture books. I have only mentioned fur-babies so far, but the Smith’s have one grown daughter with children, so there are always grandkids and friends around to enjoy the antics of Bella and Emmie.

Bella is now 6 years old and was given to Vicki in the way we all dream of getting a puppy, in a mystery gift box. Vicki had no idea how this little puppy with a big red bow on would change her life. It was noted early on that Bella had a great personality that would be perfect for being a therapy dog. Once certified, Bella’s journey to help others in a time of need started. A few years later, Emmie was added to the family. Emmie was in need of a new home as the owners did not have the time to spend with her and so a family road trip was planned to go get Emmie, 100 miles away. Bella did not realize at the time that it was a road trip to pick up her new sister. Vicki would be the first to say it was worth every mile of the way to rescue this “butterfly dog” in need.

Her first book that was published is called, “Bella the Butterfly Dog Goes to Work” and the second, “Bella the Butterfly Dog Gets a Sister”. Vicki has shared her stories with church groups, libraries, nursing homes and at special events. The books are unique as Vicki has added questions in the back of the books to start conversations with kids on what the stories meant to them. This is a wonderful way to get kids to talk about feelings and emotions at an early age. The books include subjects like bringing joy to others through kindness, welcoming new family members, being patient with others and so much more. In today’s world it is so important to encourage children to read and understand the importance of the printed words. There is nothing like an enjoyable book to hold and experience. Vickie brings Bella and Emmie to help with the story telling. As you can imagine, they put a smile on everyone’s face and help bring the printed words to life.

Putting words to print for a children’s book is an especially important process, but just as important is the illustrations that are used to tell the story. In this case, Vicki found the perfect illustrator for her Bella the Butterfly Dog books. Even before the pandemic hit, there have been virtual businesses in existence for years. Vicki went online and found a Ukrainian illustrator by the name of Myroslava Voloschuk to help bring her books to life. They not only started a business relationship but have developed a long-distance friendship. Vicki sent Myroslava photos to use to create the illustrations and they worked back and forth to come up with the end result of these beautifully illustrated books to entertain the whole family.

Vicki has had many accomplishments to include being the Monroe County Businesswoman of the Year in 2018, Citizen of the Year in 2018 and through the Middle Georgia Association of Realtors, she was awarded the Eagle Award in 2008, the Phoenix Award in 2013 and the Circle of Excellence Silver Award in 2019. She would be the first to say that even though she treasures these accolades, the accomplishment of writing her children’s books and bringing smiles to so many children is the biggest accomplishment by far.

Vicki may have a few more books up her sleeve, but also has other passions such as community work. She is the President of the Bolingbroke Community Club. The club is a non-profit organization that is committed to promoting community improvement, social enjoyment and civic pride. The organization has helped many people in emergency situations through the years. She also writes for the Bolingbroke newspaper contributing special interests’ stories about the surrounding community.

Though Vicki and her husbands’ roots lie deep in Georgia, they hope to retire one day to Margaritaville, Florida. You can be guaranteed that Bella and Emmie will be in toe and sharing their stories to new audiences. Until then, if you would like a visit from Vicki and her Papillons, please contact her. These social butterflies also have their own Facebook page to visit.You can add these beautifully illustrated books to your own book collection or give as gifts and they can be found on Amazon.com

https://www.facebook.com/bellathebutterflydog

Website: https://www.propertiesplusga.com