Sherri was born and raised in the small town of Cyril, Oklahoma where old fashioned values and love abounded. Most of her youth was spent on a tractor or climbing on hay in the huge barn. Graduating with a BS in education from SWOSU in OK, she embarked on a teaching career that mirrored her passions. A devoted mother with a huge capacity to love, she raised kids, puppies, foals and calves with the love of her life, her late husband Gary. With a topnotch pair of award-winning border collies, they raised many puppies that dispersed across the country. Gary was killed in an accident, and shortly after, Lexi and then Sam followed. Not wanting Gary’s, and Sam and Lexi’s legacy to die with them, the idea of a children’s book came to mind. Fay, as a search and rescue dog and daughter of Sam and Lexi was the perfect subject and Faith in Fay was born. Her two sons, Brandon and Bradon are the light of her life and along with family and friends support her in all endeavors.

Paula was born in North Georgia. Her youth was spent on the back of a horse with a good dog at her heels exploring the countryside. After becoming the mother of two daughters, Mecca and Jessie, the lifestyle continued with more horses, ponies and good dogs. With her kids grown and time on her hands, the need to “give something back” became strong so she decided to become a volunteer. As an avid outdoor person and dog lover, search and rescue was a natural transition. The search for yet another good dog, a chance meeting with Sherri and Gary, and a puppy was found. Many good times ensued with family and friends joining in to lay trails for Fay’s training. With the invaluable help of many excellent instructors, all volunteers, and many hours following behind Fay, they finally made the grade and became a volunteer K9 search and rescue team. Paula is a graphic designer who spends her free time playing with grandkids, training with other K9 teams and having fun with Fay.

Fay is a Border Collie trained in search and rescue. She is the daughter of Sam and Lexi, a pair of cattle herding dogs owned by Gary and Sherri Watson. Fay started search training as a puppy and was mission ready in trailing by 2 years old. She loves her job. Fay’s other passions include: swimming, playing Frisbee, playing basketball (or any kind of ball), riding anything that moves, herding anything that moves, white water rafting and exploring. When bored, she invents new games to keep herself occupied. She loves playing at the beach with her grandkids and going wherever Paula goes.

After co-authoring a first book, “The Ultimate Dream”, Sherri approached Paula with her idea of Faith in Fay as a children’s book. With Sherri’s knowledge of border collies and experience in writing a book, Paula’s knowledge and experience in Search and Rescue, and Fay, a dog with more personality in a tail hair than most people have, they embarked on their new adventure. Given the important nature of the content, the book was written with certain criteria: to keep the story true to life, to spread awareness of the volunteer Search and Rescue K9 teams and how they work, to help educate their readers about dog breeds, their characteristics and the positive way dogs impact our lives, and to raise a tribute to volunteers everywhere. They sincerely hope that is book is as uplifting and enjoyable to the readers as it was the writers. Faith in Fay.