Hi! I am Princess Jackie, Her Highness the Dogginess. But I am not just any kind of princess—I am a princess of the heart. What is a princess of the heart? And how did I get that name? Here is my story.

First, I am a real dog who was adopted by my momma and daddy when I was five months old. Shortly afterward, we discovered that I was born with a condition called “hip dysplasia,” which makes my hips and back legs weak. When I walked on slippery floors, my back legs often slid out from under me. Sometimes I would fall and bump my knee or hurt my foot. Soon I was afraid to cross floors. I would freeze and get stuck, unable to get to where I wanted to go.

I knew I had to be brave and try something new. But what? I remembered that when I back up, I don’t slip. Could that work? I started walking backward on slippery surfaces—and surprise! It worked really well! Now I could steady myself on my weak hind legs. When I got to the other side of the room, I heard my momma and daddy cheering, “You did it, Jackie! What a brave girl you are!”

I also like being good and kind to everyone I meet, with smiles, kisses, cuddles, tail wags, friendship, and love.

I was named “Princess Jackie, Her Highness the Dogginess,” not because I was from a royal family, but because I was a princess of the heart. Anyone can be a princess of the heart just by acting good, kind, and brave. And in the spirit of my heart, most of my books and posters have a short message or two sprinkled in about being good, kind, or brave—although some are for pure fun!