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New chapter unleashed: Auston the Sidecar Dog hits the waves in new adventure book

October 5, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Gail Powell

Orangeville’s most travelled motorcycle mutt is back in the saddle again—with another children’s book.

Six-year-old “Auston Bowers” is the furry companion of Dufferin County musician, scooter enthusiast, and author Wayne Sumbler. He’s also the main character in Sumbler’s soon-to-be-released book, Auston the Sidecar Dog Saves a Whale — the second installment in a series of children’s books Sumbler has written about Auston since adopting his beloved doggo in 2017.

“My first children’s book, Auston the Sidecar Dog Saves Christmas, came out last year and the response to that book has been amazing,” said Sumbler. “It was Nancy Frater the owner of BookLore in town who encouraged me to write about Auston after he had become so ‘pupular’ as my Sidecar companion on my scooter.”

After assisting Santa Claus by guiding his sled to save Christmas in Sumbler’s last book about the “pawsome” mini-Schnoodle, Auston now sets off to explore the East Coast, where he surfs, snorkels and soaks up the sun until he hears about a beached whale that needs his help.

“This book for me is a special one as I have dedicated it to Jamie Ferris, the founding member of Qwest Riders who tragically passed away earlier this year,” explained Sumbler. “There’s also a special ‘Thank You’ page in the book to honour BookLore, and I mention the Orangeville SPCA— an organization Auston and I like to support.”

To date, Sumbler and Auston have raised close to $2,000 for the Orangeville SPCA through various charitable events the duo has been involved with.

“I love writing about Auston. Everyone who sees him gives him a smile,” said Sumbler. “I love seeing children wave to him. Kids adore him, and they always want to have their picture taken with him. He’s such a crowd-pleaser. He’s probably had his photo taken about 10,000 times.”

Auston the Sidecar Dog Saves a Whale will be available through Amazon and at Indigo, Chapters and BookLore in early November.

“Once this book is released, I will be working on the next few installments in the Auston book series,” he explained. 

“As far as the storylines go – I try to get creative with them. Future books coming next year include Auston the Sidecar Dog in Space, Auston the Sidecar Dog Saves Halloween, Auston the Sidecar Dog saves Easter — and as kind of a joke — I started writing Auston the Sidecar Dog saves the Maple Leafs,” he laughed. “When friends heard I was going to write a story about Auston saving the Maple Leafs — they told me to just run with it.”

Sumbler is also looking to connect with television networks to pitch the idea of making a children’s cartoon about Auston. 

“I am reaching out to Nickelodeon and also to Disney. I dream big. Who knows maybe Disney will make a movie about him?”

To follow Wayne and Auston the Sidecar Dog on YouTube, check out their channel here for more real-life adventures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5dZkC6aDMs&t=76s

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