How a dog can inspire your life, the muse Bijou

When Sue Griffinakis first reached out to me, she was looking for photos of her beloved dog, Bijou, to bring her inspiration to life. At the time, I didn’t know just how deeply intertwined Bijou was with her writing and her heart.

A few months after our session, Sue messaged me again. Bijou had passed away. Though not her first dog, Bijou was something more... Her muse, her soul companion, and a central character in the books she was writing.

You can follow Sue’s journey, and see how Bijou continues to inspire her work, at @suegriffinakisauthor. It’s truly magical how a dog, just one little soul, can change everything.

"I’ve always wanted to be an author, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided to do something about it. I thought I’d start with urban fantasy since it was the genre I’d read for years to unwind after long hours in high stress jobs. In UF, supernatural beings exist in the real world.  

I wanted to do something different though. 

I was getting bored of vampire and werewolf stories, so I thought I’d write a pet-themed series, particularly drawing inspiration from my Japanese Spitz, Bijou. A super-smiley white dog, with the mane of a lion, that looked like an arctic fox. So many mythologies to explore!

Partway through plotting my 6-book series + novella, Bijou crossed the rainbow bridge and my heart shattered. I could no longer write. It hurt too much to think about Bijou to the extent that was needed to tell “his” story. His absence at the foot of my desk was a sore that wouldn’t heal. 

I’m still not over it. I carry Bijou’s actual pawprint with me etched onto a keychain so he’s with me everywhere I go. 

And yet. Even in death Bijou inspires me. Threads of a series that had previously refused to knit together began to intertwine in unexpected ways. My subconscious continued to work, even as my novel-related typing remained limited to keeping my author social media profile -and his memories- alive. Slowly, a few months ago, I picked up my metaphorical pen again.

Pet loss, and what the afterlife might mean for them and their humans, are now key themes I’ll be exploring in Secrets of the Spitz. While there will ultimately be a happy ending, I’ll be including dark moments throughout the series. To me, this is a metaphor for pawrenthood. The highs are inexorably linked with at least one, final, epic low. 

Even if the series isn’t a bestseller, it doesn’t matter.

They say no-one truly dies until you stop talking and thinking of them. 

Bijou will not only have helped me fulfill a lifelong dream, but also, in my own little way, I will have given him immortality through my books, and by sharing his cute character on social media – many images of which you helped me to capture 5 months before his health took its terminal decline.

I should mention that his labrador fur-brother, Ramsey, who left us two years before Bijou, has also inspired me on this book project, though to a lesser extent. Apart from taking a picture of me and Bijou next to Ramsey’s casket on our wall, you didn’t take any snaps of Ramsey because, when Ramsey was alive, I didn’t know dog photographers existed!

People keep asking if I’ll ever get another dog. The answer is yes. Because the heartbreak they ultimately cause is totally worth it for the preceding joy and love they bring. 

However, not until at least Bijou’s (and Ramsey’s) first book has been published. 

These much-loved canine muses deserve centre stage in my mind as I give birth to “their” tale."

It's so magical how a dog can change your life

What about yours?

If you have a story to share, I’d love to hear it. Sometimes, a few heartfelt words can bring comfort, hope, and connection to someone who needs it most.