Third-year PharmD student Allen Erika Baugh is a scientist first, but she also has some amazing artistic skills. Baugh recently collaborated on a children’s book with her husband’s aunt, providing artwork to tell the story of a real-life Yorkshire Terrier named Stanley.

The book, called "The Adventures of Stanley," tells Stanley’s tale of adoption after years of abuse in a puppy mill.

The book project took about 18 months to complete, with Baugh using a digital design tool to create illustrations for the book, which her husband’s aunt, Cheryl Foster of South Bend, Indiana, wrote. Baugh says she would send her drawings to Foster, Stanley’s real-life owner, and then wait for feedback. Baugh squeezed in drawing time between classes and studying.

“I have always been interested in art, and I like to try new things,” says Baugh. “The project brought me closer to my Aunt Cheryl, who is also very creative. We keep in contact regularly, and I often share my artwork with her. It’s nice to be able to share our passion for art.”

"The Adventures of Stanley" is divided into three stories and is available for purchase on Amazon. Baugh says she incorporated her love of cows throughout the book by sneaking in a cow doggie toy for Stanley and creating a canine friend for Stanley with cow-like black-and-white spots. Many of the characters in the book are named after family members.

Unfortunately, Stanley died a few years before the book was published, but his memory lives on in print.

“I hope people who purchase the Stanley book enjoy it,” says Baugh. “Stanley was a special dog.”