Nov. 22, 2008 — Lilly, an island mutt that lives with Christy Dove on St. John, will soon be seen in bookstores across the country — on the cover of "The Ultimate Dog Lover," by "Good Morning America" resident veterinarian Marty Becker with his daughter Mikkel Becker, Gina Spadafori, and Carol Kline.
"There's a nice biography of Lilly in the front of the book," Dove said.
It reads that "Lilly, the wondermutt, is a coconut terrier (island dog) — a breed not recognized by the AKC [American Kennel Club] but coveted by human companions."
Mutt-lovers can get a copy of the book and meet Marty and Mikkel Becker, as well as Lilly, at Dove's Big Fish gift shop at Cocoloba shopping center in Coral Bay from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. A portion of the proceeds from books sold at the book signing will go to the Animal Care Center of St. John.
Lilly, now six, came from the St. Thomas Humane Society's shelter. She was beaten and abandoned before the Humane Society helped her on a path to a better life.
According to Dove, Marty Becker's son-in-law snapped Lilly's photo while the family was visiting St. John. Dove also owns Book-It VI, a vacation villa booking agency, and the Beckers are annual guests at one of her villas.
"We had them up for cocktails one evening," Dove said. The Beckers had their camera, and Lilly just happened to get her picture taken, Dove said.
This is not Lilly's first brush with fame. She also appeared in a snippet on CBS' "The Early Show" because a friend of Dove's, former St. John resident Alex Boylan, was making videos for a project called "Around the World For Free." "The Early Show" sponsored the trip and Dove provided a free stay at one of her villas.
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