Mona Marshall, is a self taught artist and writer who enjoys crafting stories about horses and dogs. She attributes her love of nature and animals to her Native American heritage and is an enrolled member of the Minnesota White Earth Ojibwe Tribe. Her parents encouraged Mona's artistic ability by building a three by eight foot bulletin board, which hung in a prominent hallway in their home, to display all the artwork she and her siblings produced. It was quite a conversation piece and told all the kid's of their parent's pride in all of them. The story of Dusty was originally intended to be given to Mona's daughter Wenonah on her eighth birthday. Instead, Dusty was filed away unfinished, then pulled out years later, the illustrations completed at last . . . and Dusty was presented to Wenonah's daughter, Lydia, on her eighth birthday. Mona has been a dog obedience instructor and exhibitor, a pet portrait artist, and a professional pet sitter. She is also the founder and CEO of The American Mixed Breed Obedience Registration (AMBOR). She resides in Little Falls Minnesota with her two dogs, Bodie and Willie.