Victoria Kingston is a dedicated supporter of animals. She is a member of several important charities which strive to make life better for animals in Britain and throughout the world. These include bears, elephants, horses and donkeys – and other species needing help and human intervention.
Dogs have always been essential to Victoria’s life. She has lived with them from early childhood and loved them all: spaniels, Jack Russell terriers, greyhounds, an Australian kelpie – and many cross breeds and unique mongrels.
For some years, Victoria showed her Jack Russells in the ring – Lucy won Best Puppy and the cup was bigger than she was! She also bred puppies, and though Lucy wasn’t a very good mother, she did give birth to five boys and Alice, who became a loving and devoted companion to Victoria, indeed, her shadow.
Now, bearing in mind how many dogs there are who need homes and care, she doesn’t breed dogs; instead, she adopts. She and her husband David share their home with several rescue dogs.
In the course of her writer talks, Victoria is often asked to talk about this way of life. She has also written for dog magazines over the years: features on dog training, having litters, caring for the runt of the litter – and adopting dogs with emotional trauma in their past.
With co-author Hilary Johnson, Victoria wrote and published Hounds At Home, a collection of stories depicting the highs and lows of adopting rescue greyhounds. It sold very well, with all proceeds donated to dog charities. It is now in its second edition and available as a Kindle book and from this website.
Victoria’s Doggy Mixtures casts a broader net to encompass many breeds of dog and many diverse people. In this collection of stories, some are funny, some sad – and many are very surprising.