"The Walk and Roll Dog"

It's not very often a child gets to meet the real-life character from his favorite book face to face.  But Cameron Thien did and that made his day.

"This morning, the first thing he said when he woke up was I can't wait to meet Frankie," said Karin Thien.

Cameron and his family are visiting Elkhart Lake from central Illinois. They stopped at the Feedmill store to buy some bug spray, when the five year old spotted this book.

 "He just kept going back and looking at it," said Thien.

This book is one of two in the series "Frankie, the Walk and Roll Dog."  It's about the real life dachshund, Frankie who is partially paralyzed.  Coincidentally, the manager of the Feedmill, Victorian Knack is good friends with author, Barbara Techel. Barbara is Frankie's owner.  So they set up a meeting.

Barbara says this is the reason she writes books about Frankie.

"Seeing challenges in a positive way instead of a negative way and looking for a blessing in every situation that happens because a lot of times there are blessings.  It's just up to us to try and find them," said Barbara Techel.

Frankie suffered a ruptured disc.  That's why she needs this wheelchair to walk. But her owner says that hasn't stopped her from being the same bubbly dog she's always been.

Barbara says the most valuable lesson Frankie teaches is no matter what life struggles you face, you can be happy.  Barbara says Frankie has given her a new outlook on life, and believes fate brought them together to help others, and bring happiness to kids just like Cameron.