Abbey Richter is only 10 years old and she’s already a best-selling author.

The Oakland girl’s first title, Lucky Leo, My Best Friend, touched people’s hearts with the story of her Shih Tzu getting bitten by another dog and making a miraculous recovery. The book shot up to the No. 1 spot on the Amazon best-seller list.

The story is simple, sweet, charming and remarkably well-written. Here’s a sample:

Today I want to tell you a true story about my best friend, Leo. The story is happy, then scary-sad, then happy again.
Leo is a dog. A very, very cute dog. He is a Shih Tzu. When you say it, it kind of sounds like a sneeze.
Leo weighs 14 pounds. Mom says a Thanksgiving turkey weighs about 18 pounds, so that gives you an idea of how small Leo is.

Best-selling author Abbey Richter with her father, Gary Richter, and pet Shih Tzu. (Pet Concierge)
With the success of her first book, Abbey quickly churned out three follow-up titles: Stunning Stella, the Hospital Cat, Everybody Loves Charlie Brown, and Frieda the Fabulous. All of these are stories based on Abbey’s brood of rescue pets: two dogs and two cats.

“Our mean next-door neighbors moved away and left Frieda behind,” Abbey, who lives in Montclair, told The Reporter. “She started living in our outdoor closet, and then she had kittens. We gave the kittens to our neighbors, but we kept Frieda.”

Abbey’s literary success has gained her notable attention. She has signed copies of her books at readings in Oakland, San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego and Los Angeles. (Catch her at A Great Good Place for Books in Montclair at 4 p.m. March 14.) She was invited to meet with Hillary Clinton when the former first lady visited the Bay Area last spring and American Girl has based a doll on her.

Abbey’s love for animals was inspired by her father, Gary Richter, who’s a veterinarian and owner and medical director of Montclair Veterinary Hospital.

“I love being around animals,” said Abbey said to The Reporter. “It helps to have pets because they cheer you up when you’re sad. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)

Story Date: March 9, 2015