Mike Harrod had one pet peeve he (and his patients) couldn’t shake throughout his veterinarian career in La Mesa: fleas. However, this source of irritation became a source of inspiration for his debut book, “Farrah Farhopper the Faraway Flea.”

“This story started because when I graduated veterinary school in 1987, there weren’t any safe and effective flea products,” said Harrod. “Every pet that came in would have fleas.”

After a few years of repeating the script of flea treatments to pet owners, Harrod decided it was time for a bigger impact.

“I got so tired of talking about fleas but when I joined Toastmasters, one of the first things they said was to talk what you know about,” said Harrod. “I knew a lot about fleas, but flea talk was so boring. I turned it into a story.”

Harrod wrote the draft of his book in 2004. It covered the life span, reproduction, and other interesting facts about fleas through alliteration and humor.

Little did he know the story would be published in February 2022 and would hit #1 in new releases for Amazon’s category of bugs and spiders books.

“This didn’t all happen at once,” said Harrod. “I wrote the story in 2004 and it’s been sitting on my computer since that time. The impetus for this was my nephew, Jessie.”

Harrod’s nephew published a couple of books in 2020 which piqued Harrod’s interest.

“I called him up and congratulated him and said, ‘By the way, I have a story that might work as a children’s book,’” said Harrod. “A year later Jessie illustrated this. With Samantha’s help and input and Caroline, it sort of became a family affair.”

Harrod’s family were instrumental figures in the project, his sister being one of the first to envision it published.

“His sister was a graphic designer for years,” said Caroline (Harrod’s wife). “She said, ‘Mike, I want to do the graphics for you. I think it would make a good children’s book.’ She passed away but that dream was still on his heart. His nephew took the gauntlet of his sister’s wishes and desires and we knew there was an opportunity to make this book come true.”

When Samantha (Harrod’s daughter) adopted a dog from Downtown San Diego, another page in the story was written. Champ, a bedraggled and flea-ridden pup, became the perfect moderator for Harrod’s story.

Although the story and fun graphics indicate it’s written for children, Harrod said this book is for all ages and is meant to share important insight into this common issue felt by most households.

As Samantha said, “He’s a veterinarian, but he’s also a teacher by nature.”

His teaching instinct rings true given the fact that all the proceeds made on this book will go to a college fund for his nephew’s kids. Locally, Harrod also visited Casa De Oro Library and Murdock Elementary School in La Mesa with his grandchildren to donate the book to their libraries.

“It’s paying it forward in some ways to his sister and the grandchildren to learn about fleas, science, reproduction, and a dog that was found and rescued,” said Caroline.

To learn more about “Farrah Farhopper and the Faraway Flea” or buy the book, visit amazon.com/Farrah-Farhopper-Faraway-Flea-Harrod/dp/B09SNY2G2P.

You can also follow Champ the dog on his Instagram @champtheschnauzer.

– Elaine Alfaro is a journalism student at Point Loma Nazarene University and a former intern for the La Mesa Courier.