Donald was born in the city of Detroit, Michigan. He moved to a small farming community, Almont, when he was 12 years old. There he learned to love animals, fowl and wildlife in general. His son, Garrett, is 14 years old and attends Wildwood Middle School. Garrett received the Rockwood School District Superintendent's Award in 2007 for having co-authored a book with his father. Donald is in the UCLA Extension Online Writers' Program and is studying for his professional certificate in Creative Writing. Donald and Garrett care for Snowball and his friends. They also have one dog, Simon, and two cats, Pearl and Crystal, in their home. Garrett’s mother, Diane is the true petlover in the family. Donald and Garrett were inspired to write these books as a result of their having bonded with Snowball whom they dearly love.