"Uncle Dave" Howard grew up in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. As a child, he struggled to read and write and he was placed in learning disability classes. He excelled in art and had a passion for telling stories even as a child. He over came his disabilities and graduated in 1995 from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh earning a degree in Visual Communications.
His first book is Lady's Day to Play, a story about his own dog, which is a Jack Russell-Cocker Spaniel-Poodle mix. The idea for his book came about because of his wife's profession as a dog groomer. He listened to her sing to her clients