How long did it take?

I really liked Shiloh the book and movie. my question is how long did it take you to make Shiloh? thank you for making a such wonderful book!

Because I met a real dog like Shiloh when I was visiting Shiloh, West Virginia, the idea of the story came to me very fast, and I started writing it immediately.  I didn’t quite know how it would end–I just gave myself the problem of figuring out how a boy with a big heart could get this dog away from its abusive owner.  I think I finished the first draft in about six weeks.