Barking Planet Children's Books

War and Peace and Dogs, Books, Kids

Why have people with power, throughout the centuries, in every country, ruthlessly used war and battle to destroy and conquer others?

Why has the value of discussion, negotiation, even compromise, not  been recognized as best for all? 

Today, as always, in every part of the  world, , there are those who destroy for power and land with no concern for the pain, destruction and chaos they cause. 

TV news, when it relentlessly  reports on the struggles going on in the world, is performing a service. However, true discussion between those in power, as opposed to posturing and hidden agendas, is uncommon. 

And so I think of dogs and books for kids where a better world prevails...a world where people learn from dogs about unconditional love and non-violent ways to find peace.

My conclusion is that every president, prime minister, king, despot and dictator should have a dog. It might not solve the problems of this world, but it would help.

...................................................

 The Planet Of The Dogs Series is going to China

The woman in the photo is Deanna Leah, HBG Productions,  representing foreign language rights of authors to publishers around the world. She is seen here at the 2011 London Book Fair. 
 

Standing on the right is Mr Li Ke, publisher and head of the Beijing Chongxianguan Book Co.. Ltd. His partner associate is on the left.

We are pleased to announce that Deanna has facilitated contract negotiations for the Planet Of The Dogs Series and that Beijing Chongxianguan Books will be publishing our books in China. The illustrations will be redone, but the stories remain intact.

..............................

Tech Crunch

Amazon Killed The Book Reviewer Star
by Gregory Ferenstein...This provacative article (from Tech Crunch by way of 100 Scope Notes) relates a shift in thinking regarding the relative merit of book reviews by "experts" vs book reviews by "ordinary" people...

" Authors no longer have to impress stodgy English majors to get their book a quality review: new research from the Harvard Business Review shows that the aggregate rating of Amazon reviewers are every bit as good as professional book critics.

Professional book critics, on the other hand, suffer from nepotism: critics give more favorable reviews to their colleagues, authors who agree with their ideological slant, and if the book has been given an award by other critics. The result, implies this new research, is that Amazon has democratized the book reviewing process, with consumer reviewers less beholden to special interests and more representative of the book-reading masses. Perhaps most importantly, it rebuts critics who have claimed that Amazon is nothing more than a cauldron of corrupt and uneducated opinions." → Read More

The ultimate reviewers for our books are kids and dog lovers of all ages...The readers in the photo are in teacher Julie Hauck's therapy reading dog program -- Pages for Preston -- at the Longfellow School in Sheboygan, WI.

We are feeling quite upbeat after reading Mr Ferenstein's article... take a look at our Amazon Reviews for PlanetOfTheDogs

...................................

From Elizabeth Bird, Librarian (NYPL), and Fuse#8 blogger ....

"The Children's Literary Salon is pleased to announce our June 2nd program at 2:00:

 

A Conversation with the Children's Book Illustrators Group (CBIG) 

 Formed in 1987 by a group of Brooklyn illustrators to share publishing information and industry

experiences, The Children's Book Illustrators Group brings together artists with an interest in producing exceptional artwork and books for children...
 This Salon will be held in the Berger Forum on the second floor of the Stephen A Schwarzman Building (located at the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue). "
 

..................

If you have  a snoring dog, take a look at the article by Kim Boatman in PetsBlogs  entitled 

What Snoring Says About Your Dog's Health...Here is an excerpt:
 

"Does your dog's snoring keep you up at night? 'We seem to put up with dog snoring more than spouse snoring," says Dr.Bernadine Cruz, a Laguna Hills, Ca, veterinarian and natiopnally recognized expert in companion animal health.

Your dog's snoring, however, is more than an annoyance; it may be an indication of a wide range of health problems..."

The article goes on to list five common causes of snoring, veterinarian advice, and a neat idea about using a smartphone to video the snoring dog for analysis by a vet.

...................................

 

A Dogster friend shared this information with me. Loosing a dog can be a traumatic loss; my friend found the Empty Leash after the passing of her beloved dog.  

"The Hospice group is called the Empty Leash and there is a website for it www.emptyleash.com, so you can read various things and see some pictures. We have a Wall of Love, with pictures of our beloved friends who have passed and also new pets that we have in our family.

There is a grief format going through the stages of grief, and memorials with the members who are ready...It is all very simple and respectful, but I think that's what people need at a time of loss." 
......................................

 Lille and Dusty continue working to help in the fight against children with Cancer....

 

 

These are photos from the Hope and Heroes fundraising get-together and walk. Over $330,000 was raised; over 1600 people attended.
Therapy dog owner Barb Babikian, who has been actively working with children with cancer for some time now, has also played a very active role in the Hope and Heroes Children's Cancer Fund campaign.

  The fund benefits the innovative and compassionate clinical care programs and cutting edge research at Columbia University Medical Center.  Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. 

Barb Babikian's two Sheltie therapy dogs,Lille and Dusty,are in the photo on the left.

 

....................................

PAL

We first learned of the wonderful therapy dog work of PAL (People Animals Love) through Young Adult Librarian, Ginny Rawls, at the Alexandria, VA, library. We wrote in our March post how PAL's Paws To Read  volunteers bring the world of books to kids. 

PAL's therapy dog programs (321 volunteers) also bring good moments, happiness and healing to those in need in the greater Washington, DC, area.

The Voice of America, a dynamic international multimedia broadcaster, chose PAL for a story on the powerful effect dogs can have on people. This video highlights interactions of PAL members, their therapy dogs,staff members and residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, where PAL has been visiting for more than 20 years. Check out this video: Video Link:Veterans

......................................................

  Read Sample Chapters of the Planet Of The Dogs Series at:                         www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favoriteindependent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 Therapy reading dog owners, librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs...write us at barkingplanet@aol.com and we will send you free reader copies of books from the Planet of the Dogs Series.

Read Dog Books to Dogs....Ask any therapy reading dog: "Do you like it when the the kids read dog books to you?"

...............................................

 

Monday Pets: Biological Evidence That Dog is Man’s Best Friend

By Jason G. Goldman

This article contains information on studies involving eye contact as well as oxytocin. I have excerpted a section below to provide some sense of the article.

About the Author: Jason G. Goldman is a graduate student in developmental psychology at the University of Southern California, where he studies the evolutionary and developmental origins of the mind in humans and non-human animals. Jason is also Psychology and Neuroscience Editor for ResearchBlogging.org and Editor of Open Lab 2010.

"Some evidence exists that dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, and until now, humans have only succeeded in domesticating around 20 different animal species. Compared with those other species (such as sheep, goats, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, and camels), only dogs (and to some extent, cats, though at the risk of alienating readers, I maintain that cats are evil) have established for themselves a social niche within human society. Dogs were not only bred for companionship; some dogs were bred for hunting, guarding, or herding. More recently, dogs have worked as service dogs or drug-sniffing dogs. The question remains: Why do dogs have such apparent psychological effects on humans?"

One hypothesis claims that humans develop positive feelings and behaviors towards dogs as a side-effect of a mechanism in place that forms the bond between parents and children. Attachment, or social bonding, is a sort of behavioral regulation system that exists to reduce the risk of harm (e.g. predation) to a young animal..."{
Here is the link to the complete article: JasonDogs 

The dogs shown here are from The Planet Of The Dogs Books 

.....................................

Dogs Reduce Stress On the Job...

Dogs in the workplace are beginning to make a positive difference. June 22 has become “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” developed first in 1999. It is sponsored by the Pet Sitters International.

A preliminary study that was published in the March issue of the International Journal of Workplace Health Management reported that dogs in the workplace reduce the impact of stress during the workday. Studies show dogs in the workplace reduce stress and create an enjoyable and satisfying job experience. At one time, many places were off-limits to dogs … today they are more than welcome as part of a growing trend. Most companies see it as an “employee-friendly” move that is good for business, according to the Sacramento Beeonline newspaper.

According to the study manager Professor Randolph Barker, employees with dogs reported less stress as the day progressed, while those without dogs reported an increase in stress. Meanwhile, the dogs appeared to increase employee interaction and communication, much more than businesses that did not allow dogs to be present with their owners. :Link: waycooldogs

.................................

Doggonia...A Unique experience for Dog Lovers and Kids

Eric Whollem has created Doggonia. On YouTube, you can see the Doggonia postage stamps, map, and learn something of the history.

Another video celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Doggonian Archeological Museum.

Bones are the currency on Doggonia.

 

.................................................

Dafi Dog

Dafi, our wonderful family dog and friend has returned to the Planet of the Dogs.

Dafi served as inspiration for the Planet Of The Dogs books. His likeness can be found as Buddy, one of the first three dogs to come to planet earth; he was also the  model for Billie, one of the heroic dogs in Castle In The Mist.Dogs

Dafi was a Belgian Shepherd Groenendael, a wonderful breed. His younger step brother, Nemo, is now our family dog. Dafi lived a good life. He will be missed.

...................................................

Librarians, Teachers and others concerned with kids and reading will enjoy visiting Doug Johnsonson's Blue Skunk Blog.... Doug is an educator, techologist,  and writer with attitude and insights.In a recent Blog regarding the top 20 Books Read Among High Schooers, Johnson casts a skeptical eye on the uses (and abuses) of reading scoring.  Here is a quote from his website:

Internet Serenity Prayer
Technologist, grant me…
the Serenity to accept that not everything can be found on the Internet…
the Courage to go to the Library…
and the Wisdom to evaluate the information I do find. 

..................................

The Good Dogma Company

In 2009 Lisa had a book nationally published, Bad To The Bone: Memoir Of A Rebel Doggy Blogger (Kensington Books/ Citadel), which chronicles family life through a dog's eyes. (I reviewed this special book on Amazon and here on our Blog)

Lisa is a dog lover and has several rescued dogs in her family.

She now has a site where you can buy special dog things, wine and even a guide to selling your house...A portion of every sale goes to dog rescue. Here is the link: GoodDogma 

 .....................................

......................................

CAMPAIGN FOR THE AMERICAN READER

I first met Marshall Zeringue, Author, Playwrite, Producer and Blogger extraordinary when I was a guest on his Coffee with a Canine Blog.In additon to being an advocate for coffe drinking dog lovers and dog writers, he is the force behind the Campaign For The American Reader. Here is Marshall's rationale for this excellent Blog:

"The goal of this blog is to inspire more people to spend more time reading books. I'll try to do that by shining a little light on books that I like and think others might find worthy of their time and attention.

I'll also ask some interesting people about what books they find interesting or useful.
Most of us don’t need any encouragement to read more—we need more time. 
Yet encouragement does work for many people; and if you doubt that claim, I have two syllables for you: O-prah.
And it’s not only Oprah, who created regular readers out of a mulitude of the otherwise idle, who has this power. Many of us read what we read because someone recommended it to us."

If you care about books and reading, I suggest a visit...Here is the link to the Campaign For The American Reader: Read

..............................................

Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog....Barb Techel, author of the inspiring Frankie books for young readers, and her friend Cassy Tully, ran a contest resulting in this dog wall. 

In Barb's own words..."We sponsored a contest called, 'Be Creatively You.' We sent out a letter to all our local third grade teachers encouraging their students to be creative and design an outfit for Frankie.  We were so tickled at the wonderful response and better yet, the design entries that we received.  On Friday, April 17th we announced the grand prize winner, plus second and third place. Grand prize winner will receive lots of Frankie books and goodies, plus a visit to her classroom from Cassy, Frankie and I.

......................................

 

Man's Best Friend

Planet of the Dogs: K-9s Groom Humans as Personal Well-Being Tools

 

by Chad Love

If you ever stop for a second and think about it, I mean really think about it, I believe you'd come to the conclusion that there's not a damn thing a dog can't be trained to do, and do it better than pretty much anything else out there. Dogs can find people buried under tons of rubble, they can sniff out bombs and
drugs, they can be trained to detect cancer, pick up shed antlers, help guide the blind, I mean, the list literally goes on forever. And although they do seem to lack our devious cunning and handy extra digit, dogs are our superiors in virtually every other way imaginable. We may be the "masters" in this eons-old relationship, but who's really controlling whom here?

According to some recent research, dogs have evolved not so much to please us, but to groom us as their personal well-being tools.

Link: ChadLove

The dog in the illustration above is from Snow Valley Heroes.

............................................

 

Soldier Dogs, the untold story of America’s Canine Heroes...a review by Ariel Wulff

"The author touches briefly on the history of military dogs, with a fascinating explanation of how the program came into existence, and how it has changed during the course of U.S. wars. She travels to Lackland Air Force Base where today's dogs receive their training to be scouts, detection dogs, security sentries and a soldier's best friend...

Goodavage delves into the relationship between dog and handler, their cooperative reliance and the bonds they form. She gives a remarkably touching description of how handler and dog come to care for one another. She makes the book..." 

Follow this link to read all of the review: SoldierDogs

 

 

 

 

Follow this link to learn more about reviewer, author, illustrator/artist, blogger and passionate dog activist Cayr Ariel Wulff: Wulff 

.....................................

 

A Shy Aussie Stray is Caught and Saved ...one of many true dog rescue stories on Sunbear Squad, a site that teaches and guides people who see a dog in distress, danger, lost...."I saw a small black aussie mix on the way to my daughter's place. Each time I went out there I would see her beside the road, so one day I decided to try to approach her. She bolted. The next time I went, I brought food and just threw handfuls along the roadside and then pulled off the road not far away and with binoculars ready, I waited. After 30 minutes, she started grazing on the food.

I fed her the same way for a couple of weeks every day. Then I got some bowls and started feeding in the same spot every day. It was only about 20 feet off a busy road, but that's where she was hanging out. After a week had passed, she started hanging around the food bowl waiting for me, but when I pulled off the road she would retreat farther back into the woods. I would give her clean water and food and go back to the car and watch. She always came to eat when I was far enough for her to feel safe..."

Here is the link to read all of this true story: Sunbear

........................................

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -- Andy Rooney

..........................................

Hunger Games and Dogs, Books and Kids

Keeping one's humanity and surviving...

If your younger sister's life is at stake and you have survival skills, how to you plot a way to prevail when there are others who would kill you? How can you stop violence without violence? The dilemma for Katniss and Peeta in the post-apocalyptic world of the Hunger Games has been a problen for people for millennium.

Dealing with these classic issues, the Hunger Games has resonated far beyond the Young Adult (YA) world for whom it was written...Over 17.5 million copies have been sold and the movie is breaking all-time box office records...

Our readers are younger, but the problem of dealing with violence and possible death remain. If your life and your land are threatened by warrior invaders, what do you do?

The solutions in the Planet Of The Dogs series, however, are nonviolent. The dogs bring peace to the land through cleverness, courage and love and by appealing to the humanity of powerful people by exploiting their vulnerability...The dog's success is quite plausible.

Final Thought: It's too bad no dogs were there to help Katniss...

........................

 

 A Quote to Live By

  “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.” 

- By Kofi Annan (Ghanaian diplomat, secenth secretary-genearl of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.)

LitWorld's Gala 2012...A celebration --  starting 20 new Lit Clubs worldwide...bringing literacy to children everywhere and changing lives through books...

Thursday, May 10 ~ 6:30-9pm

The Metropolitan Pavilion

Metropolitan Suite, 2nd Floor,123 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011

  .................................

The Joy of Children's Literature...This is the site of book lover Denise Johnson... "I am a professor of children's literature and literacy methods courses at The College of William & Mary. I enjoy reading, writing, and talking about books with children, teachers and anyone who will listen (so please, share your thoughts with me!)." 
Bookmobile Blues...
Here is an excerpt from a current post from Ms Johnson;a nostalgic commentary commentary/tribute to books, librarians and reading. Here is thelink:bookmobileBlues 

"Do you remember the bookmobile? I do. Last year (in this post), I recounted the story of how I loved the library when I was growing up in Louisville, KY. It wasn't long, however, that my mother moved us to a very small town far away from the gorgeous library I loved. The library in the small town was a long way from where we lived and we didn't have a car and there was no public transportation. Not to fear---the bookmobile came by every week! I loved the bookmobile. I remember climbing the steps, smelling the books that filled the tight space, and looking through the small collection to make my selection each week.  

Needless to say, the story that appeared yesterday on NPR, The Final Chapter for a Trusty Bookmobile?, brought back all of those memories. Especially since there is a bookmobile that has been abandoned close to my house as well..."

................................................. 

The photo on the left is of Deanna Leah, HBG Productions, hard at work representing foreign language rights of authors to publishers around the world. She is seen here at the 2012 London Book Fair. 

Deanna has now completed contract negotiations for the Planet Of The Dogs Series with Beijing Chongxianguan Books Co., Ltd. We will soon have more news on this development.

....................

Read Sample Chapters of the Planet Of The Dogs Series at www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite independent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 Therapy reading dog owners, librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs...write us at barkingplanet@aol.com and we will send you free reader copies of books from the Planet of the Dogs Series.

Read Dog Books to Dogs....Ask any therapy reading dog: "Do you prefer it when the the kids read dog books  to you?"

 ..........................................

                  

I received this email from therapy dog owner Barb Babikian regarding Hopes and Heroes. I have always admired her therapy dog work and been touched by photos of her dogs with children who have cancer; the photo on the left is of Lille and her friend, Sienna. 

Dear Family and Friends, 

I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund - and I need your generous support. With the volunteer work that I do with Lille & Dusty I meet many children battling this terrible disease. The innovative and compassionate clinical care programs and cutting edge research they are funding at Columbia University Medical Center is nationally recognized and respected. I urge you to visit their website for more information.

It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause by making your tax-deductible donation online using the link below. If you would prefer, you can send your contribution to the address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help, $5, $10 - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Sincerely,
Barbara Babikian

To make a donation online, visit my personal page.Hopes

 (Barking Planet made a donation; perhaps you can, too)
 
To send a donation, mail to:

Barbara Babikian
P.O. Box 384
Sugar Loaf, NY 10981-0384

Make all checks payable to: Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund

 ........................................

More Wars in the Book World...Jason Boog, editor of Galley Cat, writes:

 "The Department of Justice has sued Apple and publishers for allegedly colluding to set eBook prices. Apple, Macmillan and Penguin will fight the suit in court; HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette have settled with the government.

In court documents, DOJ attorneys alleged that Apple and five major publishers engaged in a “substantial” conspiracy as they set up the agency model for eBook pricing–including deleting emails “to avoid leaving a paper trail.”

To read all of this article, follow this link: GalleyCat

In response,Scott Turow, president of the Authors Guild made the following statement:"The settlement provides a gigantic obstacle to Amazon’s competitors in the e-book business by allowing Amazon to function without making a profit, something that leaves that market forbidding to anyone else who might think of entering, and a bad business for those already there. Today’s low Kindle book prices will last only as long as it takes Amazon to re-establish its monopoly..." Read all at: Turow

............................................ 

           
............................................

 

UP on the WOOF

Ariel Wulf is a non-stop advocate working to raise awareness and stop dog abuse.She has wriiten a series of articles for Up on the Woof on topics ranging from the the cruelty of Puppy Mills to dog abuse on Craig's List...Here are excerpts  from current posts....

" I employ a certain type of advocacy for “Free Pet” ads I come across on Craigslist –emailing the advertisers with a list of specific dangers. A quarter of them don’t respond. The other three quarters usually write back that they had no idea about the dangers. That usually opens an email conversation about what other options they have. I always fully expect to get nasty emails in return, but that has never happened....

 ...Last month, Facebook and the ASPCA worked together to put an end to ads for puppy mills on Facebook Marketplace. I wrote an article about it for Pet Pardons News, and while I was researching it, an interesting fact came to my attention.

The ASPCA commissioned a poll that found while most Americans have heard of puppy mills and say they wouldn’t buy a dog that came from one, most Americans also believe that the dogs in pet stores come from legitimate sources. Many people also mistakenly think that anti-puppy mill campaigns are about the puppies.

Think about the word mill for a minute. Two of the definitions of “mill” are: A factory where something is  manufactured and, To grind, crush, or pulverize ...Definitely worth a read by dog lovers and and decent people everywhere"....Here's the link : UpOnTheWoof

..............................................

Tender Loving Canines (TLCAD ), an outstanding therapy dog center, were among the winners of a Planet Dog Foundation grant. They serve the San Diego Area. They focus primarily on three areas of therapy dog training and help: Wounded WarriorService Dogs; Autism Service Dogs, and Facility Service Dogs. Their site is extremly well written and has excellent photos. Their link,TLCAD, is above.

Here is a brief excerpt from their site: ..".For a Wounded Warrior, the transition from combat back into society as we know it, can be daunting. The hyper vigilance and hyper reactivity to situations, sensations, sounds and smells that kept them alive in the war zone no longer have a place and are generally considered unacceptable. By utilizing a trained dog, many of the fight or flight reactions that return home with the veteran can be gradually modulated and even, over time, extinguished..."

The Planet Dog Foundation -- link:PDF -- contributes "through a grant-making program designed to financially support 501(c)(3) not-for-profit partners across the U.S. The goal of our grant program is to fund programs that train, place and support dogs helping people in need. Funding is allocated nationwide to promote and financially support service-oriented canine programs such as assistance dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue programs or police, fire and military dogs. " Follow the link to learn more.  

....................................

An announcement from Elizabeth Bird, NYPL Children's Librarian...

 The Children's Literary Salon at  the New York Public Library, on May 5, presents:

Books for Children Around the World - A Global Conversation

 

Hear a panel of international authors discuss the worldwide state of children's literature and publishing.  Constance Vidor, Director of Library Services at Friends Seminary, will begin with an overview of the International Board on Books for the Young.  A panel discussion will follow between Sharon Elswit, the anthologist of The Jewish Story Finder and The East Asian Story Finder, and Israeli Pnina Moed Kass, the author of Real Time, translated into German & French, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Sydney Taylor. Rebecca Linde the Director of Sponsorship and Marketing of the New York International Children's Film Festival, will end the afternoon with a peek into this year’s Film Festival.

This free event will take place in the Berger Forum on the second floor of New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (located at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue). 

............................................

 

Toby's Tails by Susan Keefe -- The life of a Border Collie on a farm in France

This warm and caring book is narrated by a puppy during his first year of life on a working farm wherein he meets all kinds of critters, both on the farm and in the fields. From goats to chickens, there are always new discoveries. Fortunately, Toby is mentored by Lucky, an older dog, a Golden retriever, who guides him throughout his adventures. Black and white photo illustrations support the story. I feel that urban parents, especialyl, will find this to be good read aloud book for introducing kids to a dog's world and daily life on a family farm. This true story of 200 pages is based on the author's experiences and the real life adventures of Toby, the dog.  

Susan also has a pet world website, designed with caring and affection, for younger kids: http://www.yourpetsmagazine.com/

...................................

Free Nextdoor Social Media Helps Find Lost Pets...a good news article on Nancy Houser's Website about a valuable free service.

"There is a free social media for U.S. neighborhoods called Nextdoor.com that has not only helped people but countless lost pets to find their way home. Nextdoor was launched nationwide in October of 2011,  reuniting hundreds of lost pets with pet owners.  They have 1,600 neighborhood websites and and are located in 46 states..." Here is the link to read all the article: WayCoolDogs 

Way Cool Dogs is filled with dog news,  canine health information, dog stories and more...an important source for dog lovers.

............................................

Pet Partners...Helping Children Read

"Thousands of Pet Partners teams across the country participate ina variety of reading programs for
children in libraries, schools andbookstores. The concept is simple: Let a child read aloud to a dog rather than to a teacher, parent or classmates. In this way, a reluctant reader is able to pursue the activity with more self-confidence and without fear of making mistakes in front of people, making iteasier to concentrate on the task at hand.

Pioneering research done during the 2000-01 school year by Intermountain Therapy Animals of Salt Lake City, Utah,demonstrated that children participating in their R.E.A.D.®(Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program achieved great gains in their reading ability. In that study, children who read to dogs weekly throughout the school year showed significant improvement in their reading skills.The number of Pet Partners participating in R.E.A.D.,Reading with Rover,SM and other reading programs is significant and growing...."

To read more about the work of Delta Society Pet Partners, click this link: PetPartners

The Pet Partner dog in the photo is Lynn Michalson's  MacKenzie...to see Mackenzie and other therapy dogs at work in a heartening video, visit this link: HealingDogs

......................................................

 

Sunbear Squad is dedicated to providing information, materials and inspiration to animal lovers...teaching people of good will what to do if they see an abandoned or injured dog. 

Sunbear Squad features Rescue Stories wherein the good side of Human nature ultimately prevails...Here is the true story of a traffic accident and a dog rescue...

"One day I was driving in Houston TX with my dog Rutger riding in the back of my SUV and I had an accident. I was knocked out, and when I came to, I turned and saw that Rutger was not in the SUV anymore. Most of the windows were smashed and I assume he got out through a window. The vehicle was lying on its passenger side, so I climbed out of the driver's side window and stood on the vehicle looking around the highway for my dog. I didn't know how long I was knocked out, but all the traffic was stopped as I was part of a multi-car pileup and I could see that some police were just now approaching the scene. There was an ambulance trying to thread its way through the stopped traffic also..." Here is the link to the rest of this story: SUNBEAR

............................................

"There is honor in being a Dog." -- Aristotle (384 B.C.- 324B.C.) RHETORIC

......................................................................................................................

...................................

 

 

 

Stone City, Books, Dogs and Kids

Stone City was built on violence.

After decades of suffering from invaders,The Stone City warriors became horsemen. Their horses gave them geat advantage.

Historians have written extensively of the role of the horse in conquest through the centuries...

The Sycthians conquered and pillaged throughout a vast area in Central Asia, eluding larger armies with their horses. Mounted soldier were fundemental to the Persian conquests and the sweeping armies of Alexander the great. The conquests across Asia, Russia, the Near East and much of Europe by the Mongols depended on their horses.

 Based on historical precedent, horses play vital roles in the Planet of the Dogs series.

When mounted warrior tribes threaten the farmers of Green Valley and conquer the land of the Forest people, it is up to the dogs to stop them in a non-violent way.  

 ..................................

from The New Yorker Magazine

BEWARE OF THE DOGS

Can New York’s canine units keep the city safe from terrorism?

by Burkhard Bilger (2-27-2012)...A excellent, fascinating report that focuses on the dogs relationship with their trainers as well as their exceptional talent for finding explosives and illegal drugs and their ability to to pursue and overcome dangerous people...

An interesting quote fom the article by former policeman and current Canine Dog trainer Richard Smith: " The only thing two dog trainers can agree about is what the third trainer is doing wrong."

An excellent video can be found on the New Yorker website: "In this video, Officer Wayne Rothschild discusses his bond with his partner—a German shepherd named Danz—and instructs Danz to leap over hurdles and climb obstacles in one of the N.Y.P.D.’s canine training courses, on Roosevelt Island."  Here is the link:http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/02/video-the-dog-squad.html

The dog seen above is not a police helper; he came from the Planet Of The Dogs long, long ago.

.......................................

Paws to Read in the Alexandria Library

Based on her experiences as Young Adult Librarian in Alexandria, Va, Ginny Rawls is a therapy reading dog enthusiast.  It was most heartening to read about the reading dog related activities she has initiated. I share with you her response to my request for information about her programs and experiences ...

"In our central library we have the Paws to Read program for kids in grades 1-6. Currently, we have 4-5 dog volunteers who come twice a month with their humans to listen to the kids read. The children are excited, happy, and love reading to dogs.

Sometimes, they want to expose the dog to their favorite stories or have asked if it's ok to read to them about cats and tigers. I tell them that it's a good idea for dogs to know as much about cats as possible. Sometimes, they do read about dogs, though. I display several dog books in our storyroom during the program and each dog has a bookmark with a photo and information about the dog breed, favorite foods, activities, and the dog's favorite book...
Our volunteers come through a wonderful organization, PAL  (People. Animals. Love) in DC.   They provide therapy dogs for a number of organizations, assisted-living homes, and libraries in the DC metro area. Tracy Baetz, one of the volunteers, makes the bookmarks with a photo and information about the breed, where they were born, favorite activities and foods, and of course, each dog's favorite book. There is aslso contact information about the library and information about PAL. " Tracy Baetz also took these photos.

 

 

 ....................................

 

More Turmoil in the Book World

How EDC Plans to Sell More Books After Dropping Amazon...

I saw this headline from DigitalBookWorld and wondered what it meant. EDC sells over 1500 children's book titles. They own Usborne. Usborne sells books in people's homes...but why drop Amazon?

 Here are excerpts from the article by By Jeremy Greenfield, Editorial Director, Digital Book World

The Educational Development Corp...plans to increase its sales by abandoning the major online retailer,according to the company’s CEO...

According to White, the company will more than make up for the loss of those Amazon sales in 2012 through rival booksellers and through the company’s network of sales representatives...

White said that bookstores lose sales of EDC books through customers checking book prices independently on Amazon after browsing in the store...

White also expects to see a marked increase in revenue from books sold directly through the company’s network of sales reps, which struggles against Amazon as a competitor in a similar way.

The 75-person company generates nearly two-thirds of its revenue from its sales force of 7,000, which is mostly made up of independent contractors who sell to their friends and acquaintances, often in their own homes at gatherings – like Tupperware parties, but with children’s books.

Many of these contractors are not professional salespeople but instead highly educated mothers who want to make some extra money on the side but don’t want to sell cosmetics, said White.

"When someone goes to one of our gatherings and pulls out the smartphone and says, ‘well, I can get that cheaper on Amazon,’ they don’t know how to confront that sales tactic,” said White. Many sales reps quit after losing too many sales to Amazon, he said.

After the company made the announcement that it would discontinue selling books on Amazon, salespeople who had quit months earlier due to competition from the online retailer immediately called EDC to express interest in selling again, according to White...Here is the link to read it all: DBW

.............................................

Nancy Houser recently posted two very disturbing articles on Way Cool Dogs. Here are excerpts and links... 

Orders at Fort Bliss Force Removal of PTSD Service Dogs

"...The PTSD program in Fort Bliss was designed in July 2007 as a specialized treatment facility, specializing for soldiers who had PTSD yet still wished to remain in the Army. An Army that no longer wants them,  now that two wars are over and lives are lost and ruined. Service dogs that have saved lives of soldiers with PTSD are no longer wanted, to be placed in shelters and put down...." Here is the link to this very alarming article: PTSD

Shock Collars...

"As time goes on, we are becoming more and more aware that shock collar use is everywhere.  If it wasn’t bad enough to be tied up outside alone day after day, many dogs are tied with bark collars so they are silenced if they even try to speak with or ask for attention from a passerby.

It has come to our attention that many boarding kennels use shock collars as standard procedure without a dog owners permission or knowledge.   Places that we believed were safe havens for lost or abandoned animals, rescues and shelters, will use shock collars on  fearful and confused dogs and have shock collar trainers come in to ‘teach them manners’.

The local shock collar pusher in our neighborhood will sell a shock collar to anyone to use on dogs and pups of any age, breed or temperament"...Here is the link to this disturbing and informative article: WayCoolDogs.  
...........................

Read Sample Chapters of all our books at www.planetofthedogs.net

TAll books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite independent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 Therapy reading dog owners, librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs...write us at barkingplanet@aol.com and we will send you free reader copies of books from the Planet of the Dogs Series.

Ask any therapy reading dog do you prefer it when then the kids read dog books ? 

 .....................................

 and the Perfect Puppy...
When I read that someone can tell me how to raise the perfect puppy, I am somewhat skeptical. However, I try to  keep an open mind. The article on the perfect puppy appeared in Forbes, a rather conservative publication. The article was based on an interview with Dr. Ian Dunbar.  

Have you heard of Dr. Dunbar? Apparently, he is quite famous... Wikipedia says: "In 1980 Dr. Ian Dunbar founded Sirius Dog Training,^[3] the first off-leash training program specifically for puppies.^[4] The program emphasizes the importance of teaching bite inhibition, early socialization, temperament training, and simple solutions for common and predictable behavior problems, as well as basic household manners, to dogs under six months of age"....This was the headline in Forbes...

The Dr. Spock of the Dog World Reveals the Secrets of Training the Perfect Puppy by Allen St.John ...
"(Dr Dunbar) On the 30^th anniversary of Dunbar’sSan Francisco-based Sirius Dog training, graciously discussed the state of the art in dog training in this two-part interview. In part one he emphasizes the crucial importance of early training and the important role that a breeder should play in puppy socialization. In part two, he’ll discuss the nuts-and-bolts of dog training, from his controversial stance on dog dominance to his belief that biting is not only good, it’s essential..." To read it all, and learn what Sirius Dog Training believes is essential, follow this link: Dunbar

The dogs in the illustration are from Planet Of The Dogs. They had a very happy puppy life and were the first dogs to come to Green Valley to teach people about loyalty and love and to help save the local people from invasion by the Stone City Warriors.

......................

Foreign Rights 

Deanna Leah of HBG Productions and the International Publisher's Alliance is currently negotiating a contract for the Chinese rights to The Planet of the Dogs Series. As matters progress we will publish more information on this excellent development.  Deanna represent foreign rights sales for all Barking Planet Productions books.

Deanna will soon be traveling to The London Book Fair, 16-18 April, the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels.
................................ 

                
...............................................

 From Fear to Friendship...

Michele Leckner, retired after 30 years of teaching, continues to help children learn with her therapy reading dog Rory. Michele and Rory are members of the Nor'wester Canine Assisted Learning Program in Buck's County, PA.(Rory looks like many of the dogs who play imortant roles in the Planet Of The Dogs series. Here is part of her reply to my questions about their work with kids.  

"We gather around Rory in a carpeted reading corner, and while they are reading or discussing, students reach out and pet Rory. In our second class where we started Planet of the Dogs, we take turns reading and discussing our book. Rory, is the perfect "prop" for the book. On our first day, many questions and comments about dogs were generated.

I have one anecdote, as we are not too far into our class visits yet,
regarding the "dog" factor. A young lady in one class is from a foreign country where dogs run wild and are feared, so initially she was afraid of Rory. I was concerned about this, but my therapy dog mentors assured me that they had encountered situations like this before and the students always ended up loving their canine friends. On our second week in class, the fearful student asked if she could pet Rory and tentatively reached out to touch her and sat on the floor within inches from Rory. Our third week, her teacher reported when we arrived that she couldn't wait for us to get to class!" 

........................................

Ohmidog is an interesting, lively, well written website for all dog lovers...the man who makes it happen, John Woestendiek, is the author of the book Dog, Inc, the disturbing investigative report story of dog cloning. Here is what he says about his ohmidog site...

  " Ohmidog.com is the web domain of John Woestendiek, a former newspaper reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner who, after blogging about dogs and animals for the Baltimore Sun, decided to unleash himself from the newspaper and go out on his own.(the photo is of John and his friend, Dace)

    The result was ohmidog! – a website that covers dog-related news and happenings in Baltimore and around the world.  In the narrowest sense, this website is about the mutt — the kind of dog that has no pedigree and will win no beauty contest; the kind of dog that, more often than its purebred counterparts, ends up abandoned, neglected or in shelters; the dog that, while it doesn’t fit under neat “breed” labels, is clearly one of a kind...

Our intent is to provide interesting and important information to dog owners, dog lovers and animal welfare activists everywhere. We see ourselves as an alternative to the mainstream news media, which, in our opinion, has never taken dogs, and the dog-human relationship, seriously enough. We strive to be a dog website that presents more than a steady diet of feel-good, fluffy, cutesy pet and animal stories. When horrid things happen to dogs, we will write about it because those stories, too, need to be told..."

 Here is the link to  ohmidog.   
.......................................................... 

 

If you want delightful dogs from Yelodoggie, Cayr Wulff's original dog lover's artwork, link to her video....there is nothing quite like it...click the YouTube link and you'll see what I mean...yelodoggievideo

         
                         

 

 

.........................................

               

Dafi and Nemo in the field...our family dogs...trained by Meri.

...........................

Sunbear Squad is dedicated to providing information, materials and inspiration to animal lovers...teaching people of good will what to do if they see an abandoned or injured dog. 

Rescue an animal in distress...

Prepare now to help animals in need. Animal abuse, neglect, and distress is epidemic, is often institutionally supported, and is worldwide. You may find animals in distress in your own neighborhood. Be prepared to take reasonable, safe action to help them. Sunbear needed help and didn't get it; he died tragically from neglect. This site is dedicated to his memory to encourage you to be a Good Samaritan.

Become informed; learn what to do for an animal in distress...Visit SunbearSquad.

....................................

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." -- Gene Hill

..................................

Non-Violence, Dogs, Kids and Books

               

 Imagine this...you have never seen a dog, perhaps you have heard about them, but never seen one.

The time is long ago... most people are farmers, fishermen, hunters or traders. Very few have seen a dog. 

There is abundance in the land, the waters and the forests. 

 However, there are also invaders, warrior tribes, ruthless conquerors who sweep through the lands bringing chaos and pain.

Imagine the difference a dog would mean to a family, a settlement or a tribe. Or to a child. Dogs could provide comfort, solace, warning and protection. 

 Prince Ukko, leader of the Black Hawk Tribe, the invaders and conquerors  of the Forest people, is living in the Castle in the Mist.

Neither the Prince nor any of the Black Hawk Tribe had ever seen a dog.

Until the howling began. Initially, there were only three dogs. And then came the snows of winter...and more dogs. The ancestors of all kinds of dogs.  Dogs who could run in the snow, see in the misty forest, see in a snow storm...dogs who were relentess, aggresive, but non-violent. 

The Black Hawk Tribe were violent men, seasoned by conquest. They had kidnapped Bik's children and were provoking war with the Stone City Warriors. 

This is the background, the setting, for young readers of Castle In The Mist. The challange is whether the dogs can free the children and therby prevent war. 

When our readers grow older, they will read books, see movies, and play computer games where violence prevails. Massive violence. Much like the history of man has been. Much like our world is today.

We hope that some memory of the dogs and non-violence stays with them.

 .........

Lit World is a leading advocate and driving force that promotes reading and literacy world wide..."LitWorld's mission is to use the power of story to cultivate literary skill in the world's most vulnerable children through Education, Advocacy and Innovation."

A question for all to ponder...Lit World has a video "What Would the World be like if Everyone Could Read"... check it out via this link: READ

LitWorld sponsors World Read Aloud Day...the date this year is March 7  Visit LitWorld and learn how you can participate in this very special event.

.........................................

Delta Society Pet Partners...an incredible story 

Over a Million poeple... of all ages, and under a wide array of cicumstances, were helped last year by Delta Society Pet Partners. From those in their last days of life to children learning to read, therapy dogs and their owners brought healing, inspiration, and hope...over a million. 
THere is the Delta Society mission statement: "Our Purpose for Existing (is) to help lead the world in advancing human health and well being through positive interactions with animals."

Ninety percent of their 11,000 members are dog owners. That's lot of trained dogs and owners helping adults and children to have a better life.

Here is a telling excerpt from an article on Pet Partners helping veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome...In a report from one veteran's hospital, therapy dog teams had visited with several female veterans, as well as soldiers who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Cathleen Benson (a nurse) was amazed at the interactions the teams evoked. 

“Even patients that acted at first like they didn’t care, eventually they were sucked in. It was like an automatic thing; they couldn’t stay away from the dog. I have seen female vets with PTSD — they won’t reach out and talk to too many people, but when the dog comes they’ll get down on the ground to hold and pet the dog and really open up.”

“People go to a very dark place with PTSD,” says Lynn, also a nurse. “The relief of having the dog come in takes them to a bright place fora few minutes.”  
Here is the link to read more: Delta

The dog in the illustration is Lucy from the Planet Of The Dogs series.
...............................

 Therapy Reading Dogs:

"Kids reading to dogs is one of the best motivation tools I have ever used in teaching kids to read."--Sarah Simmons, So. Colby Elementary School, Port Orchard, Washington. 

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series. We will also send complimentary reader copies to librarians and teachers with  therapy reading dog programs.

We support therapy reading dogs in 15 states.

The kids in the photo are taking part  in teacher Julie Hauck's very successful Pages for Preston reading program in the Longfellow Elementary School in Sheboygan,WI.

.........

  

The Big Bookstore’s Last Stand

Survival...Barnes & Noble vs Amazon... 
Julie Bosman, In a rather ominous article in the New York Times, described Barnes & Noble dilemma in today's tumultuous world of book marketing. Here is an excerpt: 

"...Like many struggling businesses, book publishers are cutting costs and trimming work forces. Yes, electronic books are booming, sometimes profitably, but not many publishers want e-books to dominate print books. Amazon’s chief executive, Jeffrey P. Bezos, wants to cut out the middleman — that is, traditional publishers — by publishing e-books directly.

Which is why Barnes & Noble, once viewed as the brutal capitalist of the book trade, now seems so crucial to that industry’s future. Sure, you can buy bestsellers at Walmart and potboilers at the supermarket. But in many locales, Barnes & Noble is the only retailer offering a wide selection of books. If something were to happen to Barnes & Noble, if it were merely to scale back its ambitions, Amazon could become even more powerful and — well, the very thought makes publishers queasy.

“It would be like ‘The Road,’ ” one publishing executive in New York said, half-jokingly, referring to the Cormac McCarthy novel. “The post-apocalyptic world of publishing, with publishers pushing shopping carts down Broadway.”...Here is the link to read it all: Survival

.UPDATE: Barnes & Noble has announced that they will not sell books that Amazon publishes in their brick and mortar stores (over 800 in the USA). They will continue to sell books that Amazon publishes in the Barnes & Noble online store. .................................

 Read Sample Chapters of all our books at  www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite independent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

The photo is of Ruth Driewer, her Delta Society Pet Partner therapy dog, Bessie, and a young reader friend in the Wisconsin Read to Rover Program.

...........................

 

Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?...an article from PetsBlogs

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

in DOGS, HEALTH & SAFETY by Adam Cairn

"Have you ever seen your dog eating your lawn? Many dogs do it, some regular and sporadic. It’s a behavior which confuses dog owners, who struggle to understand why a dog would choose to eat grass. This post details several different theories about why dogs eat grass, as well as some ways of stopping a dog from doing it.

Fiber
Some believe that dogs eat grass when their diet is lacking in fiber. According to this wisdom, the lack of essential nutrients forces the dog to crave fiber-rich food such as grass. If this is really the case, then adding additional fiber to their diet should ensure that they stop craving the lawn."...

Continue reading Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? . . .

"PETSblogs.com is a blog for pet lovers that provides helpful information, entertaining anecdotes, pet-related news, product reviews, and a directory of the best pets blogs on the ‘Net."

..................................................

Deb Eades, author, dog activist, and our primary source of what it's like to drive many miles to a location in a strange town, put distressed dogs in your car, and then drive for hours before delivering them to the next stop on the Dog Rescue Railroad, is writing a new book: Cold Noses in the Back Seat. 

All profits from her touching and revealing first book, "Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale: Stories from the Dog Rescue Railroad",  go to dog rescues and animal shelters.  http://everyrescueddoghasatale.blogspot.com/

.......................................................

 SciFi Dogs...Haint by Joy Ward

Haint: A Tale of Extraterrestrial Intervention and Love Across Time and Space,

is for anyone who likes really good Sci-Fi and loves dogs. Joy will be in be in Chicago for the February Capricon science fiction convention and then in Memphis in March at the MidSouthcon science fiction conventions. If you should attend, introduce yourself to Joy, and tell her you are a Barking Planet reader. Joy was an early advocate of Planet Of the Dogs back when she edited the Dogster Blog, and she later introduced us to Sunbear Squad. 

Here is a quote from the book in the words of Haint, a Weimaraner, "Our essence changed their

matter. Every time a human petted us or sat with us or let us sleep on their bed, we were changing them. We exchanged our cells for theirs. It was slow, achingly slow sometimes as we watched them wage wars against each other, but we persisted. But over the centuries, humans evolved and became more like us. 

They learned to love more deeply and they learned how to trust one another. They learned that to achieve anything of size or depth takes sharing and working together. We gave them that. We brought our older, more evolved natures into contact with their newer ones, and they learned and grew."  You can read more, including my review on Amazon. The photo is of Joy's dog, Brewer.

................................

Joy Ward also led me to Blog Paws. New to me, this site is the home of the Be the Change for Pets movement, a variety of pet related posts, and where I learned of a wonderful video for all book lovers produced by TYPE Bookstore... Here is the link:  Blog Paws ... and here is an excerpt from an article about the video by Yvonne DiVita. 
It's About the Book  by Yvonne DiVita

"This video is outstanding. It's creative, unique, entertaining and inspiring. Everything a video should be. Thanks go to Michele Miller-Nelson who shared it on Facebook.

While it took a long time to make, and a lot of volunteer hands, I think it shows us how to develop something focused on a specific topic (your blog? your blog topic? your dog? your cat? your ferret?) and how to share it on YouTube. ... There really is nothing like a real book..." The Joy Of Books...real books, in a real bookstore, Type in Toronto,CA

 

....................................

Deanna Leah of HBG Productions will be representing the Planet Of The Dogs series through two associates, Danieli Doglioli and Christiane Janssen at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, March 19-22. This is the big one for children's books. We wonder to what degree the EU financial problems will affect the publishers, agents, and translators who purvey the wonders of the world of childrens books. Bon voyage Deanna, we are wagging good luck to you. Deanna represents books 

........................................

 Planet Dog Foundation...If you are motivated to help a non-profit that supports dogs in beneficial ways, PDF may be able to contribute...This is from their blog: "From the earliest days of Planet Dog, the founders were committed to creating a national grant program to make maximum impact with limited resources. As a company that celebrates all things dog and that is supported by customers who cherish their pets, Planet Dog is proud to donate 2% of every sale of any Planet Dog Product to PDF to finance the grant budget. In turn, PDF funds programs that train, place and support working dogs helping people in need.

We do this by supporting innovative, respected and effective non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to raise, train and place the dogs. In addition to cash grants, PDF receives generous donations of products from Planet Dog, which we donate to a wide range of non-profit organizations nationwide."

You can visit them and submit/nominate your favorite dog helping non-profit for a Grant. Here is the Link: PDF

..........................

Dog Lovers...I read a lovely dog profile on Ariel Wulff's Up On The Woof about living with optimism in your heart when frustration and hard times bring discouagement. 

It's entitled:Taco and the Zen of Hopeful Optimism  You'll appreciate this article if you have ever tried to express what it is that makes your dog special in your life...or if you just truly appreciate dogs. Taco is not a hero dog, nor does Taco bedazzle with tricks and cleverness. But Taco has brought Ariel the Zen of Hopeful Optimism. I found this article to be reaffirming. 

Taco, wearing orange and black, is shown here traveling with two other members of Ariel's recued dog family.

Cloning Dogs..?

On a totally different note (or bark), I read a fascinating review of author John Woestendiek's book, Dogs,Inc in Ariel's Animal Book Review column for the EXAMINER. Dog cloning, it seems, is big business. Here is an excerpt from Wulff's review:

"...The author goes beneath the superficial ideal of cloning and exposes the con men, legal battles, animal abuse, scientific fraud, and dissatisfied pet owners. Much of the story is very disturbing; from the financial exploitation of grieving pet owners to the sheer volume of animals involved to achieve the cloning of a single pet. Readers will draw their own conclusions about the ethical implications of cloning as the scientists involved reveal their true motivations: the drive to do something no one else has done, national pride,                                    and greed..."

.......

From dog health, dog surprises, dog rights, people and dogs, dog news, to dog smiles, Nancy Houser's Way Cool Dogs has it all. Here are the titles of a few recent/current articles. I rest my case.

Dealing With the Passing of Your Pet
Free Eye Examination in May for All Service Animals
Human Brain Nuerons Affected by Animals
A Dog Story: Bambi, the Little Monkey Dog
How to Raise a Therapy Dog 
Dog Apps-10 Must-Haves for Dog Owners 
And here is a Video Bonus by Nancy: Back in August, 2009. Way Cool Dogs presesented a collection of awesome videos of very smart dogs. Here's the link: WCD Smart Dogs (Highly recommended for dog lovers, kids and people who like to smile)

The dog in the photo is Chewy, one of the rescued dogs living on Nancy's Nebraska farm.

.....................................

Alice Zeitz has fostered many rescued dogs...her good deeds were repaid by her latest friend, Grace...Here is the story from Cesar's Way

Foster Dog Saves Family Home By Joe Wilkes

"Alice Zeitz of Newfane, NY decided to foster a dog before the holidays. The dog, a black mixed breed named Grace, had been left tied to a stop sign alongside her puppies and been saved by a rescue organization, the Akron Canine Rescued Angels. Zeitz had fostered about 100 dogs through the program, but didn’t realize how special Grace would be.

A couple of days before Christmas, Zeitz threw some laundry into her basement washer and dryer and headed upstairs to be with her fiancé and two children, ages 8 and 3. Before long, Grace began running to the basement and back, clearly agitated. They finally followed the barking dog down to the basement and saw that the washer had begun smoking and had caught on fire. Grace’s keen nose had smelled the smoke even before the smoke detector and she warned the family in time before any serious damage to the house or any injury to the family had occurred..."

Needless to say, Grace’s foster situation has become permanent...Link: Grace

..........................................

Dog By Nature...

This is from a blog by Michelle G with stunning photographs of Foster dogs who need a new home. Michelle posts new photographs until a worthy home is found. Here is a sample of her loving photos and the blog. Here is the link: dogbynature

Foster : Larry-Day 4

Posted on 25 Jan ’12

We were practicing our obedience commands when I captured Larry’s perfect sit-stay. He sat there until I gave him the “come” command. We are working on both hand and vocal signals. I am pleased to announce Larry has mastered “leave it” and will wait until I tell him “ok” to get a cookie inches from his nose. He really enjoys working on his commands and I want to teach him “find it” next, a game all dogs love.

Larry enjoys watching birds take a bath in the fountain. The grey on his muzzle makes me think he is about 6 years old. The rest of his fur is a luxurious deep black.

 Larry is looking for a family to love him as much as he deserves.  If you are interested in adopting a great dog into your family, please contact Homeward Bound."

..........................

   
Sunbear Squad is dedicated to providing information, materials and inspiration to animal lovers...teaching people of good will what to do if they see an abandoned or injured dog. 

Here is their current Weekly Watch information feature: Week of Feb. 19: Secondhand smoke is a threat to pets�did you know? It is even more toxic for pets than for humans because not only do they breathe the fumes, they lick the cancer-causing residue from their fur while grooming! Cats and short-nosed dogs are most affected, but all pets in smoking households are more likely to develop lung/nasal/mouth cancers and lymphoma.
...................................

 "The cat will mew and the dog will have his day" -- William Shakespeare,  Hamlet 

..................................



 

 

Winter Forests, Books, Kids and Dogs

            

The forest in winter...

Beautiful but foreboding...

I live much of the year in Finland where the land is covered in forest.

The winter forests of long, long ago were much like those today. 

The winter forest in the land of  the Forest People became the place where the soldiers would attempt to capture and destroy the dogs in Castle In The Mist. However, the soldiers and their Prince knew nothing about winter dogs nor of their ability to see -- with their nose -- in the forest mist or in the darkness.

The forest in winter became the place for the dogs to challenge the invaders. The forest  in winter became a crucial ground for non-violence, imagination, courage, and loyalty to win the day. Although the book is a fantasy adventure, it is grounded in the harsh reality of the cold winter forest.

 Warfare, invaders, and loss of freedom are all around us. It seems to have always been this way, from Alexander and ancient Rome, to Chechnya and Afghanistan today. Violence is a way of life.

I don't want to mislead our readers about non-violence in a violent world. But perhaps in our books they will see something of the possibilities for non-violence in the the "real" world, as the dogs, with their unconditional courage, loyalty, and cleverness overcome invaders, swords, and warriors on horses...and bring peace to the land.

 ................................

 

Compassion, Not Anger (this was written by Ariel Wulff in response to a well-intentioned but heavy-handed Facebook video of animal cruelty)

"Anger doesn’t motivate me - anger makes me feel washed out and exhausted and depressed, and therefore is not a useful emotion for me...It’s Compassion that motivates me, and I don’t need to be reminded of what lengths people will go to to hurt animals in order for me to feel that compassion. I feel it just seeing their beautiful eyes peering out at me from behind the bars of the shelters they are in. I feel it when I see them hanging their heads because they’ve lost hope.  And when I hear their simple stories of being left behind; of being discarded; of being betrayed by the people they’d die to protect – I feel it..." Link to read it all: Compassion

...................................

 We learned the following about Dog Stamps from Therapy Dogs United, the Eirie Pa. organization that does so much in so many ways with therapy dogs for people throughout their part of the world. 

"Dogs at Work Postage Stamps Coming

The US Postal Service is making sure the old adage "every dog has its day," reigns true with its brand

new set of "Dogs at Work" postage stamps.  The stamps depict four hard-working canines: a guide dog assisting a woman who is blind, a tracking dog on the trail of a scent, a therapy dog visiting an elderly woman in her home, and a search and rescue dog standing in a field, ready to tackle the next assignment.  The 64 cent stamp is available nationwide January 20th and is for mail weighing 2 oz.  To learn more, visit the US Postal Service's Blog. Scoops says Shakespeare got it right when Hamlet said,"The cat will mew and the dog will have his day!"

 Therapy Dogs United has photos of all their therapy dogs on their web site(click Paw Power on their site)...some of these wonderful dogs are in the photo montage below.

                

...........................................

 

Read Sample Chapters of all our books at www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite independent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

.......................................................................

Deanna Leah of HBG Productions will represent us at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, March 19 to 22. This is an international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry..."authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers, booksellers, and librarians meet to sell and buy copyright, find the very best of children's publishing and..." 

............................................................................

Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ... 

Thanks to a post by Denise Johnson on her blog The Joy of Children's Literature, I watched and was captivated by Sarah Kay on TED. Here is the link to this experience: TED...

Sarah has been writing poetry since she was 14." Now 22, Kay is a successful spoken word poet and codirects Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression). Founded by Kay in 2004, Project V.O.I.C.E. encourages people, particularly teenagers, to use spoken word as a tool for understanding the world and self, and a medium for vital expression."

And here is TED's brief description of Sarah's presentation...

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis -- from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York's Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. -- and gives two breathtaking performances of "B" and "Hiroshima."

Sarah was terrific and TED (link above) is a fascinating organization...both new to me. More resources on Denise's blog (link above) about Spoken Word Poetry and kid's books.

..........................................

Lit World is a leading advocate and driving force that promotes reading and literacy world wide..."LitWorld's mission is to use the power of story to cultivate literary skill in the world's most vulnerable children through Education, Advocacy and Innovation.

LitWorld creates resiliance building reading and writing experiences which connect and fortify communities "

LitWorld sponsors a World Read Aloud Day...the date this year is March 7...visit LitWorld and learn how you can participate in this very special event. 

....................................................

Ask any dog...do you enjoy having kids read dog stories to you?

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

We will also send complimentary reader copies to librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs.

We support therapy reading dogs in fourteen states.

The illustration is a detail from Castle In The Mist. All illustrations in the Planet Of The Dogs series are by Stella Mustanoja-McCarty.

............................................

The Children's Literary Salon at the New York Public Library  will present Connect The Dots: Who's Who? Talking Books Across Literary Borders...."How do booksellers, librarians, and bloggers discover, promote, and discuss great books for kids? How does communication between these different occupations help an author get their name out to show the value of their books to a wider public audience of readers and buyers?..Panel of people in the field , to be moderated by organizer and Children's Librarian Elizabeth Bird...Saturday, Feb 4th, 2-3 PM, Berger Forum (second floor) in the NYPL Stephen Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. 

................................................

 

 

 

 

Dog Writes Blog, Book...

Bo Knows, He Just Doesn't Listen is the website of author Horst Hoefinger, his wife, Lisa, and there talented dog, Bo. In addition to writing most of the stories, anecdotes, articles, and reviews on the site, Bo finds time to select excellent dog videos. Bo has also written an autobiography: Bad to the Bone:Memoirs of a Rebel Dog. (We previously recommend this book...here is an excerpt from our Amazon review...

"Written by a cheeky dog, this clever book has plenty of humor; however, it also deals, with caring and affection, with the fundamental issues in life. Imagine a well written and often poignant memoir of family life, from the point of view of a salty, but loving dog; a dog with a zest for life, a sense of humor, and a fearless honesty..."
Link: BoKnows 

..................................

More Videos: 
Nancy Hauser's Blog is filled with articles concerning dog health, rescue, insights, humor and other relevant information for dog lovers. A recent post concerned a video celebration of dogs in cars...

Keith Hopkin Video: Dogs in Cars

Today is  a feel good day on Way Cool Dogs about dogs in cars, enjoying the ride and playing.

We just received an email this morning from Keith Hopkin, an amateur video filmmaker who alone has over 356,753 YouTube video views, including Boo and Mia.  This particular video, Dogs in Cars, has a video on Twitter and Facebook about dogs riding in cars. It is going viral, and he sent it to us for our readers’ enjoyment. Beautiful music, wonderful pictures and a quality theme … what more could any dog lover ask for?  Link: Way Cool Dogs 
......................................

Dogs Bring Balance to An Unbalanced Society...an article from Cesar Milan's website...here is an excerpt

..."You need more than intelligence to create a connection with Mother Nature. Many of us have lost that connection and it is reflected in our animals. Dogs are our mirror and when they’re not following us it’s because we’re not balanced.

Being unconditional, that’s a dog. Humans are very conditional. Dogs, accepting. You can look horrible, but a dog will look at you like you’re the most beautiful human being ever, because what he’s looking at is your feelings. Dogs have integrity. But many humans measure integrity materially, with money. That’s how disconnected and unbalanced we have become"...Here is the Link: Cesar

........................................

 The Fun Times Guide to Dogs recently ran an article dealing with insights and guidance relating to Bad Dog Behavior....

Here are some excerpts..."your dog’s bad behavior could be due to inconsistent or bad dog training. Or your dog may simply be uncomfortable in certain situations for one reason or another.

One thing’s for sure, if we don’t communicate a clear message and be consistent with that message at all times, then our dogs will become confused about what’s expected of them and they will be uncertain about their limits and boundaries.

In fact, without realizing it, you may be accidentally reinforcing bad dog behaviors..." To read the article, click this link: FunTimesGuide 

........................................

 

 Frankie, the inspirational source for Barb Techel's inspiring books, is going into semi-retirement...she will stll visit Libby's House and schools but on a more limited basis.Frankie and Barb can be visited at: JoyfulPaws

...................

A sad real life dog story from Nancy Houser...powerful evidence that No Kill Animal Shelters are needed...

Target, a war hero dog, was missing. When his devoted owner, Sargent York, and his family found him, it was too late..."an U.S. Arizona local shelter put down an acclaimed national Afghanistan war hero dog by the name of Target who had survived a suicide bombing, was shot in the leg, shot at by Afghan men, and saved an American base — the Dand Patan military base — by attacking an Afghan bomber with 11kg of explosives on him..."

Target was destroyed by an animal shelter shortly after he arrived there.Here is the Link to read more :WarHero

...................................

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption

National Animal Books Examiner columnist Cayr Wulff wrote a most informative and insightful review of an top-notch and insightful dog rescue book. Here's a quote... 

"The true stroke of brilliance in the narrative is the way Gorant writes about the dogs. They are not just intangible objects secondary to a celebrity story. The dogs are the story: they are the victims, and the book, after all, is about their redemption. Gorant describes with vivid detail what it means to be a fight dog, describing their existence from a dog’s viewpoint. Then he makes the reader fall in love with each of the 51 unique dogs, as he draws us through the story of their individual struggles during the rescue process".....Link: LostDogs

Also: When you click the Link to read all of this informative book review, don't miss the excellent slide show of rescued dogs from Vick's collection...reaffirming, positive, not sentimental...

.................................

Coffee with a Canine...revisited  

This is a great place for dog lovers to stroll, amble, take a walk and meet interesting people...and to get some idea about dog lovers who write, train, photograph, blog...if you roll through a few pages, it's a very interesting and warm place to visit...like a neighborhood...we were once a guest visitor...the host is  book, writing, and canine  advocate Marshall Zeringue.

Link: CanineCoffee

..............................

Book World Protests ...The power and inflence of Amazon continues to raise questions for Libraries and Independent Book Stores. Here are two examples of concerns in the current era of tumolt in the book world.  

From the School Library Journal... 
School Librarians raise concerns as Amazon continues to extend it's power in the book world. The following is from an article by Rocco Staino.

"Amazon's decision last week to purchase 450 children's book titles from Marshall Cavendish has left librarians wondering how the e-commerce giant will handle the books' distribution channels, and whether they'll still be available from independent bookstores and major library suppliers such as Follett, Mackin, and Baker & Taylor.

Of course, the deal makes perfect sense for Amazon, which is trying to gain a stronger foothold in the market for print picture books, chapter books, and young adult novels. The acquisition also gives Amazon access to the digital rights of a number of well-known children's books..."
......................................... 

From:  ShelfTalker In which children's booksellers ponder all things literary, artistic, and mercantile...posted on Publisher's Weekly 

A New Low for Amazon
by Josie Leavitt (Co-proprieter of the Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne,VT.)

I was having a lovely evening the other day until I read a Facebook post from a fellow bookseller about an Amazon promotion set to run on December 10th. The promotion: quite simply, to walk into any store, take a picture of the item with the price with your Amazon price checker app, and get $5 off on that item when you order it from Amazon. You’re allowed to do this three times on Saturday.

So, Jeff Bezos has decided or at least approved this scheme that all bricks and mortar stores should be visited, left empty-handed so folks can shop on Amazon while giving them price info from other stores. Wow. The thoughts I’m having about this promotion cannot be printed here. If I weren’t so riled up, I’d be despondent at such a horrible attack on stores...

The details of the promo (buried deep on Amazon’s home page) don’t mention bookstores, probably because Amazon doesn’t need to know about book prices, since they know we can’t compete with their books as loss-leader mentality. If I sound angry, it’s because I am. 

Any independent bookstore has fought against Amazon since the day Amazon opened its website and started undercutting us on price. Some of us are tired of having to explain why our prices can’t be as low as Amazon’s. We’re tired of explaining why you can’t buy e-books from us if you have a Kindle.... ... I’m tired of faithfully paying sales tax and having customers tell me how much they like saving money with Amazon.

Here’s what I do: I pay sales tax, I donate thousands of dollars to local schools, charities, Little Leagues, church pie suppers, school trips, Geobee prizes, etc. I support my community and that means going to local stores and buying things there. Price is not the only factor for me. I know there are lots of folks on budgets, and to them I say: lots of children’s books are not discounted at Amazon. And does Amazon bring authors to your children’s schools?  No."

Link: ShelfTalker

...................................

May the Best Dog Actor Win

By MELENA RYZIK in the New York Times

"The staff of The Hollywood Reporter continues with its hard-hitting, link-baiting coverage of this year’s animal stars.

The showdown between human performers is heating up, but even movie-star dogs have competition. The early campaigner and reigning favorite is, of course, Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier who keeps Jean Dujardin’s leading man company in “The Artist....The Hollywood Reporter weighs Uggie against other movie dogs, like Cosmo, the Jack Russell featured

in “Beginners,” and Blackie, a Doberman in “Hugo” whose trainer appeared as a costumed character to keep the dog in check.

Then there’s Hummer, the Pomeranian who plays Charlize Theron’s forgotten pet in “Young Adult.” Hummer may have the newcomer role locked up; he was a true amateur, discovered by Jason Reitman, “Young Adult’s” director, on the streets of New York City. “You know why I chose the dog?” Mr. Reitman explained to us recently. “Because a Pomeranian is the only dog that has to smile, genetically. Imagine, this woman chose a dog that no matter what she did to it, no matter what she said to it, all the dog ever did was smile back to her.”

The dogs in the illustration are from Castle In The Mist...we hope that some day in the future that they, too, will be dog movie stars

...................................

  
Sunbear Squad is dedicated to providing information, materials and inspiration to animal lovers...teaching people of good will what to do if they see an abandoned or injured dog. This excerpt is from one of the many true experiences shared by those who have been through the rescue experience.It began in freezing 15 degree F weather when a young woman named Malissa, after discovery a suffering puppy, disconnected a short neck chain from a table, placed the puppy into a blanket and headed for the vet clinic...

"The pup was very weak and malnourished and had to be treated for hypothermia. The chain had to be cut out of her neck. She was put on antibiotics and pain meds. She was just two months old and was a gorgeous red and white pit bull terrier.... Malissa brought her home to foster her. She was only a foster for a week before my family decided to make her a permanent addition and named her Ruckus... 

Now Ruckus works with physically and mentally disabled children as a therapy dog! Without that split-second decision that my sister made to save her life, the children and families who love Ruckus would never have known how great rescued dogs are. The special moments where she has been laying on the ground surrounded by happy laughing kids would have never happened. Our lives are truly happier and fuller because of her and she is a true ambassador for her breed."

...................................

"All knowledge, the totality of all questions and answers, is contained in the dog." -
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Investigations Of A Dog

..................................

 

Flying Reindeer, Myths, Books, Kids and Dogs

Flying Reindeer...myth and reality.

If you were to ask Santa or his elves if flying reindeer are a myth, they would smile and say, "How do you think all the presents are delivered?"

We live part of the year in Finland, a land where the Sami people, a culture with orgins going back thousands of years, have always raised multitudes of reindeer...for food, shelter, clothing, blankets,tools, sled pulling, and survival.

Consider this...Long , long ago, if Santa's special reindeer did not exist -- or went missing, or were kidnapped -- there would have been no Christmas, an immense loss for children everywhere. In fact, it's impossible to calculate the sad impact of such a catastrophe. 

Villains in mythology are awesome. Their evil ways always affect the lives of innocent victims, including children.  The King of the North was just such a villain.

And so it was, when considering how the dogs might -- once again -- come down from their planet to teach people about courage and love and to help them find non-violent ways of dealing with evil, that I found myself thinking about the wicked King of the North and the story of the kidnapped flying reindeer...

This is the origin of Snow Valley Heroes... a retelling of the story, lost these many years in the mists of time, of how the dogs saved Christmas.

...................................

                        Happy Holidays to All

                    

  Happy Holiday Wishes from the Planet of the Dogs

Our traditional Holiday photo is from the website archives of dog lover Richard Bradley: www.arockinmyshoe.com...Unfortuneately, Caboose, the dog on the right, has returned to the Planet of the Dogs and won't be spending the holidays with the Bradleys...Darcy, the big dog, is aging but still enjoys a holiday treat.

...............................

Tails of Hope is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the field of veterinary medicine and helping to eradicate cancer and other life-threatening diseases affecting companion animals. They also have a book which benefits kids with cancer through therapy reading dogs. 

We learned of this program through Lynn Michalson. Lynn and her Delta Society Pet Partner dog, Mackenzie, participated in a Tales of Hope Reading Program at the Children's Hospital at the Columbia Campus of New Your Prebyterian Hospital. 

This is a very special example of reading dog books to kids...in this case, Jill Rappaport and Linda Solomon's book about Jill's dog, Jack, who contracted cancer. In the Tales of Hope Reading Program the book is read by -- or read to --kids who are undergoing cancer treatment, to help them deal with their own situation. This synopsis of the book is from the Tails of Hope website:

"JACK & JILL is the true story of an abandoned puppy that Jill
rescued.  Together they lived on a farm where Jack spent his days running through fields and playing with the other animals.  Sadly, one day Jill received the news that Jack had bone cancer and to beat the disease, Jack’s leg had to be amputated, with chemotherapy to follow.  The story shows how Jack didn’t let this get him down. With only three legs he was able to still live life to the fullest and his story serves as an inspiration to both children and adults alike.  Jack shows us that everyday is a true gift that must be treasured. "
Here is a link to visit the website:   TalesofHope

The photo on the right, above, is of Mackenzie. It was taken in the Adult Oncology Unit at the Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

...........................................

                             

Nancy Houser's Way Cool Dogs blog features many articles on dog health... a recent report on dog cancer research being conducted at North Carolina State University relates directly to the goals of Tales of Hope (above) . Here's an excerpt:

..."It is hoped…and planned…that this new cancer study in dogs will have huge implications for the advanced study, discovery, and treatment of both dog and human cancers.

The breakpoint regions that are so important in this new scientific study of dogs are “sites on the genome where chromosomes broke during speciation (when new species of dogs developed).” (ScienceDaily)

The professor of genomics at NC State, Dr. Matthew Breen, and his graduate assistant, Shannon Becker, examined the breakpoint and compared it to wild canine species by overlaying both genomes.

What they found were shared breakpoints amidst 11 different species when they differentiated during evolution. These new findings were recently publishing in Chromosome Research."

Read it all on this link: WayCoolDogs

...................................................................... 

New York Public Library presents the Children's Literary Salon: Irish Children's Literature Laureate Siobhán Parkinson, this Saturday, December 10 at 1PM....
Siobhan has always been an outspoken champion of the cause of children’s literature, and writes and speaks passionately on the subject. She is visually impaired, and relies heavily nowadays on audiobooks and ebooks.

This event is sponsored by Culture Ireland's Imagine Program.  It will take place in the South Court Auditorium.  When you enter through the front entrance, the Information Desk will help direct you to the Auditorium... Elizabeth R. Bird, Librarian, organizes and leads these excellent discussion forums.
......................................................................

Ariel Wulff's passion for dogs and dogs in distress continues unabated, resulting in even more activity to help dogs...On her Up on the Woof blog, in addition to pointing out dog abuse, and offering biscuits of other dog related information, Ariel has organized a raffle with a different dog book each week, signed by its author, to help the cause of Lucky Dog Rescue.
Click here, RESCUERAFFLE, to learn more, to see the book of the week, and, if you wish, to purchase raffle tickets for one dollar each, or five tickets for three dollars, or...

To see a list of all the book raffle titles-- a dog lover's delight -- visit her Up On the Woof blog...click here:WOOF 

Ariel's first book, Born Without a Tail, a touching, insightful, autobiographical tale of an animal lover's life (the rescued dogs in the photo on the left are part of her recent family) now has a successor...

The new book,Circling the Waggins, is complete and searching for a publisher. It's about the love, joy and comedy created by a home dealing with the trials and tribulations of living with rescued animals.

Meanwhile, she is now the National and Local animal and pet book revier for the Examiner.com. 

To see Ariel's Yellow Doggie cards, bags, art and gifts, visit www.Yellowdoggie.com

All of these creative activites relate to and are sustained by her appreciation, love, and concern for dogs and other members of the natural world.

................................................. 

 Videos: Holiday classics return:  We've recommended some of these in the past...they have endured and are perfect for the Holiday Season:

Dogs celebrate Christmas: DecktheHalls...

Amazing Sheep Dogs and lights :BorderCollies

Kids, doglovers, and friends will all enjoy this musical celebration of humanity...Link: PlayingForChange

The Human Animal Connection... a documentary about therapy dogs working with people...produced by Delta Pet Partners...Link: Moment by Moment

In house nostalgia: the YouTube announcement for Snow Valley Heroes SVHeroes

.................................

The Planet Dog Company sells innovative, safe, tested products for dogs. They donate 2% of every sale to the Planet Dog Foundation. This is the 10 year anniversary of their Planet Dog Foundation Awards Progeram for organizations that support dogs helping people in need. In their own words...

"The Planet Dog Foundation proudly celebrates a decade of giving by awarding 10 grants to 10 exemplary non profits this Fall. We are honored to provide our modest support for these amazing dogs doing amazing work across the country."
To see the ten recipients of the 2011 Awards, as well as some fine dog photos, visit this link: DogAwards.
If you have a favorite dog organization that supports dogs helping people, you can apply for a grant by visiting the Dog Awards page.
....................................... 

HBG Update:Our foreign rights representative, Deanna Leah, has endorsed
sparkabooks. This is from her FaceBook wall:"HBG Productions has been busy uploading HBG books to SPARKABOOKS electronic global community! Lets see how it works....

Trade book rights with our global community of publishers, agents, writers and illustrators

www.sparkabook.com

Free to search for book rights available in your area. No fees for listing foreign rights and sub-rights to sell or license, only pay if you are successful in finding a buyer. Publishers, literary agents, scouts, rights-holders and book reviewers can keep in touch with our global community ."
The photo is of Izzy, Deanna's dog lying in the grass at home in Chico, CA.

...............................

 Therapy Dogs are often about the possibilites of life as in this note and photo from Karen Sorensen...

These are pictures of Shannon and Star reading.  Shannon is our young adult literacy student.  She is mildly disabled and never was taught to read while in school.  We (Star and I) have been tutoring Shannon for about a year now.  Shannon is now reading at about the 6^th grade level and she has just completed learning her times tables.  We are so very proud of her progress in these areas.  She is also a regular competitor in our local special Olympics and has a job.  I tutor for the Literacy Center here in Evansville (www.litcenter.org.) whose goal is to improve basic literacy in the adult population in theEvansville area.  We have 20% of the adult population who are functionally illiterate.  Shannon is my 2^nd mentally challenged student.  We meet once a week for one hour and during the week we communicate via text messages. I do not use the normal Laubach method with her.  We work on normal life encounters such as reading directions on a package and how to count out change and read the drivers manual...Shannon functions quite well, but will continue to do better, the better she reads.  I love to see her make progress.  So does Star!
..........................

Ask any dog...do you enjoy having kids read dog stories to you?

Kids Reading Dog Books to Dogs

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

We will also send complimentary reader copies to librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs.
......................................
The photo above is from the Pages for Preston therapy reading dog program created by teacher Julie Hauck at the Longfellow School in Sheboygan, WI. The photo below right is of Nina Mortellito, and her Delta therapy reading dog Lilly,  working with one of their friends
.................................... 

Read Sample Chapters of all our books at www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite

bookstore or on the internet through Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

The photo is of Nina Mortellito and her therapy Lilly reading with a friend.

..................................

Frankie, the Inspirational dog, Celebrates the Holidays

Barb Teschel, has written two veryy special books for young kids that deal with difficult issues... In her prize winning Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog, kids learn to overcome adversity and handicaps. In another prize winner, Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House, kids learn, through Frankie, about dealing with the loss of old or sick people. That's Frankie in the photo with his dog cart.
In Barb's own words,"Sometimes life throws us a curve ball. That does not mean we should give up on our dreams. It just means we should look at things in a new way."

For more information visit: www.joyfulpaws.com

......................................... 

Who were the Snow Valley Heroes?

Did they really save Christmas/ The question has been asked for many years...and many have tried to answer this question. The confusion and uncertainty exist largely because of questions and doubt regarding the Planet of the Dogs. However we now know that this is the true story of how the dogs saved Christmas.
To lean more, read this review by Ariel Wulff in her role as National Animal Books Examiner, Cleveland Pets Examiner and Cleveland Animal Books Examiner, click here:SVH

................................................

.................................................

Below is the only remaining picture of the Ice Castle, home of the King of the North, and the place where he hid the kidnapped reindeer, Dasher and Dancer. 

This map of the Great North shows trails followed by Daisy, Bean, the Tundra Town traders, and the Snow Valley dogs in their quest to find the reindeer, and save Christmas.

 ................................

From the Wall Street Journal...A Fascinating update on dogs, time and humans by Mark Derr...It begins like this...

"From the Cave to the Kennel....  

What the evolutionary history of the dog tells us about another animal: ourselves. From a cave in France, a new picture has emerged of canines as our prehistoric soulmates.
Chauvet Cave in southern France houses the oldest representational paintings ever discovered. Created some 32,000 years ago, the 400-plus images of large grazing animals and the predators who hunted them form a multi-chambered Paleolithic bestiary. Many scholars believe that these paintings mark the emergence of a recognizably modern human consciousness. We feel that we know their creators, even though they are from a time and place as alien as another planet.

What most intrigues many people about the cave, however, is not the artwork but a set of markings at once more human and more mysterious: the bare footprints of an 8- to 10-year-old torch-bearing boy left in the mud of a back chamber some 26,000 years ago—and, alongside one of them, the paw print of his traveling companion, variously identified as a wolf or a large dog.

Attributing that paw print to a dog or even to a socialized wolf has been controversial since it was first proposed a decade ago. It would push back by some 12,000 years the oldest dog on record. More than that: Along with a cascade of other new scientific findings, it could totally rewrite the story of man and dog and what they mean to each other...

To continue reading this thoughtful, informed, and provacative article, click this link: Derr
............................................. 

A Holiday salute from the Planet Of The Dogs to Deb Eades who opened our eyes to the Dog Rescue Railroad. Her compassion and her efforts on behalf of dogs in trouble, dogs in pain, and dogs needing a home is unlimited. In her book, Every Rescued Dog Has A Tale, Deb writes from the heart of her real life adventures and shows how much difference one concerned person can make in the lives of homeless dogs.  
The book is available throughh Amazon, IPad and Kindle.
I guarantee Deb's YouTube Video  will touch every dog lover's heart. Click this link: Deb 

Sunbear Squad...Transforming Animal Lovers into Animal Welfare Defenders

This site offers all-original knowledge, tools, and inspiration to help individuals prepare to report signs of animal abuse, animal neglect, accidents, and distress promptly. In other words, “Be a Better Good Samaritan for Pets.”

Here is an excerpt from one of many true life rescue stories posted by Sunbear members and advocates:

Rain Storm Rescue for Injured Puppy

"Meet "Muddy Puppy," named because he was found in a muddy ditch in the pouring rain. Hit by a car and with two painfully broken back legs, someone did care enough to try to protect him from the driving rain with an old jacket. But not enough to offer him relief from his painful suffering and overwhelming fear. Instead they just drove off leaving this 4-month-old puppy to slowly and painfully die all alone. All hope gone.

An Oklahoma Beagle Rescue volunteer driving by feared she had found a child in the rain and stopped to check. Instead, under the jacket she found a very grateful, scared, cold and miserable beautiful Black & Tan Coonhound puppy! Bless that volunteer..." This link will take you to SunbearSquad.

..............................................

"To err is human, to forgive, canine"-Anonymous

............................................................................................................................

Elves, Legends, Kids, Books and Dogs

Elves are still with us...

In the worlds of CS Lewis they are immortal and have great powers.

In the books of Paolini, they incorporate the virtues of righteousness

In Finland they are found in houses and barns; the wonderful illustrated book of Elves by Muari Kunnas tells of them. 

In Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas tale, they live in their own village helping Santa by making toys and taking care of his reindeer.

Elves built the first dog sleds to help Daisy, Bean, and the Tundra Town Traders in their quest -- together with the dogs -- to find the kidnapped reindeer, to free them from the Ice Castle, and to save Christmas for children everywhere.

...................................

Children's Literary Salon...

If you are near New York City and interested in books for kids, here is the latest from Elizabeth Bird at the NYPL: New York Public Library is pleased to announce our Children's Literary Salon for Saturday, December 3rd at 2:00 p.m.: 

Funny Ha-Ha: Humorous Books for Kids

 

Continuing our series where we explore amusing books for children, we look at funny books in a myriad of forms: funny picture books, funny graphic novels, and funny early chapter books. Join David Roman (Astronaut Academy), Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty), Laurie Keller (Arnie the Donut) and Jules Feiffer (Bark, George) as we look at finding the funny for different ages of kids. 

This event will be held in the Berger Forum (we mean it this time) in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (42nd Street and 5th Avenue).
............................... 

 Following Atticus ...a book review from Pets Blogs

 

We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains. Li Po

Atticus Maxwell Finch and Thomas F. Ryan are two remarkable characters that will impress you beyond belief. Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship is an inspiring book that will touch your heart and show you the only boundaries we have are those we create ourselves.
Atticus, a 20 pound miniature schnauzer, and Tom, a bitter middle-aged newspaper editor will take you on a journey of a lifetime. This is not a book about the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or hiking, or how much a man loves his dog. But you will get to read a whole lot about all these things. It is a book about understanding, caring, sharing, loyalty, admiration and dedication...

Here is the link to the article and a video of Tomas Ryan and Atticus in the White Mountains. I know from experience that these are rugged mountains to climb; their beauty is awesome...Link:PetsBlogs 

........................................

Dogs of 9/11

Charlotte Dumas was able to locate and photograph 15 of the surviving dogs of 9/11 out of close to a 100, from 18 different states. She has made a wonderful and evocative book of dog portraits on double page photos, printed on fine paper.
The face on the cover is of  Moxie, age 13, from Winthrop, MA. She and her handler, Mark Alberti, arrived at the site of destruction on the evening of 9-11, and searched day and night for survivors for 8 days.

Published by the Ice Plant. Also available through Internet book sellers.
.......................................... 

I was Disturbed by Dogster when I read...an irresponsible front page lead article by Dogster's training and behavior expert, Casey Lomanaco, entitled Don't Call Me Dog Whisperer. It disturbed me because it was factually inaccurate, unbalanced and blatantly self serving. Dogster has over 2 million unigue visitors a month.

I was somewhat relieved to see some excellent comments pointing out the errors and bias found in Ms Lomanoco's disturbing article. Two excellent corrective comments were made by two professional dog trainers, Coleen Falconer (EnlightenedK9) and Justine Perry (K9Balance).
Here is the Link: Dogster

Here is most of what Colleen Falconer wrote: 

"The article states that Cesar is a trainer…he is not and he even states many times that he is not. He is a dog behaviorial expert and simply a man who relates to dogs on a primal level. I know bashing Cesar seems like the “it” thing here, but I follow Cesar’s

philosophies with great success, as I run my own rescue that rehabilitates dogs and I am a professional trainer. I think alot of people get the wrong idea about the “dominance theory” and how Cesar uses it. He believes you should present yourself in a confident manner when handling your dog. If you feel good, your dog will feel good. If you are nervous, your dog is nervous. Your dog is constantly mirroring your energy. Cesar’s ultimate goal is to help people understand their dogs and to help people enjoy their dogs without stripping away the dogs natural being. Simply put…a dog is happy being a dog. In my opinion, I feel Cesar’s fullfillment formula is simple and effective and applies to all dogs no matter the breed. Exercise, discipline and affection goes a long way and especially with children. I also love how Cesar never bashes trainers, he is just open to trying anything. Ian Dunbar bashed Cesar for so long and I loved how Cesar wanted to learn from him. He always says: Do what works for you and your dog. Maybe his method isn’t for everyone and that is fine…what it boils down to is that your dog is happy and in a healthy state of mind... It’s all about having a calm and balanced mind when doing it! I am proud when my clients and friends call me the Dog Whisperer!"
The photo is of Colleen and her dog. 

Here is much of what Justine Perry wrote. 

Constant positive reinforcement is not reliable and with a very dominant dog you will not have the respect that is needed! A PROPER correction is not cruel and does not hurt the dog – how do they correct each other? They give each other ‘bites’, ‘hits’ on the neck and/or body!
Cesar is fantastic because he does believe in different training methods and that is in his show and his books, he will use food if it is the right thing for that dog but that is not the only thing… It’s about understanding all the different tools and how to PROPERLY use them. I take it as a huge compliment when compared to Cesar (although I always say that he best deserves the title after doing this for so long), or better yet, when my dog is compared to Daddy!...Understand the full concept of what you are talking about!! 
The photo is of Justine and her dog, Alex. 

Than you Coleen and Justine for helping to shine light, information and experience on this ill-advised, self-promoting Cesar bashing.

....................................... 

 Video...

There are sooo many videos...these two stand out.

Caleb is a documentary video that brings you into the healing process of Caleb,a young boy who suffered brain damage in a head-on auto accident...A golden retriever named Colonel is the therapy healing dog  who connects with the boy and helps to motivate him...this video is not a tear jerker, but a true affirmation of the human-canine connection...presented by Intermountain Therapy  Animals, home of the R.E.A.D.Program

And for a really upbeat video... click this link and visit Mackenzie at work as a Delta Society Pet Partner. Mackenzie brings good cheer when he visits Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York with his mom, Lynn Michalson....we just sent them a copy of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale. 
.............................

Kids Reading Dog Books To Dogs

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

We will also send reader copies to librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs.

I don't know what the kids are reading in this photo...it comes from one of the many excellent programs run by Therapy Dogs United in Eirie,PA.

....................................

READ Sample Chapters of all our books on our website:www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or on the internet through Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Powells and others... 

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

"What a wonderful and unique Christmas story for the whole family, Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale...the third offering in the Planet Of The Dogs series; what an imagination this team has...an ideal book to snuggle up with the little ones on a cold winter night and simply enjoy." -- Don Blankenship, teacher, grandparent, reviewer for Good Books for Kids.

...........................

After 30 years as a teacher... 
Michelle Leckner wanted to continue working with kids. Inspired by a therapy dog she had seen in a hospital, she and Rory,her 7year old rescued Siberian Husky joined the Nor'wester Canine Assisted Learning Program in Bucks County, PA, for training and certification. They are currently working with 2 groups (4 students in each)in a local high school.
........................... 

Dogs of War: the Courage, Love, and Loyalty of Military Working Dogs

"Military working dogs first gained widespread attention after people learned that a dog named Cairo participated in the SEAL Team 6 mission that led to Osama bin Laden's death. Before that, few civilians realized that dogs served in combat, let alone that they could parachute out of helicopters and sniff out everything from bombs to bad guys.

Like millions of other Americans, New York Timesbestselling author Lisa Rogak was fascinated by the photos of dogs leaping out of planes that surfaced days after the raid. She was compelled to dig deeper to find out more about these brave canine members of the military, especially since her son serves in the United States Army, Delta Company of the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, and is currently stationed in Afghanistan.

Her research resulted in her latest book, The Dogs of War: the Courage, Love, and Loyalty of Military Working Dogs"...from the HuffPostGreen

........................................

 Frankfurt Book Fair...Here is a bief summary by Deanna Leah of HBG Productions:

 " The Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 was awesome! According to the official figures, there was even an increase in visitors over 2010. 7,384 exhibitors from 106 countries and approx 280,194 visitors. I spoke lots of German, rode lots of trains, ate lots of..... and conducted over 60 meetings scheduled and spontaneous (sometimes those are the best)..."

HBG Productions is a literary agency representing independent publishers and self published authors in the international marketplace. Deanna specializes in being hands on and personal working closely with her clients and publishers.

She has represented the Planet Of The Dogs series in the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs. Through her efforts, we are now in touch with publishers or publisher representatives in China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Deanna has a dog named Izzy. 

The photo is of Deanna's HBG exhibit in Franfurt.

.....................................
Golden Retriever Lovers --  Check out Dog By Nature 
.................................... 

Ariel Wulff, author, journalist, yelodoggie artist, dog lover and dog activist had a very succesful Dog Art Auction to benefit Lucky Dog Rescue...her efforts to help this excellent dog rescue operation continues.

The following is from her blog, Up on the Woof.

"If you love to read and if you like animal-themed books, then you are going to want to get in on this action!

Beginning November 1, 2011, I will be hosting a weekly book raffle to benefit Lucky Dog Rescue in Meriden Mississippi. The books being raffled will all have animal themes, and each book will be autographed by its author! There’s even some special fun stuff a couple weeks in…when the book to be auctioned will be Garth Stein’s “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. For that week, anyone who buys a certain number of tickets will automatically receive an Enzo bookmark and “goenzo” lapel pin.

There will be one book raffled per week, for as many weeks as there are books donated. Some of the authors who have already agreed to donate are:

• Garth Stein – The Art of Racing in the Rain   
  
• W. Bruce Cameron – A Dog’s Purpose
• Ted Kerasote – Merle’s Door
• Barbara Techel – Frankie the Walk ‘n Roll Dog
• Deborah Eades – Every Rescued Dog has a Tale; Stories from the dog rescue railroad
• Robert McCarty – Snow Valley Heroes
• Tim McHugh – Ivan! A Pound Dog’s View on Life, Love and Leashes
• Pam  Houston – Sight Hound
• Kelly Meister – Crazy Critter Lady
• Carolyn Parkhurst – The Dogs of Babel
• Bo Hoefinger – Bad to the Bone
• Bob Tarte – (with a title to be announced)

…and more authors may be joining the cause....To help out Lucky Dog Rescue and buy some chances to win, please visit:www.yelodoggie.com/ldrbookraffle.html.  Be sure to bookmark the page and stop by every week throughout the months of November , December and January for a chance to win great books!"

The photo is of Ariel and her Dillon.
............................................. 

Diverse, relevant, intelligent... The first class articles and good reading never stop at Nancy's Way Cool Dogs (Link)

Dog health, raising dogs, true and interesting dog storie, dog issues and dog problems...they're all under one roof at Way Cool Dogs. Here are a few recent titles and topics:
A Dog Story: A Small and Dainty Doberman by the Name of Curly
Renting a Drug Sniffer Dog
How Preventative Oral Care Protects a Dog's Teeth and Gums
The Dog Who Shopped for His Own Food
A Dog Story "I got you now. You're my prisoner" ....I've visited a lot of sites for dog folks and many are repetitious, too commercial, or awkwardly written. However,  I believe in Way Cool Dogs...a very special destinationfor dog owners and dog lovers.
The photo is of one of rescued dogs on Nancy's Nebraska farm.
......................................

 Dogs and Integrity

I find Learning from Dogs to be an idiosancratic blog. My reactions to the content (and syntax) are varied, but there is no question regarding the high level intentions and devotion to dogs of the host bloggers: Paul Handover and Ion Lavin. Here is an excerpt from an article entitled Dogs and Integrity:

"Because of this closeness between dogs and man, we (as in man!) have the ability to observe the way they live.  Now I’m sure that scientists would cringe with the idea that the way that a dog lives his life sets an example for us humans, well cringe in the scientific sense.  But man seems to be at one of those defining stages in mankind’s evolution where the forces bearing down on the species homo sapiens have the potential to cause very great harm.  If the example of dogs can provide a beacon of hope, a incentive to change at a deep cultural level, then the quicker we ‘get the message’, the better it will be.

 Dogs:

• are integrous ( a score of 210) according to Dr David Hawkins (integrous= having integrity)
• don’t cheat or lie
• don’t have hidden agendas
• are loyal and faithful
• forgive
• love unconditionally
• value and cherish the ‘present’ in a way that humans dream of achieving
• are, by eons of time, a more successful species than man."

•  To read more visit learningfromdogs.com
• 
  
• The dog in the illustration above is from Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale 
• .......................................

 I was asked to review Awkward Family Pet Photos. I found it awkward to write a review. I am not a viewer of America's craziest videos or Stuipid Pet Tricks. If you like this sort of thing, vist the Awkward website; it will give you an excellent idea of what the book is like. You may find it quite funny...Over 11,000 people on their site are fans.
Here is the link:Awkward.

............................... 

When the Roommate Has Four Legs
The need for dog lovers, especially those who live alone, to find apartments in the areas near New York City, is ongoing. This article, by Antoinette Martin, reviews the situation and finds realestate developers on both sides of the dog fence. Here is an excerpt: "...But the Value Companies had different plans two and a half years ago when it opened the140 Mayhill complex in Saddle Brook. There, Mr. Linefsky said, “we have the flip side, with a building put up with pet-related culture in mind, and we encourage them — within weight and breed limits,” and with payment of a deposit and monthly fee, he said. Around 20 percent of residents have pets, the vast majority of them dogs.

“In the back of the building,” Mr. Linefsky said, “we have a doggie station, where residents can discreetly and cleanly pick up after their pets. In general, we find that people who are pet-lovers understand the privilege.”

Size and breed restrictions tend to vary from community to community and building to building, depending on management prerogatives and the accommodations provided for dogs to “take care of business,” as Brian Gretkowski, the regional property manager for Kettler Management, put it.

The 140 Mayhill complex has a one-pet limit, and that pet can weigh no more than 20 pounds. But the Alexan Riverdale in Riverdale and the Alexan CityView in Bayonne — which have fenced-in dog parks and plenty of open space nearby — permit two dogs weighing up to 25 pounds each, said Mr. Gretkowski, whose company manages those buildings..."

This link will take you to the complete article:Roommate.
The illustration shows a dog in a home of one of the Forrest people in Castle In The Mist. All dogs were welcomed in thos days, long, long ago.

.................

Good Books For Kids-Reviews

I think this is an excelent site for anyone buying books for kids. 
I believe in these reviewers, their approach and in their comments about reading level. Here is what the folks at  Good Books For Kids (link) say about themselves:

What is special about this site? The books mentioned on this site are handpicked by the staff which consists of Don, a teacher and grandparent, Shan, mom and children's librarian, and Pam, book lover, education nerd, and mom of two.  Unlike other sites which only review new books, we spend a great deal of our time finding older books that are worthy of your consideration. And because we believe that children can become frustrated by attempting books that have vocabulary that is too difficult, we make every effort to give adults the reading level of the books we review here.  (This does not mean that these books cannot be read to younger children.  Nor is it a RULE that must be followed.  Instead the reading level should be used as a GUIDELINE.  Children may naturally read above or below that number.)  Using this guideline saves you time from searching endless lists and websites looking for appropriate books for your children.  Where do our books come from? Our books mostly come from the library, however, on occasion we do receive Review Copies.  It is our policy to never agree to give a positive review, nor in fact, do we even guarantee that a book will be mentioned on this site.  Instead we feel our primary responsibility is to you, the reader and potential buyer...   ...............................................  Introducing a new NPR book club ... for kids --  The Back Seat Book Club  If you're a kid who likes to read, they want to hear from you! Every month, they'll pick a Back-Seat Book Club selection. They hope kids will read it, then send in questions. At month's end, the'll put some reader's questions to the book's author during the NPR afternoon radio program, All Things Considered. ..........................................................  ...........................................................  Sunbear Squad...Transforming Animal Lovers into Animal Welfare Defenders

This site offers all-original knowledge, tools, and inspiration to help individuals prepare to report signs of animal abuse, animal neglect, accidents, and distress promptly. In other words, “Be a Better Good Samaritan for Pets.”

Here is an excerpt from one of many true life rescue stories posted by Sunbear members and advocates:

Neglected Pit Bull Puppy Rescued in Freezing Weather

"It was a bitterly cold, somewhere around 15 degrees the day my sister Malissa agreed to help her friend move. It had snowed the night before and was snowing again when they arrived at her duplex. Malissa had gone through the sliding glass doors into the back yard to throw something into the trash can when she heard whining in the yard next door. By standing on the pouch she could see over the six foot wooden fence. She was horrified to see a puppy chained to a picnic table in the yard. The pup was so skinny you could count every rib and she was shivering fiercely.

She asked her friend about the dog and was told not to worry about it, that it was out there all time and would be fine. My sister wasn't just going to leave this pup to die..."

Here is the link to read the rest of this  -- and many other -- stories: Rescue. 
................... 

 "To his dog, every man is Napoleon, hence the popularity of dogs."
Aldous Huxley, Reader's Digest(1934) 
........................................................................................ 

Healers, Books, Kids and Dogs

There are healers in Green Valley...

There are healers in the land of the Forest people.

Long, long ago, there were healers living in every culture.

Dogs are also healers.

And so it was only natural that when dogs first came down to planet earth they worked closely with healers like Bella, the healer lady, seen on the left.

The healers knew about the healing powers of dogs, and worked with them in much the same way that therapy dogs and their owners do today.

Long, long ago, when dogs first came down to earth to help people, no one had ever heard about dogs, never mind seen one. When the farmers learned how the dogs were helping Bella to heal people, it helped banish fear and enabled people to accept these new creatures.

 Dogs continue to heal today...to raise the spirits of the sick, the old and the infirm...to calm the fears of children and to stimulate the health of many. I don't know how many therapy dogs are helping people; however, I do know that last year, over one million people benefitted from the over ten thousand Pet Partner members of the Delta Society.

              ..............................  

A Tribute to Therapy Reading Dogs and their owners... 

Its now official...A US Senate proclamation has extablished November 14th as 
National Reading Education Assistance Dogs Day.
Photo: Pet Partner Nancy George-Michealson's Callie 

..............................................................

 

Informative, provacative , relevant, and often surprising...Here is a sample of recent posts... 

What We Can Learn from our Pets

Posted on October 12, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

People in the country live a hallowed life. Ask them. They live a much simpler life and seemingly with more purpose than city dwellers,. At least according to my younger grandchildren who love to come out because it is “never boring here.” There is never a wasted time or moment, and everything has a purpose. Yet it is an easy come-easy go kind of life with no stress. UNTIL a stray cat shows up...

To link to this and the articles below: WCD

Rabid Dogs and Tea Party Candidates

Lessons I Learned from a Blind and Deaf Dog

How to make your dog happy
.......................................
 

When does one of our readers become a YA (young adult), the term used by publishers and book sellers to describe readers who have out grown kid's books? When do they move away stories of courage and hope to violence and the dark side...when do they become YA? We ask these questions after reading in PW (Publisher's Weekly) that publishers are releasing fall titles for the YA reader that feature " 'blood',...'dark', 'death', 'deadly' and even, 'darker still'."  

It gives us cause to wonder, in as much as our books for kids (and dog lovers) are based on dogs coming down to earth to teach people about loyalty, love and non-violence...and to bring peace from warring invaders. Here is the opening of the PW report.

 YA Comes of Age 

"The young adult market these days is a bit like a nephew you haven’t seen in years: transformed from a little darling into a hulking almost-grownup who is maybe even a little scary. Teen titles dominate publishers' fall lists, and those books overwhelmingly feature menacing creatures, forbidden romances, and apocalyptic versions of this and future Earth. "Blood" is a common word in titles, as is "dark," "death," "deadly," and even "darker still." YA continues to shine in an industry clouded by uncertainty. A decade and a half after Harry Potter kick-started a fantasy boom, hardcover fiction remains the star category. "

To read all of this article, follow this link: YA
..............................

Kids Reading Dog Books To Dogs

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

We will also send reader copies to librarians and teachers with therapy reading dog programs.

....................................
The Dogs of 9/11 

A new book, Retrieved, honoring the surviving dogs of the 9/11 search effort....From what I have seen, this book will touch your heart.

"Immediately following the attacks of 9/11, nearly 100 trained search dogs and their handlers were deployed by FEMA to assist in the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Enlisted from a network of 26 task forces in 18 states around the U.S., the dogs worked around the clock to locate survivors in the rubble, alongside firemen and other teams sorting through the debris. One decade later, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas succeeded in tracking down 15 of the surviving dogs that took part in these rescue operations, visiting and photographing the dogs at their homes throughout the U.S., where they all still lived with their handlers..."

To see  photos and for more information on the new book, Retrieved, on the IcePlant.com, use this link: Retrieved
................................................... 

Art Auction to Benefit Rescued Dogs

Ariel Wulff is a passionate woman and outraged at the abuse of dogs and the dependency of abandoned and abused dogs on the kindness of strangers...individuals who care. In order to help fund/support the  endless stram of  damaged dogs that are saved and healed by Lucky Dog Rescue, she is holding an EBAY Art Auction...

..." I started emailing all the artists I know on Facebook, and quite a few artists that I didn’t know. I asked them all to donate a piece of artwork for an online art auction to benefit Lucky Dog Rescue, and wouldn’t you know that almost every one of them did?

Artists, folks. People who are often struggling to make a living with their talents. Regular people suffering in this messed up economy. They donated – but the billion dollar corporations wouldn’t.

The artists who have donated their work to help Lucky Dog Rescue are from all over the US; Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Colorado, California, West Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, and Texas. Some of them donated more than one piece....

The art auction will run on eBay for ten days from October 20-30, and will offer many types and styles of art, including oil paintings, jewelry, fine art photography, sculpture, comic style drawings, sketches, watercolor, enamel and glass.  I want the auction to be a big success, so if you are reading this, please share this post on your social networking sites." TO read more use this link:Wulff
.............................. 

The Dog Years; A Memoir by Mark Doty -reviewd by Ariel Wulff in the Cleveland Examiner

"Mark Doty is one of the great writers of modern literature. His prose is eloquent, thoughtful, and at times devastatingly beautiful. It’s no wonder then, that Dog Years is such a tender and intelligent treatise on loss..."

Continue reading on Examiner.com DogYears

........................................

 Video...These two stand out among the many

Dog Jump Rope...13 dogs jump rope in unison, seen on Cesar's Way...here is the link: Cesar

DOG: At first I found this disturbing, but the dog won me over...Dog

..................................

The wonderful world of discovery in Andrew Lost

Imagine shrinking and finding yourself lost on your neighbor's dog. That's part of the adventure of Andrew and Judy when they discover the world of dog. Imagination,suspense, science and fun are the keystones of this book for kids 6-10. It's part of a humorous science series, Andrew Lost, by Judith C. Greenburg. Judith is the tall person in the photo. She often visits schools and delight teachers and kids with her book presentations.
Other titles in the 18 book Andrew Lost seriess include:In the Garden; Under Water; In The Kitchen, On Earth, and In Time. 

Judith is  currently developing a new series of books about a boy who gets bitten by an octopus and develops the ability to transform himself into other animals.
Judith is married to  Dan Greenburg, writer of "The Zack Files," "Secrets of Dripping Fang," "Weird Planet," and "Maximum Boy," all series for kids, ages 6 - 11.
Dan has recently finished revising the first book in his new series of stories about famous figures in American History, as told by their slightly disdainful cats. The book is called The Amazing True Adventures of Benjamin Franklin's Cat. 
Judith and Dan's books are available at bookstores or on the Internet through Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Powells and others. 

..............................

 Deanna Leah, of HBG productions, represented us at the jus completed Frankfort Book Fair...We await her report and hope that she has good news for us as she did following the London Book Fair. Deanna is seen in the photo on the left in her HBG booth at the fair with German ViaNova representatives. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair is a meeting place for the industry’s experts... Be they publishers, booksellers, agents, film producers or authors - each year in October, they all come together and create something new. The Frankfurt Book Fair is the most important marketplace for books, media, rights and licences worldwide. More than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, 299,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists. Rather awsome to our way of thinking. We thank you, Deanna for your efforts on our behalf. 

.......................................

Rocky the Therapy Dog...

Rocky, a rescued German sheperd, lives in New Hampshire with Carol Varney and her
family. After volunteering as a therapy dog team and visiting schools, hospitals, and returning vets on their arrival in the USA, Carol and Rocky now focus on visiting the New Hampshire Veterans Home. 

Carol has created a blog for Rocky with photos and Rocky's bio. It begins like this...

Rocky's Story

"My story begins in North Carolina back in December of 2007. I was rescued from the woods by a kind young lady who overheard some hunters say they were going to "shoot the shepherd" because they thought I was keeping deer away. I had already been shot at once -- and hit! I had a BB lodged in my forehead that my owner never bothered to have removed. There were a lot of things my owner never bothered do to, so that's why I ran away to begin with and got lost in the woods..."

To read it all, follow this link: Rocky
.............................................. 

   

Two recent dog books have generated articles in the New York Times... a book review by John Grogan, writer and author of Marley and Me, of the Puppy Diaries and an article about German Shepherds by SUSAN ORLEAN, New Yorker writer and author of the recently published book, Rin Tin Tin.

Grogan reviews The Puppy Diaries, by Jill Abramson, the dog loving managing editor of the New York Times.

Parenting Anew, at a Puppy’s Beck and Call
By JOHN GROGAN

“...The Puppy Diaries,” based on a popular online column Ms. Abramson wrote for The Times from July 2009 to May 2010, is her account of the first year with a beautiful but predictably high-energy golden retriever. The book is a worthy addition to the crowded so-called dogoir genre, primarily for the candid glimpse it offers into the softer, personal — yes, even cuddly — side of one of the world’s most influential opinion shapers.

It is no secret that the best dog books are not about the dog at all but rather about the powerful ways in which canines and people intersect. They explore the human condition and how dogs can enrich and elevate it..."

"Ms. Abramson writes with intelligence and grace and never descends into the saccharine, steering clear of sappy land mines even as she celebrates the simple joys a dog can bring. Some readers will be looking for evidence to brand her elitist, but Ms. Abramson’s voice is bighearted and surprisingly down to earth as she and her husband forge a stronger bond with Scout at their side..."

Read the entire review/article through this link: thePuppyDiaries

Why German Shepherds Have Had Their Day....by SUSAN ORLEAN, New Yorker writer and author of the recently published book, Rin Tin Tin, is an excellent article about the German Shepherd and how publicity and the dog's wonderful attributes have led to great popularity -- but, also, overbreeding. It begins like this... 

"SUCCESS can be a drag. You yearn for it, strive for it, and then, when it finally arrives, it sets off repercussions you never anticipated that sometimes undo that success.

Take the German shepherd. Originally bred to the exacting standards of a German cavalry officer, it became one of the 20th century’s most popular working breeds. But in recent years that popularity, and the overbreeding that came with it, has driven the German shepherd into eclipse: even the police in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, who had relied on the dogs for years, recently announced they were replacing them with Belgian Malinois, because the less-popular Malinois were hardier and more reliable.

But there is good news about this bad news, if you are a lover of the breed, because less visibility, especially in inspiring roles as public servants, is likely to mean less demand for the dogs. That means less reason to produce too many puppies, which is the best thing that can happen to any purebred dogs."
To read this article in its entirety, follow this link: GermanShepherd 

The dogs in the photo are not German Shepherds; nor are they Belgian Malinois; they are Belgian Groenendael, our family dogs, Dafi and Nemo.
........................

 Read Sample Chapters of all our books on our website:www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or on the internet through Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Powells and others... 

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 Planet Of The Dogs hats, t-shirts, cups etc are in our Cafe Press Shop

 ...............................

                             Interview With Santa 

Interviewer: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and clarify things.
Santa:I'm happy that the story is finally coming out.
Interviewer: Is it a true story?
Santa: Absolutely.
Interviewer: Why haven't we known about it before?
Santa:I think it was lost in the mists of time...it took place long, long ago.
Interviewer: Is it true that there was to be no more Christmas?
Santa: I'm sorry to say that's true. Until the dogs arrived.
Interviewer: The dogs?
Santa:It was a surprise to all of us in Santa Claus Village. None of us, and that includes the elves, had even heard of dogs.
Interviewer: Is that because you were so far North and rather isolated?
Santa: Well, that and the fact that dogs had just started arriving on planet earth. Prior to that time, there had been no dogs on planet earth.
Interviewer: Really! Where did they come from? And how did they find you?
Santa: They had started coming down from their own planet, the Planet of the Dogs. They came down to help people. Somehow, they had heard we were in trouble, and one day, there they were, just like that.
Interviewer: How many were there? And what about the snow and cold weather? Didn't it bother them? 
Santa: I never counted, but there sure were a lot of dogs. And most of them loved the snow. There were a few that weren't that happy with our weather, but they kept warm enough one way or another. And there were two nice kids, a brother and a sister, who were with them. They could talk to the dogs and seemed to guide them.
Interviewer: I don't understand how two kids and a big bunch of dogs could save Christmas.
Santa: Well, the reason there would be no more Christmas was that two of my reindeer, Dasher and Dancer, were missing. Without them to help pull the sleigh, we couldn't deliver the presents.
Interviewer: Where were they? Had they wandered off and gotten lost?
Santa: Oh no. They would never do that. It turned out that they were kidnapped.
Interviewer: Kidnapped! Really!
Santa: I know it's hard to believe, but that's what happened. The next thing I knew, the kids and the dogs went off with the Tundra Town traders to rescue them.
Interviewer: And then..?
Santa: I'm sorry, but I have to get back to my workshop. I'll give you a copy of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, and you can read everything for yourself that happened. Happy Holidays!

 

You can read sample chapters of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, on www.planetofthedogs.net
...................................... 

  From the Planet Dog Blog....Planet Dog sells quality dog products and donates money to worthy dog causes...they are running a contest that could be of interest to therapy dog owners...the prize is a year's supply of Planet Dog products.

Celebrating Ten Years of Giving

Join us at Planet Dog as we celebrate 10 years of giving! Planet Dog proudly donates 2% of every sale to our non-profit arm, the Planet Dog Foundation, to fund the training, placement and support of dogs working to help people in need. Over the last decade, we have contributed more than $800,000 in cash grants and in-kind donations to exemplary non-profits throughout the country.
Now through December 12, we are asking you to share with us your Stories of Service. Do you, or someone you love, work with a service or assistance dog? Do you have a certified therapy dog? Do you participate in K-9 search and rescue in your community? Share with us a story of how a dog you know has given back to a person in need, or how a person you know has been helped by a dog, and be entered in a contest to win a year's supply of Planet Dog products! 
To enter, submit your story on our Facebook page, or email it to us atcustomerservice@planetdog.com.

We will choose one special story each week, and then invite all of our customers and fans to vote on the winning story in December.
................................................... 

Sunbear Squad ...devoted to informing all of us what to do if we see a dog in distress -- lying in the road, mistreated, abandoned...Sunbear Squad provides knowledge, guidance and experience....For information, background and to get your own 
Roadside Rescue Kit, visit: www.sunbearsquad.org
............................................. 

"You didn't have to throw a stick into the water the water to get him to go in. Of course, he would bring back a stick if you did throw one in. He would have brought back a piano if you had thrown one in."  Snapshot Of A Dog -- James Thurber

........................................................................................................................................................

..............................

 

Castles, Books, Kids and Dogs

A Castle is...

A place for the imagination to soar...

Where the past is part of the present...

A tangible reminder of conflict, power and struggle.

Hame castle, built in Medieval times (1320), and seen in the photo, was built on Lake Vanajavesi by the conquering Swedish king to withstand the advances of the armies of Novgorod. In my visit to this heavily walled and fortified bastion, originally built on an island, I wondered about the Finns, the people who had made a life in the great forests and on the coasts of Finland, caught for centuries between invaders from both East and
West.
 I have now visited four castles here in Finland. I have previously visited castles in Ireland and the Dordogne region of France. These experiences, and the castles, great forests and endless lakes of Finland, inspired the  story of Castle In The Mist, Volume 2 in the Planet of the Dogs series.

Writing children's books, where dogs overcome violence, offers an opportunity to rewrite history in a world of perpetual conflict and strife.  If people could only learn from dogs....
......................................... 

A Dog Walks Into the Room...

Therapy Dogs and the Human-Canine  Connection

How can a dog walking into a room change the lives of the people who are there? It happens all the time. For the old and infirm, the eyes light up and a smile may cross their face. For the dying, it is a moment of connection with a world they are leaving. For a child, a door opens to the world of reading, a world of imagination and information, a world of possibilities.

The Human-Canine Connection – The Therapy Reading Dog

I wrote this article with the support and information from several therapy dog owners. The complete article was published on PawNation   and featured on RedRoom as Blog of the Day...the therapy dog in the photo is Ruth Driewer's Bessie wearing her Bark for Life collar.

.................................

  Therapy Reading Dogs and Owners Recognized by theThe U.S. Senate...

A senate proclamation has extablished November 14th as 
National Reading Education Assistance Dogs Day... 

In the photo: From Indiana, Shannon reads to Karen Sorensen's therapy reading dog, Star, in the Paws for Tales Program....

.............................

Kids Reading Dog Books To Dogs

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

We support kids reading dog books to therapy reading dogs in 13 states.

Teachers,therapy dog owners, and librarians all tell us that kids are enthusiastic about reading dog books to dogs. Here are some comments by third grade teacher Julie Hauck, developer of the Pages for Preston reading program in Sheboygan, WI...."The children look forward to reading to Preston beyond my expectations...their excitment translates into motivation."

Librarians and teachers, email us at barkingplanet@aol.com for your complimentary copy of one of our books and  watch the  kids as they experience reading dog books to dogs.
..........................................

 

Ten Companies that Let You take your Dog to Work

Mother Nature Network

........................................

Deanna Leah of HBG Productions and the International Publishers Alliance...

Deanna will represent our Planet Of The Dogs series October 12-16 at the International Frankfurt Book Fair 2011~ Hall 8 N-949... 5 full days, 8 halls, over 290,000 visitors, 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, referred to as the greatest book fair in the world. Tho photo on the left was taken last year at Frankfurt during Deanna's presentation to Spanish publishers.

She posted the following on Facebook following the London Book Fair." ...A new offer for the Chinese translation of the series PLANET OF THE DOGS came with the request to combine 3 volumes into one more impressive & marketable Chinese version. In general we recommend to trust the foreign publisher's ideas to publisher & market your book - perhaps a different cover, an abridged version, a combined volume, more volumes or …" We agreed to combining the 3 books into one for the Chinese edition and await further developments. Deanna is also a dog lover. 

............................................

from the Planet Dog Blog....

Sept is National Guide Dog Month. In celebration, here are some fast facts about guide dogs, and some tips on etiquette when you meet one. All of us at Planet Dog are honored to be able to support these amazing dogs and all they do to increase the independence of visually impaired people. Enjoy September, and be sure to praise a Guide Dog this month!

Guide Dogs and Their Owners

A guide dog is a highly trained dog that acts as a mobility aid to blind and visually impaired people. It provides not only mobility but gives freedom and independence as well as being a faithful and loving companion.
 With the increased mobility and independence gained through the use of a guide dog, the confidence of the blind or visually impaired person soars.
Photo courtesy of Planet Dog Blog. 

 

 

To read this article visit  http://www.planetdogblog.com/planet_dog_blog/

............................

 "Do you think it is possible for dogs to stop a war?"...

We were delighted when we first read these words about Castle In The Mist. They were the lead in written by Wayne Walker in Stories for Children Magazine, Home School Book Review and Home School Buzz.
 
Wayne went on to write a positive review..."(Castle In The Mist) is about dogs who come from another planet to help people on earth. But under the surface are the important messages of friendship, love, loyalty and how to overcome evil with good...It will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next..."

 

..............................

             New England Librarians and Independent Bookstores 

                               See all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series

As members of the Independent Publishers of New England, IPNE, we will be exhibiting our books at the following events:

NELA -- New England Library Association Annual Conference in Burlington Vermont,Oct 2-4...Tables 501-502 

NEIBA -- New England Independent Bookstore Association, in Providence, R.I, Oct 12-14.

Boston Book Festival -- Boston, MA, at Copley Square, October 15.

.........................

Zen and Dogs

In a fascinating article entitled Be The Dog,in the Huffington Post, Dennis Merritt Jones writes about how we can have a more balanced and fulfilling life if we are open to learning from our dogs...

"The philosophy of Zen comes to mind when I witness dogs "being" themselves. My understanding of Zen (in part) is that it is the practice of "be-ing" 100 percent present and one with what is in the field of my awareness, or whatever I am doing. Given that meaning, it's safe to say I have a new Zen master in my life. His name is Mac Doodle, aka, "Master Mac." He is an 18 month old, half Goldendoodle and half Labradoodle. I receive new teachings from him daily. Today he taught me the importance of spontaneously taking a time-out from my usual busyness to play a little, which I did because he wouldn't leave me aloneuntil I did. This was a win/win for both of us. I was a bit tired and losing my focus anyway. Now I feel twice as alive, energized and connected to what needs to be done ... and he is taking a snooze so I can get my work done. 
It's interesting how the universe knows how to balance the energy for all living things when they are willing to "be" in the moment. Mac naturally knows when to play and when to take a time-out to rest his mind and his body. We, on the other hand, are not always that in touch with our true nature...".
Use this link to read all of this insightful article: BeTheDog 

...................................

From dog health to true life dog stories, there is no limit to Nancy Houser's imaginative posts on Way Cool Dogs. Recent articles include Arthritis Help for Dogs, A Sheltered Dog Named Daffodil, and one on How Music for Dogs Influences Their Brains. 

How Music for Dogs Influences Their Brains

Posted on September 12, 2011 by: WayCoolDogs

"Music for dogs can influence their brains, even with the simplest of tones, by affecting a group of distinct neurological processes. Whether it is the dog’s owner or the family dog itself, soul stirring music like “The Leave Taking” from the Lord of the Rings or “Trains and Winter Rains” by Enya can affect both in the same way..." The article continues with scientific research on dogs auditory system, online music, dog's hearing ability as it relates to rescue work and more.
Nancy recently posted "A Video All Dog Lovers Will Understand" -- it was hilarious.

If you are a dog person, check out www.waycooldogs
................................. 

Read Sample Chapters of all our books on our website:     www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or on the internet through Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Powells and others... 

"Loved it...this book (Planet Of The Dogs) works on so many levels for readers of any age."-Mary Jacobs reviewing on Bookhounds.

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 

 

........................

 

Once again, Dogs help fight Cancer

The 4th Annual Paws for a Cure dog-based fundraiser will take place on October 8, 2011, in Conger Park, Jackson, TN...a special day for dogs, kids, and families with contests, games and competitions...organized by Rebecca Todd...more info at www.tickledpinkforacure.org.

The photos were taken at a previous Paws for a Cure event...Barking Planet Productions donates a set of the Planet of the Dogs books as a prize. 

......................................

                                     Up On The Woof

 

Cayr Ariel Wulff is theYelodoggie woman, artist and designer of the dog world.

She is also a passionate advocate for all things Dog. Here is a sample...the opening of her recent article, How To Change The World in Thirty Seconds

 There’s a saying I’ve heard repeatedly in animal rescue.

 ”Saving One Dog Won’t Change The World But Surely, The World Will Change For That One Dog”

Well, I’m here to tell you that I think that’s complete bullshit. I think that saving a dog most certainly changes the world.

Let’s take a look at it from the simplest standpoint. Say you have a Facebook page and you go to the Pet Pardons app.  You click on any dog. By clicking, you have just advocated for a doomed dog. Now suppose somebody rescues him because they saw his picture on your Facebook page. Three things have already changed:

You, the dog, and the people who have him now.

You change because saving the dog has made you feel good. You advocate another dog, and another. Each dog that is saved because you choose to click on his picture gives you more confidence. When one of the dogs you advocate doesn’t get saved, it just makes you more determined. You realize that your actions can make a difference. Once you realize that, you know that it’s possible to affect change wherever you apply yourself... Read it all at this link: UpOnTheWoof
....................... 

About Sunbear Squad

Transforming Animal Lovers into Animal Welfare Defenders

This site offers all-original knowledge, tools, and inspiration to help individuals prepare to report signs of animal abuse, animal neglect, accidents, and distress promptly. In other words, “Be a Better Good Samaritan for Pets.”

Visit the web site at http://www.sunbearsquad.org.
........................
"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of some weird religious cult."
-Rita Rudner
............................................................................................................................ 

Invaders, Non-violence, Kids, Books and Dogs

What books should young kids read that appeal to their imagination, to their love of good stories, and have some relevance to the world around them?

When our readers become young teens, they read well-written and imaginative books that deal with violence, but usually without considering, or even mentioning, non-violent solutions...

Like the Planet of the Dogs series, they are usually set in a time and place far removed from the present...
Setting a book in the past, or on other worlds in the future, provides authors with more freedom to exercise their imagination.

The prize winning novels of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness recount how "War makes monsters of men"...the bloody conquest of the Middle Ages have inspired George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire,a popular series of conquest and power stuggles (over 15 million in book sales worldwide)...and in Christopher Paolini's Best selling Eragon, the evil king Galbatorix creates havoc and violence amidst dragons,elves,dwarfs and humans.
Violence, power struggles, and conquest are central themes in all these books 

Do our books, that put forth non-violent solutions to the threat of war and invaders, still have a valid place in this world? Never mind that these solutions are created by dogs and kids.  

The internet, cell phones, digital cameras, and TV news constantly remind us that we live in a violent world.

Today, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan are filled with ongoing violence... 

And yet there is also the heritage of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

And millions of people are involved in non-violent  movements in the Arab Awakening. 

Perhaps it does make sense for dogs to come down to our planet to teach us about loyalty and love...and to help us seek non-violent solutions to invasion and war.

........................................

A Dog Walks Into the Room...
Therapy Dogs and the Human-Canine  Connection

I wrote this article with the support and information from several therapy dog owners. The complete article was published on PawNation   and featured on RedRoom as Blog of the Day

How can a dog walking into a room change the lives of the people who are there? It happens all the time. For the old and infirm, the eyes light up and a smile may cross their face. For the dying, it is a moment of connection with a world they are leaving. For a child, a door opens to the world of reading, a world of imagination and information, a world of possibilities.

The Human-Canine Connection – The Therapy Reading Dog
Those who have witnessed therapy dogs interacting with people testify to the positive effects created by the human-canine connection.

Parents are amazed and grateful when their child opens up to reading after spending time with Star, a rescued Labrador in the Paws for Tales library program. Star's owner, Karen Sorenson, has started several of these programs for children, kindergarten to fourth grade, in and around Warrick County, Indiana. Even reluctant readers will come around after spending time with Star. Like many therapy dog teams, Karen and Star visit other venues where the human-canine connection is beneficial, volunteering at St. Mary's Hospital, Deaconess Hospice, and in the Evansville Literacy Center, where Karen works as a tutor.

The Dog in the Classroom
Julie Hauck, a third-grade teacher in Sheboygan, Wis., owns a certified therapy reading dog. Five years ago, she created the Pages for Preston program. Preston, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, like all therapy reading dogs, is neither judgmental nor critical, and the children love to gather in a circle and read to him. "The dogs calm us down when we pet them so that we can read better," said Caroline, a student in the class...

To read all of this article, please visit PawNation ...the photo shows Carol Varney's therapy dog, Rocky, in the classroom...Rocky and Carol are profiled in the article.

......................

Therapy Reading Dogs and Owners Recognized by the

The U.S. Senate...

A senate proclamation has extablished November 14th as 
National Reading Education Assistance Dogs Day... 

I know this is a rather cumbersome way to say it, nevertheless it is an official government salute of recognition to the librarians, teachers, therapy reading dogs and dog owners who are opening the doors to reading for kids. Congratulations to all...

The photo shows Susan Purser's therapy dog Rose with her friend, Kite.
...................

Read Dog Books To Dogs

If you have a therapy reading dog and like the idea of kids reading dog books to dogs, send us an email at barkingplanet@aol.com and we'll send you a complimentary book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.

Teachers,therapy dog owners, and librarians all tell us that kids are enthusiastic about reading dog books to dogs. Here are some comments from  third grade kids in teacher Julie Hauck's Pages for Preston reading program in Sheboygan, WI

"The book is good because it talks about problem solving."
"The dogs can learn from the kids and the kids can learn from the dogs."
"The Kids and the dogs can teach adults a lesson."
...................................

Nancy Houser's  Way Cool Dogs website features an array of interesting, thoughtful and relevant articles for dog and pet owners...Recently, in an article based on experience, research, and love for dogs, she wrote an informed  and practical article on Pet Health...here is the opening...

"Here are some of the most popular questions about pet health among pet owners. As partner of a Nebraska pet rescue with pet health problems in our many elderly pets, we have seen animals arrive here with all kinds of health issues. Since starting Way Cool Dogs about two years ago this past March, we have been asked many questions about pet health  and researched even more of the major pet health issues for Way Cool Dogs…cheap pet health insurance rates, pet insurance for older pets, best joint supplement pet health, and a pet health certificate for travel."

If you have questions about pet health insurance costs, pet insurance for older dogs, releif for sore joints in older dogs, or gettin pet health certificate for travel, you will find answers on Way Cool Dogs.

.............................

 This dog, along with many others, came down to earth from the Planet of the Dogs to teach people about loyalty and love and to help them find non-violent solutions to conflicts and war.

This happened long, long ago.

If you haven't seen the original You Tube announcement about the discovery of the Planetof the Dogs, click this link... NewPlanet...to read sample chapters visit this link...PlanetOfTheDogs. 

 ....................................... 

.......................................

Storytelling! Its Past, Its Present Its Future ...brought to you by the Children's Literary Salon at the New York Public Library...Organized by children's librarian and blogger, Elizabeth Bird....Saturday, September 10, 2011, 2 p.m.

A cadre of professional storytellers will discuss their profession, misconceptions about the job, and the role of storytelling in today’s society. The panel will include LuAnn Adams, Regina Ress and Bill Gordh.
The Children's Literary Salon is a monthly event for people with an interest in children's literature.  Attendees are adults interested in the field, including authors, illustrators, librarians, editors, agents, parents, teachers, and enthusiasts.  This program is not for children.
This event will be held in the Children's Center (Room 84) on the ground level of the Schwarzman Building, NYPL.
............................................................................................................... 

 from Dogster...

***********Hollywood Dogs and the true story of Toto**********

                                        Toto the Story of a Dog

                        By Allan Ellenberger

"It comes to us courtesy of Allan R. Ellenberger, who wrote for his very interesting and entertaining blog, Hollywoodland. Thank you, Allan!"

"The most indulged of all the spoiled lovelies of Hollywood during the Golden Age were the canine actors who worked in films. They had their own hotel—The Hollywood Dog Training School—where at one time, seventy-five of the best known dogs of the screen lived in tranquil comfort..." To read the rest of this article about Hollywood in the thirties...Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Toto in the Wizard of Oz, click and visit Dogster
..................................

Deanna Leah of HBG Productions and the International Publishers Alliance...

Deanna represents books that are life affirming and empowering, ranging from emotional and spiritual development to children's books. 
Deanna will represent our Planet Of The Dogs series October 12-16 at the International Frankfurt Book Fair 2011~ Hall 8 N-949... 5 full days, 8 halls, over 290,000 visitors, 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, referred to as the greatest book fair in the world...Deanna has had 43 foreign rights offers for her clients since last year's Frankfurt Book Fair...We are hoping that we are well received, along with her other clients, this year.

.....................................

 

Nor'wester Therapy Reading Dogs, led by two women with extensive experience, is continues to grow as they bring the joy of reading to kids in PA...

 "This organization has grown in 5 years from one dog to 25 therapy dogs...located in ...Richboro, Pa. it was started by and is the brainchild of Wendi Huttner, a former Council Rock parent, who is owner of Ridgeway Labrador Retrievers.  She has been a breeder, exhibitor, and dog trainer for over 30 years. Over the years her dogs have been conformation champions, obedience title holders, working field dogs, and a Seeing Eye trainee.  Wendi is a certified therapy dog handler, and her dogs Wes and Sadie are both AKC Canine Good Citizens (CGC) as well as registered therapy dogs with The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc.

Co-partner in this organization is Deborah (Debbie) Glessner worked as a school librarian for 37 years and three years as the district curriculum coordinator for library media services in Council Rock School District. She was approached by Wendi Huttner to become co-director of the Nor'wester Readers program upon her retirement in 2007. Debbie owns a Labrador Retriever named Hannah who is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen and a registered therapy dog with The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc."
................................................ 

See Our Books...As members of the Independent Publishers of New England, IPNE, we
will be exhibiting our books at the following events:

NELA -- New England Library Association Annual Conference in Burlington Vermont,Oct 2-4...Tables 501-502 

NEIBA -- New England Independent Bookstore Association, in Providence, R.I, Oct 12-14.

Boston Book Festival -- Boston, MA, at Copley Square, October 15.

.........................

PetsBlogs recently posted several dog quotes, including several classics...here are three... to read more, click PetsBlogs...We will be the featured Blog on Sept. 21,on PetsBlog's Wordless Wednesday.

“I talk to him when I’m lonesome like; and I’m sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.” ~ W. Dayton Wedgefarth

“The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

“If you don’t own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.” ~ Roger Caras.

The illustration is from Castle In The Mist.

.......................

Read Sample Chapters of all our books on our website: www.planetofthedogs.net

All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or on the internet through Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Powells and others... 

Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course. 

 Planet Of The Dogs hats, t-shirts, cups etc are in our Cafe Press Shop

...........................................................

Sniffing Dogs ensure that you are Safe at the Mall...

Tamara Lush visits the Mall Of America for the Huffington Post

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A janitor spots an abandoned diaper bag lying on a table in the sprawling food court at the Mall of America. A bomb-sniffing dog and a security officer are there within minutes, examining the package while nearby shoppers are held a safe distance away.

No bomb. Case closed. But that scene is repeated at the nation's largest shopping center 150 times a month.

Years ago, lost purses or shopping bags would just go to the lost and found. But after the Sept. 11 attacks and a series of terror threats against malls, "we realized that bad guys don't write `explosives' on the side of packages," said Maj. Douglas Reynolds.

He heads a 150-officer security force trained in Krav Maga, the official self-defense system of Israeli security forces. A plainclothes unit is solely devoted to behavioral profiling.

Terror threats against U.S. malls – federal authorities have charged suspects in at least three terror plots since the Sept. 11 attacks – have made huge behind-the-scenes changes to one of the most treasured American experiences – going to the mall.

Shoppers say they hardly notice the closed-circuit cameras, plainclothes officers and trained dogs, and believe the risk of getting attacked at a shopping center is remote....more on the Huffington Post

The dog  seen above, is not from the mall. This is Billy, from an illustration  in Castle In The Mist.

.........................

Videos....A Day in the Life of a Dog named Stella...2:07  warm, delightful visit to a dog's world by a dog lover...see it on Vimeo...a video by Jesse Rosten

A Boy and His Dog...a sweet, sentimental 3 minutes of a small boy and his Labrador...(turn the music to low)....to visit, click BoyandHisDog

................................

Bark For Life...where dogs and dog lovers help the ACS...

Ruth Driewer writes that the Southeastern Wisconsin Bark For Life event was a tail wagging success...Bark For Life is a dog friendly, fund raising event for the  American Cancer Society.  The event featured more than a dozen sponsors, demonstrations (i.e. K9 Unit, animal communicator,  agility), several rescues/humane societies and numerous businesses (i.e.  Starbucks, PetSmart) donating items, gift baskets and gift certificates for  the silent auction". ..We donated  a set of the Planet of the
Dogs series for the silent auction.

The photos were taken at the event by Ruth. Her therapy dog, Bessie, is on the top right.

.........................................

I started following the Fun Times Guide for Dogs in earnest after Lynette, who very rarely reviews books, and especially children's books, reviewed Planet Of The Dogs, and compared it to the Wizard Of Oz.

"Think Wizard of Oz... where the good witch, cowardly lion, tin man, scarecrow, and even the wise old wizard are the dogs. And they're trying to instill good things upon all of the 2-legged humans who cross their path...I liked it! (And I'm not much of a fiction book reader.) I think children would like it most of all."

 Lynette, the editor and a dog lover, describes herself in this way....  

"I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money -- so I frequently write about "outside the box" ideas that most wouldn't think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I spent most of my adult life working in higher ed until switching gears to pursue jobs I was personally passionate about. I've worked at a vet. I've worked at a zoo. I love animals, and I'm an active member of the ASCPA..." www.­dogs.­thefuntimesguide­.­com

.........................................................................

Ariel Wulff in Up On The Woof  has found a new game that all her rescued dogs can play regardless of size, agility or tooth condition...
 

"There aren’t a lot of games that my dogs can play together.  It’s true that when they go to the dog park, they all run around and play chase…but when we’re home, it’s not like everyone can sit down to a game of Yahtzee...
Last night we discovered a new game that everyone can play. Froot Loop Catch. All the dogs circle around and one of us flings Froot Loops at their faces. My dogs love Froot Loops. Everybody stands in the circle and watches their buddies snatch the tiny donuts of dry cereal out of the air, and waits for their turn to try their skill. It’s a true group game, because the dogs that are waiting their turn know that every throw means a potential miss, and the possibility of an extra treat landing at their feet...

To read it all, click Up On The Woof...

To see her new YeloDoggie site,Click here:  YeloDoggie Art

 ..............................................

    Sunbear Squad ...devoted to informing all of us what to do if we see a dog in distress -- lying in the road, mistreated, abandoned...Sunbear Squad provides knowledg, guidance and experience....For information, background and to get your own Roadside Rescue Kit, visit: www.sunbearsquad.org
............................................. 

 "The more we study animals, the more we understand ourselves, whether through books or live encounters..." Barbara Julian on her animalit site.

.............................................