Kids Understand Dogs...
Parents can tell children that a dog is "nice" or friendly...this may help the child's perception, but it would appear that there is something beyond cerebral understanding occurring when a child opens up to canine bonding.
What goes on within the inner being of a child that allows intuition to overcome uncertainty and, perhaps, fear?
Thousands of kids are becoming more interested in reading and becoming better readers because of therapy reading dogs. Why are the children trusting the dogs?
What dimensions does the human-canine bond have with kids?
A basic premise of our books is the understanding and communication between kids and dogs...the human-canine bonding with kids is without limits.
There are parallels with today's turbulent world in all our books...people are threatened by others who want what they have. Loyalty and love are no longer part of their lives. Non-violent solutions are rare...
The dogs help to teach people by their actions and through communication with the children.
We believe that children can still learn from dogs...they can learn from reading to dogs...and they can learn from reading about dogs. They can learn from being around dogs. Of course, we believe adults can also learn from being around dogs.
This series began with an appreciative dog wagging its tale and a simple thought, "This world would sure be a better place if people were more like dogs."
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Dog Walkers...Is it better to walk a human or to walk a dog?
Here's a report from the New York Times about the healthy outcomes of dog walking.
"New research from the University of Missouri has found that
people who walk dogs are more consistent about regular exercise and show more
improvement in fitness than people who walk with a human companion. In a
12-week study of 54 older adults at an assisted living home, 35 people were
assigned to a walking program for five days a week, while the remaining 19
served as a control group. Among the walkers, 23 selected a friend or spouse to
serve as a regular walking partner along a trail laid out near the home.
Another 12 participants took a bus daily to a local animal shelter where they
were assigned a dog to walk.
To the surprise of the researchers, the dog walkers showed a
big improvement in fitness, while the human walkers began making excuses to
skip the workout. Walking speed among the dog walkers increased by 28 percent,
compared with just a 4 percent increase among the human walkers."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/the-best-walking-partner-man-vs-dog/
The dog walker in this photo is Stella Mustanoja-McCarty, illustrator of the Planet Of The Dogs book series. She is walking with Dafi, the inspiration for Buddy.
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Kids, Books and Dogs...
We support kids reading...
We support kids reading dog books to therapy dogs...
We support therapy reading dog programs in IN, NY, NJ, CT, RI, PA, NH, FL, WI, and TX.
If you have a therapy reading dog, or you are a teacher or librarian using a therapy dog reading program, let us know and we will send you one or more complimentary books from our Planet Of The Dogs series...email us at [email protected] and let the kids read dog stories to the dogs...
The top two photos on the left of Bessie, a very active registered therapy dog, are from Ruth Dreiwer. She takes Bessie to visit oncology patients as well as reading programs at the Lincoln Road Elementary School in Port Washington, WI. The human-canine bonding is very clear in Ruth's photos.
The lower photo came from Joan Adler, a friend of Ruth's, and owner of Smitty, a registered Delta
Society therapy dog.
Smitty is show here with Elise, one of his reading buddies at Kewaskum Elementary school in West Bend, WI. Joan wrote that they visit the school every Tuesday and that Smitty has 6 Reading Buddies in the 2nd through 4th grade.
We welcome photos and updates from therapy reading dog owners. In our next blog, we will have an update on the multi-faceted program, United Therapy Dogs, in Erie, PA.
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Dogs At the Opera House
Dogs sing on the Planet Of The Dogs, but this is the first time we heard of a concert on planet Earth...
updated 7:19 a.m. ET, Sat., June 5, 2010 SYDNEY - It's a dog's life. Well, it was on Saturday when the forecourt of the Sydney Opera 
Dancing dogs have been around a long time...but Flixxy still wins the Salsa Award
http://www.flixxy.com/dog-dancing-salsa.htm
"After a year of peace Bik, the warrior-chief of Stone City, is preparing for war..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toZQcS8FWgY
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Bookhounds…“Books, Gardens & Dogs”
Bookhounds, Mary Jacobs' website, with over 550 followers, is a whirlwind
of book reviews, giveaways , dog photos, anecdotes, videos, and information.
Mary is also a dog lover, and the photo on the left is of her dachshund, Schatze. Mary recently
reviewed and had giveaways of Planet Of
The Dogs and Castle in the Mist. Here
are excerpts:
“Loved it…This book works on so many levels for readers of any age. I think Planet of the Dogs would be a great book to read out loud to younger children, older children will be challenged by the strong use of more complex words and adults will just plain love it. The story is a timeless classic about how goodness triumphs over evil and well, you know, dogs are the ultimate good in my book…The second book in the Planet of the Dog series finds us back on Earth with the dogs once again saving mankind from themselves…I really recommend this for all dog lovers since it reinforces what we already know: dogs are perfect!
Bookhounds: http://maryinhb.blogspot.com
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Read sample chapters of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series --Planet of The Dogs, Castle In The Mist, Snow Valley Heroes -- on our website:www.planetofthedogs.net
Our books are available i
n the USA, at your local Independent bookstore...
Or, on the Internet via B&N, Amazon, Powell's and others...or on
the Internet in the UK through Amazon and Bangzo...
In Australia through Scribbly Gum Books and Fishpond.com...In India
through Flipkart and Rediff books. (the photo was taken during teacher Julie Hauk's Pages for Preston therapy reading dog program)
Planet Of The Dogs hats, t-shirts, cups etc are in our Cafe Press Shop
Librarians, schools and bookstores -- order our books directly through Ingram (professional discount).
More Awards for Barb Techel and
Frankie…
National Indie Excellence Awarded to Barb’s Newest Book:
Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House)
Frankie, a
dachshund, suffered a debilitating spinal injury and now walks with the aid of
a doggie wheelchair. For the past two years, Frankie and Barb have helped
children of all ages realize that their challenges can be overcome by having a
positive attitude, and that despite these challenges, they can be a
contributing member of society in their own unique way.
Barb reports that “Frankie recently partnered with Sparkles, the Dalmation fire safety dog, for a presentation at Elkhart Lake/Glenbeulah Elementary School, sharing the fire safety message and encouraging children to be of service by helping those with special needs… Rescued from a home with 62 other dogs in 2002, Sparkles now travels across the country with Firefighter Dayna Hilton, educating children and their caregivers about fire safety...The four also participated in a Skype visit to an elementary school in western Canada, sharing the importance of fire safety and encouraging children who may have family or friends with physical challenges to help them have a plan, among other fire safety messages, so they and their families and friends can help stay safe from fire."
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Reading aloud to kids…
Although no dogs were mentioned, we found an endorsement for reading aloud in a New York Times article by Verlyn Klinkenborg -- Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud.
It adds
another dimension to the process of reading aloud with therapy dogs“Sometimes the best way to understand the present is to look
at it from the past. Consider audio
books. An enormous number of Americans read
by listening these days — listening aloud, I call it. The technology for doing
so is diverse and widespread, and so are the places people listen to audio
books. But from the perspective of a reader in, say, the early 19th century,
about the time of Jane Austen, there is something peculiar about it, even
lonely. ..In those days, literate families and friends read aloud to
each other as a matter of habit. Books were still relatively scarce and
expensive, and the routine electronic diversions we take for granted were, of
course, nonexistent. …But listening aloud, valuable as it is, isn’t the same as
reading aloud. Both require a great deal of attention. Both are good ways to
learn something important about the rhythms of language… Reading aloud
recaptures the physicality of words. To read with your lungs and diaphragm,
with your tongue and lips, is very different than reading with your eyes alone.
The language becomes a part of the body…
But I suspect there is no going back. You can easily make the argument that reading silently is an economic artifact, a sign of a new prosperity beginning in the early 19th century and a new cheapness in books. The same argument applies to listening to books on your iPhone.
But what I would suggest is that our idea of reading is incomplete, impoverished, unless we are also taking the time to read aloud.” (photo of kids reading aloud from United Therapy Dogs, Erie, PA)
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“That’s why I’m for best friends, long drives, and smiles,
Nothing but the sound of thinking for miles,
For the unconditional love of dogs:
may we learn the lessons of their love by heart…”
From the Last Time as We Were, poems by Taylor Mali
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