Interview with Santa...
Recently, because of our affiliation with the Planet of the Dogs, we received this copy of an interview with Santa Claus.
Interviewer: Thanks for taking the time -- especially with Christmas nearly here -- to answer our questions and clarify things.
Santa: I'm happy that the story is finally 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 hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Interviewer: Is it true that there was to be no more Christmas?
Santa:Yes. I'm sorry to say that it was true. It was the end of Christmas -- 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: Really! 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 earth.
Interviewer: No dogs on earth! 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 and somehow they heard that we were in trouble. And one day, there they were, just like that.
Interviewer: Amazing! How many dogs were there?
Santa: I never counted, but there sure were a lot of them. And most of them really liked the snow. There were two nice kids with them, a brother and a sister. They could talk to the dogs and seemed to guide them.
Interviewer: I'm getting lost here, Santa. How could two nice kids and a big bunch of dogs save Christmas?
Santa: First, I have to tell you why there could be no more Christmas. Two of my reindeer, Dasher and Dancer, were missing. Without them to help pull my sleigh, I couldn't deliver presents.
Interviewer: Had they wandered off and gotten lost? And the dogs tracked them down in the woods?
Santa: No, nothing like that. If that had happened, the elves would have found them. Unbeknownst to us, they had been kidnapped by the King of the North. (Before Santa could say another word, the sound of ringing bells was heard) Oops, sorry. I have to go. The elves have arrived with a sled waiting to take me back to the workshop. It's that busy time of year.
Interviewer: Wait! Santa, please, give me a minute more. I have to know what happened.
Santa: Sorry, but I must go...but, here, read this book, it tells the whole story. (Santa, rushing out the door into the snow, handed the interviewer a copy of
Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale. As the sled drove off, Santa called out, "Happy holidays to all").
......................................
"Dog History is Being Made"...writes Nancy Houser on her Way Cool Dogs blog as part of an article on Senior Dog Month (November). (http://www.waycooldogs.com/senior-dog-month-celebrated-in-november/
"Senior dogs are slowly finding their niche in American society, as compared to being put down because of aging or bad health — quickly replaced by a cuter and younger puppy. It used to be the old senior dog went to a shelter or was abandoned on roadsides when they became older by of their owners or a member of the family after the owner’s death.
What is going on now is becoming a big thing in dog history … old dogs are being treated with the respect and decency they should always have had and vet medicine is focusing on things like arthritis, diabetes, old dog diets, heated beds, and so on. This is a big thing in dog history … but more important, it shows another side of the evolving dog owner"...
Nancy's perspective and ongoing insights create a plethora of interesting, informative and, sometimes, provocative posts for
Way Cool Dogs. The photo on the left is one of several rescued dogs on her Nebraska farm. We are not sure if that is a puddle on the floor or simply old wood.
In her December 2 blog, Nancy wrote a follow-up to her post on Senior Dogs, entitled, Love and Proper Care for Senior Dogs. Accompanied by photos, the article is all based on personal experience.
...................................................
Dog Dreams...
Dogs dream in real life (as well as in our Planet Of The Dogs Series) according to an article in Psychology Today.
Dr Stanley Coren, PhD, writes a fascinating blog -- Canine Corner, The human-animal bond -- for Psychology Today. Here is an excerpt from his post on dog dreams
"...It is really quite easy to determine when your dog is dreaming without resorting to brain surgery or electrical recordings. All that you have to do is to watch him from the time he starts to doze off. As the dog's sleep becomes deeper his breathing will become more regular. After a period of about 20 minutes for an average-sized dog his first dream should start. You will recognize the change because his breathing will become shallow and irregular. There may be odd muscle twitches, and you can even see the dog's eyes moving behind its closed lids if you look closely enough. The eyes are moving because the dog is actually looking at the dream images as if they were real images of the world..". Read all of Dr Coren's article at:
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201010/do-dogs-dream
...............................................................
Barb and Frankie
The Christmas spirit never ends for therapy dogs, especially for Barb Techel and Frankie (pictured on the left).
Barb has written two outstanding illustrated children's books: Frankie the Walk N'Roll Dog and Frankie the Walk N'Roll Dog Visits Libby's House.
Frankie is a registered therapy dog and, working with Barb, visits the Sharon S. Richardson Hospice, Libby's House (a Senior Assisted Facility), Aurora Memorial Hospital, bookstores and schools.
http://joyfulpaws.com/
....................................................................
Dog Videos for All
Amazing Video...moving light patterns on darkened Scottish hills as border collies move sheep through amazing patterns...LED lights create a lovely surreal world that would stop a traveler in their tracks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCOnFamiTjc&feature=related
Funny Video-Stupid Pet Tricks...Laugh out loud when Bailey the dog meets Dave Letterman...Dogtime has this and other dog videos at:
http://dogtime.com/dog-videos.html
........................................
Kids and Books
How could we show kids that dogs can make a huge difference...in a wonderful way?
How could we tell a different story from our earlier books?
What could the dogs do that kids would really like and appreciate?
How, for instance, could the dogs save Christmas?
Visit www.planetofthedogs.net and read sample chapters of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale...
All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or through Amazon, Barnes& Noble , Powells and others...
For cups, hats, shirts, dog shirts and other gift
items...Visit our store at Cafe Press.
Continuing...Our Therapy Reading Dogs Reprise...
Ask any dog, do you enjoy having kids read dog books to you? If it's a therapy reading dog the answer will always be yes!
Remember Bessie, Ruth Dreiwer's therapy dog, active the Wisconsin Humane Society's READ program and a regular hospital visitor....
Karen Sorenson, a Wisconsin friend of Ruth's sent us an update on her therapy dog, Star. In addition to patient visits in a local hospital and hospice, and her regular school visits, Karen teaches in a local literacy center.The photo on the left is of Star and a student friend who has made great progress.
These three Labs, known as the Three Bears, work with owner CK Delfino in many venues in the NYC area. These include Physical and Occupational Therapy, Hospitals (including children),Senior Residence, and with READ teams.
We currently support therapy reading dog programs in Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Virginia, Florida and Texas.
If you have a therapy reading dog, email us at [email protected], and we'll send you a book from the Planet Of The Dogs Series.
Let kids read dog stories to dogs!
.......
Investigating, Taking Action and Saving Lives...
Deb Eades, author and ongoing worker for the Dog Rescue Railroad, is extending her generosity to the Ohio SPCA. On her blog, after mentioning that her entry into dog rescue work began in 2000 through the Ohio, SPCA, Deb says, "There is MUCH to be done in Ohio as far as animal cruelty is concerned, and we need the OHIO SPCA to survive to be the ones to step up and SPEAK OUT when no one else does."
She has posted an informative video of the rescue work that the all volunteer, non-profit, Ohio SPCA is doing to save animals from cruelty, including scenes on their 40 acre animal sanctuary.
Deb believes so strongly in their work the she is offering free copies of her wonderful book:
"PLEASE support them with your donations. Send your tax deductible donations to P.O. Box 546 Grove City, OH and for a membership of $25 or more, I will send you a free, signed copy of Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale".
Visit her blog to see the video and learn more: http://everyrescueddoghasatale.blogspot.com/
...........................
Puppy Mills In Missouri
I didn't realize that Missouri has a reputation as the Puppy Mill capital of the USA until I read an Internet article in the Nov 12, 2010 issue of The Economist...here's an excerpt:
"ODD as it seems, the state of Missouri is home to 1,462 licensed commercial dog breeders. Between them, they breed about 1m puppies a year. About 40% of all the dogs that end up in pet shops across America are born in Missouri’s smaller country towns.
Some breeding places hardly bear inspection. Cori Menkin, senior director of legislative initiatives for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has seen “horrific” conditions there, with up to 1,000 breeding bitches under one roof"...
The article cites legislation that will help, but enforcement lacks proper funding, and the situation is disturbing.
............................................
Leaping Coyote...
If you and your dog live out in the countryside, you may see coyotes. Ariel Wulff, and Waldo, one of her rescued dogs, were taking a walk (they live in a National Park in Ohio) when they saw a big , beautiful coyote. Here is an excerpt...
...The coyote set out immediately for the high grass of the meadow and soon disappeared from our line of sight, but then we were treated to an extraordinary display. As the coyote traversed the high grass of our meadow from west to east, it leapt straight up into the air at approximately fifteen foot intervals to espy us. While Waldo tipped his head to one side and boggled at this odd behavior, I watched, astonished by the coyote’s athleticism. It leapt straight up into the air as though it were weightless. As though it had springs in its rear paws...read the rest of her experience on Up On The Woof. http://thewoof.wordpress.com.
As readers of this blog will know, Ariel is also the creator of yelodoggie cards, paintings and gift items (Cafe Press), writes the Pets column for the Cleveland Examiner, and is the author of the wondrous book, Born Without aTail.
...............................................
Tooting Our Horn...
Dawn Speese, at MommyPR, writes and reviews for women with children...here's an excerpt from her review of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale:
"...Although this is a children’s tale, it holds enough appeal to become a favorite of not only our children, but also the parents as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my adventure through snow valley and highly recommend adding this book to your must have holiday favorites.
I don’t want to spoil anything by sharing too much of the story line, but just want to say that you will want to read this book yourself to find out if the dogs did or did not touch the heart of the King of the North. If they did, I may have possibly teared up a bit (you probably know by now that my husband doesn’t call me spicket for no reason). Discover for yourself how the story unfolds as the dogs follow their mission to save Christmas! We can’t wait to read the other Planet Of The Dogs books!"
In addition to children's book reviews, Dawn's site also features product reviews, updates on discounts, giveaways and all kinds of news for mothers: www.mommypr.com
Grab a Book from Our Stack is the website of dog lovers and book reviewers, Karen and Gerard Zemek.
The dog on the left is their rescued dog, Abby. Karen, author of My Funny Dad, Harry, recently gave positive reviews to all of our books in the Planet Of The Dogs series. Here is an excerpt from her review of Planet Of The Dogs:
"...I think this book would make a child want a dog of their own.The author does a fantastic job of creating a word picture of the excitement of the dogs..."
Visit their site at: http://ourstack.blogspot.com
......................................
An excellent new adult and young adult book...for dog lovers, working dog owners, farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers...Rose In A Storm, a new novel by John Katz will be reviewed here in our end of the year blog.
..................................
Two Dog Loving Women...
In the state of Washington, have developed their own multifaceted approach to working with therapy reading dogs and kids. Deborah J. Hall and Donna Vaquer have co-authored The Rainbow Series: Dogs Who Help
(http://childrensdisabilities.info/therapy-service-animals/index.htmlwebsite).
They also work directly with kids and dogs and publish an earthy and heartening email newsletter (free) The Wag Rag.To subscribe, email Deborah at: [email protected]. Ladies, we salute you for the work you do!
...............................
If you see a dog in distress, abused or abandoned, and need advice/guidance on what to do, contact www.sunbearsquad.org
...................................
"Like most dogs that talk with humans he was a thorough yes type, honoring my every point with agreement." ...John Graves -- Blue and Some Other Dogs
......................................................................................................................................................
Comments