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.
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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
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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
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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
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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 [email protected] 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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 at[email protected].
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.
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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
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"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
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