Walking Watson: Happy National Poetry Month!

Watson, age 5

Happy Birthday (April 22), Watson! He loves his new ball and is grateful for spring because that means more frequent and longer w-a-l-k-s. (I'm in trouble if he learns how to spell!) Watson is a great walker now, but in his puppyhood, walking him was more challenging, prompting this poem from 2015:

Walking My Dog, Watson

When I walk Watson, he sets the pace.

He launches off  like he’s in a race

And runs a block or maybe two

While I hold on. Who’s leading who?

He trots and stops and circles back to sniff at every tree.

He jumps at squirrels, which seems to make him gallop vertically.

He lolls at every post and bush and runs full-out between,

And when we meet some people, he licks their faces clean.

Some ask why I do it, but the question ought to be

Am I walking Watson, or is Watson walking me?

                                                ~Jane Heitman Healy, (c) 2015

(This poem first appeared as a Word of the Month poem on David L. Harrison's site in April 2015. The word was "pace.")

Fall 2017

You Had Me at "Hello": Therapy Dogs and Reading

Who doesn't love a good dog story? And who doesn't love "hello" more than "goodbye"? That makes Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Patrice Barton, a winner! And I was a winner of this book, via an online entry.

Moose, Zara's beloved dog, loves "hello"--"Hello was a ride in the car...Hello was having a book and someone to read it to you...Hello smelled like homemade cookies...." So when Moose insists on running away from home to join Zara at school, you can imagine the chaos that caused. Barton's illustrations capture all the messy antics. Well, we all know that dogs don't belong at school--or do they? Moose was miserable and hated the word "goodbye," which Gianferrari defines as poetically as she defined "hello." Fortunately, Zara has an idea she can act upon, and before long, Moose becomes a therapy dog who comes to school and lets kids read to him. That made everyone happy, well summed up in Barton's final cozy illustration.

An author note tells more about therapy dogs as non-judgmental listeners. As Gianferri says, "It's the perfect combination: tales and tails!"

Thank you, Maria, for this wonderful story and the gift of this book!

Another recently published book about a therapy dog is Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, written and illustrated by Lisa Papp. For Madeline Finn, reading is hard, and the teacher is always telling her to read. Reading out loud is even harder and embarrassing. Ugh. Madeline tries. She sets a goal to achieve a gold star, but that result is not forthcoming. And then--at a trip to the public library, Madeline is introduced to Bonnie, a big white dog. Madeline reads to her and with Bonnie's calm presence, Madeline gains confidence and reading fluency. Madeline gets her gold star at school and goes to the library to give it to Bonnie, who had been absent the week before. Papp ends the book with a lovely surprise and more opportunities for Madeline's reading. The soft, warm illustrations support the story and the tone of the book. I especially like that Madeline's reading progress was not an overnight success, but a process.

Finally, please click this link and meet Roxie, one of the friendly Tail Waggin Tutors therapy dogs that visits the library where I work and lets kids read to her. Watching kids interact with Roxie, whether they read to her or not, is always fun. They usually start out hesitant, especially if the child is much smaller than the dog. But when Roxie seems to like their attention, they are happy--and so is Roxie.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's been months since I've posted here due to a number of things, but I'm baaack!

Here we are in the dog days of summer, that sultry time in July & August before the crisp snap of fall. In our case, the weather is temperate, but we are in the dog days literally, having gotten a new puppy.

Watson (named for Sherlock's sidekick and the five-time British Open winning golfer, Tom) is 1/2 Golden Retriever and 1/2 English Cream and full of puppy playfulness.

A visiting friend said, "He looks like some storybook dog."

I had already thought of this--Biscuit of the series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.

What do you think? Is there a resemblance?

The children's lit world is full of wonderful dog characters--Clifford, Wishbone, and Carl, to name three. Which dog characters are your favorites?

Here's a list by Publisher's Weekly blogger Elizabeth Bluemle.

Enjoy your dog days!

Good Dog

Indiana (named for adventurer Indiana Jones) was with this family for nearly 11 years, offering friendship, companionship, and mischief. He wasn't much interested in other dogs, cats, squirrels, or rabbits. As one visitor said, "You think you're people." What he liked best was being with his people, and of course, food. We think it's no coincidence that his chin was exactly table height.

He loved to rummage in the trash cans for used tissues, a favorite snack. He loved to eat butter and butter wrappers (to condition his coat, no doubt). And he loved buns. At one holiday meal, we had set a basket of buns on a chair behind us because there wasn't room on the table. Oops! Gone in 60 seconds.

He loved to play tug with old socks, a rope, and other old fabric.

One of the funniest incidents occurred one day when he had really been into everything, exasperating me. When my husband came home, he sat in a chair, and Indiana came over to be petted. "Were you a good dog today, Indiana?" my husband asked. I entered the room, and Indiana swiveled his head and looked at me with an expression that said, "Are you going to tell on me?"

Books about dogs are notorious for sad endings: Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, Marley and Me, etc. For a long time, I put off reading the Newbery Award winning Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo because, as a dog book, it must be sad. I was so wrong and heartily recommend this story of friendship and belonging.

Indiana was a BIG dog, and a book that fits him is My Big Dog by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens.

What dog stories do you like? What dog antics have you enjoyed?

Indiana, Good Dog, November 9, 2001-September 27, 2012

Happy Howloween!

Remember the "Monster Mash"? Enjoy it with this canine acting group at Southern Tails Dog School!

DOGGY MONSTER MASH VIDEO @ Yahoo! Video

What will your costume be this year?