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Children's Nonfiction Dogs

Rescued

by (author) Janice Howden

illustrated by Erika Folnovic

edited by Deana Driver

Publisher
DriverWorks Ink
Initial publish date
Sep 2016
Category
Dogs, Animal Welfare
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781927570319
    Publish Date
    Sep 2016
    List Price
    $13.95

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 3 to 12
  • Grade: p to 7

Description

Hawkeye, a Tibetan Terrier, tells his true story of being rescued, with a sense of mischief and a little help from his human/owner, Janice. After having to leave a "puppy mill" and head out into a large,unknown world, Harkeye is rescued and finds his forever home. His story teaches children to be kind to others, whether they are humans or other animals.

About the authors

Awards

  • Commended, Animals/Pets, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
  • Runner-up, Wild Card, Great Northwest Book Festival
  • Commended, Five Star Rating, Reader's Favorite Book Reviews and Award Contest

Contributor Notes

Janice Howden first became involved in animal welfare while her late husband, Lloyd, was an animal protection officer (APO) in Saskatchewan between the years 2000 and 2012. Rescued is Janice’s second book. Her first book, Badge #124, was the story of Lloyd’s work as an APO.

Currently, Janice serves as a board member of the Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and is part of the SSPCA’s education committee. Her passion is to teach children how to care for animals. Janice and Rahj have been invited to speak at events and locations throughout Saskatchewan about compassion and respect for animals. Janice now resides in Saskatoon with Rahj, her lovable, rescued Tibetan Terrier.

Excerpt: Rescued (by (author) Janice Howden; illustrated by Erika Folnovic; edited by Deana Driver)

According To Hawkeye

Hey, that’s not what happened!

I’m Hawkeye. I’m the black dog, in case you are just listening to this story – being told rather badly by the human, I must say.

First of all, my brother Freddie and I didn’t run away. The people we lived with opened the pen door and chased us out into the alley.

I know it’s shocking, but it’s true.

We overheard the man and his wife, who owned the kennel, talking the night before.

“What are we going to do with these two dogs; no one wants them, because people want cute little puppies.”

“The next litter is almost ready; we are crowded and need the space.”

“Look at them, they are both shaggy, stinky little beasts; no one will buy them and I am not going to spend money for vet fees and haircuts for those two!”

Freddie and I were both very sad when we heard that. Was it our fault no one picked us?

I had heard someone say my front legs were kind of crooked and someone else said Freddie was very shy, because he hid in the corner whenever someone came to see us. But they didn’t even stop to get to know us. Now that’s hardly fair, right?

So the next day, the gate in the backyard was opened by the kennel owners and Freddie and I had to leave.

What a scary world. All those noises we heard from inside the fence now seemed frightening.

We needed a plan.

Freddie and I looked at each other and we decided we have to stick together.

“So what’s the plan?” Freddie asked.

“How should I know?” I replied over my shoulder as I ran as fast as my little crooked legs

could carry me.

Freddie tried to keep up, all the while whimpering about being scared.

This was the worst day of my life.

What were we going to do?

First, we got chased by a huge, angry dog that growled and showed his big teeth. Suddenly, the dog’s chain yanked him to a halt. We had barely escaped.

Freddie and I kept running down the alley, past old furniture and huge, overflowing garbage bins until we saw a place with trees and grass and a little pond. We decided to run across the busy street toward the park. Horns honked and tires screeched.

When I looked back, I saw that Freddie almost got hit by a big red truck. Then a yellow school bus loaded with noisy kids blasted its horn at him too. That was frightening. Freddie barely made it across the street!

We stopped to catch our breath. “Now what?” Freddie whined.

“Good grief,” I snapped. “How come I have to do all the thinking?”

I tried to be brave, but my legs were shaking and my heart was pounding. I didn’t tell Freddie that I was just as scared as he was.

OK, OK ... so I was the oldest ... or so I liked to brag. The oldest got to eat first and got first pick of any toys, but now I was expected to have a plan?

Nope; I got nothing. No plan.

So there we were, all alone; cold and hungry with no idea what we were going to do. Very slowly, we walked along the pathway and sniffed at some trees. Then we went down to the little duck pond for a cold drink of water.

The ducks weren’t very friendly; they just quacked and flapped their wings as they waddled into the water; then with a slight wiggle of their tails, they swam away.

A cold wind was blowing and it was almost dark.

“We need to find shelter,” I said bravely.

We walked down a long pathway, past the swing sets and benches, looking for a place to spend the night. I knew we were not going to find any soft beds, but we finally found a small clump of bushes and crawled under them. We huddled together on a bed of dried leaves and tried to stay warm.

Long into the night, I listened to Freddie whimper in his sleep until, finally, I stopped shivering and fell asleep too.

Editorial Reviews

"Rescued by Janice Howden tells the story of a dog rescued from the streets, cared for in an animal shelter, and finally adopted into a forever home with a caring family. For those who have made the commitment to provide a forever home for a special animal, this book tells a story that you may relate to. When looking to add to your family, the Saskatchewan SPCA encourages you to visit your local SPCA or humane society, or contact reputable animal rescues in your area. It may take a bit of extra work but you’ll be happy when you find the right dog for your family."
- Josh Hourie, Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Rescued is a deceptively simple book that works on many levels. On the surface, it’s a story about Hawkeye and his brother Freddie, two abandoned Tibetan Terriers, and their search to find a “Forever Home”. Underlying the story is the true account of author Janice Howden’s adoption of her rescue dog Rahj from the Saskatoon SPCA.“

“I very much enjoyed Janice Howden’s tale, cleverly written from two perspectives – the rescue-dog’s and Janice’s. Most of the story is written from Hawkeye’s point of view, making his story personal and even more heart-breaking, showing the fear and neglect he had gone through as well as how much he had loved Freddie. Janice Howden obviously has a vast knowledge of the breed as well as a great imagination to tell such an incredibly sad tale, brightened by a happy ending. Rescued is a true story which is filled with many clever illustrations. It also contains many photographs of her rescue dog, Hawkeye (now named Rahj), and the delightful new memories that Janice’s family have started to build with their new rescue dog. I wholeheartedly recommend Rescued to both adults and children alike, so they can understand why many animals are skittish when they first arrive at their new forever homes, and feel this book would do well stocked in the shops of rescue shelters.”

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