Sago, A Very Special Service Dog

Sago, A Very Special Service Dog Written by Beth Davis Illustrated by Deborah Schilling Published by Pawsative Tales, Inc. www.PawsativeTales.com

Soft Cover ISBN: 978-0-9822974-9-0 Hard Cover ISBN: 978-0-9822974-8-3 Published by Pawsative Tales, Inc. www.PawsativeTales.com Text Š 2011 by Beth Davis Illustrations Š 2011 by Deborah Schilling; www.DeborahSchillingIllustration.com Design by Katie Schlientz; www.SophistiKateDesign.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, Beth Davis, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. No illustration can be reproduced without expressed permission from the illustrator, Deborah Schilling.

Printed by Lightning Source.

Advanced Praise

“Sago is a wonderfully entertaining read with great illustrations. It manages to pass along bundles of useful information about service dogs, what they do and how to treat them, in an easy to use format that children will love. No child who comes to know Sago will ever again look at a service dog without respect and admiration. Even adults who never learned how to treat service dogs will benefit from this great, fun and informative guide.”

—Gerald and Trisha Posner, Authors “Sago, A Very Special Service Dog embodies some of the beginning and critical elements of the Montessori philosophy.

Young children understand the importance of needing to be independent and doing for themselves. Helping people at all ages and stages of their lives to be as independent as possible enables them to live their lives with dignity. The tone and message of the book are ones of respect—respect for the people who need help as well as respect for the work done by these service dogs. The story is told in a child accessible language and includes teachable ideas of how to be respectful when seeing a service dog at work. Thank you Beth for sharing this story about the important work of service dogs in a way young children will understand.”

­—Dr. Joyce McGhee, Headmistress of the Alexander Montessori School, Miami, FL

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Dedication This book is dedicated to Janet Severt and her team at New Horizons Service Dogs. Their efforts enrich the lives of the service dogs they breed and train, and the recipients fortunate enough to live with a service dog.

Special Acknowledgements Jack Hanna A very noteworthy “thank you” to you. I admire your passion for educating the world about the beauty of animals and advocating for animal protection and conservation. I remain genuinely thankful for your fundamental support and for writing the foreword to the book.

Gerald & Trisha Posner Thank you for reading this story and for your esteemed commendation.

Dr. Joyce McGhee Thank you for your wonderful testimonial. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Deborah Schilling and Sago Thank you for illustrating this story. l will always remember the enthusiasm and wonderful expressions of those first grade children as they listened to you speak about people with disabilities and the many ways Sago helps you... fantastically inspiring.

With Sincere Gratitude I also want to thank Katie Schlientz. Your graphic arts talent and design expertise contribute so much. Thank you for all of your endless assistance with this project.

Lindsay Bosslett and Dana Kulvin, I am extremely thankful for your input and editing expertise. Beth Feldman, founder of RoleMommy.com and childhood friend—thank you for all of your guidance. I remain grateful for our wonderful friendship. Richard Rogoff, VMD, thank you dear friend and veterinarian extraordinaire. We are incredibly fortunate for your friendship and care of our precious furry, four-legged, tail-wagging babies. Thank you to my dear friend Lourdes Edlin for educating me about canine behavior, positive training methods, and teaching me and Hogan agility. Your teachings have empowered me and my family to establish incredible relationships with Hogan and Blaze. Thank you for

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your unconditional friendship. A very special thank you to Janet Severt and New Horizons Service Dogs. My family and I are eternally grateful for our Hogan! Thank you to my very caring and kind cousin, Michael Gross, for your direction with this book. Your support helped make Pawsative Tales, Inc., a reality. Thank you to my family and friends who continue to support me in so many ways. There are too many to name... I love you all. Thank you to my amazing canine counterparts Hogan and Blaze, for your constant and unconditional love, every feel good moment, the bazillion laughs and for never barking when Megan dresses you in the finest toddler accessory.

Most importantly my husband, Craig, and daughter, Megan, thank you for your wildly incredible love.

You are, and always will be, my everythings.

Rick A. Prebeg, World Class Images, © 2011

Foreward

“Sure, every youngster loves dogs—but do they realize how incredibly important they can be for some people? Sago, A Very Special Service Dog introduces children to the amazing world of service dogs and how they empower people with disabilities!

Wonderfully illustrated, this fun book delves into their lives and shows the camaraderie between people with disabilities and their canine counterparts.”

­—Jack Hanna Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo Host, TV’s “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild”

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This is Debbie. Debbie travels everywhere in a special chair with wheels called a wheelchair. Some people are not able to walk or have difficulty walking and need a wheelchair to get from place to place. Wee! Debbie can wheel around fast in her wheelchair.

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This is Sago.

Sago is a very special dog. Sago is Debbie’s service dog. Sago travels everywhere with Debbie. They are best friends.

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