Lisa is joined by Annemarie Whalen-Maag who talks with Lisa about her children's book, A Dog Like Me: A shelter dog's journey to finding his forever home. Annemarie has five dogs and talks about each of them as well as the joys and challenges of having a Husky,
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A fun and imaginative rhyming story with a positive message. A perfect tale about discovering how you are good enough without changing who you are. This is also a story that teaches children the importance of dog adoption and their desire
for a loving home and family.
Blue longs for a family and a forever home. Follow him on his journey. Along the way, he meets new friends that
help him realize how special he really is. Will he overcome his fear of not being good enough and accept himself
as he is? Will anyone adopt a shelter dog like him?
A book that they will want to read over and over again!
Lisa is joined by Annemarie Whalen-Maag who talks with Lisa about her children's book, A Dog Like Me: A shelter dog's journey to finding his forever home. Annemarie has five dogs and talks about each of them as well as the joys and challenges of having a Husky,
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A fun and imaginative rhyming story with a positive message. A perfect tale about discovering how you are good enough without changing who you are. This is also a story that teaches children the importance of dog adoption and their desire
for a loving home and family.
Blue longs for a family and a forever home. Follow him on his journey. Along the way, he meets new friends that
help him realize how special he really is. Will he overcome his fear of not being good enough and accept himself
as he is? Will anyone adopt a shelter dog like him?
A book that they will want to read over and over again!
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog , rescue , adopted , book , husky , people , huskies , kennel , lobo , fence , shelter , benji , house , raccoon , amazing , wilford , blanket , artist , naturally , pets
Lisa:
Does your dog do? Well, we've got the fantastic Amory Whelan mug we're talking about her book, a dog like me a shelter dogs journey to finding his forever home. It is such a heartwarming and wonderful book. And I'm just so excited. All right, so does your dog do. First of all, I'm very excited to be here. Thank you so much. Of course, my dog does. I have five dogs, they all do something, but I'll focus on one.
Annemarie:
0:42
Our Husky Lobo, he's a rescue. And he walks around with a blanket in his mouth. Everywhere he goes up and down the stairs. He goes outside in the backyard with it. And, you know, we'll try to give him a blanket so he doesn't steal everybody's blankets. But no, he wants to steal everybody's blanket, especially if you're sleeping. He'll take those covers right off of you. But you know, the cute thing about it is he's this huge husky. And here he is walking around with a baby blanket like, and it's so cute. But you know, it's great. Because in the animal world, there's no judgement, you know, no, there's no shame or anything. The other dogs aren't making fun of him or anything, but it's just really cute. We try that, like, you know, when he goes for a walk, can't bring the blanket. But it's really cute. And he actually is one of the characters in my book. He is Lobo now, but we adopted him. And his his name used to be Bradley Cooper.
Annemarie:
1:51
Yeah, because he has these gorgeous blue eyes like Bradley Cooper.
Lisa:
1:57
So yeah, he was a kennel mate of blue. Oh, wow. And blue is the main character in this story. Character. Yeah. Which is wonderful. And we're gonna jump in in a moment, I have to ask you, what I asked every guest at the beginning of each episode, when did your love of dogs begin? You know, that question is easy, because I just, I think I was born loving dogs. I think it's part of my genetic genetic makeup. And just always had a dog growing up. And we used to visit my Aunt Lucy all the time, she had a ton of dogs. And each dog was unique in its own way, like one would be three legged one would be blind, one would have no tail. And I just thought to myself, like, this is how I want my life to be when I grow up. And being an adult. I want to be surrounded by dogs all the time. So that's why we have five dogs.
Lisa
2:53
I love that. My my husband's like I love dogs, but two is enough. And I'm like really I could have well, that is a problem. That's the problem. My husband and I both feel the same way. So you know, you need someone in control to be like no more, you know? Yeah, that's true. All right. Well, I want to talk about your wonderful book. Now. This is a children's book. And it's so well done and it's so heartfelt has such a great message. So this is a true story of a husky named Blue loose original owner brought him to a shelter when he was a year old and he luckily got taken out of there into a Husky Rescue. And that's where he met Bradley Cooper
Lisa
3:33
Two labs diesel and Cassidy Wilford an old basset hound and two pitbulls, Mama and Zeus. And I don't want to give away the story, I just want to say that it really is about loving who you are accepting who you are, and having faith that people or other dogs are going to love you. What made you think of the story?
Annemarie
3:52
Well, first of all, it kind of evolved.
At first I wanted to do a story because, you know, flew, it was like a year and a half and he was, you know, in a kennel now in safe from a shelter. But he was starting to regress, and he would get adopted and returned within 24 hours, which you've got to give a dog more time than that. What did they say when they returned him? What were the kind of it was, it was all different things that you know, like it was not what they expected. I mean, I think a lot of people, you know will go to adopt the dog thinking immediately it's going to, you know, feel comfortable in your house and it's just not going to be the dog gets afraid and doesn't know where he is and all those things. You need to really give it a couple of weeks. But um, yeah, he I was getting afraid that he wasn't gonna get adopted. So, me being an artist, I'm like, What could I do? How could I get this out to the public? And I was like, I'm gonna do a book. I'm gonna write a book about him and someone's gonna fall in love with him and adopt him and
Annemarie:
5:00
You know, it kind of evolved into, I wanted to see how the dog gets really thinking like, maybe I can think of becoming a little bit more special and someone will want me. And it just evolved from there. And, you know, it involved into like two stories in one, like, teaching about the journey of a shelter dog, and also teaching people that, you know, to be themselves and just being yourself is good enough. So, it really told two things, which, you know, it really turned out to be a good story. And yeah, and I'm so glad he got adopted. You know, he actually got adopted before I finished the book. Oh, yeah. And the people that have him now, like, they were so excited about the book coming out and everything and, you know, they're really great because they keep us in the loop of his progress. He's doing amazing. They actually adopted another Husky after that. It's just everything is just so good. So good. Oh, I'm so glad and they renamed him Odin, correct? Yep. Oh, damn. Yeah, he is old and now. He's living his best life. He's on a couch. That's what we'd like to hear here on dog eared. I love how blue had an idea quote, What if I were a trained dog or had a special talent that all could see then maybe someone would want to adopt me and I love the rhyming. In the book. He starts asking questions. What about if I was a show dog or a police dog or search and rescue? I perform tricks and you know, in all on a wonderful rimy way, and his dog friends have reassured him that no, someone's going to love you. I was so glad that that message came out to that. Just be yourself and someone will love you. And those dogs are pretty amazing to Wilford Zeus mama Cassidy and diesel diesel did get adopted too. But those other guys are still there in the kennel. Anybody interested? Now, tell us about this kennel. Okay, this kennel is run by an amazing person. Her name is Kathleen Kelly. It's phone app kennels. And it's really a kennel. That is for you know, when people go on vacation. But she helps out a couple of the rescues and then a couple of those dogs actually were belong to people that said they were going on vacation and never returned.
Yeah, so she is beyond to the meets in person. And I have to say like, my experience of like work, volunteering with the rescues has been amazing. I've met the most amazing people. It just they really their hearts are in it. They work so hard for these dogs. It's just amazing. Oh, that's so nice. Well, I'm a pitbull fanatic. So immediately, I was so happy to see Zeus and Mama, but also sad that they were there. How old are they? Like?
Annemarie
8:07
Yeah, they're, they're, they're beautiful. They are the beautiful dogs. Mama, I think is like, she's got to be about four. And Zeus is a little older. I think he may be about seven, eight, you know, so. But yeah, she's amazing. When these dogs had nowhere else to go, you know, and she just really amazing. And we go and visit them every once in a while to just, you know, they don't take us back there anymore. But we'll drop off like toys or treats or whatever. But amazing people. Amazing. Now you did all the artwork for the book. Correct? Yes. Beautiful. Talk to us about when you first got interested in art. My mom is an artist. Oh, so when she was doing art shows, when we my sister and I were little girls, you know, she would be at the art show. We were bored. We would sit there and draw all day. So
Annemarie:
9:02
I would say forever. I've been drawing forever.
9:08
I actually am an artist by profession. I work in the fashion industry. I am a graphic artist for I do children's clothing,
9:18
doing the Disney license, but at night, I come home and I draw all night. So that's how the book developed and that's probably why it took so long to get out there. Because I'm doing it after hours. Well you did an amazing job. Tell us about your five dogs you mentioned Lobo tell us about the other four. Okay, so we have another Husky named storm and she's she's the one that probably started my obsession with with Huskies.
9:48
You know, I fell in love with her immediately and you know, I was so in love with that breed that it made me start reaching out to you know, Husky rescues and that's how I
10:00
Got involved? You know, I got involved with FIRST doing adoption events, meet and greets. And then
10:09
they were like, well, you're an artist, right? So, can you do some art for us? So, I started doing some art. And, you know, I wish they made Christmas cards out of them. Oh, no. And they still do them. Now, they, each year they repeat it and you know, through the rescue, they sell them and, you know, whatever they make great, you know, so
10:32
that's storm. And then we have a little rescue that she's like,
10:39
Scout. She is like, she's tough as nails. She's the littlest one. She rules the roost. And she is a mix of like, probably a million things. She is a little bit. I think pitfall a little Chow, a little shepherd, a little, a little of everything. And she's a real cutie. She follows you all around the house wherever you go.
11:03
And then we got a big guy. We got goofy. He has a new family. And
11:09
yeah, he's new. He's huge. He's like 200 pounds. And, you know, he lays around the house pretty much so he you know, that's a new for you. And then we got Heidi. Heidi is a German Shepherd.
11:25
So
11:27
did I get all of them? Yes. Heidi's our German Shepherd. Yeah, she's the oldest one and she's the alpha girl. She's the queen of the house. So yeah, that's all of them. Does your family include a dog or a cat? Would you like to be better educated on how to advocate for their health naturally, then why not check out all of the amazing resources on naturally healthy pets.com Dr. Judy Morgan is a trusted advisor and a regular guest here on the dog eared podcast. She has over 38 years experience as an integrative veterinarian, acupuncturist chiropractor, food therapist, author, speaker, podcast host and owner of Dr. Judy Morgan's, naturally healthy pets. Dr. Judy's goal is to change the lives of pets by educating and empowering pet parents just like you in the use of natural healing therapies, and minimizing the use of chemicals, vaccinations, and poor quality processed foods. Head on over to naturally healthy pets.com where you'll discover healthy product recommendations, comprehensive courses, the naturally healthy pets podcast, informative blogs, upcoming events and so much more. Again, that's naturally healthy pets.com The place to learn how to give your pet the vibrant life that they deserve.
Lisa:
13:03
Now, I don't know that much about Huskies what are their personalities like,
Annemarie:
Huskies are not for everybody.
13:11
And I think that's the biggest problem. And I think that's why there's so many in the shelter right now is because you know, everybody's like, Oh, those blue eyes.
13:22
They're very pretty. But then when people get them home, they're very, very active. And they're, they're thinkers. So they're escape artists, so and they're always up to something, I feel like they're always thinking about, okay, how can I get out of here, you know, like, what can I get myself into they're diggers
13:42
they have a high prey drive a lot of them.
13:45
They're very active, very active.
13:49
And they're very silly dogs. I love them because they have a really funny personality. You never know what they're going to be up to their, you know, in their how they're very quiet other than when they want to speak and how.
14:03
But they're not for everybody. And I think that's why, you know, people don't realize what they're getting themselves into when they get a husky. And definitely, and I've seen it many times at the rescue. Get a high fence. Right? They climb those high fences like they're nothing. Oh my gosh, yeah, like six foot fence. Yeah, chain link fence high high fence. They climb them. Yeah. So yeah, I would say definitely a high fence and you know, they need to be kind of monitored during that stage. I have cameras watching the dog so Yeah, exactly. Because one of our Huskies to like toward the neighborhood, you know, she's gotten out a couple of times. And we would be like, I don't understand how she got out. Everything's secure. And we would find like she like would find a look or something that was like hidden behind the shed and be able to get out and I'm like, They're unbelievable.
14:59
Lisa
15:00
We had a setter Shepherd mix Bobo who was such an angel, and he would I swear he could like flattened himself out when we first got him. It was terrible because we had to give him these ear drops. And it's like, you don't you know, we want the dog to come into your house and feel safe and not be like immediately put in some in them, you know, and he hated it. And he would just somehow Latin himself and almost liquefy and get under this bed that was very low or like, I don't know how I did that. Or you get under the fence where you're like, I don't know.
Annemarie:
15:28
Exactly, exactly like right now of that a long time. Right now where we see we have to take care of over the weekend. We see like they've been digging by the fence. So are they trying to visit the neighbors? We need to do something maybe put a two by four there or something? Yeah, definitely always checking our, you know, the surrounding fence to make sure it is secure for your Husky.
Lisa:
15:56
Do they shed?
Annemarie:
16:00
in this house.
16:02
i It's hard to tell I you know, who's the worst, you know, they're all long haired.
16:09
So I you know, I guess it's a combination of you know, who's the worst one? Lobo probably would say is the worst one because he's a he's a woolly husky. He's got long hair. Yeah, so his hair is everywhere. Yeah. hairs are everywhere. So with a husky, you have to keep them you got to get out. You've got to walk them. You gotta get them exercise. You got it. So how do you do walk all five? I can't imagine it once, especially with the new fear. How do you do that? Yeah, it has to be split up. And, you know, that's sometimes gets a little crazy. Because like, even on the weekends, we will be saying No, on the weekends, got to start our weekend with Starbucks, you know, the pub cup. So they all know it. They all know when it's Saturday morning. And you know, we have to split them up like, okay, who's coming? You know, we take three and you know, the following day, we'll take the other two. So, you know, that's a little crazy. Getting out of the house. But yeah, like, even with anything, we have to like, split it up, you know, because they're big dogs, too. So yeah. Now are Huskies affectionate at all? The warmth is, you know, she's affectionate. But on her terms, right, though? They mean like, yeah, like, you know, when she wants to, you know, but um, lo Bo. He's definitely, you know, more affectionate actually, when we first brought him in, even though we had known him for a while, and we were taking him out on the weekends to socialize him. Once we decided to bring him into our house and adopt him. He was very standoffish. I mean, you couldn't stand over him. Everything was a threat to him. He was scared and he is slowly evolving. And, you know, he now you can hug him. But I don't think that's like a husky thing. I think it's more because he was in a shelter. He was in a kennel for almost two years. I you know, he was returned probably four or five times. Yeah. That was the same with blue. We turned about four or five times all the same thing after 24 hours.
18:19
Actually, somebody returned him. Because they said it didn't get along with their raccoon. I'm like,
18:26
Okay.
18:29
Lisa:
18:31
They told me when I got all my dogs have been from shelters. And if we already have a dog, you bring the dog you have to meet the dog you want to get.
Annemarie:
18:40
I'm doubting they brought the raccoon? I'm good. I think if they brought the raccoon up, they'd be like, Excuse me. But yeah, that's something I've never heard. No, that actually wasn't adoption to the rescue. And no, there was no mention of a raccoon until they brought it back.
18:55
Yeah, we're like, I don't know if any dog would really get along with a raccoon. Yeah, it's really important to I think for people when they're looking for dogs to know what they're getting into and into research the dog and the type of dog and Are they active? Are they a couch potato, so you don't end up traumatizing the poor dog more by bringing it on. It's a lot of grin and go out. And you know, we had gotten to lab brothers. And I'll tell you it, we're completely untrained. They just would run through the house so fast, they'd scare my daughter because they were so big. And the next day my husband was like, I don't think this is gonna work. And I said, we are not bringing those dogs back. We are figuring this out. And it took a long time. And eventually, and I've never shared this story because I'm always afraid I'm gonna be judged, but they were kind of like one dog. They were so connected. And the people who had them before never socialized them, so they would see another dog and Milo would start growling and Benji's face
Lisa:
20:00
And then Benji, they've, you know, completely free. Yeah, it was crazy. And we got like three different trainers in and they all said, You know what? I don't know if all trainers feel this way. But they said, It's not good to have siblings because especially siblings like this who are never socialized, they kind of become one dog. And they like I remember we would try to walk Milo separately, or Benji, they would cry. And they will last without work one lately, but it was too much. But then it ended up they couldn't really be in the world if they stayed together because they were just too connected. And so all the trainers who work with said, I know it sounds awful, but they're going to be both better off if you rehome one I know it sounds mean, but it's better. And we were like, Oh God, it sounds so awful. And so we found a lab rescue. And they found my little place. And he's it's perfect. He's got two lab brothers. There's no kids, he gets tons of attention. He used to sit on Benji's head, he wouldn't move him out of the way he would growl on his face. Like it just wasn't fair to Ben and Ben just like blossom, because if we had brought them back, the shelter thought they were doing a good thing, keeping them together, but I guarantee they would have gotten taken back over and over again. Right, right. That was the kind of the same thing that happened when we brought Lobo in. I mean,
Annemarie:
21:18
you know, him being a male, and our new family and being a male. It wasn't pretty at first. I mean, they were trying to go for each other. And I told my husband, I'm like, you know, I don't think this is going to work. And I really don't want to, you know, live in a house where you're like, Okay, lock this door, the other ones coming through, you know, and all that and trying to keep them separated. I just don't want to, you know, it's not fair to anybody.
21:45
And my husband was like, no, no, no, this is going to work, this is going to work. And I was really doubtful. And, you know, it worked. It took time. And, you know, they live all, you know, we're not keeping them separate. They all live together happily. So it just took a lot. It just took a lot of time. It took a lot of time. So when did the book come out? Again, a dog like me? The book came out in October.
22:14
Yeah. And it's on Amazon. And it's also on Barnes and noble.com. So it's both
22:22
I was looking at the reviews is getting some great responses. Yeah, it's been very, it's been very exciting. You know, like, I've been wanting to write a book for quite a long time. And I was like, this time, you know, because I wanted to do it for blue. I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it. And you know, I really started to feel like people are like, sure you're gonna do it. It's been a long time. But I was determined. And the hardest part was when I draw I draw, like you could see behind me. Yeah, picture five draw huge pictures. Like, even for this book, The pictures are huge. And then I have to try to scan them into the computer. So it's like a million scans to get like that one thing in but so it did take a while. But I'm so glad I did it. It's definitely was a goal of mine. What do you hope people take away from the book, I hope that people take away from the book that they two things, one, that they really do start to realize, because I, you know, like you always know about shelter dogs. And then I didn't really realize, you know, the challenge that they face until I really got involved with the rescue, you know.
23:40
So I really hope people take away that it is really a challenge for these dogs to get adopted.
23:48
That's one and the other one I really would like the message to get across about the book is that you know, to accept yourself for who you are. And not try to be anything but yourself.
24:03
And that people will love you for you. Not for you know, being a special talent or whatever. Just be yourself. That's the two messages. I would like to you know, if anything came out of it. Yeah, well, it's a wonderful book again, a dog like me, a shelter dogs journey to finding his forever home. Amory, where do we get your book? on Amazon? Am and also on Barnes and noble.com. Great. And where can we see pictures of your five dogs?
24:34
Oh, well, actually, you know, scout the little one. I'm actually in the midst of writing a book about her. Oh, wonderful. So yeah, so that one hopefully I'll get that out quicker than I did this.
Lisa
Oh, you'll have to come back. Exactly. I will let you know. Super fun talking to you, everybody. Keep coming back to dog eared Oh sure. Also, while you're at dog your check
25:00
bout health power. I've been doing that show for 10 years lots of great things for you to live your healthiest life that helps you and your dog also follow me on Tik Tok, Twitter and Instagram at Lisa Davis mph to see my good boys both like find good voice and be original because Kobo and Bailey thanks so much