Children’s books featuring dogs are an integral part of educating children about the human-animal bond and dogs, generally (not to mention encouraging children to learn to read!)
In Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, service dog Rescue meets Jessica who is a double amputee. Not only does he help her with everyday tasks, but he also helps her see a future for herself.
Although a work of fiction, authors Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, a wife and husband who suffered the loss of limbs in the Boston Marathon bombing, have drawn on their own experiences with their black Labrador service dog, Rescue. The book includes an endnote which explains how service dogs are trained.
The authors and their illustrator have been recently honored with a Christopher Award. Christopher Award founder Father James Keller created the awards to salute media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.”
Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes (photo by Boston Globe)
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
DoggyMom.com 