Children’s book to assist area humane organizations:A Guest Blog By Author Tracy Ahrens

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: Today it is our pleasure to present a special project from an author we first featured on our blog back on January 9, 2012 when we reviewed her book: Raising My Furry Children by Tracy Ahrens.  Since that time Tracy has become a special friend who we cherish. Today it is our pleasure to present her latest project, as a Guest Blog written by Tracy.

Children’s book to assist area humane organizations 

Over 20 years ago artwork for a children’s story, “Sammy Sparrow’s First Flight” was born. I was on holiday break from college and sat on the floor in my bedroom using chalks to free images for the story that lived in my mind. The images have been tucked away in a scrapbook album until now. “Sammy Sparrow’s First Flight” (ages 2-8) was released Dec. 25, 2014 by Guardian Angel Publishing. It is my third children’s book. In conjunction with the book, I have created the Sammy Shelter Project to help NINE area humane organizations with the book sales. By ordering through the project website, $2 from each book purchase will be donated to the organization chosen and noted on the form. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THAT PAGE .

 Current humane organizations set to benefit from this project are: It's a Pittie Rescue (Peotone, Il.), New Beginnings for Cats (Bourbonnais, Il.), River Valley Animal Rescue (Momence, Il.), Cache Creek Animal Rescue (Anna and Joliet, Il.), Grassroots Animal Rescue (Medinah, Il.), Illinois Horse Rescue of Will County (Beecher, Il.), Iroquois County Animal Rescue (Iroquois, Il.), Kankakee County Humane Foundation (St. Anne, Il.) and Because Animals Really Kount (Kankakee, Il.).

 In “Sammy Sparrow’s First Flight,” a young sparrow named Sammy quickly learns why parents set rules. He was told not to fly alone at night. His wings are weak and Sammy falls into a bush below. The world looks scary from the ground. A friendly owl flies Sammy back home to sleep under his parents’ wings. The story is based on my childhood years of rescuing baby sparrows that fell out of a multi-room birdhouse high up on a pole in a neighbor’s backyard.

Initially I went to college to be a veterinarian and changed my major to English. I continue to help creatures with the written word, my art and volunteering for humane organizations. It’s only fitting that I finally let Sammy fly with a mission to help area humane organizations I have grown to know and volunteer with. You can also find information about the project on Facebook under Sammy Shelter Project.

 To donate to a participating rescue organization, you must use the form available for download from the Sammy Shelter Project website. Otherwise, “Sammy Sparrow’s First Flight” can be ordered in eBook form ($5) and print form ($9.95 + $5.95) through Guardian Angel Publishing, www.guardianangelpublishing.com. It can also be ordered in print form through a variety of other book order sites such as www.barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com.

Book information: www.guardianangelpublishing.com Print ISBN: 9781616335847; 161633584X eBook ISBN: 9781616335854; 1616335858 Author Contact Information: Tracy Ahrens, Momence, Il. 815-472-0038 mylittleforie@yahoo.com  Click here to visit the Author website:  

Book & Author Facts:  Tracy is the author of six books, two that are designated to help humane organizations.  She is a 20-plus-year veteran journalist and editor. She is also an artist who has donated pet portraits for charity events to benefit humane organizations. One portrait is on permanent display at the Cat Fanciers’ Association Foundation cat museum in Alliance, Ohio and another is displayed in the House Rabbit Society's Rabbit Center in Richmond, Calif.  Tracy is the parent of three cats (Joan of Arc and Jack Sparrow who were found as kittens, and Forest who was adopted at age 4 months) and one dog (Trucker who was adopted at age 5).  Trucker was adopted from the Kankakee County Humane Society which is now the Kankakee County Humane Foundation.  Forest was adopted from New Beginnings for Cats.  Tracy is a founding member of B.A.R.K (in 2000) and a founding member of the Kankakee County Animal Foundation which merged with the Kankakee County Humane Society (in 2010) and was renamed Kankakee County Humane Foundation.

Mother's Day Weekend Salute: Linda Ahrens And Her "Quilts For Cats" Raise Money For Animals In Need

A few weeks ago I received a most delightful surprise! It was sent to me by Tracy Ahrens, who is the author of  "Raising My Furry Children" which I reviewed on Cat Chat on January 9, 2012. (If you missed that review you can read it here

The surprise I received was this adorable and velvety-soft,  24" square felt quilt which was made by Tracy's mother, Linda Ahrens. It's no surprise that Tracy grew up with a love of animals, she quite likely inherited that love from her mother.

Linda's love of cats began when she was rewarded with a cat named "Timmy" when she was 7 years old. He was presented to her as a result of her being brave when faced with having to have her tonsils removed. Since that time she has loved dozens of cats!

The quilts that Linda makes aren't just adorable, they serve a special purpose. Linda has painstakingly created more than 300 cat  quilts. All of the quilts were created to raise money for cats (and small dogs) who are in need. Specifically pets who need medical attention.

The quilt that we received

Linda donates her quilts to help fundraising efforts that help the Illinois Kankakee County Animal Foundation,  the University of Illinois Small Animal Clinic and its Humane Fund and New Beginnings Shelter for Cats
(a cageless shelter).  Linda's quilts have raised over $2,000!

Much of the  funds that were raised were used to help  families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford some life-saving treatments for their pets.

Linda says she makes hundreds of cat quilts because she loves cats and cats love the softness of the quilts. When we heard about Linda from her delightful daughter Tracy, we can't help but love HER for the good she has done for so many.

See the little baby sock above? Well, Linda's daughter Tracy puts these little baby socks in Christmas cards for her friends who have cats. She fills them with homegrown catnip and sews them shut. She says they are the perfect size to place in a card. Cody loved his, hence the blurry photo!

Cody loves his quilt and sock!

To all of the other selfless mothers, be they mothers of human children or furbabies, who sacrifice and tirelessly give of themselves to help others. We salute you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Book Review:Raising My Furry Children By Tracy Ahrens, Guest Story by Steve Dale

I had the pleasure and honor of being given the opportunity of reading and reviewing a delightful and touching book, Raising My Furry Children by Tracy Ahrens.

Before I even opened the book I knew I was going to love it. I know there are some of you who don't consider your pets to be your "furry children", but I also know there are many of you, like myself, WHO DO.

Tracy Ahrens is one of those people. Her book features columns that she had written over the years, more or less in diary form (minus dates of entry and in no particular chronological order) that highlight moments in her "furry children's" lives that run the gamut of hilarious to heart-wrenching.

If you are like me you derive great enjoyment from reading about the experiences of other "pet parents" that make you laugh and that also offer you the opportunity to learn. Raising My Furry Children will not disappoint.

 The first half of the book features Tracy's first dog, an American Brittany named Speckles (who will be featured on my dog's blog,  Dakota's Den, Friday, January 27th.) and the hilarious and touching moments of his life that Tracy has so beautifully documented. A portion of the proceeds of the book sales will go to American Brittany Rescue.

Also in the first half  of Raising My Furry Children is a guest story by Steve Dale. Steve authors a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column (Tribune Media Services), and is host of two nationally syndicated shows (www.petworldradio.net) and Steve Dale's Pet World, heard on WGN in Chicago. He's also a contributing editor at USA Weekend. Recently he was named a National Ambassador for the American Humane Association.

The second half of the book touched me the most because it features Tracy's cats:

Desdemona-who was from a family of four kittens that were born under Tracy's desk in college. At the time, she was studying William Shakespeare and as a result each one of the kittens were named after Tracy's favorite Shakespearean characters.

Chocolate Drop aka (C.D.)-who Tracy adopted when she was one or two months old from a friend who got her from a farm where she was no longer wanted.  C.D. had epilepsy and Tracy says I believe that she is truly special; that is why I was given the chance to live with and learn from this creature with a devastating condition.

"Joan Of Arc"

Joan of Arc-who was rescued from the side of a road where she was standing next to one of her siblings who had been killed after being hit by a car. Tracy named her Joan of Arc because of her determination and strength to live through anything.

"Captain Jack Sparrow"

Captain Jack Sparrow-was the latest edition to the family at the time that Tracy was writing the book.  Tracy initially named the little man Sparrow after the sparrows he was infatuated with. She received him after she had lost her job and her life "was in a whirlwind". Tracy says that Shamans say that sparrows are spirit messengers that teach us how to find your soul song. She says that she found that message to be fitting for the time Sparrow came into her life.

Being the cat person that I am Tracy's documentation in the second half of the book particularly touched me. A few of the stories that Tracy has so touchingly documented are:

 Desdemona being a "closet searcher"

Tracy and Captain Jack Sparrow

  An adorable passage about Desdemona and C.D. and their love of playing with rolled up "paper wads"

Pet names as in the names we call our pets that are different than the ones we have given them. Tracy says: I have come to realize that if I ever have a child, it probably will never know its real name.

Saying Good-bye to Daddy- about Tracy's divorce and it's affect on her "furry children"

Saying Good-bye To Pepper- her brother's cat of 14 years who they had to put to sleep due to Pepper suffering from an enlarged heart. This section had me in tears because it made me relive my own devastation  after watching  my beloved Bobo's decline having been afflicted with the same condition.  This section gripped my heart and didn't let go.

From Tracy when having to say good-bye to her beloved Desdemona:
I had recently read a book, "Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life", by Hal Zina Bennett. In it, Bennett speaks of the Zuni culture of New Mexico. When the men of the tribe hunted, they would rush to a dying animal, press their lips to the mouth of that animal and exchange its last breaths with it. "This ritual, " the book states, "is one of literally intermingling the spirits of the hunter and the hunted, of honoring the sacrifice and acknowledging their spiritual bonds." I was bending over Desdemona that morning, my face close to hers, kissing her, and talking softly into her ear. I exchanged breaths with her. In those final moments, our spirits intermingled.

"Mini" as drawn by Tracy

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the superb illustrations (48 total!) that were drawn by Tracy and are featured in this book.  They were done using graphite (a medium I ADORE working with but without the exquisite results that Tracy has brilliantly accomplished.) I was in complete awe of their life-like appearance and the obvious artistic gift that Tracy has in her execution of these  drawings.

I have no human children that I have given birth to, which is always a nagging thought when I think about events that have transpired in my life. I always dreamed I would have children of my own but God had other plans.

As a result my beloved Bobo, my cuddly and courageous Cody, and my delightfully-daffy Dakota are all three the "children I never had." To those who think it is nuts to refer to your pets as your "furry children" I say "pfffffffffffttttt!!!"

To those who share Tracy's feelings as well as mine, I say  pick up a copy of this tenderly touching gem. You will be laughing, nodding in agreement,  and touched to your core.

From Tracy: Most importantly, my pets are listeners, observers and counselors, lying on my lap when I am upset or tired, and jumping about happily when I am full of energy. I talk to them, and they look into my eyes with simple understanding. 


As Tracy states in her front-of-the-book dedication this book is for:

all those who love,

have loved or

will love creatures great and small

Paperback: 259 pages

Publisher:  Weaving Dreams Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-9824876-7-9

Tracy Ahrens

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tracy is a graduate of Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois.  Tracy Ahren's current columns appear on the Tails Pet Media Web site as a monthly blog-www.tailsinc.com.

For More Information Visit: www.raisingmyfurrychildren.weebly.com and www.tracyahrens.weebly.com

Watch Tracy's Delightful Interview With Steve Dale: