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Lions Clubs across Australian have been fabulous supporters of my books, spreading the word and in some cases donating book packages to local schools to educate children about assistance, therapy and other working dogs. As a keen supporter of Lions Hearing Dogs myself, I am really appreciative of the support received by Lions, particularly for the title Harriet the Hearing Dog. Thank you.
Calamvale Lions Club have been fantastic supporters of my work, purchasing books in both 2022 and 2023 to donate to local schools. Thank you to Amanda for sending me photos of the books being presented to students at Stretton State College, where the young readers and Beau the Library Dog can share them, along with other therapy dogs who work on the school site.
Two children’s picture books, Lester the Library Dog and Reggie the Rescue Dog are set for release in January 2023.
Although these two titles are the third and fourth in the series, which commenced with Harriet the Hearing Dog and Gus the Guide Dog, they are different to books that came before them. These latest titles are not about Assistance Dogs.
Lester the Library Dog is still, of course, a dog with an important job, and was written as a result of some lovely emails from school librarians, telling me about their Library Dogs and the difference they make within the school community. Keep the photos coming! Each library dog is unique and gorgeous, and I am hoping that the newly created Lester will be also be well received, and take his place as a useful addition to libraries everywhere!
Reggie the Rescue Dog was written to promote discussion about topics such as choosing the right dog, caring for and training a dog, and about long-term commitment and responsibility. I hope this book about how Reggie, who is a bad fit for one busy home with no space, but who goes on to shine when she is adopted by an active and responsible family, will be food-for-thought and a learning experience for children keen to have a dog of their own.
Anyone wanting to pre-order Reggie the Rescue Dog or Lester the Library Dog will be assured of being in the first dispatch, as soon as the books arrive from the printer in January.
In the meantime, happy Christmas and safe 2023 to everyone, and thanks again to all who have supported my books over many years. More updates to come in 2023.
Cobram Barooga RSL have been purchasing books to donate to local kindergartens. Thank you! The children of the Eilleen Taylor Kindergarten were happy recipients of a selection of books, and they were also treated to a visit by Toby the Guide Dog. Their heart-warming thank you note says it all.
A huge thank you to Cobram Barooga RSL, along with the other RSL, Lions and other service clubs who give so generously to the community.
I was honoured to be invited as guest speaker to the Rocky River Lions Club in August. The members were very welcoming and after an excellent meal I spoke about books, publishing, assistance dogs and disabilities.
Kiera the assistance dog was also welcomed, and did her part to educate and entertain!
Thanks to Don for organising the visit. The club also generously purchased books to donate to the schools and pre-schools in their area.
Ongoing appreciation to other Lions Clubs who have dug deep to educate the community by purchasing and sharing books. In fact, my recent release, Harriet the Hearing Dog, was inspired by the wonderful work that Lions Hearing Dogs do, and I thank the many Lions who have really embraced this title, along with With A Dog’s Love, which also contains stories about Lions Hearing Dogs.
Above photo: Ann Norris, Col Lee, Cr Virginia West and Librarian Rosemary Talbot at Canungra Library. Photo: Supplied.
Another lovely surprise arrived today when I received a copy of an article, which appeared in the April edition of the Local Canungra Times. The text of the article is below. Thank you to Col Lee, and to the unknown South Australian veteran who passed on information about my books to Col.
Gina
Therapy Dog Books at the Library
Last year, Col Lee was contacted by a Vietnam Vet in South Australia about the Canungra War Animals Memorial, located in D J Smith Memorial Park.
In the course of the conversation the Veteran mentioned author Gina Dawson, who writes children’s books, and said that Col might be interested in her work.
Gina’s passion is writing books for children to educate on personal and social issues, and writing books about working dogs.
Having seen Gina’s books online, Col’s wife, Ann and he decided to purchase six of them and presented these to Librarian Rosemary Talbot with Councillor Virginia West at the Canungra Library.
The books are:
- Gus the Guide Dog;
- Next Door’s Dog Is a Veteran’s Dog;
- Next Door’s Dog Goes to School;
- Next Door’s Dog Has A Job;
- With a Dog’s Love; and
- Harriet the Hearing Dog.
These books are now available at the Canungra Library for all to read and borrow.
Col said the books will be a valuable resource.
“Learning about therapy and companion dogs will have parents and students at the Canungra State School fully appreciate the introduction and importance of Sunny the Labrador, the School’s latest addition to ancillary staff,” he said.
A disability and community expo was held at Mareeba, Queensland on April 7th. There were 50 stalls, servicing the disability sector and community. Headed by Wendy Rutherford (pictured), the Mareeba Library showcased some of their collection of books, on a range of topics.
I was thrilled to receive a photograph of the display, which included two of the Next Door's Dog titles, and my new release With a Dog's Love - Clever Dogs Helping Humans, containing sixteen stories about working dogs.
It is always humbling to see examples of my work being used to help those with disabilities, or to educate children on this important topic. Thank you Mareeba Library, for purchasing my books to share with your community.
Gina
Gus the guide dog and Harriet the hearing dog were released in late January, and sales are going gangbusters.
Thank you once again to the schools, kindergartens, child care centres and libraries who continue to purchase my books and send me lovely emails and photos and feedback. I love receiving them so please keep them coming!
There has also been a lot of interest from organisations that deal with assistance dogs, in particular hearing and vision. A wonderful surprise was the orders that came in from Lions Clubs across Australia, some of whom have purchased multiple copies of Gus, Harriet and other titles to donate to local schools and kindergartens. Thank you!
A particular thank you to Lions Hearing Dogs for promoting Harriet the hearing dog through many channels.
It has been an incredibly busy year, with two book releases and two new titles in the pipeline. Harriet and Gus will be released together in January 2022. They are stand-alone titles that complement each other.
Thanks to the many people who have suggested and encouraged me to write these titles; demand is already high so I’m offering a pre-order option through this website. As soon as stock arrives in January your order will be dispatched. Schools and kindergartens and organisations, please contact me directly to order.
Kate Bouman has done a gorgeous job illustrating both titles and I’m delighted that my publisher, New Holland Australia, has decided to release these lovely books in hardcover.
Thank you to those who continue to purchase my books, send me emails with feedback, share their own dog stories, make suggestions re the next book, spread the word about the books and encourage me to keep writing every time I say this book is the last. A special thanks to my regular customers, I appreciate your ongoing interest and support of my work.
I wish all a safe end of year and Christmas, and onwards and upwards for us all in 2022.
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I am pleased to announce that latest release, With A Dog's Love - Clever Dogs Helping Humans is now available. It's been a very different project to my previous works, one that was a labour of love with some interesting challenges. I’ve enjoyed the journey and am thrilled with the end result. Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered this title. It missed the scheduled release date due to transport delays and shortages, roadblocks and lockdowns but is now well on the way to booksellers and to me.
Throughout this project I've had the pleasure of communicating with sixteen terrific people, who have allowed the stories of their wonderful dogs to be told. I appreciate that they gave free licence to work with their stories, regularly being on line to jump through hoops, meet deadlines and supply whatever additional information, clarification or photographs I asked for. Their enthusiasm for the project added a new dimension and loads of fun.
A huge thank you to photographer Richard Tapp for his editing of photos, something I have no skill whatsoever at. I don’t know where the book would have been without him.
I hope that readers of With a Dog's Love will enjoy the stories.
Next Door’s Dog has a Job and Next Door’s Dog goes to School are going to be reprinted, having once again sold out. To the many people who have contacted me and registered their interest, therefore helping this to happen, thank you. If you want to purchase these titles, which will be in high quality softcover and available in September 2021, please do so through the website or contact me through the CONTACT section of this site.
I look forward to seeing these two Dogs living on to educate children about disabilities and assistance dogs. Any questions, please get in touch. Thank you!
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