That's me with Jude and Francine Rich, my favorite publishers.
This is Part Two of, well, a two-part series. To get the appropriate build-up, please read my Practice Run blog post first.
During last week’s cocktail reception, Henry Bergh Award winners were invited to give speeches. Joanne Ryder (author of Toad by the Road) thanked her husband Laurence Yepp during her speech. My publisher Francine Rich got so excited hearing Laurence Yepp’s name that I was afraid she’d fall out of her seat. Later on she explained: Laurence Yepp is the author of Dragonwings,a book her son Dominick counts among his favorites. “I got my picture taken with him!” she gushed.
Yepp and Ryder were among the many, many impressive writers at the reception. Mary Alice Monroe was at our table – she’s had a dozen books published already. Maribeth Boelts (her book Before You Were Mine won a Henry Bergh award for fiction) was at our table, too, along with her editor from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Victoria Miles, author of a number of award-winning books for children, sat across from me and complimented my Lana Turner dress.
We all signed books after the ceremony, but the first person who approached my table wasn’t really interested in buying Safe & Sound– he wanted to pet Hanni. I happily relented, unbuckled Hanni’s harness, and let him have at her. After that, many of the 100+ in the audience lined up for a chance to pet Hanni. I mean, c’mon – it was an ASPCA event. They all missed their animals at home. While Hanni enjoyed herself on the ground, Guy Pantangelo (his dad is Animal Precinct’s Officer Joe Pentangelo) assisted me at the table by rubber stamping a dog pawprint onto every book sold. Just like the day before, a portion of each book sale was donated to the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey, CA.
Guy Pentangelo helps me while I sign books.
When the caterers came to clean off the tables and shoo us away, Cheryl, Marilee and I took our wine to the fancy lobby outside the meeting room. Lounging there in a comfy chair, glass of wine in one hand, Hanni’s paw in the other, my sisters sitting across from me, well, that’s when I knew. I was a winner. None of us wanted to leave.
The next morning we all headed back to the exhibit hall for one last visit – and one last free t-shirt. What a kick it was to be recognized by people at the convention center. “I was there last night!” “Congratulations!”
Hanni brought me back to earth by misbehaving on our way home. As we headed to the jetway to board our flight at the John Wayne airport, a child in a stroller caught Hanni’s eye. The kid was right next to us in line, enjoying a sandwich, kind of flailing her arms, I guess. Hanni took that as an invitation to enjoy the sandwich, too, snatching the PBJ right out of the poor child’s hand. It all happened so quickly that the kid didn’t flinch. Her parents didn’t flinch, either. By the time I got my hands on Hanni’s mouth to root out the sandwich, she had swallowed it.
Hanni enjoys her time off work
Ah, well. Even award-winning dogs break the rules sometimes.
Congratulations again! What a fun time. It sounds like Hanni was getting used to the privileged lifestyle, so now she’s been brought back to Earth too. Until the next awards show.
[…] « Lucky Dog Winners!!! […]
There are few among us that will refuse a good PBJ, especially when it’s been “handed” to us. Congratulations on the award!
Thanks for the congrats — I am considering ending all my messages now with Teej’s sentiment: “Until the next awards show!”
Thanks, Beth, for the full report on the awards for those of us who couldn’t be there. I sure am hoping that there are photos of the PBJ incident. (If not I’ll be glad to recreate it in comic form!)
Now I’m misty-eyed from laughter. Hanni really must have thought the child was giving her the sandwich. With the way she has behaved during all of our lunch dates, I can’t imagine her just helping herself. Then again, that was before she became a star. Officially, anyway.
Hey Beth! I stumbled on this today, just got back from our country house for the Fourth–we were in NY one day after Anaheim and then off again! It’s good to be home! I’m so glad you enjoyed the event, we are honored you were able to attend and proud to award you and Hanni with the HBCBA. Guy was thrilled to help with the paw prints and to walk Hanni on her leash–thanks for asking him! I’m sure I will see you in Chicago next year for the ALA. Stay in touch!
Joanne
MK, if you are serious, I would *love* to have you recreate the PBJ incident in comic form — the real event happened so quickly that no one had the time to whip their cameras out.
And Laurie, you are a softie when it comes to dogs — even if the kid had been handing Hanni the PBJ, Hanni knows to wait until she is told to “take it” –then (and only then!) it’s okay for her to eat.
At least, she *used* to know the “take it” command. But like you say, that was before she was a star.
Oh, it’s such fun when people just “stumble upon” my blog –especially when the people who do are as cool as you are, Joanne! I’m eager to receive photos from my sister Cheryl so I can get them posted here, too – I’m crossing my fingers that there’s a shot of Guy and me working away on those books. Please thank him again for helping me, it was a joy to have him at my side – and at Hanni’s side! — during such a memorable occasion.
It was a wonderful reception- wish you all could have been there! Thank you to the ASPCA for the entire evening- it was a pleasure to meet all of the authors and hear their stories. There were so many great people to meet and speak to.”Hanni girl”, as always, did her job in leading Beth, and at times it was difficult with so many people. I was there at the airport when Hanni snuck that sandwich- it was so slick, that I think only the airline rep saw it- the child did not flinch and if the parents saw it they seemed to be more entranced with Hanni. I think she was trying to enjoy that last bit of vacation! or she was prepping for the long ride home! In any event Hanni is always a professional when the harness is on (ok, she had the harness on when she snuck that snack) but when harness is off- watch out. Does that sound like a co-worker you might meet at happy hour??? If you love animal stories, check out the ASPCA website- great books to read!
Congratulations Hanni
and Beth
Keep winning those awards; I love knowing a celebrity.
I am such a shameless name dropper.
“Friend of Finke” gets me a great seat on the Orange Line every time (providing it’s non-rush hour).
“Friend of Finke” equals first in line in the school cafeteria for Spaghettios. (Hanni and Beth visited last year.)
And best of all, “Friend of Finke” means I know one heck of a great gal and her human friend, Beth.
Don’t get too star-struck and forget us little guys,
Joanie
Wow, what great comments — I’m blushing! Or maybe it’s just the remnants of the tan I got in California.
Joan, I feel lucky to call myself a “Friend of Joanie,” too.
Marilee, you are so wise to recommend all those books and authors on the ASPCA web site: http://www.aspca.org And you are right, there were *so* many cool people at that reception and *so* many things that happened while we were in Anaheim, I could blog and blog and blog. Found it hard to limit myself to just three posts!
Very cool Be4h! I wish I could have atteneded. It sounds fantastic!
I’m finally at GDFB. It’s so far very vigorous and mind-numbing.
I receieve my dog tomorrow! His name is Jim nad he is a black Lab poodle cross!
I shall talk to you soon!
Take care,
-Sarah
I forgot to mention that I watch Animal Precinct all the time. Jo Pentangelo is an incredible individual. I respect people like him who help save the lives of many animals.
UGH! One HOUR until I meet Jim! My nerves are fried!!
Sarah, As I write this comment you are meeting your dog firsthand. HOW EXCITING!
PS: I love the name Jim, hav always wanted a guide dog with a “normal” name like that. My first dog: Pandora. My second dog: Hanni. Ah, well, as I often say, once they save you from a car speeding out of a parking garage or prevent you from falling into a hole in the sidewalk, you learn to LOVE their name. Have fun cuddling Jim!
PPS: you are wise to admire Joe Pentangelo. He’s a terrif guy. He even pronounced my last name correctly — it rhymes with “pinky.” When I thanked him for the correct pronounciation, he said, “Well, with a name like Pentangelo, you learn!”
Oooh, are those stargazer lilies? I adore them. Mine are getting ready to bloom. I love sitting on the front stoop in the evenings inhaling their fragrance. Unfortunately, this year, I will either have to swat mosquitoes all the while or inhale the fragrance of Deep Woods Off.
Beth,
Jim is wonderful. I cannot even explain how I feel. It’s like eating a bowl of green tea ice cream (my fave), laughing with friends, or dancing in the rain during a thunderstorm. He’s a very intelligent dog with a lot of love for people and me. He’s really tall, dark, and handsome for a labradoodle. He’s my guardian fuzz monster who will save me from the streets of college campuses. I was also told that Jim was exposed to some philharmonic music from a nearly school. Definite kudos to GDFB for getting him accustomed to that. I cannot wait for tomorrow.
Take care,
Sarah
Well, as long as Hanni doesn’t demand her own bowl of green only m and m’s during her next stay in Gladys’ room, she is still number one for me, star or not. And thanks for the medallions!
Would it be exaggerating to use the word “magical” when describing this thread of comments – I am so enjoying how Sarah’s reports on her new guide dog Jim are sprinkled in-between our stories about Hanni, an 8-year-old veteran!
And don’t worry, NancyB, your green M&Ms are safe. I don’t think Hanni even likes M&Ms. But hmm, now that I write that, I’m not sure if she’s ever even tried an M&M.
And Sminthia, you are right: those are stargazer lilies, they were given to me at the cocktail reception by my publishers at Blue Marlin Publications. I carried them all the way home to Chicago with me, I love their scent oh so much. In fact, I had the lilies in my hand at the airport gate when Hanni snatched that PBJ, she must have realized I was too pre-occupied to pay close attention to her!
I teach a senior-citizen writing class here, and when I told my students yesterday about Hanni’s misbehavior, one of them pointed out, “Well, you and your sisters were getting all those freebies at the exhibit hall, maybe Hanni figured that finally, it was her turn!”
That is great!! Hanni is a true sister and conference attendee!! I am also enjoying Sarah’s adventures with Jim. All of the labradoodles that I have seen are so cute and friendly -I had no idea that they were also guide dogs.
Hello Beth & friends,
Tomorrow (Friday) is day 5 of my stay at GDF. We get to travel to King’s Park and train for the first time using harnesses. Leash guiding was taught for the two days I’ve had Jim. He is extremely bright and never boring. He was definitely ahead of the gang and totally mastered everything. The only thing that gets to me is that he isn’t breaking (AKA parking) like all the other dogs. In the two days I’ve had him, he’s only gone #1 once in the 6 times we have gone out and hasn’t even done a #2. Slightly flustering, but patience is a virtue. I asked a trainer and he replied that there was once a dog who didn’t do a #2 for 4 days when he met his new handler for the first time. Hopefully Jim (who is snarfing down 3 and a half cups of food a day for 3 feeds thus far) wont hold it in for that long. On a brighter note, Jim enjoys listening to music. We went downstairs to practice taking the elevator and the stairs. There was already a team there so the trainer, Jim, and I decided to step into the rec room which has a piano. The trainer and I wanted to see how Jim would react to the sound of the piano. I played a little ditty and after a few seconds Jim pawed at the keyboard! Talk about adorable! The trainer and I had a good laugh. He is going to make an excellent concert dog. I’m glad because one of my classes includes me going to concerts and writing reports. I’ve noticed that Jim is one of those dogs who snort or make a sound like a screeching dinosaur when excited. What a goof.. He makes these noises every time he’s instructed to stop and sit at a door, making his boredom obvious.
I should be sleeping, but I’m too excited for the morning. I’m going to give him some lovin’s now because he’s looking at me for attention.
Have a good one and I’ll update soon!
-Sarah
Thanks for the nice review of Doggie Bath House. As the owner, I just need to clarify something. It is true that we don’t paint nails, however, we do nails. We do nails as in nail trims. We may in the near future paint nails.
Hello Beth & Friends,
Exciting news! Jim finally did a #2 today! He had some help from the trainers… Unfortunately, it involved a small insert with some ointment on it. Not very pleasant, but effective in the end. I was SO incredibly relieved! (Haha, no pun intended…) He also breaked again when we returned to King’s Park for a second walk in the afternoon.
But today was incredible! I cannot even describe how emotional I was when we were out walking on the trail in King’s Park. Jim was so great! The first time we went there were few if any mistakes. We walked about a half mile. I was a bit hesitant with the handle and positioning of my fingers because GDF uses offset handles instead of straight handles. It was intriguing. The second walk we went on also went smoothly. I felt more comfortable with the handle and did well with my starting and stopping positions, commands, and praises. The trail was like a horse shoe so I told Jim to go straight the entire time and follow the trail. We also worked on “Hup up” (Speed up) and “steady” (slow down). Without my knowledge, the trainer had unclipped the safety leash and told me that I was walking ALONE with Jim. Boy, was I surprised! I didn’t know that she unclipped it even if she was hanging back a bit. What a pleasant thought it is to know that Jim and I can walk without problems and that he and I are totally focused on each other and the route. Another thing I noticed is that my walking posture has definitely improved. I don’t walk with a slouch like I normally do when I walk unguided. It felt like I was walking on eggshells, but my posture was great! I bet my mother would like that!
Tomorrow we are headed out to do straights, curbs, and non busy intersections. Bring it! Jim and I will fly like lightening!
Take Care,
Sarah
Congrats! You guys look awesome. This award was well deserved for both you and Blue Marlin Pub.
So where’s Hanni’s ball gown…?
Dan, thanks for the heads-up about nail clipping – if you look again at the “Pro Wrestlers Don’t Do Pedicures” post you’ll see I’ve made that change. Sarah, you and Jim make a great team, and keep up that good posture — I’m learning that poor posture is common among those of us who can’t see well — we walk “defensively.” I am going to a physical therapist these days and one thing we are working on is improving my posture, it will help my back and my shoulders. If you keep up this good work with Jim now, maybe you can avoid PT visits in the future! Joanna, thanks for the kudos — Hanni refuses to wear a ballgown, she insists on a fur coat instead.
[…] Beth: Safe & Sound — the book is a finalist for another award! If you read my posts about winning a 2008 ASPCA/Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award, you know how much I love feeling those shiny embossed seals on copies of our book. So it’s a […]
[…] lucky – moment for us when the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) selected Hanni and Beth: Safe & Sound as a Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award winner. Our luck didn’t end there, though. At the award […]
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