one. But then she learns about service dogs, and realizes that if she
becomes a puppy raiser, she could train puppy after puppy and never
worry about them dying. But like all great ideas, this one has a
serious flaw: her first service puppy must be returned to his kennel
at the end of their week-long summer vacation. And saying goodbye to
Sydney is going to be much tougher than she ever imagined.
friendship with her best friend, Sarah, who’s become so
over-the-top boy crazy that she’s almost like a stranger. Sarah is
determined to have them hang out with every boy at the beach, but
when a boy named Chase takes an interest in Sydney and Trina, it puts
an even bigger strain on the friendship.
friend, too. And even if she manages to patch things up with
Sarah—and figures out what to do about Chase—she still must face
a daunting decision: is she strong enough to take on another service puppy?
friendship through the added lens of a service dog’s life-changing
effects on her young trainer. A fresh twist on the familiar
coming-of-age tale. Well done!”
on the important task of training service dogs strikes just the right
balance. This canine-inspired coming-of-age tale is a poignant but
fun summertime story.”
burst as she takes on another service dog for training—an
eight-week-old black Labrador named Colton. And to help explore
another dream, she’s taken a job at the barn next door in exchange
for riding lessons with the barn’s schooling horse. Before long,
Trina butts heads with Morgan Hart, an ill-tempered but skilled rider
with a gorgeous thoroughbred named Knight.
Adding to the list of frustrations is the difficulty in maintaining a
long-distance relationship with Chase, her first boyfriend from last
summer, while trying to deal with unwanted attention from a new boy
in her puppy training class. At least best friend Sarah still has her
back, but as Trina wearies of Morgan’s constant insults and her
heartless treatment of Knight, she decides to use her dog training
skills to look underneath Morgan’s hostile attitude and develop a
sense of trust.
Slowly, Morgan’s angry shield cracks enough to where she’s able to share
a troubling family secret. Can Trina help Morgan confront her family
problems and make a fresh start?
“Levy is on sure ground in this enjoyable page-turner for young adults.
Readers see the world through the eyes of Trina Ryan, a freckle-faced
redhead with a big heart for horses, service dogs, and people in
need. Trina learns some of life’s most important lessons: that
people are not always what they seem, growing up involves tough
choices, and a first crush can be more exciting than she ever
dreamed. Poignant, fun, and adventuresome.”
— Peggy Jo Shaw, award-winning journalist, PR specialist, and book
author/editor
“Starting Over is a book you’ll want to give your daughter. A story about
best friends, boyfriends, enemies, and how to handle them all. Throw
in horses and puppies, and you have the perfect mix for an
entertaining, self-evolving read.”
— C. Hope Clark, author, Carolina Slade Mysteries and Edisto Island Mysteries
“How do you help a friend and stay true to yourself? Trina Ryan’s
struggles to cope and regroup should ring true for teens. Most people
probably never dream so much is involved. Teens who love to read
about animals should truly enjoy Starting Over.”
— Lisa Williams Kline, author, Eleanor Hill, Princesses of Atlantis, Write Before
Your Eyes, and the Sisters in All Seasons series
“There’s a lot going on in Trina’s life, but Levy weaves each thread
seamlessly. I especially enjoyed the detail about how to train a
service dog, as well as her experience in the barn mucking out
stalls, caring for the horses, and learning to ride. A must-read YA
novel for anyone who loves dogs and horses.”
— Judy Sheluk, author, The Hanged Man’s Noose and Skeletons in the Attic
“Dogs! Horses! Boys! What could be better? An energetic puppy learning to be
a service dog, a sweet-tempered horse, an absentee boyfriend, and
Trina, the girl who has to make some difficult decisions about all of
them. A lovely, thoughtful coming-of-age novel.”
— Ellyn Bache, author, Kaleidoscope, The Art of Saying Goodbye, and Safe Passage
Years ago, I decided to write a dog story, but didn’t want to use a pet. After meeting therapy dogs and watching their interactions with children in a classroom or visiting in a hospital, I met a young boy, Hayden, who had a Diabetic Alert service dog. Hayden shared his experience on their training wit h his organization. After three weeks of intense training together, they qualified as a team and he took his dog home as his life companion.
A friend of mine had learned, Club House Magazine wanted an article on the benefits of young person having a service dog and contacted me. I had already interviewed Hayden and had written my story. I connected with Club House Magazine and, ‘Scent with Love,’ was published, July, 2010.
For the first time, I entered ‘Scent with Love,’ into The Dog Writers of America Association. And it won!
Hayden and I received trophies and I received a cash prize. This gave me confidence to continue writing and I explored the idea of using a service dog in my novel.
I had reached out to Hayden’s organization for more information and found they had disbanded. Unfortunately, four years later, Hayden could no longer attend school with his dog as a companion. The lucky dog had been rescued from a shelter but never had x-rays to see about his hips. This forced me do more research on service dogs and their organizations.How did you get involved with PAALS, (Palmetto Animal Assisted Living Services)?Needing more information before I wrote my novel, I called all around the U.S to talk with people involved with service dog organizations. One day I found PAALS. I spoke with the founder, Mrs. Jennifer Rogers, and learned her organization was an hour and a half from where I lived.
I began driving down to watch and took notes on how they trained teens and adults to be Puppy Raisers. After these trainers qualified, the puppies were able to be trained in their homes. I kept notes on the training they used for autism, mobility and PTSD, and interviewed one young puppy raiser. She became my inspiration for my story and main character, Trina Ryan.
The founder of PAALS, Jennifer Rogers, and Mitzie Renick, Developing Coordinator, have helped me use the correct information in my stories.
After seeing the life changing effects of a service dog, I was hooked. It has been a thrill to be involved with a reputable organization and be able to share the dangers of incompetent organizations.
Since PAALS have many puppies, they use a men’s correctional institution to help train some of the puppies Monday through Friday. The puppies go to foster homes over the weekend for socialization. This has been a wonderful chain reaction for the men. A few men have been paroled and have earned a Department of Labor Certificate; an Apprentice Certificate, giving them the opportunity to gain jobs training dogs with PAALS. See www.PAALS.org. for more information.
Through donations, PAALS has grown this organization into an amazing program. A few weeks ago, I attended their biggest fund raiser. I watched in awe as hundreds of supporters donated thousands of dollars. Trained service dogs are given freely to military persons, people working in service jobs, and to other clients with the above issues.
Mrs. Jennifer Rogers has the only ADI accredited program based in South Carolina. She has created a remarkable platform.
education. Her goal was to instill the love of books. When Sheri
retired, her students had created a desire for her to write. She
joined SCBWI, & Dog Writers Association. After years of enjoying
Edisto Beach with her Aussie and Black Lab, it became the setting for
her first YA novel, Seven Days to Goodbye.
Seven Days to Goodbye involves a service dog connecting with a child with
autism, girls learning about the importance of friendships and trying
to keep theirs intact while flirting with guys for the first time. A
loggerhead turtle helps bring the girls together. The story has humor
and plenty of puppy love in both varieties. The second book in the
series will be, Starting Over.
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