By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Benny the Therapy Dog is a community superstar.
With initials of B.G. (Benny George), the huge, brown-eyed, brown-furred, fluffy, drooling, hunk of love is a people magnet wherever he ambles around the town. And now, he is the star of a children’s book by local author Susan Montgomery.
“Benny’s Big Heart: A Therapy Dog Spreads Kindness,” out on Amazon as of March 31, is a story about Benny, the beloved therapy dog, and the local places he frequents during his walks or therapy “jobs.”
Montgomery’s book features the eight-year-old Newfoundland, but it also highlights businesses and other landmarks in Bowling Green.
“I wanted to bring awareness to all therapy dogs and the important work they do, which is why the story resonates beyond the local scene,” Montgomery said. “But it was really important to include actual places in town.”
She had considered making the artwork obscure and veiled. Instead, she reasoned, “This community welcomes him, so the book is really a tribute to Bowling Green too.”
Montgomery and Benny’s owner Carol Treece, who were both former school teachers, met at a local church and became friends with similar interests.
When Montgomery was finishing her last book, “Whiskers and the Cat Cafe,” she and Treece talked about the cat book and agreed it would be cool to have a book about dogs, specifically Benny.
“It was kind of a mutual ‘aha’ moment,” Montgomery said. “And once I learned more about what he does every day, I just saw this story in picture book form.”
Based on Benny’s daily trails, she decided the book would depict intergenerational visits with people across the age spectrum, from children reading to him at the Wood County District Public Library and comfort visits with patients at Wood County Hospital to home visits with a senior citizen.
He frequently walks through Downtown BG, peeking in windows at Grounds for Thought, and even checking out a tattoo shop on a rainy day, Treece said.
He is part of the BGSU PAWS Therapy Dog Team, helping provide a sense of calm for university students, often at exam times.
“Everybody knows him, and now I know all these people,” Treece said about Benny’s widespread recognition in the community.
She got Benny when he was about eight weeks old and weighed 35 pounds. Now at 8, he weighs in at about 165 pounds. Within the first year, he outweighed her, but he was always a good puppy.
When he was about two and a half, Treece and Benny took the therapy dog training and passed with flying colors.
“He’s such a special dog. It’s amazing that Benny goes to these places where he’s helping these kids, but he’s helping me right now too,” Montgomery said about the therapeutic aspect of creating the book.
“I feel like I’m in such a good place creatively right now,” she said, which has not always been the case. “There were times when I couldn’t even pick up a pencil to doodle.”
Benny’s book is Montgomery’s 10th children’s book, and with each book she writes she becomes more confident in what she is doing. “Each book has its own character and heart,” she said, “I think I’m improving about knowing what kind of illustrations work on certain pages.”
One of her favorite illustrations in this book is when Benny is at the library listening to young readers, usually reading dog stories to him. She created an underwater scene that was fun to draw with colors and textures that make the story come alive.
She also uses rhymes rather than prose throughout the book. Rhymes felt more suited to the story. “I always think about children reading when I write, so rhymes seemed to fit Benny’s story better.”
For Benny’s recent visit at the library, Montgomery’s book was already on display and ready to be read to the star of the book. “I saw the room where they read and it was there with books by Mo Willems,” she said. “It was a moment for me.”
The first two kids who read with Benny that day were regulars, Treece said. “One little girl pointed to the picture and told Benny, ‘That’s you.’”
As with most of Montgomery’s books, this one is filled with teaching moments in the book, the activity section at the back and in the accompanying Kindness Journal.
She is proud of the Kindness Pledge at the back of the book, teaching children about kindness and encouraging them to be kind to others, the way Benny accepts everyone he meets.
“I love making activity books. It’s just the teacher in me. I envisioned all these different kindness activities kids could do, and I love writing and drawing prompts,” she said. “You can be a kindness ambassador at the end when you finish the book.” She also includes many resources on her website, CreatedbySusan.
“As soon as I told my teacher friends about it they were excited to get the book,” Treece said. “We need this book, and we need the journal. It’s perfect for our students.”
