Have you read the April edition of Dogs Today yet? It is crammed full of features... heres an extract from one of our lead articles this month... If youd like to keep reading heres how to get a copy of the magazine either physically, on a tablet or other computer - in store or postage free in the UK. dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/ One amazing boy and his dog It’s the book that we’ve all been desperate to read: the heartwarming true story of two lives seemingly predestined to meet... Beverley Cuddy If you don’t cry reading Haatchi and Little B, see your doctor, as your tear ducts are probably blocked! I predict you will read it in one sitting but remember it for the rest of your life. Neither Owen (Little B is his nickname) nor Haatchi had been having the best of luck. Haatchi, while still a pup, was bludgeoned around the head and left to die on the railway tracks. Owen had a life with the background noise of pain, as he had been born with one of the rarest genetic diseases on the planet. When you read the book, you’ll realise how totally unlikely it was that their paths would ever cross. But dog-savvy stepmum Colleen somehow saw something in Haatchi’s eyes that compelled her to bring these two together – something that Owen eloquently described on This Morning as having “changed my life for ever.” Owen went from being a shy child that hated people staring at him when he went out in his wheelchair – to a confident eight-year-old able to chat away on live TV and charm the socks off the nation. Successful author Wendy Holden has captured their story beautifully in a book that looks set to break all records. It’s already in the Sunday Times top-10 bestseller list in week one. The book’s launch in Basingstoke didn’t just sell out all the copies in Waterstones, but it sold out all the copies in WHSmith, too. It out-sold previous personal-appearance book signings by bestsellers Jordan, David Attenborough and even legendary Bob the Street Cat! In the week the book launched, the family have rarely been off our TV screens; they’ve been on the radio, in the papers, and in all the magazines – in the UK and internationally, even though the book isn’t even out in the States yet. It has certainly helped that there is a gorgeous award-winning short documentary to share - made by talented students keen to tell the story of ‘One boy and his dog’. It went viral with well over 1.5 million views worldwide in just a few days. Getting Owen to tell Haatchi’s story in his own words was just genius. It made everyone want to read the book and had people screaming for a feature film, too. It’ll come. It has to. In the documentary you see cleverly shot footage of the pair at home when they probably weren’t even aware the camera was on. It shows the love and respect they have for one another - and the giggles. It also quietly educates the world about the previously unheard Schwartz Jampel Syndrome – a genetic anomaly that means Owen’s muscles are so tense that they will stop his bones from growing straight. That means he needs help breathing at night. The grim reality is there’s always going to be another trip to hospital marked on the calendar. When the TV cameras stop filming, that’s real life. Owen’s in pain so often that for him it is normal, yet to see his smiling face, you’d never imagine it. But I am sure Haatchi knows. He’s been in pain, too. He’s not had it easy, either. Since the pioneering op to strengthen and correct his remaining back leg, Will thinks Haatchi’s been feeling much happier. It’s only the change that makes him realise how stoic the dog must have been before, just like Owen. When Haatchi’s eyes catch the camera, you can see what Colleen must have seen two years ago when she first glimpsed him and it took her breath away. He is an old soul, somehow. So wise and all knowing. Reading the book you’re warmly invited into their lives and you will find you total empathise with superdad Will in his quest to keep Owen’s life as normal and happy as possible. But his extra challenge is the unchartered path of this condition; he’s even been trying to design a new hip joint to help his son in the future. This is a remarkable family. Maybe someone reading this book will have the skills to help Owen and those who have this very rare disease. Owen used to think people who stared were just rude; now he sees them as friends he hasn’t met yet. And his army of friends is getting larger and more starry by the day. Paul O’Grady and Brian May sent their love and told Owen they wished they could have been with him at the Basingstoke book launch. Comedian Russell Howard has featured the pair on his Good News TV show and has promised to visit Owen privately next time he has an ‘ouch ouch’ (the family name for a painful medical treatment). I know we have all followed this story and celebrated this pair for some time already, and you will be just as delighted as me to see their story now being told all around the world. We are very privileged to be able to bring you two extracts from the book. I hope you enjoy the passages we have selected; it was so hard to choose. Please tell your friends about this important book; if you’ve already read it, write reviews on Amazon and together let’s help make this a bestseller around the world. Part of the profits from this great book with be put aside to help Owen in the future. You can get a signed copy of the book at the London Pet Show – they’ll be hanging out at the Nutriment Stand there, too. You can also get behind superdad Will Howkins by sponsoring him as he takes part in the epic Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Ride 2014. He is cycling from Brussels to Paris over five days a total distance of 335 miles. The link to the fundraising page is bmycharity/willhowkins To buy a copy of Dogs Today click here: dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:04:49 +0000