Bark up the Right Tree: Lessons from a Rescued Dog [Paperback]

Jessie Tschudin (Author), Ruth Tschudin (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2009

People of all ages will enjoy this heart- warming, fun-to-read story written from a dog’s perspective. Jessie, an older rescued dog, tells how she was betrayed by a loved one and abandoned by her lifelong family. Through an unusual set of circumstances she’s adopted sight-unseen by Ruth, a woman who follows her dreams. It’s a fascinating story, as ordinary as it is extraordinary. You’ll recognize yourself and every dog you’ve ever owned while marveling at Jessie’s unique journey from being a frightened, sickly, hard-to-place dog to being everyone’s darling as a therapy dog and a grinning “poster girl” for a Kids’n’Kritters campaign. This captivating book--an ideal gift for any occasion--is short enough to be read in one can’t-put-it-down sitting, yet long enough to be a chapter-by-chapter bedtime story with lots of thoughts to ponder. You’ll sniffle, chuckle, sing a song or two, and be encouraged to reach out to others. Proceeds will benefit children and animals in need of loving homes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jessie Tschudin may be hard to find in a roomful of black dogs, but she’s truly one of a kind. She’s a graduate of the First Dog Training Club and certified as both a Canine Good Citizen and an International Therapy Dog. She enjoys hiking, belly rubs, and visiting nursing homes. She hopes the lessons in her book, her “Woof-a-Week” inspirational column, and her first-of-its-kind DogFest fundraiser will help people of all ages--and lots of animals, too. Ruth Tschudin is a writer of books and booklets, a biblical storyteller, and a certified teacher. In 1999 she started Open Doors, an Amazing Grace Foundation in memory of her mother, Grace, in order to glorify God and make a positive difference in others’ lives. She enjoys children, animals, and writing . . . and is presently combining all three passions as she pursues her “impossible dream,” the Kids’n’Kritters project. To learn more about this project, as well as the DogFest and Jessie’s column, go to www.OpenDoorsAGF.org.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (January 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439214247
• ISBN-13: 978-1439214244
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, March 23, 2009

By 

grumpydan (Andover, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bark up the Right Tree: Lessons from a Rescued Dog (Paperback)

This is a fun and easy book to read from the perspective of Jesse the rescued dog with the help of his companion, Ruth Tschudin. I found the life lessons both inspirational and enjoyable. A must read for not only animal lovers!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE AUTHOR GOT THIS ONE RIGHT!, March 19, 2009

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bark up the Right Tree: Lessons from a Rescued Dog (Paperback)

Every so often you come across a read that is an absolute sheer delight from page to page, cover to cover. This is the story of a dog, Jessie who is a Labrador mix, and her odyssey from an environment of abuse and residence in an animal shelter, to a loving and fulfilling home. The entire book is told by Jessie herself; in her own words, but of course with the help of her human mom, Ruth Tschudin. This technique has been used before but I must say that Ruth Tschudin has this particular mode down pat.

Being a complete "dog person" for over 60 years and having worked with a therapy dog in the nursing home setting for the past twelve years, I was able to make an instant connection with this work. As a matter of fact once I started reading it I simply could not put the book down until I had completed it. This author knows her dogs; not only the physical aspect of caring for on, but more importantly, how they think, act and why they act the way they do.

Each chapter of this book ends with s "Paws," for lessons learned in the preceding chapter. As all who have dogs and companion animals already know, these wonderful animals can teach us so much about life, living and indeed, about ourselves. Again, the author has nailed this aspect and given us much food for thought through the eyes of Jessie. I have always felt that dogs, for the most part, are simply nicer and far more human than most humans I know.

You will find yourself chuckling throughout this work as the author has an acute sense of humor and is willing to cheerfully observe life, laugh at the proper time and the silliness of we humans and at herself, this is so refreshing. The author, Mrs. Tschudin is a person of deep faith and this comes shinning through on each page and each little story she tells.

With this writer's help, Jessie has been able to bring a lot of joy into many people's lives, both young and old and this should be a lesson for all of us. I was also very gratified to find that Jessie, when adopted, was not a young dog, and her story goes to show that people are missing so much when they always go for the puppy when adopting and pass over the older dogs. There is a lot of love these older animals can give and there is such a need out there. This country is being absolutely swamped with unwanted and unloved animals and it is works such as this that might help stem that tide just a little bit.

This work is quite suitable reading not only for adults, but also for children and I certainly would encourage the younger set to give this one a read. The overwhelming theme that wonderful things in this life can be accomplished if only we have the will and gumption to do so is firmly entrenched in each line.

This is a very well written work. I have no idea what the author's literary background is, but I do know that this woman can write and she can write well. She is an absolute natural story teller and she is someone who truly cares. With her obvious skills in writing, I would dearly love to see a collection of like stories from this author in the future. This little book should be mandatory reading for all animal lovers everywhere.

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review, July 25, 2009

By 

Virginia S. Grenier "Children's Author & Stor... (Ivins, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bark up the Right Tree: Lessons from a Rescued Dog (Paperback)

Reviewed by: Wayne Walker



Have you ever had someone tell you that you were "barking up the wrong tree"? Jessie is a mature black Labrador Retriever whose original family can no longer keep her, so they drop her off at an animal shelter. From there, the people at Rawhide Rescue in New Jersey, a group that strives to give abandoned pets a new start, takes an interest in her and begins posting her information on the internet. At the same time, Ruth Tschudin, an author and former teacher, is out for a morning walk and has a vision of a dog pulling a child in a wagon. This is related to her longtime dream of creating a development where adoptive families and rescued animals could love and support one another. To make a long story short, Ruth and Jessie find each other. So how do things work out?



Told by Jessie herself (after all, didn't George and Barbara Bush's dog Milly write her own White House memoirs?), Bark Up the Right Tree chronicles the activities of Jessie and Ruth as they come to know one another, start to settle into a regular family life together, learn to overcome Jessie's past problems, meet new friends, get Jessie certified as a Canine Good Citizen and an International Therapy Dog, and find that wagon for Jessie to pull children in. Each chapter ends with a "'Paws' for Lessons Learned." And there is a photo album at the end. This is a book that all children, especially those who adore animals, will enjoy. An added bonus is that ten percent of all the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to help charities that help animals and children in need of homes, including Kids `n' Kritters, a project of the Open Doors, an Amazing Grace Foundation that Ruth has set up in memory of her mother. I grew up with dogs around, so I found the book fascinating.