Lisa Cohn's Blog, page 18
May 24, 2014
So Many Pooches to Pet in Dog-Friendly Portland!
Michael grabs a snuggle in dog-friendly store
Whether we’re in a dog-friendly store in downtown Portland, a pooch-loving restaurant like Lucky Labrador Brewing, or in one of Portland’s many Fido-friendly parks, Michael, age 5, always finds a cutie to cuddle.
He never misses an opportunity–after first, of course, asking the pet owners if their pooch is friendly and wants some love. We always ask if the dog prefers to be picked up, stroked, hugged or simply admired from a distance.
Snuggling in a store in dog-friendly Portland
For dog lovers like Michael, Portland is a great city to practice random acts of dog snuggle!
In fact, Portland consistently garners high rankings for its dog friendliness. It boasts 33 dogs parks (5.7 parks per every 100,000 residents), the highest number of dog parks per capita in the nation, according to Oregonlive.com. What’s more, Portland abounds with creative businesses that focus on Fido. For example, the city has 19 pet massage therapists and a social network for dog lovers, according to Oregonlive.com. One of our Kickstarter backers counts among these unique businesses. Sniff Dog Hotel offers a happy hour that combines beer for dog owners and free indoor play for their pooches.
Portland also gained the label of the most Fido-friendly in the nation by the personal-finance website NerdWallet and second-highest in a 2007 Forbes.com listing.
Stopping to snuggle in dog-friendly Portland
When we stop to chat with dog owners (a few times a day), we often learn that they got their best friend at the Oregon Humane Society, one of the largest dog shelters in the country.
You can learn more about the Oregon Humane Society–which is able to house dogs from all over the country until they’re adopted–here:
Whenever we’re out and about, we’re sure to bring our own best friend, Hudson. He shops with us, joins us when we eat at an outdoor restaurant, and makes friends for us. Along the way, he gets lots of hugs and kisses, too!
Hudson gets a hug
Before you follow in Michael’s footsteps and express your love to the dogs you encounter, be sure to heed this warning from Mark Dunlop, a dog trainer in Portland:
Off we go for a walk, hoping Hudson finds some friends.
While we’re out and about with Hudson, we often post on Twitter photos of the cuties we encounter. You can follow us on Twitter here: Bash and Lucy on twitter And learn more about our mission of instilling in kids a love of dogs–and dog books–here: BashAndLucy.com
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May 18, 2014
The Many Benefits of Following This 5-Year-Old’s Passion–For Dogs and Dog Books!
Michael Gets Surprise Kiss At NW Pet Fair
5-Year-Old’s Passion Helps Raise $4K on Kickstarter for Kids’ Dog Book
Project Showcases the Benefits of Supporting Kids’ Passions with Projects
Portland, Ore.–Five-year-old Michael Cohn’s passion for reading, writing, reviewing, and even singing about kids’ dog books was the driving force behind the successful funding of a Kickstarter project that will help pay for Michael and his mom, Lisa Cohn, to self-publish their next book.
Their first children’s book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” received a Mom’s Choice Silver Award and a USA Best Book Award. The Cohns, of Portland, Ore., wrote the book to help them overcome grief over the sudden death of their beloved dog, Lucy.
The Cohns launched their Kickstarter project in early April and exceeded their $4,000 goal May 8. To help raise funds, Michael sold books at the NW Pet Fair in Portland, handed out flyers to local businesses and libraries in Portland, and appeared in the Kickstarter video, saying, “Help fund my book project!” He also Skyped with kids globally, gathering ideas for the next book.
“This project has been a wonderful education for Michael. He has learned all about writing, self-publishing, marketing, blogging and publicity,” said Lisa Cohn.
He also has learned about the value of being generously enthusiastic, she said. Michael is thrilled that authors have sent Michael their dog books. In addition, a publisher recently sent him a poster about one of his favorite dog book series. These gifts have come in response to Michael’s enthusiastic book reviews on YouTube.
Lisa added, “This project is all about Michael’s passion for reading and writing, and has taught me a lot as a parent about the value of supporting a child’s passions and interests with project-based learning.”
Michael especially loves Skyping with kids via Skype in the Classroom because it allows him to discuss his favorite subject—kids’ dog books—with children of all ages from all over the world.
The backers of the Kickstarter project include Dania Doose, co-owner of Von Haus-Doose Working Dogs, Santa Monica, Calif., whose special needs son, Tristen, and his service dog, Benji, will be characters in the Cohns’ next book. Another backer, the natural pet products company “I and love and you will appear in a scene of the book, as will backer Sniff Dog Hotel, Portland. Another backer was Lisa’s brother, Patrick Cohn, owner of Peak Performance Sports. His daughter, Paula, will be a character in the book.
“We’re thrilled that our Kickstarter was successful, and eager to start writing the next book,” said Lisa Cohn. “Michael has already come up with some really fun ideas for incorporating Tristen and his service dog into the book and teaching readers about special needs kids and service dogs. This supports our mission of teaching kids all about how dogs help and heal.”
Meanwhile, Michael has returned to his favorite activities:
–Reviewing his favorite kids’ dog books on YouTube: http://youtu.be/EYdA5cyNYDw
–Talking about his favorite kids’ dog books with kids globally: http://youtu.be/ZEGN0zxbRnY
–Singing about his favorite kids’ dog books, with his music teacher:
For more information, visit www.BashAndLucy.com, contact Lisa Cohn at BashAndLucy@gmail.com
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Autism Service Dogs Are Heroes! Our Story in Dogster
Lisa’s Autism Service Dogs story in Dogster
Most nine-year-olds want toys, books or fun outings for their birthday. But for his birthday party in March, Andrew Babaie, an autistic boy from Portland, Ore., invited Autism Service Dogs of America and three of their dogs to be his guests — and he requested friends attending the party to make donations to the organization instead of giving him gifts.
Andrew fell in love with the organization’s dogs after attending an ASDA summer camp, where he and other campers were paired with service dogs as they romped in parks, went to the movies, bowled, and splashed in fountains and lakes.
Now, Andrew is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his own service dog, who is being trained by ASDA for the next six to 12 months.
Andrew and his family are friends here in Portland, Oregon. Read our story in Dogster about them and learn all about why autism service dogs are hero dogs!
Lisa Cohn’s Story About Autism Service Dogs in Dogster
If you’ve got a story about a service dog you’d like us to blog about, please email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com!
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May 12, 2014
Kids’ Dog Book Funded Via Kickstarter,Thanks to Our Backers!
Our Kids’ Dog Book Campaign Funded By Kickstarter Campaign!
Thanks to the support of our Kickstarter backers and our 5-year-old co-author’s enthusiasm, we’re ready to begin writing our second kids’ dog book in the “Bash and Lucy” series.
To help raise funds, our young co-author, Michael, sold books at the NW Pet Fair, handed out flyers to local businesses and libraries in Portland, and appeared in the Kickstarter video, saying, “Help fund my book project!” Through this project, Michael has learned about writing, self-publishing, marketing, blogging and publicity. Thanks to our backers, the project continues, and involves young writers and dog lovers from all over the globe who give us ideas via Skype in the classroom. These kids will get a big thank you in our next book and we’ll send their classrooms a copy.
A big thanks goes out to our corporate backers. An early backer was Dania Doose, co-owner of Von Haus-Doose Working Dogs, http://www.vonhausdooseworkingdogs.com/ whose special needs son, Tristen, and his service dog, Benji, will be characters in our next book. Another backer, the natural pet products company “I and love and you” www.iandloveandyou.com will appear in a scene of the book, as will backer Sniff Dog Hotel www.sniffdoghotel.com, Portland. Another backer was Lisa’s brother, Patrick Cohn, owner of Peak Performance Sports. His daughter, Paula (who has appeared in book reviews with Michael), will be a character in the book.
We also received lots of support from other authors, beginning with Airlie Road Publishing http://airlieroadpublishing.com/. We first met the publishers of “Bad Dog Bailey” when they asked Michael to review their book, which resulted in this fun review: Bad Dog Bailey Review By Michael
Also expressing enthusiastic support was Deborah Taylor French, Dog Leader Mysteries author. We’re excited about meeting Deborah in Portland soon and reviewing one of her books!
Other authors who backed us include Brian Tashima, http://thespectralandsaga.com/ author of the award-winning “Secret of the Songshell,” and Ryan Chin, http://www.withoutrain.com, author of “Without Rain There Can be No Rainbows,” a multimedia memoir.
Our Kickstarter success was also due in part to exposure we received in three online publications. This story, appeared first in Pet360: Dog-Loving Author and Son Hope to Crowdfund New Book, and then was picked up by Yahoo! News: Dog-Loving Author and Son Hope to Crowdfund New Book
And, just before our Kickstarter ended, the folks at Dogster published our article about Autism Service Dogs of America, which gave us a boost, with its 382 Facebook likes: Dogster Hero: Autism Service Dogs of America
What’s next? It’s time to start writing! Meanwhile, Michael is back to reviewing books, Skyping with kids globally, and even writing and singing about books! You can watch him sing a song about a Scooby-Doo book that he wrote along with his music teacher here:
Questions? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com!
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April 30, 2014
Can a Dog Boost Kids’ Confidence in Youth Sports?
A Dog Is the Hero in This Youth Sports Book
In our award-winning book, “Bash And Lucy Fetch Confidence,” a wise but mischievous Golden Retriever instills confidence in the boys on a soccer team.
Our “Bash and Lucy” book is the recipient of a Mom’s Choice Silver Award and a 2013 USA Best Book Award. As the book’s authors, we were featured on the Today Show.
So, is it hard to believe that a dog could actually help kids on a soccer team? Dogs and sports don’t mix, right?
Let us explain.
In the book, the main character, Bash, a young soccer player, feels more comfortable when his dog, Lucy, is close by. But the coach sends the dog home. As a result, the kids on the team try to explain to Coach why they need Lucy: She kisses them after they make mistakes, and makes them laugh. She also happens to be an expert ball catcher, which inspires them.
In short, she instills confidence in the players by being positive and loving—and boosting their spirits when they’re down. And, as the coach says at the end of the book, when he finally understands, “I get it, guys. With Lucy close by, you feel happier and confident. And confident players go to the top.”
The idea for the book was actually inspired by the work of one of our relatives, Dr. Patrick Cohn of Peak Sports Performance. His programs focus on what parents need to do to build confidence in sports. Kids need to feel safe, comfortable, and supported by those around them. And that’s just what a dog does!
In our next book, we’ll have a special needs boy and his service dog interact with Bash and his soccer buddies. We won’t tell you exactly what will happen, but we can guarantee you it will be about what dogs do to make sports kids feel safe and happy!
Dr. Cohn recently backed our Kickstarter project, which will fund our next dog-and-sports book and thank all the enthusiastic kids who have helped us generate ideas for it.
Sports kids can take part in our project in a number of ways. First of all, kids are invited to help us generate ideas for our next dog-in-sports book. We’ll thank them in the book, and ensure they get a copy. They can do this individually or as part of a class or team. We generally communicate with kids via Skype. Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com and we’ll sign you up to participate. There’s no cost involved in this; we value kids’ feedback.
And, if sports parents back our project, their kids can become characters in our next book! They’ll get to be a character on Bash and Lucy’s sports team—or an opposing team! You can learn more by checking out the “Rewards” section of our Kickstarter. You’ll also find that we offer one-on-one lessons for kids interested in learning about writing and publishing.
Here’s our Kickstarter project, which give clips of us on the Today Show and includes adorable video footage of our co-author, young Michael, kicking a soccer ball with his dog:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66808378/these-students-deserve-this-kids-dog-book
We’d love to have more sports kids participate in this fun and rewarding project!
Learn more about us by visiting www.BashAndLucy.com Email us with any questions that come to mind! BashAndLucy@gmail.com
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April 27, 2014
Special Needs Child & Service Dog To Be Characters in Our Next Book Thanks to Kickstarter Campaign
Tristen, a special needs child, and his dog, Benji
Special Needs Boy and His Service Dog to be Characters in Kids’ Dog Book As Result of Kickstarter Campaign, Two-Thirds Funded
Pet Product Company “I and Love and You,” & PeakSports will also be Featured
Tristen Doose, an 11-year-old boy with special needs, and his service dog-in-training, Benji, will be characters in the second “Bash and Lucy” children’s book, which will focus on teaching kids about how dogs help and heal.
The first book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” received a Mom’s Choice Silver Award and a 2013 USA Best Book Award.
The authors are a mom-son writing and blogging team, Lisa Cohn and Michael Cohn, age 5. Their Kickstarter, “These Students Deserve This Kids’ Dog Book,” aims to raise $4,000 to self-publish the next book and is nearly two-thirds to its goal.
Learn more about the Kickstarter campaign here: Kickstarter Campaign: “These Students Deserve This Kids’ Dog Book
Also backing and making appearances in the book will be the pet products company I and Love and You, and the sports psychology company Peak Performance Sports.
Lisa and Michael Cohn learned about Tristen and his dog when Tristen’s mother, Dania, co-owner of Von Haus-Doose Working Dogs, approached Lisa about featuring her son as a character, and offered to back the Cohns’ Kickstarter.
“I was surprised and thrilled when Dania contacted us,” said Lisa Cohn. “Having Tristen become a character in our book allows us to teach our young readers about kids with special needs and how dogs can help them.” She added, “Five-year-old Michael is enthusiastically brainstorming ideas for including Tristen in the book.”
Another backer, the pet products company, I and Love and You, will appear in a scene in the book as a result of backing the project.
“Our dog, Hudson, loves the I and Love and You pet products and we’re excited about partnering with a company that donates meals to animal rescue groups across the country. This partnership perfectly fits our mission of teaching kids about all that dogs do for people,” she said.
I And Love and You to be featured in next dog book
And Paula Cohn, age 8, Lisa Cohn’s niece, will appear as a character in the book as the result of backing from Lisa’s brother, Patrick Cohn, owner of Peak Performance Sports. Patrick Cohn’s programs about building confidence in young athletes inspired the idea for the first book, “Bash And Lucy Fetch Confidence,” in which a dog boosts the confidence of the boys on a kids’ sports team.
“We’re thrilled that these companies are participating in our project with us,” said Lisa Cohn. “Such partnerships resulting from crowdfunding campaigns are becoming more and more common and help both parties.”
With such partnerships, contributors feel like they have a stake in the outcome of the product, said Phil Phil Reicherz, co-founder of CrowdHut, a crowdfunding solutions provider.
While some argue that artists and writers who offer backers a role in their project may be giving up control, Lisa Cohn has no worries that this will happen. “We’ve chosen these particular backers carefully, and believe their participation will enhance our project and not affect our creative control. On the contrary, crowdfunding gives us more creative control by providing the funds we need to publish and market our book series.”
For more information, visit www.BashAndLucy.com or contact Lisa Cohn at BashAndLucy@gmail.com
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April 11, 2014
Parents, Learn How Your Child Can Be A Character in Our Book!
Parents, Your Child Can Be A Character Like This One in Our New Dog Book
Parents, your child can be a character like this one in our new dog book when you back our Kickstarter project, which aims to inspire young writers and dog lovers! In fact, Patrick just became our first Kickstarter backer to choose this reward, which means his daughter, Paula, will be a character in our next book! Check out our Kickstarter here–and remember, our project aims to inspire young writers, readers and dog lovers!
Inspiring Young Writers, Readers and Dog Lovers With This Kickstarter Project
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April 8, 2014
Help Us Inspire Young Writers & Dog Lovers: Give Them a Voice in Our Next Book Via Kickstarter
These Students Deserve This Kids’ Dog Book: Kickstarter
Our aim is to instill in kids a love of dogs–and books! In our Kickstarter project, we aim to do just that. We’ve been talking with kids globally via Skype, gathering ideas for our next kids’ dog book. We’re inspired by their enthusiasm, ideas and love of dogs! We want to thank them by using some of their ideas in our next book, include their names in the book’s acknowledgements and send their classes the book. We’re funding this project via Kickstarter. Please check out our project here and email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com if you have questions!
Kickstarter: These Students Deserve This Kids’ Dog Book!
Thanks!
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April 4, 2014
The Word Is Out About Our Kickstarter Book Project: Launching April 8
Our Kickstarter Book Project Video, Launching 4/8
A story in the Northwest Examiner–the newspaper in our neighborhood–let the word out about our “These Students Deserve This Kids’ Dog Book” Kickstarter project. We’re launching the project April 8. If you’re interested in learning more about how you, your dog or child can become a character in our next book, or how your product can be promoted as a Kickstarter reward, or how you can get a video from us thanking you for supporting our Kickstarter (or other fun rewards), email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com. You can also visit us at the Northwest Pet and Companion Fair at the Portland Expo Center, Portland, April 12 and April 13, where we’ll be sharing all you need to know! We hope to see you at the fair!
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March 29, 2014
Teachers, Your Students Can Help Us Write Our Next Children’s Book!
A Student Helping Us Write Our Children’s Book
The kids have spoken! During our “Write, Publish, Publicize An Award-Winning Book” Skype in the Classroom lesson, we added, almost as an afterthought, an exercise during which we asked kids to help us brainstorm ideas for our next children’s book. Over and over, the students have told us that’s their favorite part of the lesson. What’s more, they have given us creative, thoughtful and inspiring ideas for the next book in our “Bash And Lucy” series. They have even sent us letters telling us how much they enjoyed brainstorming with us! That’s why we started a new class that gives these kids a voice in our next book. We will incorporate some of the students’ ideas into our next book, and thank ALL the students who worked with us, by name, in the acknowledgements of the next book. What’s more, we’ll be sure to send the classes the book once it’s published.
Teachers, you can learn about the lesson and sign up here:
Our first book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” is about a wise but mischievous Golden Retriever who instills confidence in the kids on a soccer team. It received a Mom’s Choice Silver award and was named Finalist, 2013 USA Best Book Awards. Our co-author is 5-year-old Michael, who was featured on the Today Show for his love of books and role in writing “Bash and Lucy.”
Michael plays a key role in our lesson. You can watch him brainstorm with fifth graders here. He’s so enthusiastic about talking about books with these kids that he sometimes gets too excited and talks too much!
If you’d like to have your students take part in this fun project and get a personal thank you in our book–plus a copy of the book, email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com or sign up here:
And thanks again to all those inspiring students who are helping us write our next book!
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