R. Dougy Barxalot, with a lot of help from local students, creates book to support Dubois County Humane Society

R. Dougy Barxalot (RDB) is a real person who lives in Dubois County, but in true nom de plume (or nom de paw) fashion, they want the focus of their new book, “Tails by the Pooch,” to be on the students who made it and the cause it supports—the Dubois County Humane Society.

RDB has been a volunteer at the Dubois County Humane Society for about four years. They’ve been known to post humorous stories about the animals there in hopes of helping them be adopted. Last year, Jordan Wehr, a humane society board member, asked RDB to consider publishing a book as a special fundraiser.

“I had never considered it before, but once I got going, it was a real blast to work on,” they explained.

However, RDB ran into issues as they began assembling the book.

“As I was writing the poems, I realized I can’t draw — at all,” RDB said. “Jordan suggested local kids, but it took me several months to figure out just how to reach those local kids.”

He sent an email to several Dubois County school principals, who, in turn, brought the art teachers on board the project. Through these teachers, Dubois County students in sixth grade to kindergarten created the artwork by working around RDB’s poetry and stories.

The published book ended up with 170 pages filled with local students’ artwork highlighting the dogs and cats at the Dubois County Humane Society.

“There’s no way I could’ve made this book without their help, and I acknowledge them (first name only) in the book, as well as the kids who contributed,” said RDB, who was also able to meet with students at two of the schools during the process to show them progress on the book.

“The kids I met seemed really excited about the idea of contributing to an actual book,” RDB said. “I realized that even if I could draw it wouldn’t have been right. The kids’ drawings were absolutely the best way to go.”

RDB said the contributions from the young students have turned the book into a joyful and highly personalized work of art

“I smiled so many times while looking at the drawings,” RDB said. “The misspelled words and inexact drawings gave the illustrations character! In Superdog Sammy, I changed or added a verse or two because a couple of drawings were so unique and different I knew I had to cater to them.”

This book is a tribute to shelter dogs and cats. Poems and stories herein include a fantastic finder of lost dogs, a king who must rescue a cherished family member from evil magic, a poem asking what weird and crazy things cats might do, and a whimsical story about furry critters escaping the shelter on Christmas Eve in search of Santa Claus. It also includes several poems about dogs and cats playing, sizing up their future families, and other fun things. Come along on this literary journey with your child. There are over 120 different dog and cat photos, as well as over 130 illustrations for the stories. The illustrations were all provided by local kids in support of the book. Trust me, all had a fun time on this project. All profits from this book go to the Dubois County (Indiana) Humane Society, whose dogs and cats (and workers) provided the inspiration for this book. From Amazon listing for “Tails by the Pound” here.

All the royalties from the book go to support the Dubois County Humane Society efforts. “As a secondary benefit, I hope the drawings and poems raise awareness for DCHS, and the cool dog and cat photos inspire people to volunteer out here, and also remember the great dogs and cats here that need homes,” RDB said.

RDB explained they and the other volunteers at the humane society find it impossible not to fall in love with the cats and dogs there. “We grow especially attached to the imperfect ones—animals that don’t seem quite cute enough or friendly enough to be adopted right away,” RDB explained.

Hopefully, the book will help find those critters a home as well.

Along with the students’ art, the book also features photos of numerous dogs and cats from the Dubois County Humane Society.

Books are available on Amazon or can be purchased directly from the Dubois County Humane Society, 426 Wernsing Road in Jasper; phone 812-482-7387 or email adoptatDCHS@gmail.com.