Special Needs Boy and His Service Dog to be Characters in Kids’ Dog Book As Result of Kickstarter Campaign, Two-Thirds Funded
Natural Pet Care Company & Peak Performance Sports to Play a Role
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,” winner of a Mom’s Choice Silver Award and a 2013 USA Best Book Award, is about a dog who instills confidence in the boys on a youth sports team.
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: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66808378/these-students-deserve-this-kids-dog-book
Also backing and making appearances in the book will be the natural pet care company “I and love and you” (www.iandloveandyou.com) 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 natural pet care 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’ chews and treats, and we chose to feed this important member of our family these products because they’re so healthy,” she said. “We’re excited about partnering with a company that donates meals to animal rescue groups across the country.”
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
About Our Backer, “I and love and you”
Founded in 2012 by a team of industry veterans and pet care experts, “I and love and you” (iandloveandyou.com) knows all about that special bond between pets and humans. Committed to helping give pets the very best, all products meet rigorous ingredient standards and are approved by an on-staff holistic veterinarian. “I and love and you” has created the first Total Pet Care Solution with natural, easy-to-use products; healthy food, treats + chews, and supplements + remedies.