Nine-year-old Los Gatos girl's book about a dog has deeper message

[Cassiepeia]

By Michele Tjin
Los Gatos Weekly-Times
mercurynews.com
Article Launched: 08/15/2007 05:32:07 PM PDT

A lot of tender loving care can make a dog feel whole again, even if he is just a little bit different from other dogs on the block.

"Marley is my little three-legged dog," Isabela Presedo-Floyd, 9, said. "Marley is a sweet dog that always comes running. He doesn't think that he has three legs."

Marley, a white poodle mix, was Isabela's inspiration for a Power Point assignment she had to do for school last year as a third-grader at Los Gatos' Alta Vista Elementary School. Isabela put together a presentation about her relationship with her dog.

Isabela's mother took the Power Point slides and with Apple software, she turned them into a book, surprising her daughter for Christmas. Isabela took the book to school to share, and her teacher and the school librarian were impressed. They encouraged Isabela to get it published. Buoyed by the response, Isabela's mother found a publisher online and so "Three Paws: The Story of Marley" was born.

"It wasn't meant be a book until we found a publisher, but I always wanted to write a book," Isabela said.

Since April, the book has been selling at online retailers, and Isabela said she's been noticed by people, including strangers. Teachers have ordered the book, and Isabela signed a copy for the school library. She is set to do a reading at the Los Gatos Library on Sept. 22.

The book has received positive reviews from those have read it, and it has inspired other children to try their hand at writing their own book, Isabela said. For the 9-year-old, the book is an attempt to change the world, which is what she's really interested in. On the issue of animals, too many people say they want a pet but don't take proper care of it.

"More dogs should be adopted," she said. "People do bad things to sweet dogs. I want to change the world in a bunch of ways, and that's one way."

Isabela's mother said her daughter always wanted to make a difference. Together, they volunteer with Bay Area Poodle Rescue, an organization that takes abandoned or surrendered dogs and places them with responsible families. Over two years, the Presedo-Floyd household has taken care of 22 foster dogs.

Marley came to Los Gatos as a foster dog last year. He had a broken leg for two years that never healed properly. When he came to Isabela from an animal shelter in Los Banos, she thought he was a reddish poodle. It took three baths to discover his white coat. A doctor recommended amputating the dog's hurt leg, and on the operating table, Marley's heart stopped beating.

It took three months for the dog to heal, but by then the family had fallen in love with Marley. Veronica said it was hard to find the right individual to adopt him.

"Nobody wants a disabled dog," she said.

Today, Marley receives plenty of attention from Isabela and the two other family dogs, a cocker spaniel-poodle mix and a cavalier King Charles spaniel. He moves like an injured animal, and because of that, other dogs think he is easy prey.

Isabela tells Marley that she is happy that he lost his leg, because now he is part of the family.

But it's not just a story about a dog. Somewhere in there, it seems there are some applications for the human world, as well.

"That's what Isabela says. She hopes people realize that when someone is disabled, they deserve richness," her mom said.

[Ritz459]

That is an inspiring article.