Meet the Stars of 'Wet Pets' Book

Fast-paddling felines, a "lost" bloodhound, a large retriever with a special talent on his family's boat, even ducks facing disaster.

Those are a few of the characters in a new book, "Wet Pets and Other Watery Tales," which debuts in December and will benefit the homeless dogs and cats at the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League's Sexton Shelter.

More than 40 animal-lovers, from Mt. Desert and Blue Hill through the Midcoast and beyond -- think Massachusetts, Alabama, Washington State and Hawaii -- have written stories about their pets and water.

There are stories of boat-dwelling dogs and cats -- and those with bonds to the ocean, a river, a stream., a lake, a puddle, the sea, or even the rain or a bathroom shower.

"All kinds of boats and water environments provided wonderful settings for some of these tales," says Hazel Weidman, one of the two Wet Pet editors. "And the stories show the special relationships these pets have with their people," adds co-editor Jackie Teare.

For instance, Jennifer Lothrop of Rockland, who was 12 when she wrote about her dog George, and a time when he wouldn't leave a lobster buoy in the water. "My mother called to him again, but he would not come. Then I really shouted at him to get himself back to shore NOW. Only then did he come in on his own. He knew I meant it...."

And Jane Scarpino of Port Clyde, author of the children's book "Nellie the Lighthouse Dog," reminisced about Lady Campbell, a lucky little Boston Terrier who came to the Scarpino family from a Coast Guard cutter.

"She was four years old when the war was over," author Scarpino wrote. "Her master was reassigned to Alaska, and could not take her with him. So, Lady Campbell came to us, in her little navy blue coat with the red trim, a small anchor emblazoned on the stern end. She had finally come ashore."

The 51 stories in this collection were gathered over the past five years, from writers who've published before and from those who simply wanted to share their animals' talents and adventures with others.

For information about other authors, click here.

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