Speaker 1: This is pet Life Radio. Let's Talk Pets.
Speaker 2: Hello, pet lovers, Welcome to Best Bets for Pets on
your show host Michelle Bourne. Today, we have a wonderful
author that wrote the jutest book and I can't wait
to share it with you, So stay tuned. We'll be
right back.
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Speaker 4: Let's Talk Pets on Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome Jamie Oak. She
is the author of the Fun and Very Tales of
Rex Adoption Day. Welcome Jamie.
Speaker 5: Hi, Thank you so much for having me today.
Speaker 2: Michelle I'm so excited to have you on. Well, first,
tell us who Rex I know unfortunately passed, So tell
us who Rex was, and also what inspired you to
turn Rex's adoption story into a book, The Fun and
Furry Tales of Rex Adoption Day.
Speaker 6: Yes, well, Rex is my furry little angel that suddenly
showed up on my doorstep about thirteen years ago now,
and that's what this whole book is about. And he
became my you know, soul companion, my furry child, just
you know, my emotional support animal, all of that tied
up in a bow. And unfortunately he did past on
September first of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 5: So this has been a very difficult, but this.
Speaker 6: Has been a dream of mine for you know, thirteen years,
and I just I've been persevering through the grief. It's
been tough even today. But that is who Rex was.
He was my Rexy pooh, my love bear. And the
reason why this story was born is because my son Samuel,
who at the time was three years old, asked me
one random night when it was bedtime story time. He
asked me, how did we get so lucky to have
Rex as our dog?
Speaker 5: And rather than just telling him the.
Speaker 6: Story, I immediately recalled that I have the whole experience
documented because I am a camera happy person and I'm
also a photographer, and so when this whole thing happened
that was completely out of the blue. I ran into
my bedroom, I grabbed my nikon.
Speaker 2: I.
Speaker 5: Came out, welcomed this gentleman in with the puppies, took
them out of the box, and just, I mean, I immediately
started taking pictures because who wouldn't They're so gosh aren't cute?
So luckily I grabbed my laptop, I came back upstairs,
put it.
Speaker 6: On the bed, and Sammy and I watched the whole experience,
and while we were looking at the photos, I started
reading I mean, I just immediately knew what the puppies
were thinking and saying, that's my imagination for you. And
by the end of this album, you know, my son
and I we were laughing, we were just I mean,
it was just so cute.
Speaker 5: You've got to see the pictures. You've got to see
this story. It's so cute. These puppies are just ridiculously adorable,
and it made us laugh so hard. And Sammy at
the end he said, Mama, you've got a pinky swear,
and he put up his little pinky, his little three
year old pinky, and said, you have to turn this
into a book because I want to read this story again.
Very cute, very cut's it?
Speaker 2: So let's go back a little bit. Thank you for
sharing that. Let's go back a little bit. How did
you know now when Rex was brought to your door?
There were a total of three puppies brought to your
door from a neighbor, but you adopted. You adopted just one,
right enough, I mean, you know catsny companions dogs once enough,
So how did you know that Rex was the one?
Speaker 5: Oh? My goodness, Well, actually I didn't just know.
Speaker 6: I documented the moment like it just it was an instantaneous,
like a lightning bolt strike of obviousness that this our guy.
Speaker 2: Why Rex not the other two?
Speaker 5: You know, the other two?
Speaker 6: The other two did not climb up my then fiance
at the time. They did not climb up his leg,
up his chest and do this thing where he did
this thing where he pawed his little paws into his chest,
you know, to like make a little bed, like make
it a little comfy.
Speaker 5: And he did this little thing.
Speaker 6: Where he kind of like you know, turned around three
hundred and sixty degrees and then he just plopped down
and snuggled in.
Speaker 5: And I mean it was in that moment, that snuggly,
snuggly moment where Ben, who I named Mark in this
book Sophia is me but it is our story.
Speaker 6: But then at the time was like, uh, he just
pointed at him and just gave me this look like
this is our guy. I'm like, yes, yes, that is
the one that it's someone who cuddles up and snuggles
up right into your heart, because that's what he did.
Speaker 2: You know, that's so funny because I was thinking about
my not my first dog, but the as an adult,
but my second one, mister Zeus. So the first time
I met him, he went into the corners. Wonder what
that means, but it was at a It was at
his shelter and he'd been returned, and he was a
timid dog. He was always kind of shy and you know, chill.
But yeah, I didn't get that kind of a welcome.
He just went right in the corner. But once I
brought him home, we were buds. We bonded. After he
doubt about the car ride, but he bought it. He
had an exciting journey, which I told listeners of the
long time listeners know the zoo story. So let's talk
about your book. So one of the most unique things
about the book is that it is told from a
puppies perspective. What inspired that creative.
Speaker 6: Choice When looking at these photographs and just remembering, recalling
those moments and the vibes and the energy and just
my essentially my perspective and my perception of these little creatures.
Speaker 5: And their personalities.
Speaker 6: I really wanted it to be from the puppies perspective
because it's.
Speaker 5: Truly their story that I am sharing. I am literally
sharing their story more than I am sharing my story.
You know, this.
Speaker 6: Story really follows the puppies adventure on their adoption journey,
and I decide to take it from that perception. Honestly, intuitively, instinctually,
that's what happened, and it just felt so right. And
you know, one major thing.
Speaker 5: About this book is that this book.
Speaker 6: Was created sort of not just out of that instance
with my son asking me about Rex, but even before
that happened. This was actually captured on video. I have
this moment where I was holding Rex on my lap
and we were waiting for his doggy sitter to come.
We were going on like an overnight or whatever, and
I was holding him and I turned to Ben and
I said, you know what.
Speaker 5: I really want to teach.
Speaker 6: Lessons to children through the lessons that Rex learns, or
that I want to promote to the world, such as
following your instincts, your intuition, and being grateful for those
who care for you, helping others, having empathy, those types
of things. I've always been very passionate about wanting to
promote and help help get out there because I think
that these things are very important for humans. And I
don't know, it was just a thing where I was like,
I need this to be through Rex's voice, through the
puppies voice.
Speaker 5: It's their experience, but it's with my teachings.
Speaker 2: Okay, thanks. What do you think is going through their
little minds when they are during you know, they're meeting
you during adoption day? Give me, give me like three sentences.
What do you think Rex was probably if he could
talk talk like words, what do you think he would
have said?
Speaker 5: Well, just like it says in the book, like, oh
my gosh, who is this lady? She has such a
sweet voice. Oh my gosh, maybe she could be my mommy,
because I'm telling you, from the moment he came in,
Rex was all about, you know, me and Ben and
and he just seemed like really wanting to be with
us and loving on us, like from the get go.
The other two were very, very sweet, And I was
actually very partial to Chunky Monkey because he's so photogenic.
I could tell right away that's something that I picked
up on. But you know, he wasn't so actively giving
us so much affection and attention, and so I think that, yeah,
the things that they would be saying, or at least
Rex for sure, is like, oh my gosh, I'm like, gosh,
where am I? Is this the forever home? Is this
my forever family? Who is this lady? She's so nice?
It's you know, those kinds of probably exciting statements. I
would hope, I would think.
Speaker 2: I'm sure that it's exactly what Rex was thinking. You
have some you mentioned your photographer, you have some gorgeous
photos in the bank, and this is something I might
have known this because I live in a warm climate,
so it's something that we deal with all the time.
But a lot of your pictures are of the puppies
and they're down at your feet, so you have a
gorgeous pedicure for like four pages.
Speaker 5: Did you think, Oh my gosh, what in.
Speaker 2: The world would I have done if I wasn't up
on my pedicure?
Speaker 6: Oh my god, you're so funny. Yes, And actually, I
mean you see my toes. You don't really see too
many of Ben's toes because they were not pretty.
Speaker 5: And I've had to do some met your there's foer
shot that.
Speaker 2: I mean, I need a pedicure right now, big time.
Speaker 5: But but you're absolutely right. That was so lucky. That
was so lucky.
Speaker 2: It was lucky. I mean, you might have a you know,
you might have a second market for guys. Well I'm
saying guys because you're a female feet, but we're not
gonna go there.
Speaker 5: Thank you all take that as a compliment.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, your feet look great, great, Thank you.
Speaker 5: Okay, you love feet, Dogs love feet. I don't know
what it is. Do your dogs look your I mean,
have your dogs look I mean, yeah.
Speaker 2: The dog, especially when you're walking. I don't know.
Speaker 7: I don't know.
Speaker 2: If there's smells on your feet.
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, and I think they're sulky. I think they
like them.
Speaker 2: Hats don't go for feet so much except to bite
them sometimes, true, yes, which weird And like you so
when I.
Speaker 5: Do my story time because I am a storyteller and
I do read this out loud at schools and libraries,
and I was just at Fanter Bookshop in Fremont and
Half Price Books in Freemont. I always have this back
and forth with kids when it comes to the stinky
feet where it's like I look at the kids that
I read the room and.
Speaker 6: I'm like, ew right, oh, what is it up with
dogs and feet? You know, it's kind of like I
kind of like say the elephant in the room, like, yes, they.
Speaker 5: Are on the feet. But I think the kids laugh,
you know, like big time. They think it's hilarious. So
I love it it is.
Speaker 2: Did you have any challenges or surprises while photographing the
puppies because they can be hard to photograph.
Speaker 5: Challenge was to get pictures of me with them.
Speaker 6: I think I got like maybe I don't know a few,
but you know, that's always the challenge of I know,
the feeder there, the feeder there. But you know, when
I look back at this album, it's really sort of
the photographer's curse is that when you're the photographer, it's
hard to get in front of the camera and because
you know, the people are like, oh, well they're taking
care of it. Well yeah, but you know, so when
I go back and I look and I'm like, I
would have loved to have a few more photos of
me with Rex from that day. I have a lot
of obviously of Ben holding them. That's sort of my
That was my challenge, I guess, and what I still
deal with today because that's like a I can't make
this moment up, like it happened by accident, fate, whatever
you whatever you want to call it. And I feel
lucky that I had the intuition to just capture it.
And then I think it was been more lucky that
my Kido asked me about it, and you know, and
I had it. I had these this moment and I think,
you know, I hope that this book inspires a few things.
You know, of course adopting rescue and shelter dogs and
all of the lessons within and.
Speaker 5: All of that, but also like like.
Speaker 6: Look, there was a magic moment and I took it,
you know, I took the pictures and then I told
the story and.
Speaker 5: It's a real, true story. I think that that's really special.
I can't go back and be like, I want a
picture of me with baby Rex.
Speaker 6: Now I can't. And I don't have very money from
that day. I'm like maybe one or two.
Speaker 2: So it's always like that. It's always when I had
mister Zeus, it was I got them in two thousand
and five. Cameras, phone cameras were not that good. My
first picture of him, he looks like a little fuzz
in the corner of a table. But you know, hey,
my memories are there.
Speaker 5: So amen, thank God for that.
Speaker 2: We're going to take a short break.
Speaker 5: We'll be right back, real people, real stories.
Speaker 8: Our little dog Cave helped this lump problem at the
chemotherapy lasted for six months, started developing more lymph nose,
so I thought I'd just try carnivor. The lymph nose
started to go down. Then I took him into the
vet to him checked out, and then there was no
signs at all. Inside.
Speaker 7: My cat had issues that developed in his eye, and
three months later my ven airing said this, go ahead
and remove the eye. I heard the carnivor on advertising,
so I said, you know what, I'm going to order
this product.
Speaker 8: They did the procedure, they did all the death and
they said, I don't know where you did this product.
Speaker 5: They had eye.
Speaker 7: I've got a labrador. You could hardly lift yourself up
off the floor. The treatment was came to therapy. That's
when I said this could be the ticket. About three
weeks you could tell she was very alert.
Speaker 8: She was going on five month lock and she is
just like crime again.
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Speaker 4: Let's talk past, Let's done, petalot Life.
Speaker 5: Radio, Headline Radio.
Speaker 9: Pet live Radio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. We are talking to Jamie Oaks. She
is the author of The Fun and Burry Tales of
Rex Adoption Day. Okay, Jamie, do you have a favorite
photo in the book and what's the story behind it?
Speaker 6: When Rex gives me a high five, that is my
favorite picture.
Speaker 5: I mean, when when that happened? I just thought, because
this is a puppy.
Speaker 6: This is like, what, like, I think he was maybe
six weeks old at the time, maybe, And I don't
think anybody got to teaching him how to high five.
Speaker 5: Yet, no, no, And so this is literally one of,
you know, one of the moments in the book. It's true.
But I did say, let's just adopt all of them,
like how are we ever gonna pick just one? Because
that was the conundrum, like how are we gonna pick
from these three adorable free angels? Like how could I
you know? And then when I said that, Rex really
did run out from under me the couch where he
had been cowering the moment before, in which I also
capture the picture before, I actually capture a dog gasping,
you see it. I've never seen that before, So I
thought that was pretty cool.
Speaker 6: But there was this moment in the book where Rex thought, uh, oh,
they're gonna pick one of my brothers and not me
because he didn't.
Speaker 5: Get a chance to lick my toes and show me
how much he liked me.
Speaker 6: Right, And then the next moment, I'm like, let's just
adopt all of them, and this little guy just ran
out from underneath the.
Speaker 5: Couch and literally gave me a high five with like
essentially my fingers because this Paul was so small, This
is so tiny, and that right there, I mean, that
was amazing. Wow. You can't nake that up. You can't. No, no, no,
AI couldn't even do that. AI couldn't even do that.
Speaker 2: We talked a little bit about adoption before the break.
Why is it so important for people to you know,
this is a book for children, so it's more reaching
the parents and for the children to understand that it's
so important to adopt, and that I'm very pro adopt.
There are even there's rescues for specific breeds if you're looking,
if you look in different places, you'll find the mix
you want. I understand some people want designer dogs, but
there are so many to adopt. So I'm glad you're
sharing this. You know, created a book that does focus
on that message. Why is it crucial and your your
point of view?
Speaker 5: Okay, So for pet lovers, okay, dogs and cats and
rabbits and birds and just all the pets out there. Okay,
for the pet lovers out there, I am sure that.
Speaker 6: None of us, none of us even want to think
that the reality is that when pets do not get adopted.
Speaker 5: There are so.
Speaker 6: Many, so many beautiful furry and children in furry or
reptile or pet you know, all the pets okay, that
unfortunately are euthanized, Okay, And that kills me when I
look up the statistics, like you can ASPCA. You know
it's millions, Okay, Yes, the last time I looked up
the statistics, it said every year in America something like
approximately six point five million dogs and cats get put
into the shelter system and only three point one dogs
and cats combined three point one million come out. So
I'm like, well, what happens to the other millions?
Speaker 5: That's not cool? And how do we whittle that number down?
Speaker 7: How do we.
Speaker 5: Get more pets in homes and safe and sound to
have beautiful lives with their companion humans. I mean, it
is something that is.
Speaker 6: So important to me that if you go on my
social media stories by Jamie, you will see that I
go to shelters. I just went to the San Jose
Animal Shelter and I posted about the available dogs that
are up for adoption there. I also went to the
other one, the Silicon Valley Humane Society, and I just
posted a video there and I got a lot of traction,
and I got a lot of folks going to those places,
which was such a blessing. I didn't know what would happen,
but I received word that you know that that helped,
and I'm hoping to do.
Speaker 5: More like that.
Speaker 6: I feel like we all should volunteer our hours if
we have a little bit here and there, to go
to shelters and to help the dogs and cats in
the shelters be okay during their time in the shelters.
So this is something that I am very obviously passionate about.
Speaker 10: And I do hope that my book about adopting a
dog helps other dogs and cats get adopted too, so
that they can find their forever homes too, just like
rext it.
Speaker 2: Thank you for all that I think. Also, maybe this
is a future book, but I'm going to ask you
about what your future books and then you have another
one in the works, But maybe there's a future book
about be proactive also and spay and neuter your dogs
and especially your cats. Really bad with cats because cats
are you know, there's so many more feral creatures because
they're so independent.
Speaker 5: Yes, that'll be intriguing. How to do that topic though.
Speaker 7: With kids.
Speaker 2: With kids so hard.
Speaker 5: But that's a chat think about it.
Speaker 2: But it's you know, I think there's medical books for kids.
So it's about you know what, we do a snip
here and a snip there so there's no more babies.
And if there's no more baby, it's like a math thing, you.
Speaker 6: Know, Michelle, I think you just got inspired. I think
I just inspired you for a book. I think you
should write these ideas down and just marinate and do
it in my.
Speaker 2: Spare time whatever.
Speaker 5: You know, we all stay up late and watch some
nonsense TV instead. Right, it's so much more fun, I promise.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean especially with cats and numbers are crazy. Okay,
let's say this book audience is for, you know, a
most of more listening audience. There's some children, but mostly
pet parents. Lots of pet parents want to be pet parents,
and human pet parents are human parents. We got them,
you right, But what would you say to all the
people that are thinking, you know this, this might be
a good book for my kids, but I don't know,
why should they buy your book?
Speaker 5: Oh my goodness, Well, for the soon to be pet parents,
this is a perfect book to even start to introduce
the idea of having a free child in your life,
of adopting a dog or a cat. This is a
wonderful example of how, you know, this is a new experience.
Speaker 6: Let's explain to our kiddo, we're going to adopt a dog.
We're gonna go and see how the energy is between us.
You know, We're gonna you know, check out to see
what the doggie is, how they're interacting with us. And
this is great in terms of really introducing the whole
concept and showing kind of an example, if you will,
you know, of adopting.
Speaker 5: Also, it's a great celebration of adoption book.
Speaker 6: One of my friends actually recently just told me that
her friend is having a Gotcha Day party.
Speaker 5: For her dog. I was like, wow, that's something. Really
what is it? A today Gotcha Day party? So they
don't know the birthday of their dog. Instead they celebrate
their Gotcha Day the day that they adopted their dog.
Speaker 6: And I thought, oh my god. I actually went on Amazon.
There's even decorations for this. I was like, oh my god,
this is amazing. But a Gotcha Day present. She was like,
this is a Gotcha Day book right here, like this
right here celebrates adoption this right here. And you know, Michelle,
you did it yourself too. This book inspires people to
think about.
Speaker 5: The day the they adopted their pet. It does all
the time, like you spoke about it.
Speaker 6: Whenever I talk about this book or after I read aloud,
people come up to me they're like, you know, when
I adopted my dog, this is what happened.
Speaker 5: And I love that.
Speaker 6: I love that this book actually really resonates with people
in a very specific happy memory, namely.
Speaker 5: The gotcha day of their pet. And aside from that,
it does have a lot of this wonderful you know,
lessons about adoption. And these are rescued puppies. In the book,
it talks.
Speaker 6: A lot about how grateful the puppies are to the
kind man who rescued them. There is specifically quite a
bit of language about that to really help children and.
Speaker 5: People of all ages learn, you know, to be grateful
for others, to be grateful for those who take care
of you. That's like a big and that it's important
to help others, namely in this case, it goes hand
in hand. Rescuing these little puppies equals helping others, right,
So there's so many great messages. Yeah, and lesson and one.
Speaker 2: I don't know, maybe you're too modest, but the pictures
are amazing. They're all beautiful.
Speaker 5: Thank you you're colorful.
Speaker 2: I mean, they're very and that is important because they're
engaging for children. That's really important. Okay, what can we
expect next?
Speaker 5: Well, just like this book that makes people like just.
Speaker 6: Go ooh and awe and cute and giggle and all
of that.
Speaker 5: Okay, the next book, The Fun and Furry Tales of.
Speaker 6: Rex Puppy Love, is super super cute and makes everybody
that looks at the pictures of Rex, and that one
just ooh in awe gives everybody happy vibes, like both
of Like all my books, I want to give you
happy vibes.
Speaker 5: Even if it's a heavy, heavy kind of topic like
rescuing dogs that were like left outside or whatever, you're
gonna get it in a beautiful, cute, happy vibe. But
this book takes it to.
Speaker 6: Another level because I tapped into one of my God
given gifts, which is.
Speaker 5: Being a poet. I'm a poet and I know it.
I've been a poet since I was twelve. I've been published,
I won many, many, many awards, and so I brought
my poetry skills if you will to the fun and
for retaales of Rex Puppy Love. How this Yes, it's
all in poetry. It's so super fun to read aloud.
And you know how it is with rhyming books for kids.
How that Facebook really is about gratitude. This is about Rex.
Speaker 6: Coming to his new home and being so super grateful
because Rex knows what it is to not have a
home and not have parents and not have food and
all those things. And so this book is a true
like Rex is talking to you and telling you, look
how beautiful my home is and my toys are, and
that is to help inspire children to feel gratitude.
Speaker 5: Well, what are you grateful for? Who are you grateful for?
Speaker 6: My books are meant to be an interactive read with kids,
you know, to really you know, showcase these lessons. And
so Puppy Love, I'm really going double down on trying
to promote having genuine feelings of gratitude because that makes
us healthier and happier as human beings.
Speaker 5: Period.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes it does.
Speaker 6: We need more gratitude and that's the life lesson I
have learned the hard way.
Speaker 5: So I am now promoting what.
Speaker 2: We need a lot of that. We need more of
that these days. Okay, Jamie, Where can people find out
where they can purchase The Fun and Furry Tales of
Rex Adoption Day and find out more about you?
Speaker 6: Stories by Janie dot com and you spell my name, Jamie.
Stories by Jmie dot Com.
Speaker 5: That's it.
Speaker 6: My website, it's got it all. If you just want
to check out the book, it's on Amazon. Also found
on my website, but it's on Amazon. The Fun and.
Speaker 5: Furry Tales of Rex Adoption Day Puppy Love is coming
out soon. You can pre order Poppy Love on website again,
Stories by Jamie dot com and you can book me too.
I love coming to schools and libraries and bookstores and
any kind of stores actually, because you know families with children.
We come.
Speaker 6: We do a storytime party, I read the book, I
do all of my discussion. My program. It's a social
emotional learning program.
Speaker 5: Okay, helps kids really learn gratitude, empathy. There's movement, there's art.
I do a bubble dance party. You can check this
all out on my social media's I'm on all the
social medias.
Speaker 2: Okay, well, just about it.
Speaker 5: Out of time, So Stories by Jamie, that's it. Thank
you so much for coming.
Speaker 2: On Best Bets for Pets.
Speaker 5: Thank you bye bye, bye bye.
Speaker 2: Thank you everyone for joining me today. Thank you to
my guest Jamie Oh the opera at the in Furry
Tales of Rex Adoption Day. Thank you to everyone that
listens to Best Bets for Pets. I appreciate your loyal listenership.
And of course thank you to Gosh all of the
furbabes I've adopted over the years, mister Zeus, Miss c
who was before Zeus, Dennis, Charlotte, Molly, Sammy, Jebro and Nikki,
all my adopted furbabes. So thank you for everything you've
gotten to my life again, stories by Jamie dot com
and of course like each, thank you to Mark Winter
for all you do to make our shows sound amazing.
Thank you so much, and hey, remember keep listening. You
never know what will have next. On Best Bets for.
Speaker 4: Pets, Let's talk bets every week on demand only on
Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 1: They mostly Busty bost