Thank You to The Mayflower Sanctuary

I'm so pleased that the management at The Mayflower Sanctuary, where Harry and his family first found me, have given Tilly's Tale a lovely write up in their regular newsletter that goes out to all of their supporters and interested persons. They not only featured the book and the cover, but included pictures of me, Dylan and Charlie who of course also came to Harry's home through The Mayflower. It's a lovely, kind gesture by Jennie and the staff at Mayflower and I'm so very grateful to them for the wonderful free publicity that their article has given to Tilly's Tale.

The Mayflower Sanctuary do a wonderful job of re-homing so many unwanted and abandoned dogs like me and the others in our pack and Harry and I are so proud to be associated with them.

www.mayflowersanctuary.com

Tilly's Tale is available from the following sources:

4RV Publishing
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
and in the UK from Amazon.co.uk
Abebooks.co.uk

Lots of love

Tilly

A Horrible Day - Paddy has Gone!

Hello everyone. We're all very sad here today because this morning, while we were out on our walk, our new boy, Paddy suddenly attacked me, Dylan and little Chloe. He'd heard a dog barking behind a fence and he just seemed to go crazy.It was very scary for all of us and especially the children who were walking with us. I'm limping quite badly where his jaws closed on my leg.Harry had to make the terrible decision to return Paddy to the Pound and this afternoon our new friend left us. The nice people at the Pound have promised Harry that they'll find a nice home for Paddy where he'll be the only dog in the house and where he won't have little dogs to pick on. He was such a lovely boy and was so obedient in every way but he did seem to have some problems with us smaller dogs. Harry and the family really loved him and I did too. He was a handsome boy and had been through such a bad time already in his life. I hope he finds happiness in his new home when he finds it. I have no bad feelings about him despite what he did. He's just another rescue dog after all, and he deserves to find his forever home like the rest of us. I'd hoped that maybe one day Harry would be able to write Paddy's Tale too but that won't happen now.

Good luck Paddy. We all loved you and wish it could have worked out better for all of us.

Lots of love

Tilly

And here's one last picture of Paddy, my friend!

A Special note for UK readers who would like 'Tilly's Tale' in time for Christmas.

A lot of people have told Harry they would like to Receive my book in their Christmas stockings, and Harry tells me that amazon UK are saying that orders for Tilly's tale will be available in 4 - 6 weeks and therefore may not reach readers in time. DON'T PANIC! Abebooks.co.uk are currently offering the book delivered in about a week, at a great price of just £3.11 and even with the postage charges added their price works out less than Amazon's, so if anyone wants the book faster than from Amazon please go to http://www.abebooks.co.uk
I'll let everyone know if the amazon situation changes., and thank you to everyone who has already ordered Tilly's Tale

Lots of love

Tilly

Tilly's Tale has received a five star review....Woof Woof!

Harry is over the moon and so am I and I'm delighted to be able to publish the following review of Tilly's Tale which has appeared today on Amazon.com. Reviewer Fran Lewis has produced a review that in itself as full of emotion and I'm so pleased that Tilly's story was able to reach into and touch the heart of an experienced reviewer. Here is the review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tilly: A Role Model for All Dogs and More, November 17, 2009
By Fran Lewis "Fran and Bertha" - See all my reviews
Tilly's Tale by Harry Porter
Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Abuse of any kind is wrong and totally unforgiveable. No matter what the reason is no one has to right to neglect a pet or a person leaving him or her in a state that causes him or her both physical and mental harm. Many times animals that are left unattended on the street or in this case in the outside yard, become sick, diseased and sad from the lack of love and care they once received. Tilly is a Bedlington/Glen of Imaal Crossbreed terrier who was loved and cared for by a man named Sam. When Sam died and left Tilly in the care of his son and his wife, poor Tilly's life became a real nightmare.

Sam's son wanted to take Tilly home and care for her as his father did when he was alive. But, his wife would not hear of it and this beautiful and wonderful dog was cast into the cold and left to practically fend for herself. Outside in the cold and damp weather Tilly became gaunt, thin and felt unloved. That is the worst thing anyone can do to a dog or anyone. Everyone needs a home and poor Tilly only wanted what she had before; a warm and loving family to take care of her and love her.

In Tilly's own words the author relates her experiences from the moment she felt abandoned to the moment she is taken to the Sanctuary to safety. Although the people at the Sanctuary are kind and caring, Tilly lets the reader know that she hopes that someday a family will come with a bright and shiny new leash just for her.

After weeks of hoping her dreams came true and Harry Porter and his family chose our Tilly to be a part of their family. Not only was she nurtured and cared for but she became part of a family of dogs that grew to love her and her them. Tilly is a rescue dog. In case you don't know what a rescue is, it is one that has been a victim of abuse at the hand of a human in one form or another.

Throughout this heartwarming tale we learn how Tilly becomes assimilated within this family and how she helps when tragedy strikes and when new dogs are added to her family. Tilly loves living with Harry and she is not just a rescue dog but has been trained to detect human DNA simply by identifying the scent. Tilly is smart, spunky bright. She has won contests and made her family proud. But, most of all she has overcome the fears and thoughts that haunted her before coming into this loving and great family.

Throughout the world there are many dogs and other animals that need homes and just want to be loved. This is a true story of a remarkable dog who did not give up on herself or humans. It is the story of a man named Harry Porter who has a heart of gold and has made rescuing dogs a major part of his life.

The illustrations add to the story by allowing the reader to see each of the dogs that are added to the family. The cover of the book with Tilly on it endears you to her even more just looking at her kind eyes and beautiful face. You feel as if she is speaking to you and personally telling you her story.

This is a must read for everyone and I think would be great for children to have read to them in school. I think that this would make a great addition to pet stores and rescue shelters when children or adults want to buy a pet or rescue one from the Sanctuary.

Harry Porter: You are really amazing. Tilly, no one will ever forget you or your family of special dogs. To learn more about her family and the other dogs in it, you will have to read Tilly's Tale and get the information from her.

*I give this book five Tilly's

Fran Lewis: reviewer

Tilly's Tale is available from the following sources:

4RV Publishing
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
and in the UK from Amazon.co.uk
Abebooks.co.uk

Lots of love

Tilly

Here's Puff, Another of my Friends from Around the World.

Hi everyone,

I'd like you all to say a big hello to my friend Puff, another of my friends from the USA. Puff lives with author and book reviewer Martha Cheves in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I'll let Martha's own words tell you all about him.

"Puff is 11 1/2 years old.  When I went looking for a companion I searched the pounds and animal shelters almost daily.  When Puff finally saw me he actually picked me.  It didn't take but one look into those beautiful eyes and I was in love.  A few weeks after I took him home he met his first friend, a cat.  She lived in the apartment upstairs and they hit it right off.  She even taught him how to crouch really low and then pounce.  He still does that when he sees one of his friends.  He will get really low and creep really slow and when he gets to his friend he will pounce, just like a cat.  Even now, every cat he meets he thinks they are his friend and just wants to lick them.  He is so funny when I give him a doggie bone.  He doesn't eat them, he hides them.  He will take them from place to place, up stairs and down until he finds the perfect place to hide his bone.  His favorite place is usually inside the sofa or chair.  He will dig his hole, lay
 his bone in the hole and take his nose to cover up the bone.  Only problem with this is there is no dirt.  He hides it in plain site.  

Puff has been and still is my perfect companion.  He is always here for me and has been from day one.  I talk to him like a human and when I tell him I love him he will do a little sneeze sound telling he loves me too.  When I ask him if he wants to go out, if he does he will do a loud sneeze sound and if he doesn't he will do a low sneeze sound.  He is a human in a furry box.

The picture attached was last Christmas.  Puff likes to open his own presents."

I hope you've all enjoyed reading about Puff, who is such a beautiful little dog and I'm proud to list him as my friend.

Lots of Love

Tilly 

A Message from Harry

Hello everyone, it's Harry here. I hope you won't mind me taking over Tilly's blog for a short time this morning, but I wanted to give you some lovely news about 'Tilly's Tale'
This morning, I received a copy of Tilly's Tale, that I'd ordered as soon as the book became available in the UK. I always like to test out the delivery service when I have a new book released.
Well, I have to say the quality of book simply amazed me. 4RV Publishing have produced a superbly crafted book, which is wonderfully enhanced by the beautifully artistic illustrations of the brilliant Mandy Hedrick. Every page speaks to me of the care, the quality and the professionalism that has gone into the final production of the book. I want to say a very big THANK YOU to Vivian at 4RV Publishing for firs of all believing in 'Tilly's Tale' and then for producing such a high quality product, and also to Mandy who has captured the 'essence' of Tilly's personality so succinctly in her beautiful illustrations.
Not just as the author, but as Tilly's 'Dad' I have to say that the book does her proud in every way imaginable! I hope that those who read it will appreciate the hard work that went in to producing this enchanting volume and that it will fulfill its purpose of helping people to understand the plight of abused and neglected dogs everywhere, and also the hard work undertaken by those who dedicate their lives to helping to rescue and re-home them.

Thanks again, Vivian and Mandy

Tilly's Tale is available from the following sources:

4RV Publishing
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
and in the UK from Amazon.co.uk
Abebooks.co.uk
and in Canada at Amazon.ca

Please visit my website at http://harry-porter.webs.com/

Please Welcome Paddy to our Pack

Hello everyone.

I hope you'll all join me in saying a big hello and welcome to Paddy, the latest member of my pack, (Well, ok, it's Harry's pack really but I think of it as mine). Paddy is a a lurcher, and we don't really  know how old he is, but he's had a terrible life so far.  When Harry first saw him a couple of weeks ago at the local dog pound, he'd just arrived and was flea-ridden, filthy and so obviously starved because his bones were sticking out all over his body. Harry had a word with the nice people at the pound and they de-flead him, bathed him and gave him tablets for the terrible cough he had, and he gradually began to make some progress and on Thursday, Harry went along and brought him home to his new family. He's a lovely boy and needs lots of good food and loving and this is just the place to get it. He still has the cough, and is very thin, but it won't be long, we hope, before he's able to run and play with the rest of us. (I have to tell you that when Harry first saw him, he was in tears at the state of the poor boy,who didn;t even have a name to call his own until Harry gave him one, and it's not often you see Harry break down like that.) One thing is for sure, Paddy loves it here!

Here he is and I hope you all like him.

Lots of love

Tilly

Tilly's Tale is now available from Amazon in the UK

FROM HARRY

I'm really delighted to find that  'Tilly's Tale' is now available from Amazon.co.uk

This is the first in my series of 'Harry Porter's Dog Tales' and will, I hope, help to raise awareness of the plight of abused and abandoned dogs everywhere. Tilly has her own blog at http://tillyrescuedog.blogspot.com/ and I'd love it if anyone would care to visit and read of her adventures and those of the other ten rescued dogs in my home.

"Rescued when life looked bleak and her future uncertain, Tilly found love and a new purpose in her life. Read Tilly's story in her own "words," share the highs and the lows of her struggle to be loved and wanted, and be prepared to fall in love with this very special terrier."

Tilly's Tale is available at Amazon.co.uk
and from Amazon.com
and from Barnes & Noble
or direct from the publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com/

Lots of love


Tilly

P.S. Harry is going to pick up a new member of the pack today, a poor starved and emaciated little boy. More about him tomorrow.

Whoopee! UK Readers can now get my book too!

Isn't it exciting? Readers in the UK can now get my book from Abebooks.co.uk at http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1530518076&afn_sr=ZanoxUK&cm_ven=am&cm_ite=zan&zanpid=1305193796707048448

Those who prefer to order from Amazon.co.uk will have to wait a little longer for it to show up there but I'm sure it won't be long.

Lots of love

Tilly

'Tilly's Tale' has its very own Press Release

I'm such a lucky little dog. Harry has just shown me a Press Release announcing the availability of my book. Aren't I a lucky little Tilly? Anyway, here's the Press Release, hope you like it. You can see it also at http://www.prlog.org/10407679-tillys-tale-now-available-in-paperback-the-incredible-story-of-very-special-rescued-dog.html

Lots of love

Tilly

 

'Tilly's Tale' now Available in Paperback, The Incredible Story of a Very Special Rescued Dog

Rescued when life looked bleak and her future uncertain, Tilly found love and a new purpose in her life. Read Tilly's story in her own "words," share the highs and the lows of her struggle to be loved and wanted, and be prepared to fall in love.

Tilly's Tale, by Harry Porter, illustrated by Mandy Hedrick



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 10, 2009 – 'Tilly's Tale' by Harry Porter, and beautifully illustrated by the highly talented Mandy Hedrick, is the latest release from Oklahoma based 4RV Publishing LLC. The first in the series 'Harry Porter's Dog Tales' , Tilly's Tale relates the remarkable life story of the little terrier who began as an unwanted and abandoned waif and who has become a star at almost everything she is asked to cope with, whether it be an agility course or search and rescue training. She is also the 'pack leader' of the author's collection of eleven rescued dogs who all reside with him and his family, and whose true life stories all provide the inspiration for the books that will follow in the series.

Tilly has grown to be something of a little local celebrity in her home town and has her own internet blog at http://tillyrescuedog.blogspot.com/ where she already has a vast regular following as people log on to read about her life and adventures, and those of the dogs who share Harry's home.

Although classified as a children's book 'Tilly's Tale' is written in a format that will see it appeal to 'kids' from 8 to 98, and the author hopes that those who read this ultimately heartwarming tale will become more aware of the plight of rescued and abandoned dogs around the world, and is quoted as saying "If Tilly's Tale' inspires just one person to go out and adopt a rescued dog, or to go and volunteer to help out at their nearest animal sanctuary or shelter, then the work of producing this and the other books in the series will al have been worthwhile."

The book blurb reads:
"Rescued when life looked bleak and her future uncertain, Tilly found love and a new purpose in her life. Read Tilly's story in her own "words," share the highs and the lows of her struggle to be loved and wanted, and be prepared to fall in love with this very special terrier."

This enthralling tale should make an ideal Christmas gift for dog lovers, young and old alike!

Tilly's Tale can be ordered direct from the publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com/ or from Amazon.com at  http://www.amazon.com/Tillys-Tale-Harry-Porter/dp/0981868592/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257702764&sr=1-3 and from Barnes & Noble and other good booksellers.

Further information on the book can be found at the author's website at http://harry-porter.webs.com/ or at http://www.mandyhedrick.com/ or from the publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com/

# # #

Harry Porter is the author of children’s books to be
published under the 4RV Publishing banner. Titles to be
released include Alistair the Alligator and a series of
books for older children based on the eleven rescued dogs
who share his home. Collectively titled Harry Porter’s
Dog Tales, each book features the true and often
harrowing tales of the lives of the dogs now safely in his
care. Starting with Tilly’s Tale the series hopes to raise
awareness about the effects of cruelty on our four-legged
friends and highlights the work of dedicated dog rescuers.
His YA title Wolf completes his current round-up of
books to be released by 4RV.

Tilly's Tale is now at Amazon.com

Hi everyone,

I'm so pleased to say that Harry just told me that my book has now appeared on Amazon.com and can be ordered from them at Amazon

Of course you can also get it direct from the publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com/

My tail is still wagging like mad with excitement and I do so hope that a few kind people will buy it for themselves or for their children to read.

I hope it won't be too long before it also shows up to order on Amazon's UK site. Will keep you posted!

Lots of love

Tilly

Yippee! My Book, 'Tilly's Tale' is released Today

I'm the happiest little dog in the world today, because my book, 'Tilly's Tale' is released by 4RV Publishing on this very day, 5th November 2009. My tail hasn't stopped wagging since Harry told me the news this morning and at last I can let everyone know. 'Tilly's Tale' is the story of my life so far, starting with my early days and incredible sadness I endured after my original owner died and I ended up being cast out into the cold of winter with no shelter or proper food and no love from anyone, and takes the reader up to the present day, and my life of love and happiness with Harry and his family. although it is classed as a childrens book, it is really aimed at everyone from 9 to 99 and both Harry and I hope it will help people to understand and become aware of the abuse and neglect that so many dogs such as me and the others in Harry's pack go through every day, somewhere in the world. Mine is the first book in the series called 'Harry Porter's Dog Tales' and the next on the list will be 'Dylan's Tale'.
'Tilly's Tale' is initially available to order from Harry's publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com and will also be available from Amazon in the next week or so. I'd love it if some of my doggie pals could ask your humans to get a copy and see the beautiful illustrations by Mandy Hedrick, who has done a wonderful job in bringing my story to life in pictures to accompany my words. You can also see more about the book at Harry's website at http://harry-porter.webs.com/

Lots of love to everyone.

Tilly

Look Out for Exciting News Coming Soon!

Hey everyone,

It's not like me to be mysterious, but please watch this space over the next day or so as we have some news to tell you about. All will be revealed very soon, I promise!

Lots of love

Tilly

Sophie & Cassie Play 'Fetch'

Hello everybody,
Today I thought I'd post a short video, shot as usual by Harry, of Sophie and little Cassie playing fetch with the ball on the field near our home. as you can see, Casie might be small, but she is fast! Despite the difference in size, these two are the best of friends and will happily run and play with a tennis ball together all day if given the chance. It's only a short video as they are both so quick, (but not quite as fast as me when I let my paws talk for me), but I hope you enjoy it.

Lots of love

Tilly

Charlie Farley - Dog in a Flower Pot!

Harry was amazed one sunny morning this year when he walked out of the house, into the garden, and found Charlie sitting boldly and proudly...right in the middle of a large flower pot. Now, Charlie (known affectionately as 'Charlie Farley), is quite a funny little character sometimes so Harry quickly ran back into the house to fetch his camera and soon had a couple of pictures of Charlie in this rather odd position recorded for posterity. I hope you all find them as amusing as Harry and the family did.
Hm, I wonder what little Cassie was thinking as she kept him company from her place on the ground? (Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them, then right click and 'view image' and see these funny pics in close-up)

Lots of love

Tilly

My Best Friend in all the World! (With Respect to Harry)

Well, it's Friday again and tomorrow is my day to go and do my agility so it'll be fun , fun, fun all the way. Sophie, Molly and Dexter will be coming along too though of course they don't really do it a seriously as me. For them it's a bit of fun, but I put everything I've got into it and always try to fly round the course as fast as I can. Trouble is, Harry says the weather forecast is for heavy rain tomorrow and if that happens it'll be canceled so I'll keep my paws crossed for nice weather.Meanwhile I'm posting this beautiful photo of Dylan that really shows what a very handsome boy our Bedlington Terrier is. You can see why the family call him 'Lord Dylan!.He's come such a long way since he was beaten, battered and abused before coming to live with us.(In case I've never told you, Dylan arrived here a month after I did and he is my very best friend in all the world).

Lots of love

Tilly

Some of the Gang!

Hello again everyone. I've been a bit quiet haven't I? It's not been my fault, but Harry has been so busy working on his new book that I haven't managed to get a look in on the computer. Mind you, I was part of all the busy stuff too,as on Friday, Brian Gallagher the dog behaviorist who is writing a training manual with Harry called round to discuss the book. As I'm also the narrator of that book I was part of the meeting. Sounds exciting eh? Not really as I couldn't understand half of what they were talking about. Oh well, not to worry. I'm sure Harry will explain it all to me before I have to do my bit. They reckon it will take them about a year to complete that book. That's a long time isn't it?

Meanwhile, I thought I'd include some photos of the other members of the pack today. hope you like them. My favourite is the one of Snoopy watching 'The Dog Whisperer' on TV but you can also see Molly looking very pretty, Dexter looking cute, and Snoopy sitting on poor little Penny. hehe Please remember you can click on the photos to make them bigger.

Lots of love

Tilly

Here's Harry

Hey everyone,
No words as such today. I just wanted to post this picture of me with Harry and little Cassie, having a cuddle and relaxing in Harry's favourite armchair the other night. A lot of people see Cassie and think she looks a bit like me, apart from her sticky-up ears of course, and it's amazing how many think she's my pup. Of course, we're not related at all, and we're totally different breeds but the one thing we have in common is that we both love Harry very, very much.

Lots of love

Tilly

My Friends Around the World, Baily and Mesa in Redwood City

Hello everyone,

Today I thought it would be nice to introduce you to my two new friends in America. Baily and Mesa are two lovely girls who live in a place called Redwood City in the United States. I'm not sure exactly where that is but Harry says it's a long way from here. Hasn't Mesa got a lovely doggie smile? And, like me, she enjoys playing with a tennis ball.

The information below was provided by the dogs' owner Kari, and it's so nice to be able to bring the story of two more rescued dogs to everyone's attention. You can follow their lives with Kari at her blog at http://dogisgodinreverse.blogspot.com

Lots of love

Tilly

Baily was the first dog to join our family. We got her from rescue when she was only seven weeks old (2/9/07 is her birthday). She is a boxer/pit bull mix who grew up sleeping under my desk at work. Her hobbies include sleeping and snuggling.

Mesa was adopted three months later from animal control. Mesa was about 8 months when we got her so we picked 11/13/06 as her birthday. She is a pit bull/American bulldog mix who grew up in a crate (her first owners didn't socialize her or let her out much). Now that Mesa has discovered the wonder of balls we can't get her to stop playing fetch!

Tug of War, Doggie Style

Happy Sunday everyone,

I thought it might be amusing for you to see this little video that Harry took in the back garden. Snoopy, Sophie and Dexter were having a great game of tug-of-war with Dexter's new toy. I make a brief appearance doing a nifty swerve around the players on my way into the house. I think there's a quick flash of Dylan in there too somewhere. They had a really great time with the toy and little Snoopy more than held his own against the two bigger dogs. (Most of that fierce growling is made by little Snoopy by the way).

Oh yes, today's picture of me shows me doing a 'long stay' at the end of a run on the agility course. When we get to the end of the course we have to sit and stay for 20 seconds before we can return to our owners. Harry has trained me to do very long stays and I'd stay there for an hour or more if he told me to. Once I've 'sat' I don't move until Harry tells me to 'come' or perhaps do something else. Not bad eh?

Lots of love

Tilly