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Readings and Discussion Questions Inspired by the Christian Holy Days

A Riverview Animal Shelter Novel (Book #15) Paperback – February 21, 2023

A Riverview Animal Shelter Novel (Book No. 13) (Riverview Animal Shelter Mystery)

A memoir by Douglas Winslow Cooper.  Published in September 2011, Outskirts Press, Denver CO.

A memoir by Douglas Winslow Cooper and Mariae Elizabeth Foglia. Published in September 2012, Outskirts Press, Denver CO.

A memoir by Lenny Golino and Douglas Winslow Cooper. In press, Outskirts Press, Denver, CO, 2012.

A memoir by Alice Conner Selfridge, edited by Douglas Winslow Cooper. In press, Outskirts Press, Denver, CO, 2012.

Kathleen Blake Shields

by Adria Goldman Gross, FIPC and Douglas Winslow Cooper, Ph.D. 

"Learn what to watch our for..." Ralph Nader

By Adria Goldman Gross, FIPC and Douglas Winslow Cooper, Ph.D. 

"Should you find yourself doing battle with a health insurance company or hospital, I have three words of advice: Get this book!"

Bill Hogan, co-author of Are Your Prescriptions Killing You?

by Edison R. Guzman and Douglas Winslow Cooper, Ph.D.

by Douglas Winslow Cooper, Ph.D. and Diane R. Beggin, R.N.

Strategies for Building Resilience & Supporting Transformation

Cheryl A. Barrett, RN, MSN

My Brain Injury from My Massive Brain Tumor

Janet Johnson Schliff, M.S.Ed.

by Ladi Miz

by Christopher Horne

by Dawn Crystal

by Dawn Crystal

By Loretta Quesinberry Pickens

By Helen a Bemis

By Helen A. Bemis

By Dawn Crystal

By Bruce J. Carter, PH.D., and Douglas Winslow Cooper, PH.D.

By Helen A. Bemis

By Virginia Lohmann Nodhturft

By Dawn Crystal

By Helen A. Bemis

By Petero Wamala

By Sharon Lane

by Helen A Bemis

by Don Truman Wilson

By Helen A Bemis

By Dawn Crystal

by Helen A Bemis

by Helen A Bemis

by Jansen Vee

By Helen A. Bemis

Despite His Name, Ragamuffin Is a Classy Dog Millie's cell phone rang. She recognized the caller ID. It's that terrifying person again: "I will not answer that call! He will only give me more fear and trouble! MAYBE IT'S TIME TO GET A DOG FOR MY PROTECTION." Found in a wood pile, this rare Bouvier Des Flandres --- named "Ragamuffin" or "Rags" for short --- grows to be a protective and stately companion for Millie and eventually for Millie's daughter, Regina. Helen Trains Dogs and Their Owners Helen Bemis has enjoyed working with dogs all her life, and they have played essential roles in her novels. She grew up on a dairy farm in Upper New York State; she attended Albany Medical Center School of Nursing. She is widowed and has three children. She earned a college degree from SUNY Adirondack, holds the Certified Professional Dog Trainer international certification, and runs a successful business, K-9 Karing. She speaks to many organizations and teaches dog safety and other dog-related topics to schools as well as at her local college. She has published over twenty Riverview Animal Shelter novels, featuring romance, mystery, and information about dog training. She loves to hear people say, "Helen has gone to the dogs!"

"Skye waited in the airport lobby for her husband, Gary. She'd hidden a surprise under her oversized coat. This bulge will make a happy surprise for Gary."

That surprise puppy eventually grew to be a full-size Golden Retriever, Quincy. The town of Riverview, especially those connected with the Riverview Animal Shelter (RAS), endured a series of unexpected developments.

An adage says, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." An angry bomber is unlikely to wait, however. This one did not.

Gary, Skye, and Quincy returned home to Riverview after an incident caused their plane to be diverted to Canada. Once in the U.S., they anticipated a quick trip home, but Mother Nature had other ideas. They rerouted around a storm and ended up near the Smithsonian Zoo, where Quincy got his first experience with an elephant.

Skye had lent her older dog, Bones, trained as a cadaver dog, to the local police while studying in England. One of their officers implored her to let him keep Bones on the job, and Skye agreed, as Quincy was already a handful.

Why do we emphasize character?

Benjamin Franklin understood that character is essential to civic life: "Nothing is more important for the public wealth than to form and train youth in wisdom and virtue. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom."

But what is character?

Abraham Lincoln offered a memorable distinction: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

The test of that reality comes in our treatment of the powerless. Abigail van Buren wrote, "The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back."

Sustaining such integrity requires what Maya Angelou identified as the foundational virtue: "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."

What is the role of fables?

A fable is a brief narrative designed to teach a moral lesson. Unlike other forms of storytelling, fables are explicitly instructional-each story illuminates a clear principle about how to live well. The best fables make wisdom memorable by embedding it in concrete situations we can picture and understand.

Why do stories work so well as teaching tools?

First, stories engage our emotions and imagination in ways that abstract principles cannot. Second, stories provide context. Third, stories are memorable. Fourth, and perhaps most important, stories build moral imagination.

The stories you'll read here continue this ancient tradition in a modern American setting. Most are drawn from real experiences, with names and details modified to preserve privacy, and they show the same timeless virtues Aesop taught.