Hero’s Journey to A Forever Book Series

Welcome and thank you for joining us as we learn more about pets! We had so much fun putting this book series together and were very thoughtful about what would engage students, and also serve as supplemental material to our EDU classes! This free downloadable book series is an interactive tool that includes three short stories and an activity book about a dog named ! We are so pleased you have chosen to educate yourself/students about caring for pets in a safe and healthy way! Join Hero and Kiki on their adventure to a forever home!

Learn more about the contributors to the project:

Creator & Editor: Tiffany Kim is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Fur-Angel Foundation. This project was an idea had been contemplating for a few years, and is excited to have collaborated with such a wonderful team in bringing it to life. She has a passion for teaching students in fun and engaging ways, such that learning is intrinsic to the experience. She has a BA in Psychology, MA in Transformative Studies, and is a current PhD student, mother, and passionate animal rescuer.

Creator & Writer: Emily Smith is a writer and filmmaker. She has written a number of books and created films on responsible pet ownership. As an adult her goal is to pursue her dream of becoming a film director. Emily is the winner of many awards including but not limited to, the Coca Cola Regional Finalist, Martin Luther King Jr. Poetry Award, and her film was chosen for the 38th Hawaii International Film Festival. As a recipient of these awards, she also managed to graduate high school with a 4.0 GPA and continues striving for excellence in higher education. In addition, she loves to volunteer and work with the Fur-Angel Foundation, an organization that is dear to her heart. One of the most significant issues that Emily is passionate about is responsible pet ownership.

Illustrator: Kaitlin Miyashiro is an 11 year old animal rescuer with the Fur-Angel Foundation and the creator of the Fur-Angel Foundation Education Initiative, a humane education program where she visits schools to teach others how to be kind, compassionate, and responsible pet caregivers. Kaitlin loves how this book incorporates her message and hopes it inspires people all around the world to show their pets lots of love.

Editor: Nohea Kia was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from Moanalua High School. She and her husband James have two young daughters that are highly engaged volunteers with FAF rescue pups. She is an active participant of proper caregiving to her two dogs, Toki and puppy Kipo. She is well versed in children's books and has a keen eye for the editing process. Nohea adopted a Fur-Angel and began working with FAF in 2020.

Hero’s Journey To

A Forever Home: Part I

Once upon a time, there lived a small fluffy puppy. Like many little pups she had spent much of her young life living in a pet store. Through the glass of her small cage, she noticed a little girl pass by and say, “Mommy, can we get her?” To her surprise the little girl’s mother agreed! So the young girl happily left the store hugging her new pal she named Hero.

“Hi Hero, nice to meet you. My name is

Allison, but you can call me Alli.” Hero

liked Alli because her voice was soft

and kind. She played with Hero, fed

her properly, and made sure to give

her a bath.

One day, Alli and her mother took Hero on a walk without a leash. As many young puppies do, Hero got distracted by a bird and chased after it, leading her further and further away from her family. Alli and her mother chased after her yelling

“STOP!!! Hero STOP!!!” But Hero couldn’t hear them.

She chased the bird until it flew out of sight. Oh no! Now Hero found herself all alone.

“Meow.” A tabby cat heard Hero’s cries and came out of the bushes to see what was wrong. “Hello, my name is Kiki. Please don’t be scared.” Hero stepped back and said, “Hello Kiki, my name is Hero. Do you know where my family is?” Kiki shook her head and said, “Don’t cry! I will help you look for your family.”

They walked through the neighborhood looking for Hero’s home. Suddenly

Hero’s stomach made a loud rumbling sound. “I’m hungry,” said Hero. She saw a shiny gold wrapper and walked over to it. Hero’s tail started wagging as she smelled the delicious sweet candy.

“Kiki! Come here! I found some food,” Hero said. Kiki ran over and saw that

Hero had found a big piece of chocolate. “Hero, NO!! Don’t eat that!” Kiki yelled and slapped the candy away! “It’s food. Why can’t I eat it?” Hero asked. Kiki

explained, “There are some foods that animals, especially dogs shouldn’t eat. For example, you should never eat chocolate, onions, garlic, nuts, candy, or grapes! All those foods are toxic!” Confused, Hero asked, “What does TOXIC mean? And what happens if we eat those foods?” (Color in the different types of TOXIC food)

Kiki thought for a

moment and said “TOXIC means that it

is dangerous for us to eat. If we eat

those foods we can get very, very sick,

and we would have to go to the doctor!”

They kept walking and bumped into a nice family barbequing in their front yard who gave Hero and Kiki some scraps of food.

They continued to walk until they grew very tired. Hero and Kiki both gave a big yawn as the sky turned dark and decided to sit under the evenings shooting stars. They slowly fell asleep cuddled next to each other for warmth.

The next morning while Hero and Kiki were sound asleep, a pair of girls walked up to them wearing shirts that read “Animal Rescue”. One of the girls,

Kaitlin, turned to her friend Emily and said, “These poor little ones were out here in the cold all night!” Emily nodded in agreement. They gently wrapped Hero and

Kiki in warm blankets and took them on their next adventure.

Hero’s Journey To

A Forever Home: Part II

Hero slowly opened her eyes, yawned, and stretched her legs. She looked around and was surprised to see a group of strangers around her. They were talking to the animal rescuers, Kaitlin and Emily, about something called

FOSTERING.

“Mommy, mommy! Can we please keep this dog?” begged the young boy named

Christian. His mom replied, “No, we are going to foster this dog which means that we are only going to keep Hero until we find her family or a new forever home.” The young boy jumped up and down in excitement!

The Foster family took Hero

to their home. Their house

was very beautiful and clean.

They even had a fenced

backyard! The young boy and

Hero ran around the

backyard for hours. After

running in the dirt, the

Foster’s realized that Hero

was very dirty.

So they took her upstairs and gave her a nice warm bath. They made sure to wash her with warm soapy water so that all the dirt came off.

After Hero was dry, Mrs. Foster picked her up and began combing her fur.

Hero was now clean and soft!

“Dinner time!” Mrs. Foster called. Hero and Christian came running down the stairs. They gave Hero chicken mixed with dog food and gave her a nice big bowl of fresh water. Yum! Hero ate all of her food and licked her bowl clean. Her tummy was nice and full. It was now bedtime and Hero was happy to be sleeping safe and sound in a warm bed.

The next morning Hero woke to hugs and kisses from the Fosters with a great big, “Good Morning, Hero!” She watched everyone eat their breakfast and wondered where her food was. Looking down at the sad pup, Mrs. Foster bent down and said, “Sorry girl, we're taking you to see the veterinarian today and he said no food before your appointment”. In a few minutes they loaded up the car and Hero began to shake because she was afraid of doctors. She hid her face behind

Christian for the whole ride.

But when they arrived at the vet, Hero was greeted with kind smiles. The sweet receptionist even gave Hero a treat! The doctor picked up Hero and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll see them after you get spayed and microchipped.” Hero turned her

head in confusion. The vet explained to the Fosters, “We will spay Hero so that she can’t have puppies. This will help prevent more dogs from ending up in shelters and will actually be better for her health. We are also going to put in a microchip so that if she ever gets lost again, her new family will be contacted.”

Hero stayed at the vet all day. The Foster’s were worried but knew she was in good hands. The vet finally called to say she was ready to be picked up. They quickly headed over and Hero was so happy to see her foster family again! She was very tired from her surgery so the Fosters took her straight home to rest in her warm bed. As Hero slept, Mrs. Foster whispered, “I am so sorry we had to take you to the vet today, but it is very important that you are spayed and microchipped to keep you safe”. As Hero slept, she had a wonderful dream about having this cozy bed forever.

Hero’s Journey To

A Forever Home: Part III

The next morning, the Fosters brought Hero for a visit. “You are going to meet your new friends Zoey and Cooper!” said Christian. Hero was very excited and started to wag her tail and spin in circles. Hero did not know that this was going to be her new home!

When Zoey introduced herself to Hero she let her first smell her hand as a way of getting to know her. Hero started out by slowly sniffing her hand, but then started wagging her tail which meant that Zoey could pet her. Before Hero could play with Zoey’s dog Cooper, the Fosters decided to slowly introduce them. The

Fosters kept Hero on a leash and Zoey did the same with Cooper. They both seemed to like each other! They were finally allowed to play in Zoey’s big gated backyard! Hero really liked Zoey’s home.

It soon became evening and the sun was setting. It was time for the Foster’s to leave. Christian started to cry. “Hero, please be happy and safe,” he said. Zoey reassured him, “Don’t worry, I will send you pictures and you can come to visit her anytime!”

Christian smiled and was happy that Hero found a new home.

Hero watched the Foster’s drive away.

Zoey gave Hero and Cooper a big bowl of water and food. She would make sure to play with Hero, give her baths, take her to see her veterinarian, and of course lots of love. Hero knew that she was safe and cared for. She loved her new family!

Time flew by and a few months later Hero found herself sunbathing in the window and caught a glimpse of the neighbors cat staring inquisitively at her. Hero stared and thought the cat looked familiar, when she finally realized it was Kiki!

Hero wagged her tail and started to bark happily! Kiki scratched at the screen door and meowed at her long lost friend!

Zoey noticed that Hero and Kiki seemed to know each other so she scheduled a playdate with her neighbors Pete and Pauley. Hero and Kiki were both so happy to have found each other again!

The best surprise came the following week when the Foster’s came to visit her! She was so happy to have such a great new life. Although Hero had a rough start, what kept her going was the love and help from Kiki, the animal shelter, and her foster family. Hero now found herself perfectly loved in a furever home. :)

THE END

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ACTIVITY BOOK

Hero’s Journey To

A Forever Home

Pets are forever and learning how to keep them happy and healthy is so important Let’s learn how to take care of them together!

Based on characters created by Emily Smith & Tiffany Kim Created and Illustrated by Kaitlin Miyashiro Edited by Nohea Kia

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