Service dog book teaches lessons

EAST MANATEE -- About 10 years ago, Wayland Massey had surgery on his brainstem. Two years into his recovery, he was given a service dog, Casper, to assist him in his day-to-day life.

Massey, who often volunteers at Center Montessori School and Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School with Casper, decided to write a children’s book about his dog and recently got it published.

“Casper the Friendly Service Dog,” is written to entertain and explain the daily duties of a service dog through the dog’s perspective.

“Casper is the narrator throughout the book,” Massey said Saturday at a book signing at Sweetbay Supermarket, 8750 S.R. 70 E. “Kids can read it and find out about service dogs.”

Throughout the book, photos of Casper are used to illustrate the story, and each photo matches up with the story line, Massey said. The book focuses on three adventures, such as the time Casper went to the movies. Massey wants children to read it and understand why they shouldn’t pet service dogs.

To help get the word out about the book, Massey and Casper spent much of early Saturday afternoon signing books and taking photos at Sweetbay.

Among those who visited was Will Schultz, 2. “He loves dogs,” his mother, Lisa Schultz, said as Will went from petting Casper to looking through his book and yelling “Bo!” (that’s the name of his dog) and barking every time he saw a picture of Casper.

Massey said he hopes his book teaches children about service animals and makes them enjoy reading.

Massey plans to continue to bring Casper to local schools and hopes to pass out his books to as many students as possible.

For more information on the book, visit www. casperkreations.com.

This story was originally published September 4, 2011 at 12:00 AM.