BGSU’s favorite furry friend, Benny the PAWS therapy dog, is reaching more people than ever with the release of his new book.
Susan Montgomery, a BGSU alum, author and illustrator, created “Benny’s Big Heart,” a story about Benny the dog, his adventures around Bowling Green and the importance of kindness and connectivity.
The book was inspired by Benny’s positive impact on the community, and once Montgomery met Carol Treece, Benny’s owner, she knew she had to write a book about him.
“Once I learned about Benny and what he does, I almost immediately started putting together this story in my head,” Montgomery said.
“The different ages he visits with, and how just a small moment can make a big difference in somebody’s day. It was just such a powerful message I wanted to share with everybody. That’s when I knew I gotta make this happen.”
The book took three months to write and edit, and after writing the story two different ways and drawing all of the images herself using real Bowling Green landmarks, his book was ready for print.
“Benny’s Big Heart” dives into Benny’s journey as a part of the BGSU PAWS (Partners in Achieving Wellness for Students) Team, a group of therapy dogs on campus for students. The therapy dogs are all certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs organization, and all of the dogs’ owners are volunteers.
Both Montgomery and Treece emphasized the importance of having mental health resources, such as therapy dogs, available. From hospitals, to libraries, around town and on campus- the importance of his work remains clear.
“Dogs in general will calm you… We’ll come to the university library for a study drop… We’ll say ‘How’s your day today’ and they’ll say, ‘Good now!’ So I mean, you can tell how people feel.. He just brightens their day.” Treece said.
Benny is an eight-year-old Newfoundland weighing in at 165 pounds. Despite his large stature, Treece said the gentle giant has a lot of love to give.
“It’s kinda the breed, (they) look for people, they love people. They’re known as gentle giants. They’re bred for water rescue, worked on fishing boats in Newfoundland, so they’re a working breed. They’re definitely a gentle giant,” Treece explained.
Treece said she is honored that BG’s furry micro-celebrity is so well loved by the Bowling Green community and feels honored to have Benny acknowledged in this way.
“It’s a blessing that kind of helps people realize how important therapy dogs are. When I first started were kinda like ‘Oh, it’s a dog’ or ‘Oh my friend volunteers’…It definitely makes an impact on people and how they feel,” Treece said.
From the time he was a puppy to now, Treece said she knew she had a star on her hands. He has always loved people and always loved brightening people’s days.
“Just because of his size and the nature of their (Newfoundlands) breed, it’s amazing and always just attracts people. It doesn’t matter where I go,” Treece said.
Like Benny, Montgomery said that we should all take time to connect and be kinder to one another, leaving kindness wherever we go.
“Spread kindness everywhere. Even if it’s just being present, being somebody’s friend (or) giving them a smile. Something small can go a long way in someone’s day, and that’s what he does all the time for people,” Montgomery said.
The book was officially released on March 31 and is available for purchase for $13.99 on Amazon. To learn more about Montgomery and the rest of her work, you can check out her website at CreatedbySusan.com.
