December News for You! - Guardian Whiskers Inc.

December 14, 2023

Greetings, from Guardian Whiskers!

Happy One Year of Book Buddies to Rosa! Our recent Book Buddies reading program was Rosa’s 12th! Thank you to Rosa for reading to the Book Buddies. The Book Buddies thank you and truly enjoyed the books you shared with them. (Pictured here, from left to right, are GW Executive Director Michelle Livanos, Rosa, and Book Buddies team, Pat Stevens and her dog, Claire Blu.)

Meet Tami and Darby , our newest addition to the Book Buddies! Tami Rotar and Darby are a busy therapy team, volunteering for many organizations across Madison. Because Darby loves children, being a Book Buddy with Guardian Whiskers brings him and Tami great joy.

Here are some fun facts about Darby!

Age: 5 years old

Type of Dog: Darby is 1/4 Bernese Mountain Dog and 3/4 Poodle

Animal Sibling: Mickey, a 37-year-old white-fronted parrot

Favorite treat: Anything expensive! Darby has fine taste.

Favorite activity: Sleeping and hiking. Darby participates in a bi-weekly hike with a group of dogs. His hiking buddy is named Max and the two are partners in crime in finding fun on the trails!

Favorite trick: Darby is full of tricks! He knows “sit pretty,” “high five,” “shake,” “peek-a-boo,” and “touch.” He is currently working on “roll-over,” but he gets stuck halfway in the roll-over and “plays dead” instead!

Favorite season: Winter

Special Skill: Darby is a highly skilled cuddler.

Favorite book genre: Have you guessed it, yet? His favorite books are books on kids, his favorite subject!

Nickname: Darbs and D-Man

The Book Buddies Reading Program takes place…

every second Saturday of the month at City Dog Vet Clinic (1004 East Washington Ave. in Madison) from 9:30 – 11:25 am. Reserve a free 20-minute reading session here . Spots are still available in December!

Our reading program at Valor is on a temporary hold for now, until further notice!

Mark your calendar for the Taradiddle 2024 Youth Writing Contest dates!

The 2024 contest dates are:

Thursday, March 14 – Monday, March 18

Thursday, Sept. 19 – Monday, Sept. 23

The writing prompts are emailed on Thursdays; stories are due the following Mondays.

Two months before each contest starts, we will email clues about the next animal to be featured every Thursday.

Keep an eye on your email inbox!

More information can be found here .

We bring to you this month our first column on how to keep pets, or other animals, happy – since they do so much for us! Here’s an article by Emily, a Book Buddies reading program participant.

All about Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are like bigger versions of hamsters, but a little different. Guinea pigs have similar bodies to other rodents. Some guinea pigs are playful and some are not as much. They love being with each other. So, I recommend having two guinea pigs. Guinea pigs like to eat pellets and drink from special water bottles. Guinea pigs’ teeth never stop growing. You should get a chewing toy or a toilet paper roll. They like to chew on the cardboard. Guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open. They do not use their eyelids. Just like cats, guinea pigs purr when they are happy, but it sounds different.

Guinea pigs are the BEST!!!!