May 2008

We are also grateful to long time visitor Steve Stanczyk of Wisconsin who has designed two of our long dog t-shirts for us, as well as a bumper sticker and along with his wife Angela, adopted their dog Maggie when they found her on the beach at Rendezvous Bay a few years ago. (To see examples of his great work see the Kramer Printing website.) Steve's latest contribution to AARF is the long dog t-shirt shown below and modeled by Jennifer at Bartlett's.

Just this week in the Wisconsin State Journal this article appeared about the dog that Steve and Angela adopted - Maggie and her "story" which is COMING SOON! We will keep you posted on the books progress!

Moe: A sweet storybook ending for real dog

Doug Moe

Back in 2004, Todd and Liz Tiefenthaler, who own Kramer Printing in Waunakee, were trying to fact-check a book they were publishing about Anguilla, an island in the British West Indies.

This necessitated one last pre-publication trip to the island, which had cast a spell over Todd and Liz several years earlier with its stunning beaches and laid-back ambiance.

The Tiefenthalers had brought along their book's designer, Kramer art director Steve Stanczyk, and Steve's wife, Angela Baldwin-Stanczyk. The plan was for a little work and a lot of time spent rifling the sand with their toes while relaxing with a cold beverage, which is the national pastime of Anguilla.

Funny about trips, though. You never know what might happen. You could, for instance, fall in love with a stray Anguilla Long Dog, and after a series of adventures, including a daring escape from an airplane's cargo hold and a limo ride from O'Hare airport, wind up back in Madison with a new tenant and an idea for a second book before your first book is even in print.

Now, four years later, the Tiefenthalers' second book, "Sweet Pea, the Island Dog," written by Melita Schuessler and illustrated by Jason Briesch, is approaching publication. It is a lovely book, aimed at children, and the reader's interest level may well be stoked by the following on the title page: "Based on a true story."

In the new book, a little girl named Maggie is vacationing on a tropical island with her father when she falls in love with a stray dog named Sweet Pea. A storm hits the island and Maggie realizes how risky life as a stray is for Sweet Pea. She talks her dad into bringing the dog home with them. To avoid having to issue a spoiler alert, I will simply say it does not come off without complications.

But back to those words on the title page: "Based on a true story."

In the real story, back in 2004, it was not a little girl who fell in love with a stray island dog. It was instead two grown-up girls, Liz Tiefenthaler and Angela Baldwin-Stanczyk, who succumbed.

The business part of the trip had gone well. They had brought along a proof of their manuscript, "Anguilla: A Shorter-Sleeved Way of Life," and it was greeted with enthusiasm by the island's tourism authorities.

Liz and Angela were sitting at a beach snack bar when they first spotted the dog. It was an obvious stray, one of a variety of dogs on the island referred to as Anguilla Long Dogs, for the sensible reason that their common characteristic is they are long. The legend is they arrived with pirates.

The dog was thin, so in the manner of soft-hearted humans everywhere, they bought it a sandwich at the snack bar.

The dog, which they named Maggie, was also young, not much more than a puppy -- but not stupid. It kept showing up at meal times. The women kept feeding it.

The night before the Madison foursome's departure, inquiries were made. Could a dog from Anguilla be brought back to the United States? Steve and Angela had decided to adopt Maggie. The answer was that they would have to get the dog to the vet the next morning for shots and paperwork, but it was possible.

The next morning, for the first time all week, Maggie did not appear for breakfast. Everyone felt terrible. But then they spotted a black spec in the distance. It was Maggie. They rushed her to the vet, and made it to the airport in time.

Shortly before departure, Steve gave Maggie a sedative and put her in the crate in which she would fly. A short time later, they were settled into their seats, preparing for take-off, when a voice on the plane's public address requested that Steve report to the front of the aircraft.

A flight attendant said: "Your dog has escaped!"

Maggie had been last spotted racing across the tarmac. Steve jumped in a golf cart with security personnel. They finally found her on the other side of the airport, but it had taken so long Steve was convinced the plane must have left. It hadn't. Angela told him later the pilot was giving passengers a running account of the effort to find Maggie. Steve got an ovation when he got back in the plane.

The journey ended with Todd Tiefenthaler deciding the only proper way for Maggie-the-stray to get from the airport in Chicago to Madison was in a limousine, so he hired one.

On Tuesday, Steve Stanczyk was saying Maggie has adjusted well to Wisconsin. "She has been the perfect little dog," he said. "She loves the snow. She's a gentle, loving dog."

Liz Tiefenthaler said a portion of the proceeds from the new book, which will be out in early June, will be donated to the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation.

The dog in the book, Sweet Pea, does not get a limo ride at the end, but Maggie really did.

"She just jumped in the back and curled up in Todd's lap," Liz said.

Printed with permission Doug Moe of the Wisconsin State Journal

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things - man will not himself find peace”

Albert Sweitzer

The Thunder Phobic Pooch