Debbie Levy - Dozers Run: A True Story of a Dog and His Race

To all thosepeople and dogs
who go the extra mile to help others.

Debbie

To the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, and
to Dozer, for changing the lives of so many. A special thanks goes to
Karen Warmkessel and Dr. Kevin Cullen for their help and support.

Rosana

To Poppin, Django, and all of our furry friends out there.

David

Sleeping Bear Press gratefully acknowledges and thanks
Mr. Michael Greenebaum and Mr. Jon Sevel, co-founders of
the Maryland Half Marathon, and the University of Maryland
Greenebaum Cancer Center, Ms. Nona Nisman Greenebaum, and
Mr. Toby Hershkowitz for providing reference materials on
Dozers half marathon run.

Text Copyright 2014 Debbie Levy and Rosana Panza
Illustration Copyright 2014 David Opie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any manner without the express written consent of the publisher,
except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and
articles. All inquiries should be addressed to:

Sleeping Bear Press
315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
www.sleepingbearpress.com

Printed and bound in the United States.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Levy, Debbie.
Dozers run : a true story of a dog and his race / written by Debbie Levy
and Rosana Panza ; illustrated by David Opie.
pages cm
Audience: Age 6-8.
ISBN 978-1-58536-896-9
1. Dogs--Maryland--Anecdotes. 2. Dogs--Maryland--Juvenile literature.
3. Human-animal relationships--Anecdotes. 4. Human-animal relationships-
Juvenile literature. I. Panza, Rosana. II. Opie, David, illustrator. III. Title.
SF426.5.L47 2014
636.7--dc 3 2013049581
ISBN-13: 978-1-68444-451-9 (e-book)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Synchred Read-Along Version by:
Triangle Interactive LLC
PO Box 573
Prior Lake, MN 55372

I t was a damp and drizzly Sunday morning in Dozer and
Chicas neighborhood.

Who knew what delicious smells last nights rain washed in?
Who knew what treasures the storm blew into the yard?

So the two best friends str-e-tch-ed out after a good nights sleep
in the barn, shook themselves off, and began investigating.

T he scent of
sq uirre l here !

The fra g ran ce of fox there !

Tra ces of toad!

Out in the street, a runner ran by.

Then another runner.

And another and another and another and another...

Where were these runners running?

Dozer and Chica looked at each other.

Then they got back to their exploring.

Was this big branch here yesterday?

A racc oon was there!

Ahh, the whiff of wet wood . . .

Frog, here in this hollow!

More runners ran by.

Where were all those runners running?

We stay in the yard, Chica said with her eyes.

Dozers eyes were on the runners.

We belong in the yard, Chicas eyes said. Plus, we
havent had breakfast yet. Later, well walk with
our people.

But the runners are running NOW, Chica, Dozer said
with his big, swishy tail. They must be chasing
something wonderful!

More wonderful than the flavor of frog and the reek
of raccoon? More wonderful than breakfast, Dozer?

Dozer did love his breakfast.

But he had to find out what the runners were
chasing. He dashed out of the yard.

Ill be back, Chica!

Follow the leader!

But who was the leader?

Dozer followed his nose, and smelled ...

a pocket full of gummies,

shorts with the scent of strange dog,

stinky socks,

tangy trail mix,

sneakers that once stepped in ... never mind.

Dozer followed his ears. He heard ...

Laughter! Whistles! Wonderfulness!

And lots of leaders.

Dozer could be a leader, too!

On and on the runners ran. On and on ran Dozer.

So much running was hard. A leaders job was to make it fun!
Dozer was good at fun.

How about a friendly game of chase? Dozer could outsprint everyone.

How about cooling off with a drink?
No one could slurp quite like Dozer.

How about a game of tag?
No one could catch Dozer.

Dozer had never run this much before. He grew tired and hungry.

Maybe there was breakfast at home!

Maybe he was done being a leader.

Dozer turned around. He started to run back.
He looked up into the faces of the other runners.

Everyone was happy to see Dozer.

Go od dog !

R un, dogg ie, run !

Did a candy bar run by in that fanny pack?