Baldi learns that author’s
best friend returns her love

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

It could be said that Judith Kristen and Henley the sheepdog helped each other out.
Henley might not be here today if Kristen had not rescued him from a puppy mill 10 years ago, and Kristen, well, let’s just say her recovery from cancer might not have gone as smoothly had it not been for the comfort offered by her furry friend.
Kristen, a Northeast Philadelphia native who now lives in Pennsauken, N.J., visited CCA Baldi Middle School in Bustleton April 15 to speak to students about the book she authored — one told by the point of view of her canine companion.
The real reason for her visit, however, was to instill in the children the importance of looking out for helpless animals who cannot speak up for themselves.
"He’s living proof of the wonderful things that can happen when you give a dog a second chance at life," Kristen said about Henley. "There’s something special about him. I feel he knows he was given a second chance."
Kristen and Henley’s life together began when a friend of Kristen’s told her of a Lancaster puppy mill that had been raided for unsavory conditions. It was then that the two found each other, and they have been inseparable ever since.
"I just figured it was the right time," Kristen said of the decision to get a rescue dog.
She said the call about Henley came during a "very bad point in my life," although she did not elaborate.
Henley is named after a town in England, Henley-On-Thames, in which Kristen, a self-professed "old hippie," once lived. When Kristen first brought Henley home, he was in bad shape — malnourished from lack of care and dirty from the filthy conditions he was raised in.
But with Kristen’s help, the gray-and-white Old English Sheepdog was nursed back to health, and today, he seems to relish the spotlight. This was proven by the grace with which he trotted across the middle school stage in front of the eight groups of children who heard his story throughout the day last week.
As Kristen told the youngsters of her experiencing writing My Name is Henley: My Life and Times as a Rescue Dog, the students glanced at a PowerPoint presentation on puppy mills which served as the backdrop. The presentation was put together by eighth-grader Kristen Pearce, who earned extra credits for her efforts.
Pearce said she obtained the pictures and information for her presentation through Internet research and by watching a recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey show that dealt with puppy mills.
"Some of the stuff was gruesome," she said of what she learned about these institutions, which are found throughout the country.
For Pearce, the assembly had a special meeting. While she has no dogs, Pearce does own a 2-year-old rabbit, one that she said probably wouldn’t have survived since it was a pet store runt.
"I’m an animal lover in general," she said.
As for Kristen, she originally intended her book — which has Henley’s full name, Henley Harrison West, on the cover — to be read strictly by children. Since it was released, however, Kristen has gotten a positive response from readers of all ages. One friend of hers said the book should be read by people ages "2 to 92."
And the main point she’s attempting to get across through both her writing and speaking engagements?
"I just thought if you have children and can grow a heart and a conscience about our four-legged friends," maybe puppy mills won’t exist in the future, Kristen told the audience about her philosophy of educating children from a young age on the importance of standing up for animals.
The good news, she said, is that animals don’t have memories like we do and can be reformed. To this day, the agile, yet aging, sheepdog of hers is nothing but happy to be alive.
"Dogs don’t hang on to what happened to them," she said. "They don’t hang on to the past. They don’t hold grudges like humans do."
In fact, the day that Henley met Kristen, the canine, who now weighs 105 pounds, seemed ready to put the past behind him, quite literally with the wag of a, well, let’s just say sheep dogs don’t have tails like other dogs.
"When they’re happy, they can only wag their butts," Kristen said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Kristen said when she first approached Henley, the dog wagged so hard he fell over.
As for Kristen, she was happy to have a friend and companion while recuperating from a total of four surgeries in double the amount of months not too long ago.
"He was the cure that ailed me, I guess," she said.
Most recently, Kristen was operated on for uterine cancer, and she is now in remission. She credits Henley’s presence for her quick healing.
"This is the dog that nobody wanted. This is the dog that wouldn’t make any money," Kristen told the students as a volunteer paraded Henley around the auditorium at the end of the assembly.
Gloria Fine, a reading specialist at Baldi, said the school decided to invite Kristen to speak to the students since the issue of animal abuse, and more specifically the horrid conditions at puppy mills, is a subject that is very much at the forefront of current affairs.
"This is all very timely," she said.
Fine said the school originally purchased around 35 copies of the book, with many teachers being provided with copies, but as word spread, so did added interest.
"Once the teachers started reading the books, the kids started buying them like crazy," Fine said, noting that around 200 copies have since been sold at the school.
Kristen said most of the proceeds from her book are donated to three animal rescue organizations: the Almost Home Animal Shelter in New Jersey; NEOESR Inc., a Massachusetts-based Old English Sheepdog rescue; and the Pennsylvania SPCA. ••
To learn more about the author, visit her Web site at www.judithkristen.com
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com