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About Jan Rasmusen
Jan
Rasmusen is the tall half of the Dog/Rasmusen
writing team. After her dog Jiggy (above right)
was diagnosed with immune-mediated hepatitis, a
life-threatening liver disease, Jan began what
is now ten years of research and interviews with
top veterinarians and other experts.
Interview subjects were selected for expertise
in various disciplines. For example, for her
vaccination chapters, she interviewed the
chairperson and several respected members of the
American Animal Hospital Association Canine
Vaccine Taskforce, plus the country's
most-quoted veterinarian vaccine researchers and
holistic medicine activists and her dogs' own
vets. She insisted on multiple points of view to
help readers reach their own conclusions. The
research began as a way to help her own dogs but
grew into much more.
Early on in the process, Jan decided to give all
author royalties--at minimum--to animal
causes. This includes cash donations plus
free or deeply discounted books to non-profit
shelters, spay/neuter groups and breed rescues.
Writing Scared
Poopless changed Jan's life. She has since:
•
Conceived
and hosted the 2010 Safer Pet Vaccination
Benefit Seminar offering veterinarians six
continuing education credits and raising more
than $50,000 to study rabies vaccine immunity.
(More
adverse reactions are reported to the USDA for
the rabies vaccine than for any other.)
•
Set up four canine health websites:
Truth4Pets.org
(vaccination for dogs and cats),
Truth4Dogs.com,
Dogs4Dogs.com,
Blog4Dogs.com
•
Twice worked
with prominent veterinarian Dr. W. Jean Dodds
to protect
California dogs from dangerous legislation.
•
Wrote
articles
that
have been posted and re-posted by online dog
health magazines and on websites worldwide.
•
Co-founded
the
Pet Vaccine Reactions page on Facebook.
•
Made numerous YouTube videos, found on her
K9Author channel.
•
Made
a series of canine nutrition recordings called
"How Not to Kill Your Dog or Cat"
with
well-known veterinarian, Dr. Jean Hofve.
•
Served
on the Advisory Council of the
San Diego Union-Tribune’s
pet care magazine:
sdPets.
Jan is
a consumer advocate for people who love dogs.
Let her help you help your dog stay healthy.
About Chiclet
Chiclet The Dog
is a spayed eleven-year-old
Maltese female tipping the scales (after
eating) at a whopping
four pounds. A real crowd pleaser, Chiclet loves
appearing on television and at book signings and
other gatherings where people
can tell her how cute she is. She
adores performing
tricks, her best being her
dead-on impression of Marilyn Monroe.
Chiclet was four when she took up writing. She
lives for tummy rubs. When not too busy,
she will
"pencil you in"
for a hug.
About Jiggy
Jiggy is a
neutered male Maltese weighing almost nine
pounds. Born on St. Patrick's
day, he is two months older than Chiclet. The
dogs share the same grandfather and love
each other dearly.
Sometimes when they play, Jiggy tries to make
himself as small and low to the floor as
possible so Chiclet won't
feel overwhelmed by his size.
Other times, he drags her around by the tail,
something (inexplicably) she doesn't
seem to mind. She'll
even taunt him until he does it.
Jiggy has medical files four inches thick at
numerous clinics all over the country. Holistic
care has kept him happy and energetic. He is a
wonderful patient and a great friend.
ABOUT
THE
PHOTOGRAPHS
This is Jiggy "flying."
No dog was harmed or even stressed during our
photographic sessions, although they frequently
appeared bored. Keeping them awake and
interested required tubs
of steamed broccoli, green beans and carrots --
and promises were made. I won't divulge the
specifics, but suffice it to say that tummy
tickles, longer walks and TV-remote privileges
were involveded.
The two beautiful children in the book, Kai and
Sophia, participated voluntarily, thinking the
whole thing was a big game. Their mother, our
friend Karyn, was always present.
People often ask how the photographer got the
terrific cover photo of Jiggy looking, well,
scared poopless.
(Hence the title.) Jan will only say that
contrary to what one TV host suggested, Jan did
not drop him from a two-story
building. Nor from any height at all. No fan or
glue was used. The
photograph was altered only to remove one
weirdly placed foot that appeared to be growing
out of his belly. Suffice
it to say that Jiggy was having fun.
A few photos—like the one opening the
vaccination chapter--were
indeed "faked"
usingPhotoshop. Chiclet wasn't
even in the same city as the rest of the photo
elements. It's a tribute to
our photographer Scott Minor's genius.
The gator confronting Chiclet in our
"Not-So-Great
Outdoors" chapter had
long ago gone off to that happy golf course lake
in the sky. All the cars in the chapter
"Auto Anxiety"
were parked; action was faked by blurring the
cars in Photoshop.
A large fan blew dogs' hair.
The black backgrounds in the photos of Chiclet
and Jiggy were achieved using a black velour
blanket lifted from the bed.
Scott Miner took most of the best shots of
Chiclet and Jiggy, although Jan took some,
including the shots of the dogs recuperating
from their surgeries and the one of Chiclet
"doing Karate." The ideas for
some of the photos which might be best described
as "out there" were mostly the product of
Jan's warped mind, although Scott had plenty of
dark moments, too!
The new e-book contains 260 photos of every
conceivable breed. And manipulated them to fit
the narrative. Many were donated by friends and
fellow dog care advocates.
