Faith

"Faith Walks"

Seattle author Rudy Yuly and I have come up with the actual title of the definitive book we're writing together about Faith. It will be titled "Faith Walks". We've given the proposal to our agent Ken Atchity and are now just waiting to hear from the publishers.

The book will be out around this time next year, so look for updates every quarter or so to let you know who picked it up, and what to expect. We know that it will be about 190-220 pages. We know it will be told in Faith's point of view. We know it will be heartwarming, fun, crazy at times, and friendly so that everyone in the world can read it and enjoy it.  Faith loves everyone unconditionally - and the book will reflect that type of acceptance, and what we as humans can learn from her regarding the way we tolerate and accept others around us.  If there's one thing I've personally learned from Faith it is to let the world know you love them - - one smile at a time. 

 Faith's in her office under the bed now going over the proposal as it is - - of course making changes, but the facts will remain steadfast in the words of Rudy and I as we try our best to relate her stories to you soon.  Thanks for your love and support.  Oh, and of course there will be PICTURES!!  Anthony Tortoriello will be our official book photographer!  Of course!

 

Happy Birthday Faith! Soldier Style!

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY to Faith the Dog! Faith's REAL birthday is unknown but we gave her the date of December 22 to celebrate. We know she was born within a few days of that date and she is truly a "Christmas Miracle." This year Faith hopes to be celebrating her birthday for several days beginning this Friday through Sunday in Seattle, WA where she will be with more than 5000 soldiers in and out of uniform at two bases: McChord Air Force Base and Ft. Lewis Army Base just outside of Seattle/Tacoma.  WOW -- lots of hugs, lots of kissing. Then Faith hopes to make it to Carswell Joint Reserve Base the following weekend!  Nothing like camo colored icing on a big fat cake to make everyone happy!  Thanks to Pat McGhee at Ft. Lewis for hosting us, and for all the personnel you send to us to pick us up, carry us around, put us up and love us constantly. This is the best part about our Armed Forces - - they love us!  Thank a soldier when you see one, and pray for them all.  

Happy Birthday Party for Faith in Seattle, WA

Date: 
Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 09:00 - 14:00

Faith loves soldiers, there is NO doubt about it. We had hoped to have a real birthday celebration on December 22, 2009 with Reuben returning on Faith's birthday from the Army.  Unfortunately Reuben has to stay another few more days and won't be home until January 1, 2010.  BUT and HOWEVER, Faith will still be able to see a bunch of men and women in her favorite color of CAMO at the McChord Air Force Base and Ft. Lewis Army base near Seattle, WA. We head up that way this weekend for the parties!!   Faith will be flying American Airlines for the last time in 2009 - - but she will not stop flying with American. She will be happy to show her smiling face up at the cockpit just any time she is invited out. 

Members of the Ft. Lewis PX will be picking us up on Friday, taking us to meet with our new favorite ghost writer Mr. Rudy Yuly, and Faith and Rudy will be happy to make each other acquaintances!  This is a giant thing for Faith really, as Rudy is the other half of her voice in our new book "Faith Walks" which will be out this time next year.

The same members of Ft. Lewis will take us to the base to see the men and women processing Friday to go to war.  We'll welcome the ones coming home, and we'll pray with and hug the ones going out. We'll be at the respective bases for the actual birthday parties on Saturday.  McChord will host Faith between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and Ft. Lewis' PX will host her from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.  THEN  - and this is key - - Faith gets to hang out with some of the best camo dressed people she's ever met for a few hours while Caity and I enjoy the Seattle sound, Pikes Place, the Market, and just take in a little sight seeing. We never get to do that without Faith in tow, which means we've never really gotten to see much. We're always too busy answering questions from the beautiful people on the streets.

Friday and Sunday Pat McGhee, the PX General Manager, has us going to a few base related places such as the VA. Faith is always a hit with the older vets...maybe we can get  them to sport their respective Armed Forces t-shirts and have their pictures taken with Faith for the FAITH TRAIN!!  YEA!  It should be a blast, and we wish to thank Pat McGhee for planning it all out, and for the hotel, the transporation, and that love he and his crew always show us!!  THANKS GUYS!!!

 

 

FOX NEWS interviewed FAITH the DOG!!

:):) HEY, James Thompson, Editorial Director for Fox News Interactive has just posted a great video and photo blog about Faith at the following LINK:  http://bit.ly/4G6zah  You should be able to see it there, and if you have the mind to, and I hope you do, please re-tweet it on your TWITTER and other social media accounts. Faith's message of love and thanksgiving is a very important one at this special time of year.   Hoping all is well with you and your families this Thanksgiving and looking forward to hearing from you all on TWITTER, FACEBOOK and through the site. http://bit.ly/4G6zah  OH, and Animal Planet is writing up a blog today too!! YES...I'll be sure and post it when I get it.

PLUSH TOY FAITH!! Coming Soon!!

OMG!  Can you believe it? Faith is going to have her own PUPPY Faith 10 inch plush toy very soon.  The model for the toy is of course the famous puppy picture of Faith standing up in the snow.  It should be out rather soon - - but for more details just stay tuned.  The toy will be an exclusive to Cher Marketing. You can see the products they have already marketed for Faith at www.chermarketing.com  This is going to be so much fun.  Kids can see Faith, hold her, love her, sleep with her, and take her on all sorts of daily adventures! What a way to share my little dog with the world. I love it!    Go to www.boardthefaithtrain.com to play with the Kids Corner puzzles about Faith and try to answer all the trivia questions.  I'll be making up new questions this week!

Japanese TV Show "Unbelievable"

Faith was featured on the very popular show "Unbelievable" in Japan yesterday (or today if you're in this part of the world). I'm told that over 5,000,000 Japanese viewers watched the four-hour special and it would be GREAT to find out how they responded.  I know that when we filmed the segment where we are speaking live from our livingroom it was about midnight our time and we could hear laughing, screaming, clapping, happy people as Faith was talked about and then when the camera was turned on her.  She was obviously loved and that is so very exciting for us. 

I was able to talk about my book "Faith Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog", which has been picked up by Uni Agency and published by Village Books in Japan. It is translated into Japanese, so anyone who wants to buy that version can do so through their local bookstore or by ordering it online. I have a few copies, but you know I can't read them! LOL  Laura is practicing her Japanese by trying to read them slowly.  What a great show it was!! Thank you to Creative TopSpin in  NYC for coming out and filiming us.  Mariko is the producer and she was such a wonderful woman. We consider her a new member of the family. You can see their pictures in the PHOTO section of this site. Fuji-TV is the sponsor and/or network for "Unbelievable" and they have been so very kind and considerate as well.  If you have an opportunity to work with these groups in the future, I hope you have the same great experience we did!

 

Faith in the Mineral Wells Index paper August 27, 2009

The world needs a little Faith

Inspirational bipedal dog made return visit to Mineral Wells
with Japanese TV crew in tow

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

view original article

There’s no doubt Jude Stringfellow loves Strawn’s non-profit Community Animals Rescue Effort – she writes about it on her dog’s Web site and tells people she meets. She has even committed to build CARE an animal shelter.

Since her initial visit in April, she supports them through words and Faith, the name of her bipedal dog.

After meeting CARE and visiting Strawn, she has become a fan of the organization and the region. She and Faith crossed the Oklahoma-Texas border once again this month to visit her CARE friends and give cheer to a 5-year-old cancer survivor in Gordon. They also visited CARE’s Faith-inspired rescue, Leo, a three-legged canine at Brazos Animal Hospital, where he was treated last spring.

When Stringfellow and Faith recently visited Mineral Wells, she brought along her daughter, Laura, and an entourage of CARE friends – youth and adult volunteers – and New York filmmakers. The group followed Faith around Palo Pinto County for the filming of Fuji-TV’s “Unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable” – a TV show that airs in Japan – shares stories of unbelievable events around the world. Stringfellow called the show an exaggerated version of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”

Fuji-TV, a major Japanese broadcast station, picked up on Faith’s story soon after Stringfellow’s second book, “Faith Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog,” was translated into Japanese. The dog’s story became popular in Japan.

Stringfellow said Fuji-TV chose to focus on Faith to “show what Faith has done for people and special needs animals.” The show will air in Japan this fall.

The group began their visit in Gordon, visiting 5-year-old Ryland Fesser. Ryland was supposed to travel to Oklahoma for the filming but became homebound after he broke his femur days before his trip.

According to Ryland’s mother, Amy Fesser, Stringfellow brought the film crew, Faith and entourage down after she heard Ryland could not travel up for the filming.

“We visited him to cheer him up,” said Stringfellow. “Faith made him happy.”

Ryland is a cancer survivor who met Faith during her April visit to Strawn. Amy Fesser said that he was diagnosed and treated at Cooks Children’s Hospital for a Wilms’ tumor on his left kidney. As a precaution after surgery, treatment included rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, which made him bald.

“By time Faith came in April, he had probably been bald for a month or two. He had been real embarrassed about his head and wore a hat,” said Ryland’s mom.

She said that she and his father, James Fesser, talked about Faith, before her spring visit to Strawn, and told him how different and special she was, like him.

“We’d said, ‘You don’t have hair, you’re so special,’” she added.

They attended the April program CARE put on with Faith and Fesser said they asked if Ryland could get close to the dog.

“They said, ‘Go right on over.’ He pet her and he was really liking her. He pulled his hat off for her,” she said, adding that this was a huge step for the child. She said he also showed the dog his scar.

“He was very shy to show his scar from kidney removal,” recalled CARE’s Pam Lindsey. “He talked to Jude and Faith and lifted his shirt to show Faith his scar. His mom said it was a changing moment. That is the whole reason Japanese TV wanted to interview him.”

“It was right after he met Faith that he became more comfortable and wasn’t worried about people noticing he had no hair,” she said. “He let people touch his head and would show them his scar.”

After visiting Ryland, Stringfellow’s and Faith’s entourage traveled to Mineral Wells to stop in to Brazos Animal Hospital. There the filmmakers interviewed Dr. Tad Jarrett, who operated on CARE’s spritely rescue dog, Leo.

According to CARE President Peggy McQueary, Leo was a stray pointer mix living at Possum Kingdom Lake. A resident saw him several days and then, one day, he didn’t show up. When he returned, he was injured. So the resident took Leo to Brazos Animal Hospital and called CARE for assistance.

CARE took on the dog’s oversight. When Jarrett told them he had a severely broken leg and would need surgery, McQueary said they almost said, “No.” She said the surgery would require putting much of the organization’s resources into one animal.

But timing is everything, according to McQueary. Leo’s surgery dilemma came weeks after Faith visited Strawn for CARE’s anniversary. The group decided to go ahead with the surgery, inspired by Faith. Once Jarrett inspected the damage, he called them back to say it was too late to save the leg and asked if he should euthanize the dog.

McQueary said, “No.” On the recent visit, Leo – who has since found a lifetime home in Gordon – walked around the clinic to greet Faith and the entourage. It barely was noticeable that the lively tripod dog was missing a hind leg as he pulled hard on the leash to see the excitement.

Leo met his “savior” Faith and the two shared licks and sniffs.

Photos


Jude Stringfellow poses with Faith draped over her shoulders during their visit last week to Mineral Wells. Libby Cluett /
Mineral Wells Index

 

 


Jude Stringfellow and her bipedal dog, Faith, meet with Top Spin Creative Corporation producer Mariko Ikeuchi and cameraman Toshikatsu Ike before they interview Dr. Tad Jarrett (background) at Brazos Animal Hospital. Ikeuchi and Ike were in town to film the life of Faith and those she has effected for Japan’s Fuji Television. Libby Cluett /
Mineral Wells Index

 

 


Samantha Peoples, a 13-year-old CARE 'volunteer in training,' or VIT, pets Faith at Brazos Animal Hospital. Faith moves around by either hopping or walking like a human on her two hind legs. Libby Cluett / Mineral Wells Index

 

 


Owen Alison, CARE’s volunteer in training leader, massages Faith's ear as she rests.
Libby Cluett / 
Mineral Wells Index

 

Portrait of Faith

I have a great photographer (actually two) in Anthony Tortoriello and Stephen Holman.  They have both been fantasic about taking great pictures of Faith and I want to share their work with you the best way I can. I have decided to ask them to come up with cards, posters, and/or prints that you can purchase through CherMarketing to give as gifts or to share with friends and family. The only thing I ask is that 5% of their profits go to C.A.R.E. in Strawn, TX to facilitate the building of the new animal shelter. 

Now, here is another really good thing -- I'm looking for someone to paint a really good portrait of Faith and to do the same thing.  The money part of it will have to be worked out with CherMarketing Director Norma Palen and/or the CEO Cheryl Maguire. I just want the opportunity to have a beautiful portrait of Faith made and then be made available to others through the site.  Again, please understand that 5% will need to be given to C.A.R.E.  When the animal shelter in Strawn, TX is built - - I'll pick another location. It is my dream to see as many animal shelters built as possible - - what a great legacy (Ironic name "legacy") for Faith!  If you are an artist, a painter, and you want to submit your portrait idea please do - - I will be approving them through October 2009, and choosing one before November 15, 2009.  A sketch can be sent to me at: jude.stringfellow@gmail.com  there is no need to make the full portrait at this time.  Just give me your ideas. 

It may be that I will choose several!   That would be fantastic.  You would be able to redeem profit from the sales as well - - but again, that is between YOU and CherMarketing.  Norma's e-mail is: earthfirst2000@comcast.com  Or you can go to their website at www.chermarketing.com and leave a message on their site for either Cheryl or Norma.  Thank you so much. 

Karla F. Smith:  I will be sure to add your portrait to the mix if you wish. Please contact me. I have enjoyed your portrait of Faith for years and believe others should have that opportunity as well. Thank you.

Booking Booking Booking

OMG -- we booked three more places today! (Looking at Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Ohio Rottweiler Rescue, and possibly Puerto Rico.) C'mon Hawaii..do something! Step up! LOL

 You're going to have to get on the train fast if you want Faith and I to appear in the fall at your conference. I have some blackout dates and with those and the dates taken, I'm looking at 4 dates available in September (no Sat. unless OU is playing Baylor) and 3 dates in October if H.H. Backer doesn't come through.  WOW -- I have 3 in February booked already.  Funny, Christmas is WIDE OPEN, but then again, I'm really hanging back on that one because Baby Boy comes home from the Army during that week.  I can't miss my son coming home. I'd probably even tell Sinise he'd have to wait - - and that's saying something! LOL 

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Japanese TV VERY soon! Thanks Fuji-TV and your producers!

Japanese literary publisher UNI Agency has picked up the rights to translate my book "Faith Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog" into the Japanese language. It is NOW ON SALE and that makes it great for television and radio coverage both in the U.S. and in Japan. 

Many emails come in every day from readers in both countries who are excited to see Faith's popularity in Japan and other great Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan and India.  Faith's message is world-wide. LOVE is walking right up to you - - wagging her spotted tongue. 

Faith will be filmed in August by Fuji-TV's show "Unbelievable" which will air in the fall 2009!  Can't wait, it showcases stories of unbelievable events around the world. We are so happy to have them coming out to film Faith and stories about people who have met her and they have had their lives changed because of it.  THANK YOU Fuji-TV and its producers.  (Hi Mariko and Miho in NYC)

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In Faith We Tweet

  • #FaithTheDog A Doggy Christmas (http://faiththedog.info/node/277) 55 min 15 sec ago
  • Hey Ft. Hood -- call me. It's my turn!!! I want to come hug your soldiers!! 10 hours 58 min ago
  • While I was at Ft. Lewis Sinise was at Ft. Hood. I hope that clears things up. 10 hours 59 min ago
  • @Powermat I'm picking up my son who is returning from 3.5 years in the Army. He comes home January 1!! YEA 11 hours 6 sec ago
  • @AutismNews I was told you wanted me 2 come 2 your conference(s) & speak soon. Please contact me soon. jude.stringfellow@gmail.com 1 day 10 hours ago