Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life: A Story of Love Dawn Kairns is a Family Nurse Practitioner turned writer and has published in nursing journals and American Fitness Magazine. Dawn lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Tom, and their dog, Maddie. Dawn's Animal Rescue Work A lifelong animal lover, Dawn's passion for dogs led her to volunteer with several local animal rescue organizations, including the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Front Range Labrador Rescue, and Freedom Service Dogs. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the author and her husband traveled to Mississippi to work with the Humane Society of the United States assisting the displaced Katrina dogs. Her own dog, Maddie, is a rescue, as was Cinnamon, her cat. Goal to Benefit Rescue Groups/Puppy Mill Victims I have donated portions of the proceeds from Maggie The Dog Who Changed My Life and/or copies of my book to animal shelters and rescue organizations. For over 3 years, 10% of my paperback and hardback book royalties of Maggie The Dog Who Changed My Life benefited Mainline Animal Rescue (MLAR), an organization devoted to raising awareness of the deplorable conditions in puppy mills and rescuing their canine victims. Dawn's Therapy Dog Work The author's most recent volunteer work is with therapy dogs; first with Chloe, Dawn and her husband's adopted Golden Retriever, and currently with Maddie, their adopted black lab. Dawn and Chloe visited Sunrise Assisted Living in Boulder, CO on a weekly basis. Maddie and the author recently began therapy dog visits to a juvenile facility in Boulder. They also visited AMI, an unlocked juvenile facility for boys in Los Fresnos, Texas. Both Chloe and Maddie were certified through Therapy Dogs Incorporated (TDI). Here is the January 13, 2010 article written in The Broward County Examiner by Sue Scheff about Dawn and Maddie's work as a therapy dog team with high-risk teens: Struggling Teens and Dogs: Meet Maddie and How She Helps At-Risk Teens And the follow-up January 16, 2010 Broward County Examiner article is here: Therapy Dogs and At-Risk Teens Part 2 Other Volunteer Work: Humane Society of Boulder Valley: Since Cinnamon passed, Dawn and her husband have become a foster home for HSBV cats/kittens. September, 2010 collected items for pet evacuees and their people of the of the Boulder Four Mile Canyon Fire. Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue: Became a volunteer September, 2010. I am a member of the following organizations: Member of Colorado Independent Publishers Association Colorado Author's League (CAL) Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) Boulder Media Women Pikes Peak Writers (PPW) Published Articles "10 Steps to Deal With the Loss of Your Pet."Ezine.com, April 16, 2009. Also published in various dog organization newsletters. "Don't Leave Me!" Real Travel Adventures International Online Magazine, December, 2008. "Take a Closer Look at Your Pet Food." Boulder Daily Camera Editor Blog, May 15, 2007. "Bioidentical Hormone Replacement." American Fitness, p. 52-54, May/June, 2002. "Wellspring For Women:A Model of a Nurse Practitioner Owned and Operated Clinic."NP World News, p. 3-4, February, 2001. "Taking Charge:Protect Yourself, Set Boundaries." RN Magazine, pp. 19-22, March 1992. "Empowering Yourself." Nursing '92, p. 140, May, 1992