Last year Brooke Welsh had to put down her dog Napoleon.

 

But his memory lives on in her first published book, ‘Benito to the Rescue.’

 

“I was really excited to kinda share the impact that he had on my life,” Welsh said.

 

Beyond her personal connection, each page is linked to  Central Pennsylvania.

 

Welsh said the illustrator, Fred Lang, is from Huntingdon Pennsylvania, the book takes place in Lemont, and Welsh is a State College native.

 

Welsh called the whole process a “labor of love.”

 

And to go a step further, Welsh said it was a no-brainer to include Centre County Paws, a local animal shelter.

 

Christine Faust, Director of Development and Marketing for Centre County Paws said the shelter does not euthanize animals and keeps cats or dogs until they find a good home.

 

Faust says Welsh’s book highlights the positives that come from adopting a rescue dog.

 

“People have a misconception that shelter animals are bad animals and that is absolutely not the case,” Faust said.

 

Welsh said her writing is intended to teach self acceptance, among other things.

 

“Teach children about the importance of compassion for each other and sometimes animals are kind of the means they way to do that,” Welsh said.

 

10% of Welsh’s proceeds will go to the non-profit organization.

 

On Thursday Welsh delivered her first check to the shelter.

 

A donation Faust said can can be put to good use.

 

“We spend more than $150,000 dollars a year on medical care alone for cats and dogs,” Faust said.

 

Welsh said she hopes her work encourages the community to read, shop, and adopt local.

 

“Sometimes it’s very difficult to compete with bigger organizations and we give back locally we kind of invest back into our community,” Welsh said.

 

If you’d like to purchase ‘Benito to the Rescue,” click here.