Carol and Charlotte on TV
News 14 (TWC) in Charlotte, NC - May 10, 2009
Courtesy Carolina News 14
NBC 25 - July 12, 2009
The Jefferson Agenda
"Charlotte the Wonder Dog" Book Signings
2009
August14
July 12
May 9
April 19
March 14
March 7
Feb. 21
Feb. 20
Feb. 13
Feb. 1
CharlesTownVisitorsCenterOpenHouse(Charles Town,WV)
Bark in the Park event (Shepherdstown, WV)
Park Road Books (Charlotte, N.C.)
Berkeley County Book Fair (Martinsburg, WV)
Berkeley County Library (Martinsburg, WV)
Charles Town Library (Charles Town, WV)
Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library (Harpers Ferry, WV)
Valley Hardware and Needful Things (Charles Town, WV)
The Anvil Restaurant (Harpers Ferry, WV)
Four Seasons Books (Shepherdstown. WV)
Promoting a book is almost a full-time job, but Carol hopes to write an illustrated children’s book about Charlotte as a spin-off from the biography of Wonder Dog. She is working on a collection of essays and short stories as well as a re-write of her play, "Breathing Hard."
Charlotte Observer
Rescued Wonder Dog Coming Home - read the article
By David Perlmutt
Posted: Thursday, May. 07, 2009
The Herald-Mail
Adventures of 'Wonder Dog'
Book recaps real-life escapades of rescued dog - read the article
By Crystall Schelle
March 6, 2009
The Shepherdstown Chronicle - Visit their site
January 30, 2009
The Shepherdstown Chronicle - Visit their site
January 30, 2009
If you've met one of them, you've probably met them both.
Carol Gallant and Charlotte, alias, "Charlotte the Wonder Dog," are usually together and both are well-known in the area through their community activities, including variety shows at the Old Opera House and nonprofit events.
Now, Gallant, a professional writer living in Harpers Ferry, has turned her hand to a biography of her unusual dog, and both will be at Four Seasons Books on German Street for a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
"Charlotte the Wonder Dog" is "the adventures of a dog-pound mutt who finds her way to friends, fame and peanut butter." The story is told in some 110-pages with more than 70 photos of Charlotte, who has been described as "a walking cartoon" and a "stuffed bear toy."
Her resemblance to Little Orphan Annie's dog, Sandy, in the comic strip won her that role twice in productions of Annie at the Old Opera House and at Musselman High School.
Gallant, who worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as a congressional press secretary, has won a number of writing awards, including a Spotlight Award from for her first play, "Breathing Hard," which she directed last year at the Old Opera House. She said she decided to write a book about her beloved companion because over the years she witnessed the impact of this four-legged creature on humans, and because Charlotte deserves to have her story told.
"People automatically smile when they see this dog," she said. "And next comes the question: 'What kind of dog is that!?' Charlotte sometimes 'talks' to them and that adds to the moment.
"I am always pleased to tell them that she was rescued from the pound three days before she was to be put to sleep. I hope it encourages people to visit a shelter/pound to adopt a dog (or cat) when they read about this charismatic, compelling dog.
"And Charlotte, now 13 years old, deserves for her story to be told. As I say in the introduction to the book, we all love a good Cinderella story, and that a life well-lived, whether inside dog fur or an Adolpho suit, can remind us of deeper truths than the day's headlines reveal or a credit card provides."
The five-chapter book includes, "Somebody Cue the Dog," relating Charlotte's antics on stage, (including "Annie" having to chase her through the audience during one show), and "Driving Mz. Charlotte," which is a travelogue of her favorite spots to visit in Jefferson County. She is pictured, for example, outside of "The Lost Dog" in Shepherdstown. Ethan Fischer, a poet and Shepherdstown professor, wrote the Forward, "Dog Star and Jazzy Lady." A center-section of the book is all photos of Charlotte with friends in the area and beyond.
Other book-signings will be held in the area in February, including Feb. 13 at "The Anvil Restaurant," at the Harpers Ferry Library Feb. 21, and later in the month at "Valley Hardware" in Charles Town.
The Web site for the book, published by DogEar publishing in Indiana, is www.dcgallantbooks.com. Books may be purchased at the site for $27.99. In local stores, the books will sell for $25, and profits will go to the PAWS No-Kill Animal Shelter in Harpers Ferry.
Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library News
February 2009, Volume 2, Issue 58
Bolivar-Harpers Goes to the "Dog"
It sounds like a story straight out of a Hollywood musical: a young down-on-her-luck performer stages one last “dazzling display of dancing,” is spotted by just the right individual,
and inevitably becomes a star! But this is not the plot of a fictional play; rather, it is the true life story of a mutt saved from Death Row” in an animal control facility who goes on to become “Charlotte the Wonder Dog,” the subject of a new biography written by Charlotte’s human companion, Harpers Ferry resident Carol Gallant.
On Saturday, February 21 (or February 28, if weather interferes), Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library will host a book signing for this delightful biography from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. During that time, Ms. Gallant – with Charlotte of course – will discuss her book and have signed copies of it available for sale at just $25.00, several dollars less than the regular retail price. All proceeds from these sales will go to the PAWS Hospice Sanctuary located in Bolivar. And for an additional $5.00, Charlotte will place her own “autograph” on each book, donating all of this “paw-print” money to the Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library.
Brimming with wit and insight, this biography will appeal not just to dog lovers but to any reader who enjoys “a well-turned” phrase – especially local readers since this book is filled with photos of many of those individuals from the Harpers Ferry area whose lives have been touched by Charlotte through the years.
This “charismatic, chatty, and compelling” dog, described as a mixture of Gidget and Ophra, has twice landed the four-legged starring role in the musical Annie and has gotten her photo in national newspapers for her community activisim. Even in her twilight years, Charlotte remains relentless in her commitment to help, please, and entertain her adoring fans everywhere.
So come and meet Carol Gallant and her amazing Miss Charlotte. If you do, we can guarantee that it won’t be long before you will agree that Charlotte is nothing short of “wonderful!”
Spirit of Jefferson Newspaper
March 5, 2009
By Barbara S. Hooper
I’ve fallen in love with Charlotte, the Wonder Dog. It happened when I read her biography, as written by her owner/companion, D.C. Gallant. Charlotte snuck up on me, from the time she “twirled” at the animal shelter (where she was doomed to die in just days) and from every other page, to the end of the book.
Charlotte is a great big beautiful dog, of mixed parentage. No matter her breed, she is a lovely animal, of that I am sure, and I hop to meet her in person someday soon.
The author of the book, D.C. Gallant, brilliantly brings to life the friendship she has with this charming dog. Every page is full of their adventures together-riding in the car (Charlotte has a comfy quilt to sit on), going for walks, visiting the elderly in a nursing home, greeting children anywhere, being a hostess at a barbecue, finding an old relic (Char was ecstatic at hits find), and many other good times had by Gallant and her pal.
One especially enchanted time was Charlotte’s stage show experience. She had many performances, some with lots of laughter from the audience. She was Sandy in “Annie” on two different stages, enchanting all who saw her.
This Saturday March 7, from 2 to 3 p.m., at the Old Charles Town Library, author Gallant will offer remarks and Charlotte will provide autographs.
The next one is on March 14, Saturday, at the Martinsburg Library, from 2 to 3 p.m. Profits from book sales go to the Cause for Paws No-Kill Sanctuary/Hospice in Harpers Ferry.
The book is currently available for sale in Harpers Ferry at the Country Café, in Charles Town at the Old Opera House, Needful Things, Valley Hardware and Jumping Java; in Martinsburg at Southwest Books. Also, major bookstores and at www.DCGallantBooks.com.
Dog Ear Publishing
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2009 – CINDERELLA STORY OF A MUTT WRITTEN WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND HUMOR
Charlotte the Wonder Dog is released by author D.C. Gallant.
When author D.C. Gallant stops by the animal control facility to locate her mother’s cats, “short of Lassie saving Timmy from a well in the lobby,” she has no plans for noticing any lovable dog. But a “fur box” twirls on its hind legs to impress potential parents, and thus a writer and a dog find each other. The “fuzzy-bear puppy” with big paws is saved from death row, and the author gains a talkative best pal, described by some as a walking cartoon. Adopted herself at a young age, the author’s take on a familiar tale resonates with the power of, “Once I was lost, but now am found.”
Charlotte the Wonder Dog is the true story of this dog-pound mutt who grows beautifully into her big paws, and discovers fame and peanut butter. Whether visiting a nursing home or portraying “dogs in history” for a town variety show, Charlotte lives life to the fullest. She stars as Sandy in the hit play Annie, and appears in The Washington Post as an activist for heritage, important to Charlotte since she frequents the sites of her historic home in Harpers Ferry, WV and beyond. With over 70 charming and colorful photos, readers can appreciate this special pet’s uniqueness and see why she touches the hearts of all she meets – and why the author is stopped wherever they go: “What kind of dog is that?!”
D.C. Gallant, a writer with awards to her credit, captures the compelling bod between humans and dogs with a generous dose of humor and lots of love. This book bids the reader smile, and pause to enjoy the lessons of a life well-lived, “even if it is inside dog fur rather than an Adolpho suit.” Gallant’s story, a tribute to her aging dog, will appeal to anyone who enjoys the company of dogs, or of a good book. And at a time when even the President of the United States speaks of “shelter dogs,” the author showcases the rewards of seeking our four-legged friends at such a facility. Profits from the book go to a no-kill shelter in Harpers Ferry, WV.
For further information contact: Ray Robinson at 317-228-3656, via email at RayR@DogEarPublishing.net, or through the website at: www.DogEarPublishing.net
Charlotte the Wonder Dog
D.C. Gallant: www.DCGallantBooks.com Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-159858-857-6
128 pages
US
Available at Ingram, Baker&Taylor;, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble;, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere.
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The Herald-Mail - Visit their site
September 21, 2008
By JOSHUA BOWMAN
Charles Town jail dedicated to honor '20s coal miners
They 'were fighting for the same rights as those at Gettysburg'
CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Six years after the fight began to save the Jefferson County Jail, those who worked to prevent its demolition finally celebrated victory Saturday on the jailhouse steps.
"Frankly, we thought it would be easy," said Carol Gallant, president of a citizens group that worked to save the jail. "But in the year 2008, as I stand here, I can say an old jail is not an easy sell."
The Jailhouse Rededication Committee held a ceremony Saturday as part of the dedication of the renovated jail, which now houses government office operations.
More than 75 people attended the ceremony, which was part of Heritage Day in downtown Charles Town.
Many of the people who attended wore red bandannas that read "Support West Virginia Miners. Be a redneck," a reference to the former jail's place in history as the site where miners were held during the treason trials of the 1920s.
The trials stemmed from miner unrest over brutality and the miners' attempt to unionize, according to historical accounts.
Little was known about the matter when David Corbin began researching it for his book, "Life, Work and Rebellion in the Coal Fields."
Corbin, who spoke during Saturday's ceremony, called the rededication of the jail an "extremely important symbolic moment" in which Jefferson County elected officials worked to save artifacts and preserve an important part of West Virginia's history.
"(The mine wars) were not hillbilly feuds," Corbin said. "They were fighting for the same rights as those at Gettysburg, Lexington and Normandy fought for."
The Jefferson County Commission at one time considered demolishing the former jail, but a group of concerned citizens called Jefferson County Preservation Alliance to Save Our Heritage (JCPASH) worked to save the building.
After five court hearings, the Jefferson County Commission agreed to fund a historic review that found the building was solid and should be saved. The commission decided to spend more than $2 million to save the jail.
Gallant said the jail's demolition, which she said was to make space for a parking lot, would have destroyed the character of downtown Charles Town.
"Heritage is more important than satisfying someone who drives for five minutes and can't find a parking spot," Gallant said. "You can combine your heritage with your growth."
Among the attendees at the ceremony was William C. Blizzard Jr., who was 5 when his father, labor leader Bill Blizzard, was found innocent during the miner trials at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
William Jr., now 90, did not speak during the ceremony, though he was acknowledged by several speakers, including former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw.
With a red bandanna hanging from the pocket of his suit jacket, McGraw said it was "an honor" to participate in Saturday's dedication.
"Let this building stand forever as a representation of the people who love democracy," McGraw said.
