David Kilby, Managing Editor
JAMESBURG — Todd Jagemann and his wife, Robyn, decided to adopt an abused pit bull a few years ago, and the affectionate personality of the dog, Macy, has inspired Mr. Jagemann to write a children’s book about her.
Since the time they bought their house on Ridgeview Road, they both wanted a dog. So they went to Petfinder.com, looking for one that was medium-sized.
Ms. Jagemann then found Macy, who was at PetRescue of Mercer, and her heart went out to the dog who was scarred and underweight. But when Mr. Jagemann heard she was a pit bull, he had his doubts.
”When she told me, I was more scared than her,” he said. “She took a couple weeks and talked me into it. Since then, she’s been one of the best dogs we’ve had.”
Before they adopted her, Macy was about a year old and weighed only 30 pounds. She had scars on her face, part of her ear was missing, and she had parasites the shelter had to get rid of, Mr. Jagemann said.
Now 5-year-old Macy weighs 60 pounds, is in good health and is affectionate with, instead of frightened by, all of the dogs and people she meets, he added.
His book inspired by Macy tells the story of adopting instead of buying a dog.
”She warmed up to my wife first,” he said, adding Macy was a little more afraid of him at first.
He said that may be because men might have mistreated her in the past.
”She never showed any forms of aggression,” he said. “I think it’s part of her personality. She’s very mellow. A lot of times, she’s just happy lying around.”
The 22-page illustrated children’s book is self-published through lulu.com where it’s available for $15. A portion of all proceeds goes to Pet Rescue of Mercer.
Mr. Jagemann has sold about 120 copies so far, he said.
”Writing it wasn’t too bad,” he said. “Trying to get publicity is the hardest part.”
The Jagemanns’ neighbor, Pauline, who wished to keep her last name anonymous, has a pit bull hound mix, Jenna, who is about 4 years old and enjoys playing with Macy.
She got Jenna from Animal Rescue Force, which was working out of PetSmart in East Brunswick.
”(Macy and Jenna) love to play with each other,” she said. “They chase each other around the yard and wrestle all the time. Macy is so lovable, very sweet and just happy to get a little attention from you. She’s just a Teddy bear.”
”Everybody said Macy is such a good ambassador for pit bulls,” Mr. Jagemann said as he discussed where the idea for the book came from.
He figured writing a children’s book about Macy would be a good chance to create a good impression of pit bulls in people’s mind at a young age.
”Any ‘bully breed’ deemed vicious should be looked at in a different way,” Mr. Jagemann said. “A lot of it is about how the dog is raised.”
He said he learned this from his wife, who learned it by working at the South Brunswick Animal Hospital: “She said it’s the little ones you have to watch out for.”

