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It’s always exciting to hear of a local author publishing a children’s book, and this occasion is no exception. The brainchild of Bend resident and university professor, Ed Jackiewicz, and recent Bend High graduate, Maris Findling, “Smooch the Super Pooch” is a touching story about the adoption of a dog from a local animal shelter. 

Soon after the adoption, the family is surprised to discover that their new dog is deaf. Although this discovery initially sparks concerns from their daughter, they later learn that the dog possesses an unimaginable superpower. The story is based on the real-life adoption of Smooch more than 15 years ago who sadly passed on to doggie heaven earlier this year.

Jackiewicz had the good fortune of meeting illustrator, Maris Findling through his part-time work as a substitute teacher.  “Maris’s unique talents bring the story to life and is sure to please young readers and parents alike,” says Jackiewicz. Findling is now a student at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

Readers can order “Smooch the Super Pooch online at: store.bookbaby.com/book/smooch-the-super-pooch (Use SmoochBend for a 20% discount.)

This article appears in BendNest Winter 2025.

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“Smooch the Pooch” Offers Something Special to Readers

by Angela Switzer, Bend Nest
December 4, 2025

<h1>“Smooch the Pooch” Offers Something Special to Readers</h1> <p class="byline">by Angela Switzer, Bend Nest <br />December 4, 2025</p> <p>It's always exciting to hear of a local author publishing a children’s book, and this occasion is no exception. The brainchild of Bend resident and university professor, Ed Jackiewicz, and recent Bend High graduate, Maris Findling, “Smooch the Super Pooch” is a touching story about the adoption of a dog from a local animal shelter. </p> <p>Soon after the adoption, the family is surprised to discover that their new dog is deaf. Although this discovery initially sparks concerns from their daughter, they later learn that the dog possesses an unimaginable superpower. The story is based on the real-life adoption of Smooch more than 15 years ago who sadly passed on to doggie heaven earlier this year.</p> <p>Jackiewicz had the good fortune of meeting illustrator, Maris Findling through his part-time work as a substitute teacher.  “Maris’s unique talents bring the story to life and is sure to please young readers and parents alike,” says Jackiewicz. Findling is now a student at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.</p> <p><em>Readers can order “Smooch the Super Pooch online at: store.bookbaby.com/book/smooch-the-super-pooch (Use SmoochBend for a 20% discount.)</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/bend-nest-content/smooch-the-pooch-offers-something-special-to-readers/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com&quot;&gt;Bend Nest&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.bendsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-Untitled-design-4.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=70195&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.bendsource.com/bend-nest-content/smooch-the-pooch-offers-something-special-to-readers/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/bendsource.com/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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