Today my dog Ace, a golden-retriever mix we rescued from a shelter, and I passed our therapy-dog test! Together we’ll be able to visit patients in hospitals or nursing homes and share Ace’s sweet personality with people who could use a canine pick-me-up. In honor of this long-awaited accomplishment, I want to share some great toys that are designed to bring smiles from friendly dogs.

Brandy and Val are two big dogs who love little kids. Their “dog mom,” Ilene wanted a way to share her two sweet dogs with a little boy who lived far away, so she invented board books about the dogs. Zachary is a boy with special needs, so she made the pages easy to turn with big tabs. You could add her Brandy and Val stuffed toys to the package to make a really special gift.

They always contribute to animal-rescue efforts with a portion of their profits, but through the end of February Brandy and Val are giving $5 from each sale to help the animals in Haiti. Considering that their books sell for about $12, those are some generous dogs!