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hmm TE ETE wee Te TE Te 2- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, January 28, 1997 "Scugog"s Community Newspaper of Choice" 'What's Your Sign?' books out now 'Cosmic Critters' partners have a line on your pet By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Nice dog... what's his sign? You may not hear that ques- tion asked often right now, but two local women are working diligently to change that. Astrologer Leslie Traill and writer Joni Mountford are the partners who form Cosmic Critters, a company that's just released two "What's Your Sign?" books for cat and dog owners. The self-published books are admittedly tongue-in-cheek guides for determining the amily cat or pooch's zodiac sign. But they're also a way of helping pet owners to under- stand and enjoy their friends that much more, the women say. "The neat thing about this book is that if you read it from beginning to end, you will find your animal," said Leslie, a professional astrologer. She said that trying to understand your pet isn't the same as anthropomorphizing; that is, Just because you recognize character traits and personali- ty, doesn't mean you think he's as human as you are. "A lot of people make fun of pet owners," she said. "They say they take them too seri- ously, or regard them as other people. "(Pets) are living beings who are deserving of respect," she declared. Not surprisingly, both women are dog owners. Leslie and her husband keep company with B.J., while Max makes himself at home with Joni, her husband, and their youn daughter. They understan the special place pets occupy in our homes and hearts. "They're bright, they're warm, they're fuzzy; and they bring out that wonderful little feeling we have trouble finding sometimes," said Joni. Make no mistake, though: This is not a pastime for two women who dote on their dog- gies. They are in business, and want to see their books -- and perhaps, some day soon, related products -- make it big here, and around the globe. "We did an intensive market study before we launched this project," said Leslie. "We found out the numbers are astronom- ical, the numbers of homes that have pets." That huge number of homes has spawned an industry which caters specifically to pet own- ers. There are groomers and food suppliers and toy makers. And there are even analysts for depressed dogs and felines in a funk. It's a big market. And it's not one the local women entered on a whim, said Leslie: "I came up with this idea almost 19 years ago," she said during an interview at her partner's View Lake home last week. "It's something I was sitting on all this time, because it was ahead of its time." The women met through a mutual friend and Joni, who moved with her family to the country after years in Metro, sought an astrological reading from Leslie. The two hit it off, and the dream of an astrologi- cal guide for pet owners became a work in progress three years ago. They toiled for months over the project, with the astrologer providing the writer informa- tion. The two would then pore over the copy, and make any revisions they thought neces- sary. Along the way they also teamed up with artist David Shaw, whose lively illustrations are featured throughout the books. The project was then shopped to various publishers, some of whom were supportive, but without success. So the women decided to put the books out themselves. "Leslie and I have learned an awful lot from trying to do it alone," Joni said. "At the end we decided to self-publish it, because no publisher would pick us up." The books arrived Wednesday and the next day, the women were on City TV's Breakfast Television program promoting their work. They've also approached local mer- chants to carry the books, and have met with some success; Many Colours and Piece of Earth are among the shops in Port Perry which carry the What's Your Sign? books now. They feel the books are light and pleasant reading that will make ideal gifts for pet owners. And it's interesting reading for people, who can find -- and probably have a laugh at -- their own traits among the signs of the zodiac described in the book, said Joni. "People are honoring astrol- ogy as having some validity," she said. "Truly, we'd like every- body to find themselves through the book." Just keep in mind that the books are written as a means of helping people understand and enjoy their animal pals, said Leslie: "The bottom line 1s, we love animals." The What's My Sign? books sell for $14.95, and are avail- able at some local shops. For more information, call (705) 324-7868. 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