Author turns personal dog health scare into campaign to raise awareness on canine heartworm

Delaware author Chris Strassel transforms her ordeal with her dog Clooney into a public campaign, leveraging a Times Square spotlight to highlight the dangers of canine heartworm and promote prevention efforts.

A Delaware author has turned a personal ordeal into a public campaign against canine heartworm, using a Times Square spotlight in the latest Brightside segment sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.

Chris Strassel said her dog, Clooney, was diagnosed with heartworm before she understood how serious the disease could be. Treatment, she said, went far beyond a couple of injections and required antibiotics, close monitoring and months of strict calm because sudden activity can be dangerous when the worms die.

That experience became the basis for “Courageous Clooney”, a children’s book designed to make the disease easier to understand for families and, she hopes, to encourage prevention. The disease, spread by mosquitoes, can be fatal if untreated and often shows few early signs. Veterinary guidance stresses routine preventives and check-ups as the most effective defence.

Strassel is donating half of the book’s profits to support heartworm-positive dogs and the families who adopt them. She said the effort has already helped three families take home dogs that completed treatment. The Brandywine Valley SPCA has also created a fund in Clooney’s name to help cover treatment costs and improve adoption prospects for infected animals.