AUGUSTA, GA. (WJBF) – “The purpose of the coloring book is to provide, basically, burn prevention and education to the children and population in general. So, when our marketing team heard about Taka, saw the videos and the story, they thought it would be fun to include him with Phoenix to be her sidekick,” said Burn Center Nurse Practitioner, Tish Meyers.

Helping kids learn about the importance of fire safety, smoke alarms and having a family escape plan can be a scary task. However, one local canine hero is making it easier to understand—and his message is being carried across the country.

Taka’s owner, Crystal Lesley said, “They’re always reaching out to me, to Taka, I would love to meet him, I would love to see him. I just want to hear about him, he makes my day brighter when I wake up and see him and you know, you’re like ‘oh my gosh, this is amazing.’”

The coloring book was announced on April the 12^th where already, Taka’s fans are praising the thought behind the book and the efforts of Burn Centers of America to include Taka’s story.

“He belongs to the community.”

Taka has taken quite the following on Facebook with over six thousand followers where people from all over the country have had the opportunity of getting to know him. 

“I think just getting the awareness out about animals certainly can get injured and their lives aren’t necessarily disposable,” said Meyers.

Taka has certainly left his print on the lives of many.