Captain was the instigator — a Great Dane who decided one day to rally his friends, the other neighborhood dogs, and walk from their home in New Gloucester to Aquaboggan for a day of fun, despite the water park’s clear “no dog” policy.

That’s how 9-year-old Ellie Schlichting’s book “Dogs Take Over Aquaboggan” starts, and immediately Ellie’s own dog, a Border Collie named Dot, gets embroiled in the fun, too.

During a visit to the Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick on Tuesday, Ellie donated the $100 in proceeds that she earned from selling her book and also gifted a copy of the book to the shelter for visitors to enjoy reading about the exploits of Captain and his furry cohorts.

“I like animals and I like Aquaboggan,” said Ellie, quietly describing her inspiration for the book’s plot — hailed in the background by a chorus of barks and meows at the shelter on Range Road.

Writing the book was no easy task, according to Ellie’s mother Pam Schlichting, after Ellie suffered from an illness last year associated with a brain infection that caused a dramatic loss of fine motor skills and an acute onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

“It’s called PANDAS,” said Pam, using the acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections.

“She was put on antibiotics and got about 75 percent better with that,” said Pam, “but a lot of things that used to be easy for her were suddenly very, very hard.”

Ellie was an avid writer, especially of poetry, before the illness struck, said Pam, but the onset of OCD combined with the loss of motor skills made writing an especially challenging task.

“All of a sudden she wouldn’t write — she wouldn’t write for an entire year,” said Pam. “She would start and then cross out and cross out and rewrite and rewrite — she just felt that she couldn’t get it right.”

Pointing to a vividly illustrated page of dogs careening down a massive bubble into a splash of blue water, Ellie said she enjoyed illustrating the story but writing it, which she did by hand before the final copy was typed, was difficult.

The inspiration to take on the challenging assignment, and then sell the book and donate the proceeds to help the animals she so loves, was fostered by Karyn Kurland, Ellie’s tutor at STARS, a learning cooperative in Freeport.

“Karyn thought that maybe we could do something to stimulate her to get back into it,” said Pam. “It was a lot of work but she did it for the animals, and it did inspire her to start going for it again.”

Jane Siviski, marketing manager for CHS, said she considers the donation from Ellie a special gift, and expects the funds could be used to ensure the health of newly arrived cats and dogs by providing vaccinations, medical supplies and medical treatment for the animals.

“It’s such a wonderful donation and we’re so honored to receive it,” said Siviski. “Writing a book and then giving the proceeds to the animals is such a special thing.”

A true animal lover, Ellie cares for two cats, as well as some chickens, turkeys, fish and bunnies in addition to her dog Dot.

rgargiulo@timesrecord.com