by Amber Foster

El Dorado Hills Resident Dan Cohen didn’t take the most conventional route to his career in administrative law. After two years serving in the Vietnam War, he became a state park ranger, first in Los Angeles, then in the Santa Cruz Mountains. When the opportunity arose to get involved in a patrol dog program, Cohen was an eager volunteer. “Growing up, we always had a dog or two,” Cohen reminisces. “I got along really well with them.”

Although Cohen is now retired from a successful legal career, he’s taken up yet another profession: writing. He’s currently at work on a series of children’s books based on his love of dogs and named after his most recent canine adoptee, Flapjack, an Australian shepherd. The first book in the series, The Adventures of Flapjack—Finding Where I Belong, encourages children going though times of transition. The book emerged from Cohen’s experiences with foster children while working with the California Department of Social Services. In the future, Cohen hopes the Flapjack series will help children going through difficult issues, such as loss, bullying or low self-esteem. He’s also a strong advocate for Share Our Strength (nokidhungry.org), an organization that aims to end child hunger in the U.S. “I’ve always been empathetic to the plight of children, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable children,” Cohen shares. Admirably, the common thread that ties Cohen’s many life experiences together is his devotion to helping those in need.

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For more about Dan Cohen and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Folsom, El Dorado Hills edition.