Read Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Online
Authors: Jack Canfield
CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE DOG
LOVER’S SOUL
Stories of
Canine Companionship,
Comedy and Courage
Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Marty Becker, D.V.M.
Carol Kline
Amy D. Shojai
Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chicken soup for the dog lover’s soul : stores of canine companionship, comedy,
and courage / Jack Canfield ... [et al.].
p. cm.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9489-8 (ebook) eISBN-10: 0-7573-9489-2 (ebook)
1. Dogs—Anecdoes. 2. Dog owners—Anecdotes. 3. Human-animal relationships—Anecdotes. I. Canfield, Jack, 1944-
SF426.2C453 2005
636.7'088'7—dc22
2005050379
© 2005 John T. Canfield and Hansen and Hansen LLC
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: | Health Communications, Inc. |
| 3201 S.W. 15th Street |
| Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190 |
Cover photo ©2005 Best Friends/Troy Snow
Cover design by Andrea Perrine Brower
Inside typesetting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield
T
his book is dedicated to dog lovers everywhere: the millions of people around the world who have opened up their hearts and homes to the extraordinary devotion, unconditional love and unbridled joy of a dog, and seen their lives richly blessed as a direct result.
We also dedicate this book to the veterinary profession, who with unparalleled competence and compassion, assist, protect and nurture these life-support systems cleverly disguised as dogs.
We dedicate this book as well to the responsible dog breeders and exhibitors who celebrate, sustain and strive to improve the health and well-being of their special dogs—whether tiny or pony-size, curly-coated, otter-slick, thickly furred or bald—preserving the unique legacy of the canine race in all its wondrous variations.
And to the heroes, the people who give fully of themselves in their communities to help homeless dogs find loving homes, who aid sick, injured or misbehaving dogs to “heal,” then “heel,” and insure that all dogs are increasingly welcome in people’s lives.
And finally, to God, who chose to bless us richly with dogs. He knows that through their special gifts, dogs add years to our lives and life to our years.
Contents
Patience Rewarded
Hester Mundis
The Duck and the Doberman
Donna Griswold as told to
Eve Ann Porinchak
Now and Always
Suzy Huether
Lucky in Love
Jennifer Gay Summers
Jethro’s World
Marc Bekoff
The Great Dog Walk
Anne Carter
Velcro Beau
Carol Kline
A Christmas for Toby
Tekla Dennison Miller
Blu Parts the Veil of Sadness
Margaret Hevel
The Haunted Bowl
John Arrington
You Have No Messages
Zardrelle Arnott
Bubba’s Last Stand
Lisa Duffy-Korpics
Some Snowballs Don’t Melt
Debbie Roppolo
Greta and Pearl: Two Seniors
Stefany Smith
Bullet’s Dog
Elizabeth Atwater
Daisy Love
Kathy Salzberg
Devotion
Marjie Lyvers
Dixie’s Kitten
Anne Culbreath Watkins
Bashur, the Iraqi Dog
John Fenzel, Jr.
My Furry Muse
Amy D. Shojai
After Dooley
Gary Ingraham
When Harry Met Kaatje
Dave Wiley
Gremlin, Dog First Class
JaLeen Bultman-Deardurff
My Blue-Eyed Boy
Alexandra Mandis
The Subway Dog
Elizabeth Lombard
“Dog” and Mr. Evans
Andrea Redd, D.V.M.
Calvin: A Dog with a Big Heart
Max Edelman
Fate, Courage and a Dog Named Tess
Susanne Fogle
In Her Golden Eyes
Diane Nichols
Ballerina Dog
Jackie Tortoriello
The Dog Who Loved to Fly
Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant
Locked In
M. L. Charendoff
The Telltale Woof
Eleanor Whitney Nelson
Moving Day
Micki Ruiz
Refrigerator Commando
Sam Minier
The Offer
Jean Houston
Sammy’s Big Smile
Gayle Delhagen
Phoebe’s Family
Stacy Pratt
A Canine Nanny
Christine Henderson
Two Old Girls
Atreyee Day
A Dog’s Love
Kelly Munjoy
Lady Abigail
Jennifer Remeta
Willow and Rosie: The Ordinary Miracle of Pets
Audrey Thomasson
At Face Value
Linda Saraco
Abacus
Meghan Beeby
Dog Days of School
Jean Wensink
Raising a Star
Laura Sobchik
Star Power
Mary Klitz
Max
Susan Boyer
A Lesson from Luke
Christine Watkins
Honey’s Greatest Gift
B. J. Reinhard
Puppy Magic
Aubrey Fine, Ed.D.
An Angel in the Form of a Service Dog
David Ball
Good Instincts
Gillian Westhead as told to Bill Westhead
A New Home
Elisabeth A. Freeman
Judgment Day
Millicent Bobleter
Mound of Dirt
Paula Gramlich
The Last Puppy
Roger Dean Kiser
Dad’s Right Knee
Carol M. Chapman
Just Like Always
Lorena O’Connor
A Smile from Phoebe
Beth McCrea
Legacy of Love
Marty Becker, D.V.M.
Tears for Sheila
Laurie MacKillip
Harry and George
Margaret P. Cunningham
Gentle Giant
Robin Pressnall
A Familiar Road
Pennie DeBoard
Saying Good-Bye to Dingo
Elizabeth Wrenn
Just an Old Golden Retriever
Audrey Thomasson
Nothing That Can’t Be Fixed
Pamela Jenkins
Ana: From Rescued to Rescuer
Wilma Melville
Scouting Out a Home
Jennifer Coates, D.V.M.
Brooks and the Roadside Dog
Shannon McCarty
Can’t Help Falling in Love
Patricia Smith
The Miracle of Love
Valery Selzer Siegel
The Dumpster Dog Finds a Home
Debra Jean-MacKenzie Szot
The Parking-Lot Dog
Wendy Kaminsky
Two Good Deeds
Rosemarie Miele
The Promise
Bill King
Canine Compassion
Ed Kostro
Busted!
Lynn Alcock
Pudgy
Joyce Laird
Felix, the Firehouse Dog
Trevor and Drew Orsinger
Beau and the Twelve-Headed Monster
John Arrington
Sled Dogs without Snow
Dave Wiley
Lucky Wows the Sheriff
Mariana Levine
A Dog’s Day in Court
Sr. Mary K. Himens, S.S.C.M.
The Bravest Dog
Sherry Cremona-Van Der Elst
A Pocketful of Love
Amy D. Shojai
Pedro the Fisherman
Bob Toren
Angel’s Angel
Wendy Greenley
Take Me Home!
Ed Eames, Ph.D.
We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the following people who helped make this book possible:
Our families, who have been chicken soup for our souls!
Jack’s family: Inga, Travis, Riley, Christopher, Oran and Kyle for all their love and support.
Mark’s family: Patty, Elisabeth and Melanie Hansen, for once again sharing and lovingly supporting us in creating yet another book.
Marty’s soul mate and fellow pet lover, wife Teresa, who inspires him with her inexhaustible love for, and attention to, the special love of animals. And his beloved children, Mikkel and Lex, who bring so much joy into his hectic life and remind him to relax, tease, laugh and repot himself by taking time off. Virginia Becker and the late Bob Becker, who taught farm-reared Marty to love all God’s creatures from spoiled family pets to soiled dairy cows. Valdie and Rockey Burkholder, whose goodness and support have allowed Marty to thrive in the world’s greatest oasis of beauty, goodness and serenity, magnificent Bonners Ferry, Idaho. And to all the pets, past, present and future who with their gifts of love, loyalty and laughter have made his life so much richer and more meaningful.
Carol’s family: Lorin, McKenna and especially her dearly loved husband, Larry, who makes it possible for Carol to spend all her time writing and editing. Carol’s mother, Selma, brothers Jim and Burt, and sisters Barbara and Holly, and their families, for being her favorite people in the world. Barbara’s grammar and punctuation coaching was the best—thanks, Dr. P!