A Dog Named Leaf: The Hero From Heaven Who Saved My Life

A Dog Named Leaf: The Hero From Heaven Who Saved My Life

Allen Anderson

Animals / Nonfiction / Memoir

A big-hearted and undeniably appealing memoir about a man and his dog. After authoring thirteen successful books that tell other people’s stories about the human-animal bond, Allen is ready to tell his own story—a remarkable journey with a highly intuitive but troubled dog who literally saved Allen’s life.ReviewPraise for A Dog Named Leaf:“A Dog Named Leaf is a very touching and well-written book that clearly comes from Allen Anderson’s heart. Although I am not a religious or spiritual person and couldn’t wrap my mind around some of the things that happened in Allen and Leaf’s story, the more I read, the more my skepticism melted. I am convinced of Leaf’s ability to sense what Allen needed. This book will make readers feel as if they know Leaf, and they’ll grow to love him too.”—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, PhD, New York Times best-selling author of twenty-four books, including When Elephants Weep, Dogs Never Lie about Love, and The Dog Who Couldn’t Stop Loving “With its dramatic dual journey, A Dog Named Leaf explores the intangibles of health and healing without attempting to explain them away. This memoir’s pulse-pounding brushes with danger, startling synchronicities, and insights on fulfilling one’s purpose in life offer hope and new perspectives on the expansive power of love. It truly is the most unusual dog book ever.”—Dr. Marty Becker, resident veterinarian on Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show and featured columnist vetstreet.com“When I rescued my companion dog Jethro years ago, I realized this wonderful being also rescued me and taught me numerous valuable life lessons. Many people have similar stories, and this wonderful book about another amazing dog, Leaf, will be impossible to put down. In A Dog Named Leaf, two guys—a troubled and scarred shelter dog and a former police officer turned writer—face life and death challenges together. Its unexpected twists and turns kept me pinned to the pages and cheering for Leaf and Allen to heal and succeed together. The strong compassionate emotional bonds they formed—deep and enduring friendship and love—will move you in many ways. Read this most inspirational book and share it widely.”—Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint"A remarkable story. It will reaffirm your faith in the unique and mutually healing bond that can form between humans and animals." —Gwen Cooper, New York Times best-selling author of Homer’s Odyssey "Transcending the oft-told story of the human/dog bond, Allen and Leaf teach each other lessons of trust, love, and faithin the face of life’s tumult. A must-read for anyone who has experienced the guiding spirit of a dog.”—Susan Wilson, author of The Dog Who Danced  "I was moved by this story of resilience and love. It conveys beautifully the vulnerability and richness of a dog's life and the connection between their biographies and our own."—Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature“Part Marley and Me and part Jon Katz, A Dog Named Leaf by the Minnesota writing team of Allen and Linda Anderson is the story of an abandoned cocker spaniel the couple rescued, despaired of, learned to love...The Andersons hire dog communicators to get to the bottom of Leaf's problems. ("I was left," Leaf apparently tells one of them mournfully.) But more problems loom: Allen Anderson is found to have a brain aneurysm, and he faces risky surgery. And then doctors find a blood clot in his leg. It is Leaf, Anderson wants us to know, who helped him through this terrible time, just as he helped Leaf adjust to his new home...While you might not believe everything in this very spiritual book (and how I wish their method of calmly explaining the rules to Leaf so that he will stop misbehaving would work with my Rosie), the story is endearing, and the many photographs of Leaf running, swimming, and chasing a tennis ball in south Minneapolis are adorable." —LAURIE HERTZEL, BOOKS EDITOR, Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 27, 2012"This touching, almost lyrical book is a very personal story bravely told by the author and his wife...  This is a lovely story that will uplift anyone who has ever loved a dog."                  —Amy Shojai, About.com Guide, December 27, 2012From the Back CoverThe inspiring true story of a man and a dog coming together at just the right moment for miracles to occur.
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Surprises According to Humphrey

Surprises According to Humphrey

Betty G. Birney

Childrens / Animals / Fiction

A classroom hamster has to be ready for anything, but suddenly there are LOTS-LOTS-LOTS of big surprises in Humphrey's world. Some are exciting, like a new hamster ball. But some are scary, like a run-in with a cat and a new janitor who might be from another planet. But even with all that's going on, Humphrey finds time to help his classmates with their problems. But will Mrs. Brisbane's unsqueakable surprise be too much for Humphrey to handle?
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Gabriel's Horses

Gabriel's Horses

Alison Hart

Animals / Horses / Young Adult

The year is 1864, and twelve-year-old Gabriel hopes to become a famous jockey one day. Although he is the son of a free black father and a slave mother—making him a slave as well—he loves to help his father, one of the best horse trainers in Kentucky, care for the thoroughbred racehorses on Master Giles's farm.But the violence of war disrupts the familiar routine of daily life on the farm. One-Arm Dan Parmer and his band of Confederate raiders are threatening area farms and stealing horses. When Gabriel's father enlists in a Colored Battalion to help the Union Army and earn enough money to purchase freedom for his wife and son, Gabriel is both proud and worried. But the absence of his father brings the arrival of Mr. Newcastle, a white horse trainer with harsh, cruel methods for handling horses...and people.Now it is up to Gabriel to protect the horses he loves from Mr. Newcastle and keep them safely out of the clutches of One-Arm Dan and his men.Author...
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Grace

Grace

Barbara Boswell

Biographies & Memoirs / Humor and Comedy / Animals

Family secrets run deep for Grace, a young girl growing up in Cape Town during the 1980s, spilling over into adulthood, and threatening to ruin the respectable life she has built for herself. When an old childhood friend reappears, Grace�s memories of her childhood come rushing back, and she is confronted, once again, with the loss that has shaped her. She has to face up to the truth or continue to live a lie � but the choice is not straightforward. Grace is an intimate portrayal of violence, both personal and political, and its legacy on one person�s life. It meditates on the long shadow cast by personal trauma, showing the intergenerational imprint of violence and loss on people�s lives.
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Flesh of My Flesh: Short Story

Flesh of My Flesh: Short Story

Barbara Gowdy

Fiction / Animals / Cultural

After Marion’s mother is murdered, she feels doomed in life and in love. And just when happiness seems within reach, her new husband, Sam, reveals a secret that leaves her feeling limp, betrayed . . . but still in love. Hailed as “remarkable and uplifting” by The Globe and Mail and published to equally glowing acclaim around the world, Barbara Gowdy’s groundbreaking collection of stories, We So Seldom Look on Love, pushes past the limits of convention into lives that are fantastic and heartbreakingly real. HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.
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My Very Good, Very Bad Dog

My Very Good, Very Bad Dog

Amy Newmark

Nonfiction / Animals / Cats

Sometimes you can choose your family… by choosing to love a dog! But just because they’re dogs, it doesn't mean they won't be as complex and individual as anyone else around. Our dogs can be so good, and then they can be not-so-good, but boy do they give us great stories! This collection of 101 funny, heartwarming, and sometimes mindboggling stories is all about all the very good, very bad, simply amazing things our dogs do.They come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. From goofy to guard, from hero to ham, and everywhere in between, our dogs are important and beloved members of our families. Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog will have readers of all breeds laughing, commiserating, and maybe even shedding a tear. These 101 heartwarming, humorous and completely true stories about our canine companions are sure to touch every dog lover's soul. Perfect for "man's best friend's"...
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Lion Called Christian

Lion Called Christian

Anthony Bourke

Nonfiction / Animals / Autobiography

The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion In 2008 an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion Christian, after they had left him in Africa with *Born Free’s* George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild. *A Lion Called Christian* tells the remarkable story of how Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, visitors to London from Australia in 1969, bought the boisterous lion cub in the pet department of Harrods. For several months, the three of them shared a flat above a furniture shop on London’s King’s Road, where the charismatic and intelligent Christian quickly became a local celebrity, cruising the streets in the back of a Bentley, popping in for lunch at a local restaurant, even posing for a fashion advertisement. But the lion cub was growing up—*fast*—and soon even the walled church garden where he went for exercise wasn’t large enough for him. How could Ace and John avoid having to send Christian to a zoo for the rest of his life? A coincidental meeting with English actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, stars of the hit film *Born Free*, led to Christian being flown to Kenya and placed under the expert care of “the father of lions” George Adamson. Incredibly, when Ace and John returned to Kenya to see Christian a year later, they received a loving welcome from their lion, who was by then fully integrated into Africa and a life with other lions. Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, *A Lion Called Christian* is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature
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Godsend

Godsend

Barry Knister

Animals / Dogs

Brenda Contay, determined to run away from her past, pursues her next story in Florida. James Rivera, believing he's destiny's child, helps people die. Even when they change their minds. Brenda's search for the story behind James Rivera will lead her back to her past, and to discover that destiny isn't waiting for us. It's what we make it.
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