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Second Chances,
More Tales of Found Dogs (The
Lyons Press, October 2003; $19.95, Hardcover) tells
the stories
of unwanted and discarded dogs that,
when given a second chance, greatly enriched the lives
of the people who saved them. From celebrities such as
Jamie Lee Curtis, Donna Shalala, Mikhail Baryshnikov
and Oscar de la Renta, to everyday heroes who are
barbers,
ranchers, students, teachers and realtors - all have
been profoundly touched by their relationships with
their dogs.
Readers will meet found dogs who are service dogs, protectors
and friends - offering solace, aid, companionship and
inspiration. Here are a few examples:
Harry: an adopted stray whose owner calls him her "sobriety
dog."
Popsicle: a young pit bull found by a cop in an abandoned
freezer during a midwinter drug raid. Used by a drug
dealer as "bait" for training fighting dogs,
Popsicle was covered in blood, emaciated and nearly frozen.
After being nursed back to health at an animal shelter,
he was trained by the U.S. Customs Service for a career
as a star drug detection dog, identifying marijuana,
hashish, cocaine and methamphetamines.
Bobby Blue: a seven-year-old Samoyed stray, picked up
by cops on the street. A photographer adopted him and
certified him for pet therapy. Now the pair are regular
visitors at a pediatric neurology and neuropathy unit,
making sick kids smile.
Elise Lufkin and Diana Walker have captured the essence
of these relationships in their essays and photographs,
offering Second Chances, More Tales of Found Dogs as
a moving tribute to the power of the love between people
and dogs.
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