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Overview
78 million dogs live as pets in the USA. These are the lucky ones. Five to seven million companion animals enter shelters every year, and more than half are euthanized due to the lack of space.
Miracle Dogs celebrates and honors the rescuers and the dogs whose lives they've saved. It features wonderful stories and photographs of dog rescuers, dog trainers, and rescue organizations such as The Gentle Barn and Tamar Geller's Operation Heroes and Hounds, along with celebrity pet owners such as Chevy Chase, Hoda Kotb, Bob Einstein, Amanda Hearst, Jamie Lynn Siegler, and Lance Bass. Each story includes portraits of the dog and its new family, followed by a concise, compelling narrative detailing the dog's journey to its new home.A professional pet photographer, Liz Stavrinides spends much of her time on projects related to animal rescue. Miracle Dogs was born out of her desire to collect and share the stories of the dogs she's met over the years, showcasing the incredible bravery and compassion of both canines and owners. Readers will be moved by stories like that of Wyatt, an assistance dog who helped a young boy with autism communicate with the outside world, or Fiona, who was found blind and starving and is now in a loving family. All of them have finally found their furever homes. Stavrinides' portraits are heartwarming—a loving and poignant tribute to man's best friend.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781466845398 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 10/07/2014 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 272 |
| File size: | 31 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Melding her passion for photography with her immense love of dogs, LIZ STAVRINIDES' uniquely creative style emanates from her life-long pursuit of being a professional photographer. Each photograph is filled with the emotion, love and compassion for these incredible rescued animals and showcases their now cherished lives after being saved from unspeakable hardships and overwhelming tribulations. Through her work, Liz wants you to be touched by her photography and warmed by reading amazing stories about the incredible connection between heroes and their canine companions- ultimately helping these and other dogs find their forever homes. Although a San Francisco native, Liz now resides in La Quinta, California with her life-long best friends – her adorable rescued pups. Liz hopes you feel the unconditional love of dogs expressed in her work.
Liz Stavrinides is a critically-acclaimed photographer and author of Miracle Dogs and Extraordinary Dogs. In addition to also photographing people, architecture, and interiors, Liz has particularly combined two of her greatest passions in life—her love for animals and photography—into a meaningful career. Unleashing her creative eye in the studio and on location, Liz exclusively uses FUJIFILM X and GFX Series cameras. Her work has been published and exhibited widely, including Forbes, Modern Dog/Cat Magazine, Coastal Canine, Pebble Beach Magazine, FujiLove and Carmel Magazine.
Read an Excerpt
Miracle Dogs
Rescue Stories
By Liz Stavrinides
St. Martin's Press
Copyright © 2014 Liz StavrinidesAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4668-4539-8
CHAPTER 1
Wyatt
In the Field of Dreams
Danielle Townsend
I typically get about two kisses per year from Ashton. One on his birthday, and one on mine, maybe. Before he will agree to it, I have to wipe down my lips, and he insists on touching them to make sure they are dry. And then, the kiss is as quick as he can possibly make it. It has kind of turned into a joke in our home, but when I really stop to think about it, it's sad.
I carried Ashton in my belly for the full nine months, delivered him naturally, and had so many plans for all the hugs and kisses I would smother him with for the remainder of his life. Life didn't quite turn out like that, though. Instead, when Ashton falls and hurts himself, which is relatively often, I have to painfully watch from about two to three feet away. I wish I could grab him, kiss what hurts, and make it all better, but I now know that doing any of that will only make his pain worse. So I watch, trying to will some of his pain to transfer over to me.
When you have a child with autism, you read all these stories of how expensive treatments are, how there are a bazillion possible new causes, or how so many kids are on the spectrum now that the word autism has become as mainstream as ADD was twenty years ago. What you don't hear about as often, is the feeling of inadequacy that you feel as a parent. Suddenly, you question every decision you made during pregnancy. Are all of the therapies worth it? How much are you making the rest of your family sacrifice? I have actually had my other children say that everything we do is always for Ashton, Ashton, Ashton. And it is true. He needs more than they do. But how do you explain that to a six-year-old?
I've had feelings of guilt that we failed as parents of an autistic child. I still have not been able to reconcile with the fact that I can't comfort Ashton when he gets hurt. And even worse were the times he would disappear. I would be in the front yard pulling weeds with all the kids playing behind me. When I would look back, suddenly Ashton would be gone. No noise, no screaming, no one saw what happened to him, he would just simply disappear. Usually, it was because someone had upset him, and he decided to leave. I always found him in time before anything catastrophic happened, but I always felt that one time I might not. He has darted into elevators, right before the doors closed. He's run into the street, missed only by slow, careful drivers. I have received calls from school saying that he was missing. I was always on edge.
My feelings of incapability have always been outweighed by love, though. However tired I am, I never give up. If he needs an advocate, I am there fighting. If he needs therapy, we make it to those appointments. If there is a program that might help, I am going to make sure he is a part of it. I have no interest in curing Ashton. I think he has a lot to offer just as he is, and if I changed that, I would be doing this world a disservice. I just want to help make his way through our world a little easier. In that quest, I found Assistance Dogs of the West (ADW).
I had heard of service dogs being used as tools for people with autism a while back, and, when Ashton was almost five years old, I looked into several organizations. I chose to go with ADW because their methods were so thorough. They train rescue dogs and some dogs also come from accredited breeders. During their two years of training, the dogs live with several different people, that way they don't bond with one particular person before they are matched with their recipient. Kids help train, so the dogs get used to children giving orders, instead of just adults. People with various disabilities are also used to train the dogs. Not only does this provide jobs for these people with disabilities, but the dogs become desensitized to wheelchairs, walkers, slurred speech, or emotional outbursts. ADW has some of the most accomplished and amazing trainers and staff of any facility we visited.
We began the interview process with ADW in July 2010. They spent a lot of time getting to know us and our needs, and they listened to what I said we needed for Ashton in a dog. One of Ashton's autistic symptoms is that he has an extremely difficult time making new relationships, so he needed a dog that really wanted to bond with him. Our process took much longer than expected. We interviewed with dozens of dogs, and Ashton almost got placed with a chocolate Lab named Trevor, but Trevor developed some health problems that made our family a difficult match for him. There were times that I became a little discouraged, but ADW always assured me that we would get the right dog, and we definitely did. In June 2012 we finally found Wyatt, our little golden retriever. The first time we met Wyatt, he was only eight months old. It was love at first sight. Wyatt just knew. He knew what Ashton needed from him. He knew what I needed from him. He knew just the right amount of energy to have. And that FACE! Really, no one can resist him.
Once we brought Wyatt home, there was an immediate change in Ashton. He began to develop a certain amount of patience and empathy that we had never seen in him before. He and his younger brother, Nathan, are now inseparable almost all the time at home. It definitely wasn't like that before. Ashton would isolate himself. Now, when I meet with school staff, they explain how Ashton is so well liked and social in class. Last spring, Ashton and Wyatt joined a Little League team for special needs kids. Ashton is a fielder and hitter, and Wyatt is the mascot and sometimes pinch runner alongside those who need to borrow him for a little encouragement. I never thought I would see Ashton play any type of sport. It's such a huge change from where we began. When we are out, Ashton loves to tell people all about Wyatt, and how he belongs to just him.
During Wyatt's training at ADW, both the trainers and Ashton worked exhaustively with hide-and-seek. Since Ashton is what we call a "bolter," we needed Wyatt to be able to find him in a hurry when Ashton disappeared. This was always one of the main goals for Wyatt. But Wyatt and Ashton had ideas of their own. Although they still love to play hide-and- seek, they have just decided that it would be better if they stayed together all the time, and that it would be better if Ashton didn't disappear anymore. It was a consequence of Wyatt being around that I had never even considered. When we are out, Ashton always holds on to Wyatt's leash, so he does not have the opportunity to wander off or hide. At home, instead of running off when he is upset, Ashton is comforted by Wyatt. Although he rejects any comfort from people, Wyatt doesn't seem to have to follow the same rules. If Ashton scrapes his knee, Wyatt comes and licks it, and then he licks Ashton's face, and then lies next to him and takes his mind off of what happened. If Ashton is having a meltdown, Wyatt comes and lies on top of him to calm him down. When Ashton needs to go to sleep, Wyatt hops in bed with him, or Ashton crawls and sleeps with Wyatt on his bed. Ashton is finally getting a good night's sleep for the first time in his life.
Has Wyatt cured Ashton? No, of course not. But Wyatt gives Ashton an outlet. He gives him protection. He gives him kisses. He gives him comfort. And by proxy, he gives the rest of us all of those things, too. I even sometimes bribe Ashton to give me a hug by telling him that I won't feed Wyatt until he does. Call it what you will, but I've easily doubled my hugs! "I'm only doing this because I really care for you!" he tells Wyatt.
I still feel like I come up short sometimes. I assume every parent does at some point. But now Wyatt is like my helping hand. Even though he has only been with us for a short time, I could not imagine life without him. He finally gave Ashton a connection to the world and for that I will always be thankful to him, and to all of those who had a role in bringing him to us.
CHAPTER 2Dingo, Foster, and Lily
What Money Can't Buy
Lance Bass
Lance Bass, who rose to fame as the bass singer for 'N Sync, has had an extended career in film and television, and most recently he was paired with the swing dance champ Lacey Schwimmer on Dancing with the Stars. Lance, who has a passion for music, dance, and acting, is most passionate about, you guessed it: rescue dogs!
Lance has had eight rescue dogs from animal shelters. "The nicest, sweetest loving dogs come from the pound," Lance says. "I think that they know where they come from. They started with a rough life being sent away, not being loved and wanted, and they know that, and it stays with them the rest of their lives."
"Finding a home for a dog is so fulfilling," says Lance. And who better than him to know this!
Lance is brave and softhearted, his dogs would tell you, because they know this to be true. When he went to the shelter for one dog, he came home with two, both of whom had serious injuries. They could not have survived without him. "They had suffered enough," he says.
Shannon, a friend who worked at the shelter, relayed to Lance that two dogs had just come in together. Lance was touched, and he missed having a dog since his recent move to Los Angeles.
He was stunned when the shelter manager told him of these two dogs, and their brothers and sisters, being thrown out of the window of a speeding car in a garbage bag. His heart sunk. The dogs had landed hard on the road surface. Only two had survived; these two, with major injuries.
Lance mustered his courage for what he would see as the manager led him to the crate where the dogs were housed. The dogs had been named Dingo and Foster. Lance looked at them, alive and suffering. Their injuries were multiple, terrible, and required costly care.
They had not only hit the pavement, but they had also been struck by passing cars. Dingo had two broken hips, and a torn ACL and he also suffered from cancer. Foster had two torn ACLs and a broken leg. Both dogs struggled to stand when Lance approached, and they winced in pain. Their life story had been tragic so far.
Dingo and Foster were half–Australian shepherd/half-beagle mixes. Foster was a good-sized brown-and-blond dog, and Dingo was a stockier dog with the tricolored Aussie markings of brown, black, and white.
Lance was immediately taken with them, but he felt conflicted: He had only came for one dog. His heart leaped for Dingo. Dingo was mellower and seemed resigned. Foster was more active and struggled to Lance's side, and Foster was clearly not going to let Lance go. Aussies are known to be smart dogs. Maybe Foster knew that Lance was his only chance in life, and he was going for it.
Lance relented. "It wouldn't be fair to separate them," he says. He bucked up and adopted both.
They went home, had all the surgeries they needed, fought to gain their strength, and, today, Lance says, "They are the greatest dogs ever." Dogs can have a bad start, and somehow become so filled with gratitude that love just keeps pouring from them.
Lance's heart took over again, when he fell in love with Lily. Lily was being used as bait for dogfighting. She, too, was in horrible shape when he first saw her and his heart broke. "So many dogs need a loving home," Lance says. This was the tenderness that led to fixing Lily's life. This terrier mix is playful and loving, and she is now the boss at home, along with Dingo and Foster, of course.
Dingo loves to snuggle, Foster will play catch until the cows come home, and Lily will only ride in the car on the driver's lap! Lance says, "I just love them all!"
CHAPTER 3Goodman
Can't Keep a Goodman Down
Marcy Warren
Things were very hectic at our home last summer. My husband was recovering from a heart attack. I was stressed about his health. We had just lost our precious Matilda, a border collie rescue, to an illness and were still grieving. I missed her — a lot. I remember getting up one day and thinking, "I cannot handle one more crisis!"
Later that day, I received an e-mail from my good friend, Michelle Neufeld Montak, founder of the Gimme Shelter rescue organization in the Hamptons. One of her rescues, a pit bull named Katie, needed a foster home immediately. As I looked at Katie's photo, my mind flashed back to the old reruns of The Little Rascals series because she looked just like Petey, the gang's faithful dog.
I thought of all the strays that have physical and emotional problems resulting from abuse. Homeless. Helpless. Unloved. I remembered how hard Michelle works to find homes for them. Suddenly I quit thinking about my problems.
I called Michelle and told her that I would come to her boarding facility to meet Katie. When I arrived, she introduced me to Katie, who had no interest or connection with me at all. I was disappointed, of course. As I started to leave I saw the most beautiful white, black, and brown dog. He looked just like an Aussie shepherd/border collie, very similar to Matilda. He was so timid and shy and cowered when I went to pet him. I told Michelle, "This dog just has the greatest eyes, there is something so special about him."
Michelle began to share the details about this Aussie mix. She told me how she rescued him from Chesterfield County, a poor and very rural county in South Carolina, where people don't spay or neuter their dogs, which results in the county having a very high population of homeless animals. He was picked up as a stray by animal control one day and brought to the county kill shelter. She had no idea what his life was like before she found him at the shelter, but she said that someone must not have been very kind to him, because he would hit the ground flat if you looked his way or reached down to pet him.
"The minute I saw his face I connected with him. I saw something very soulful and vulnerable about this sweet boy, which touched me. I knew I had to save him," Michelle said. She then added: "His name is Goodman."
Halfway through Michelle's explanation, I had already made up my mind to foster him, but as soon as I heard his name, I felt it was fate.
"This must be meant to be!" I told Michelle. "My maiden name is Goodman!"
"I want to take him home to see how well he will get along with the girls," I said to Michelle. Panda and Foxy, my little Pomeranians can be very possessive and territorial.
"If you have any problems, please call right away and I'll come get him," Michelle said.
As I opened the back hatch door of my SUV, Goodman just sat there and looked at me and then looked over at the passenger door. I understood what he wanted. When I opened the front door, he jumped into the "shotgun" position. As I drove, he kept his nose out the window as if he was taking his first smell of freedom. I had tears in my eyes as Goodman's head turned to take in every sight, smell, and noise on the ride home, every once in a while licking my hand on the steering wheel.
I called and asked my husband to bring Panda and Foxy outside for their first meeting because Goodman was so skittish. When we arrived, my husband was outside with the girls. Before Goodman's paws hit the ground, Panda and Foxy welcomed him with lots of doggy kisses and they all rolled in the grass. The three dogs fell in love instantly. As the girls ran to the front door, Goodman looked at me with his expressive eyes. They seemed to say, "Thank you," as he took off to follow them.
Once in, Goodman suddenly stopped. The sound of his nails clicking on the wood flooring frightened him. He picked up one paw, but didn't put it down. He whined until my husband picked him up and put him on the carpeting.
Panda and Foxy ran past Goodman, and up the stairs they went. He ran after them, but stopped at the foot of the stairs and refused to climb. He looked at me as if he was beaten and began to cower again.
When I climbed the stairs and called for him, Goodman howled, the mournful cry of an animal in pain.
It suddenly dawned on me that Goodman had never been inside a house before.
My husband and I weren't sure what to do. We'd never had a dog that didn't know what being an indoor dog meant. In fact, Goodman was so nervous about being in the house that when my husband left for work the next day, and every day for a week afterward, Goodman bolted out of the door behind him and ran down the street howling in the opposite direction. I became known in our neighborhood as "the crazy lady in the robe chasing a dog down the street yelling, 'Goodman, come back!'"
It took weeks and lots of love to get Goodman to trust my husband and me. We literally had to take the smallest steps to get him used to walking on the wood floors and climbing the stairs. Once this was accomplished, we still had the challenge of getting Goodman to come down the stairs. I think someone must have thrown or kicked him down the stairs because he would howl and curl up in a ball if we stood behind him.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Miracle Dogs by Liz Stavrinides. Copyright © 2014 Liz Stavrinides. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
Acknowledgments,
Author's Note,
1. In the Field of Dreams • Wyatt • Danielle Townsend,
2. What Money Can't Buy • Dingo, Foster, and Lily • Lance Bass,
3. Can't Keep a Goodman Down • Goodman • Marcy Warren,
4. From Trauma to Trust • Jake, Trooper, and Sage • Andrea Eastman,
5. The Gentle Barn • Ellie Laks,
6. My New BFF • Blake • Hoda Kotb,
7. The Dog in the Gilded Cage • Goobers • Jennifer Miller,
8. The Mighty Wonder Dog • Marvin • Bill Volpi,
9. Pia's Passion • Miss Molly • Pia Grønning,
10. The Goldens Rule • Chris and Cody • Jayni and Chevy Chase,
11. Opening Hearts and Homes • Pistache • Natalie Garcia,
12. Say Hey Kid • Willie Mays • Bob Einstein,
13. Getting His Seal of Approval • Buddy • Travis Mayfield,
14. The Answer to a Prayer • Abby • Sarah Jang,
15. The Karmic Journey • Lola, Lucky, and Lucy • Natasha Hofmekler,
16. Always Room for One More • Teddybear, Darby, Maizie, and Lovey • Laurie and Peter Marshall,
17. Bringing Smiles to Everyone • Rémy Martin • M. Michele Martin,
18. Angels Who Walk Among Us • Otis, Donni, Breaker, and Lulu • Michelle Neufeld Montak,
19. The Little Dog with the Big Name • Houston • Logan Holzman,
20. Loved Hounds and Heroes • Tamar Geller,
21. On Board to Forever • Priscilla and the Puppies • Lisa Blodgett,
22. Laughter Heals the Broken Heart • Bart • Tyra Golter,
23. Prisoners of Profit • Finn • Amanda Hearst,
24. Spinning Wheels Got to Go Round • Jax • Caryn Rosenthal,
25. The Courageous Ones • Phoebe and Belle • Basia Christ,
26. The Buzz on Biggie • Biggie • Coppy Holzman,
27. The Chance of a Lifetime • Chance • Dan Shaw,
28. The Next One Will Find You • Mixer • Loretta Mosher,
29. Living Life to the Max • Max • Rene Dell'Acqua,
30. Four Plus One Equals Fun • Rootsie Tootsie, Nicole, Sparky, and Kissy • Ruta Lee,
31. Riding Shotgun • Buddy • Lisa Sickler Watts,
32. The Right Place at the Right Time • Cherie, Tilly, Jacqueline, Toots, and Lillien • Kaye Ballard,
33. The Conqueror of Hearts • Constantine • David and Carrie Evans,
34. The Underdog That Realized His Dream • Rudy • David Evans,
35. Dog's Best Friend • Hana and King • Shirley Jones,
36. The Good, the Bad, and the Bean • Bean • Jamie-Lynn Sigler,
37. From Mexico with Love • Little Bear • Adrienne Barbeau,
38. They Could No Longer Run • Bronco, Desilu, Gabe, and Emmy • Erin and George Pennacchio,
39. Princess Fiona • Fiona • Chris and Michele Gentry,
40. Package of Joy • Olive • Lisa Arturo,
41. Against the Odds • Tess • Lynn Kincaid,
42. Rescued at Sea • Lucky Lady • John and Michele Lissberger,
43. The Pet Rescue Center • Christine Madruga,
44. Hairy Houdini • Belle • Andrea Greeven Douzet,
45. Sometimes a Hug Is All We Need • Madison • Christina Kirk,
46. My Greatest Gift • Spencer • Laura Chamberlin,
47. Never Too Old to Fall in Love • Shasta, Echo, Graham, and Marina • Heather Schmidt,
48. Healing the Brokenhearted • Emma and Arthur • Ellen and Chuck Scarborough,
49. The Miracle Dog • Kody • Peter Anthony,
50. "The Person" Named Harry • Harry • Charisse Keck,
About the Contributors,
Copyright,