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MIRACLE DOGS: Rescue Stories by Liz Stavrinides @miracledogs
Approximately 3.9 million dogs enter animal shelters each year, and unfortunately roughly a third of these pets are euthanized due to lack of space. In MIRACLE DOGS: Rescue Stories (St. Martin’s Press; on sale 10/7) author and professional pet photographer Liz Stavrinides celebrates and honors the rescuers and the dogs whose lives they’ve saved through her impeccable photography and heartwarming stories, while raising awareness to animal rescue and pet adoption in America.
On sale during Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month, MIRACLE DOGS features celebrity rescue pet owners, including Hoda Kotb, Lance Bass, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Chevy Chase, rescue organizations and everyday families, showcasing both the canines’ and their owners’ incredible bravery and compassion. A poignant tribute to man’s best friend, each story offers a compelling narrative detailing the dog’s journey to its new home, some to look forward to include:
- The story of Wyatt, an assistance dog who helped a young boy with autism communicate with the outside world
- Uplifting stories from organizations like The Gentle Barn, which is home to 130 rescue animals who once they are rehabilitated help to heal abused children
- Stories similar to that of Fiona’s who was found blind and starving before finding her loving family
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Liz Stavrinides has combined two of her greatest passions, animals and photography, into a successful career. After stints in the culinary arts and real estate, Liz has been a professional photographer since 2011, focusing most of her work on animal rescue.
She also volunteers her services to nonprofit rescue organizations. She resides in La Quinta, California with her rescued pups. Visit her website: http://miracledogsphoto.com/ for more information.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“[A] heartwarming collection of stories and portraits of 50 amazing dogs and their loving owners…sure to inspire a trip to the local shelter.”—Publishers Weekly
“[An] uplifting and inspirational book…essential for dog lovers and those who are active in rescue as well as animal photography fans.” — Library Journal
“Miracle Dogs demonstrates a truth that lies at the heart of all rescue stories: That sharing a home with an animal—especially one that’s been forgotten and left to the fates—can enrich even the most glamorous and well-lived lives.”
—Jim Gorant, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Dogs
“Each touching vignette captures and radiates the simple, profound and enduring joy of sharing our lives with dogs.”
— Nick Trout, bestselling author of Tell Me Where It Hurts and Dog Gone, Back Soon
“Miracle Dogs is an uplifting, inspirational collection that will make you want to rescue a dog (or forty).
If you have never experienced the undying gratitude and unconditional love of a shelter dog for his new family, take one look at these photos and read these stories. The wagging tails, goofy smiles and furry hugs say it all.”
—David Rosenfelt, author of Dogtripping
“After finishing Miracle Dogs, I’m still struggling to decide who was rescued by whom. Through masterfully warm photography that accompanies each perfectly pitched rescue story,
Liz Stavrinides superbly conveys the dichotomy of the world of canine rescue — is it the dog or the human custodian who ends up on the rescued end of the leash?”
—Steven Wolf, author of Comet’s Tale: How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life
“There has probably been as much written about dogs as any subject on earth, and yet no book has managed to really capture it, until Miracle Dogs. Dogs are beyond words. It’s more than the loyalty, unquestioned love, companionship, devotion, innocence, purity of spirit, and boundless joy when you come through the door. It’s more than making you feel special when you don’t, or curling up next to you when you need to be curled up next to. Miracle Dogs perfectly encapsulates what dogs mean to us, and how we connect to them.”
—Bill Persky, Emmy Award-winning director, screenwriter, producer, and actor
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Cold Days, Hot Tea and Good Books
My formula for cold winter days is cuddling with Jacob with some lemon tea and reading a good book! We dream about California, the sun and the beach. We read and read and hug and hug. Winter seems to go by faster but we are counting the days. He is so bundled up and PAWS balloon booties are a must in NYC.
Here are some dog books we have been reading lately and highly recommend:
1. Ambassador Dogs by Lisa Loeb
Dogs are ambassadors to the world and our own local communities. They come to serve and love us as only they know how. Accompanied by 175 color images, discover the remarkable connection between dogs and humans through the inspiring stories of 24 dogs and the owners whose lives they have made better. Meet Paddington, the official greeter at Thorncroft Equestrian Center, and Cody, a search and rescue dog. Learn the story behind Pals for Life, an organization that provides therapy animal visits, and Francisvale, a safe haven for abandoned dogs. The stories range from service dogs that make life easier for those in need to much-loved household pets that offer love and companionship each day for family members. Dog lovers everywhere will delight in these wonderfully witty and entertaining stories.
2. Inside of a Dog – Alexandra Horowitz
The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human. Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draws a picture of what it might be like to be a dog. What’s it like to be able to smell not just every bit of open food in the house but also to smell sadness in humans, or even the passage of time? How does a tiny dog manage to play successfully with a Great Dane? What is it like to hear the bodily vibrations of insects or the hum of a fluorescent light? Why must a person on a bicycle be chased? What’s it like to use your mouth as a hand? In short, what is it like for a dog to experience life from two feet off the ground, amidst the smells of the sidewalk, gazing at our ankles or knees?
3. Help Your Shy Dog – Deborah Wood
Fifteen to twenty percent of dogs are born with a tendency towards introversion and fearfulness, leading to behaviors like uncontrolled submissive urination, fear-aggression, and inability to bond with humans. With understanding and the right training, fearful dogs need not be condemned as bad pets; rather, they can become some of the happiest and most deeply bonded dogs around the epitome of great pets.
