It Took a Dog

This is a story about a Great Pyrenees named Elsa and how she changed my life. I will detail how she went from an abandoned rescue dog at the animal refuge where I continue to volunteer, to my adopting her, bringing her to her forever home, and eventually becoming her therapy dog partner. I will also detail the work we do every week as a therapy dog team and stories about how she's touched and, occasionally, changed countless lives in our 20 months together as a therapy dog team. Many events occurred before we ever met which eventually led me to Elsa, so I'll start at the beginning, before I ever met Elsa. If you're a dog-lover, you must read this book. But if you are, you've probably read a gazillion dog books, so why another one? Because I believe this is so much more than just a good dog book. I promise you'll laugh, cry, and maybe even learn something you didn't already know. If you're a dog-hater, you also need to read this book. Why? Because we have an epidemic of dog- haters in this country, as the countless animal shelters can attest when they see the abuse and mistreatment of dogs entering their facilities every day. Maybe, if you give it a chance, you too could learn something and more readily accept the canine friends that we dog-lovers love. If you're a Great Pyrenees owner, or you know of someone who's owned a Great Pyrenees, like parents, a son or daughter, or just good friends, I hope I've already hooked you by the picture on the cover. The Great Pyrenees is the greatest dog breed ever made by God. You'll want to read on as I'll explain why. And if I've totally pissed off all the Golden Retriever owners out there, hang with me. The Golden Retriever is the most popular dog breed in America, possibly in the whole world. And as Elsa is a rescue dog, we're not totally sure she's a pure-bred Great Pyrenees. She has a soft face like a Golden, so there may be some Golden Retriever in her. So take heart. I love Goldens too. If you're a Christian, you definitely want to read this book! It will be uplifting and a positive experience. I'm a Christian, and I'm not ashamed. I'm proud to call Jesus Christ my Lord and savior. And it's my faith that led me to write this book in the first place, so it is a very important part (maybe the most important part) of my story. If you're a non-Christian, or a Muslim, or Buddhist or Hindu, or practice no religion at all, you need to read this book. If you can open your mind to new ideas and just give it a chance, I promise not to try to convert you to Christianity, but to hopefully give you something positive to think about and chew on. If you're a man, even though we don't show our emotions as much as our female counterparts, I think you, too, can find some humor and much-needed tenderness in this book. If you're a woman, need I say more? Read on, and get your husband or boyfriend to read also. So, I think that about covers it. If you don't fit into any of the above categories, then you aren't a member of the human race and you can crawl back into your cave and I won't bother you again. Otherwise, read on. But most of all, enjoy!