Putting together a book like this takes the help of many people. We want to acknowledge our families, friends, staff, business partners, colleagues and others who contributed to make
Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover’s Soul
happen!

First, a huge thank you to our families!

To Jack’s family, who, in the midst of the pressure-filled weeks it takes to finish a book like this, constantly reminded him to slow down, smell the roses, “purr the cats” and pet the bunnies. To Jack’s mother, Ellen, who instilled in him a love for all creatures big and small, and whose stepfather, Fred, worked so hard to purchase, house and feed them—from the purebreds to the numerous strays that inevitably appeared on their doorstep.

To Mark’s wife, Patty, who has the biggest heart for animals of almost anyone we know in the whole world; and to his daughter, Elisabeth, who often declares that she is going to become an animal chiropractor, and to his daughter, Melanie, who has decided that one of her chief missions in life is to help save the elephants on the planet.

To Marty’s cherished wife, Teresa, and his beloved children, Mikkel and Lex, whose love, loyalty, laughter and vitality ignite Marty’s desire to tackle many projects and fuel his daily walk. To Virginia Becker and the late Bob Becker, who passed on the DNA that says, “Love pets like family.” To Teresa’s family—Valdie, Jim and Rocky Burkholder—whose rock-solid support and avalanche of goodwill have allowed Marty the freedom to globetrot in pursuit of helping pets and people, with the blessing of returning to a hometown oasis of beauty, simplicity and serenity.

To Carol’s husband, Larry, for his seemingly endless strength, kindness and support. Without him, this book could not have been written. And to Carol’s stepchildren, Lorin and McKenna, two fantastic people who inspire her constantly with their creativity, humor and enthusiasm. To Carol’s lovely mother, Selmajean Schneider, for her constant encouragement and to Carol’s father, Raymond Zurer, who lives on in the hearts of his family. To her wonderful brothers and sisters and their families, Jim— ”Mr. Internet”—and Diana, cheerleaders Barbara and Wilbur, fellow pet-lovers Burt, Pam and Rachel, and the ever-charming and delightful Holly.

Special thanks go to Marci Shimoff, whose generosity and brilliance is unparalleled. Your friendship is so precious to us. We love you, Marci.

Grateful thanks go to Heather McNamara, our senior editor, whose skill and steadiness make her such an invaluable asset. To Nancy Autio, for her hard work and patience getting all the permissions we needed and for miraculously keeping all of the simultaneous “book action” straight. To Leslie Forbes, for her help with permissions, for forwarding e-mails and cartoons, and keeping this book on track. And to Patty Aubery, who astounds us with her ability to get everything done with warmth, humor and skill. You go girl!

A large round of applause goes to the incredible Linn Thomas, whose dedication, hard work and considerable talents are only matched by his enormous heart. And to Anne Sellaro, our publicity and public relations expert whose boundless energy, creativity, enthusiasm and dogged determination have allowed us to reach millions of pet lovers; Anne, you are a sparkling fountain of dynamism, beauty and bright ideas.

Thanks go to:

Kimberly Kirberger, for her ongoing support of this project; Ro Miller, Veronica Romero, Lisa Williams, Laurie Hartman, Robin Yerian and Teresa Esparza, for holding down the fort while the rest of us wrote and edited.

Beverly Merson, for her constant encouragement and valuable assistance, as well as her empathy and charm; Bryan Aubrey, an impeccable editor and brilliant mind. Your feedback was useful beyond measure and your assistance made the whole thing fun as well. Well done, old chap; Cindy Jevne Buck, a great collaborator, whose thoughtful and deft editing was greatly appreciated; Betsy Hinchman, a mega-animal-lover and dear friend, for much-needed input and help with story selection and editing; Teresa Williams, Natalie Cleeton and Ruthie Hutchings for superb editing work; Karie Hansen, Carol’s office angel, for her important assistance with everything and Craig Herndon, our trusty computer whiz; Jim Rubis, for going the extra mile; the Fairfield Printing crew for their professional friendly service; Sherry, Tom and all the other kind faces at the post office.

Fred C. Angelis, Jack’s stepfather, who read and commented on every story in the book. Your thoughtful feedback was extremely useful.

Joel Goodman and Hanoch McCarty for taking the time to send us funny pet cartoons.

We thank some key partners, Bayer Animal Health and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, for supporting this book—first as pet lovers, and second as companies that have devoted incredible resources over many years to helping pets live happier, healthier, fuller lives. We would like to single out John Payne from Bayer, and Gilles Guillemette, Blake Hawley, Paula Stack, Dorset Sutton, Chuck Wayner and Bob Wheeler from Hill’s, for special recognition. They are extraordinary friends, good stewards of the resources at their disposal and special shepherds of The Bond.

Thanks to all of the people who agreed to dedicate a few weeks to evaluating, commenting upon and improving the stories you see in this book. Their feedback was priceless. The panel of readers included: Fred C. Angelis, Bryan Aubrey, Virginia Becker, Carol J. Benson, Elizabeth Brown, Valdie Burkholder, Joanne Clevenger, Tom Colvin, Wallace L. Croskey, Sharon DeNayer, Robin Downing, D.V.M., Lisa Drucker, Thales Finchum, Mary Gagnon, Elinor Hall, Betsy Hinchman, Allison Janse, Bud and Phyliss Johnston, Bettie Kapiloff, Rita M. Kline, Christi Leahs, M. B. Leininger, D.V.M., Barbara Lomonaco, Ariane Luckey, Holly Moore, Jana Murphy, Janice Phillips, Alisa Pucher, Mary Rubis, Marci Shimoff, Sarah Skoglund, Sharon Cuddy Somers, Laura May Story, C.V.T., Carolyn Strickland, Jan Sturges, Celeste Wallace, Luree Welch, and Mark Wood, D.V.M.

All the people at our publisher, Health Communications, Inc.—especially Peter Vegso, for his guidance and support, and for getting the book into the hands of millions of readers.

Christine Belleris, Matthew Diener, Allison Janse and Lisa Drucker, our skilled and dedicated editors at Health Communications; Randee Feldman, our dear friend and
Chicken Soup for the Soul
product manager; and Tom Sand, who helps us make sure our books are sold worldwide. And, to our hard-working publicists, Kim Weiss and Larry Getlen, who were always there to support us and give us words of encouragement along the way.

Grateful thanks, also, to our friend Terry Burke and the fabulous sales team, and to Kelly Maragni and the great marketing team, for their hard work and professional excellence. And to everyone in the telemarketing and customer service departments, our thanks, as well.

Claude Choquette, who manages year after year to get each of our books translated into over twenty languages around the world.

All of Marty’s veterinary colleagues who have helped shine energizing light on the sanctity and precious nature of The Bond including: R. K. Anderson, Michael Blackwell, Scott Campbell, Tom Catanzaro, Robin Downing, Steve Garner, Roger Kuhn, Kathy Mitchener, Greg Ogilvie, Peg Rucker, Jack Stephens, Rolan Tripp, Chuck Wayner, Jim Wilson, and the late Leo Bustad and Jan Wolf.

Other pet-partners who have inspired us or helped us in some special way that contributed directly and significantly to the success of this book and the causes it promotes: Kathleen Gilligan,
Spokesman-Review;
Stephanie Hargreaves,
Amazon.com
;
Lyn Henderson,
Petsburgh
USA/Animal Planet;
Ken Leonardo and Shawn Walker,
Animal Planet;
Ann Oldenberg,
USA Today.
A huge hug and special thanks to our special friend, Patty Neger of
Good
Morning America,
who blasts through mountains to help us help pets.

We also wish to thank the more than three thousand people who took the time to submit stories, poems and other pieces for consideration. All of the stories we received were special, but unfortunately the book could only be so long and most could not be included.

Because of the enormity of this project, we may have left out names of some people who helped us along the way. If so, we are sorry. Please know that we really do appreciate all of you.

Introduction

You hold in your hands the ticket for a very special journey:
Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover’s Soul.
This collection of true stories about cats, dogs (and other critters) is guaranteed to warm your heart and lift your spirits— in the same way that our pets cheer and inspire us daily. In fact, those of us who live with cats and dogs know that our animal companions
are
“Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

Cat lovers will tell you that cats are poetry in motion, living sculptures at rest, and that the warm weight of a purring cat on your lap is a surefire cure for what ails you.

Dogs also have a tremendous talent for melting our hearts with their unquestioning devotion and unbridled enthusiasm for us, their people. Dog lovers can attest that sharing your life with a dog, or two, can be as entertaining as it is comforting.

In today’s crazy, busy world, pets, perhaps more than anything else, teach us to appreciate the simple joys of life.

It all started a long, long time ago, when one day a human reached down and patted a dog or cat as a reward for helping with the hunt, guarding a home or polishing off pesky rodents. In that instant, something magical happened—the human-animal bond was born.

It was then the dog, tail wagging, and the cat, madly purring, joined mankind at the fireside. A new covenant was formed—and since then, mankind has benefited from having a genuine, mutually supportive, and loving relationship with animals.

Today’s cat and dog owners love their pets—and they also love to share stories about them. We received thousands of story submissions for this book from cat and dog lovers around the world. It was terribly difficult to choose which stories to include, but finally, we selected the ones that we hoped would deepen people’s respect, compassion and appreciation for the entire animal kingdom, as well as for the cats and dogs who share our homes.

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