Merle’s Door meets the Daily Coyote in this extraordinary story of a dog’s journey back to her family. Sophie Tucker, a three-year-old Australian blue heeler, goes overboard into the predator infested waters of the Great Barrier Reef, and Sophie’s heartbroken family has given her up for lost; little do they know that Sophie swam six miles to an isolated nature preserve called St. Bees—where she survived unassisted for five months by living off the land. The story of her survival and rescue is nothing short of miraculous.
Journalist Emma Pearse delves into Sophie’s story and re-creates the accident and Sophie’s improbable journey.
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Our dogs come into our lives as “just the family pet,” but before we know it they become drinking buddies and fuzzy shrinks, playmates and Cheerios-munching vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks and sleeping partners. And, in their mysterious and muttish ways, our dogs become our teachers.
When Dana Jennings and his son were both seriously ill—Dana with prostate cancer and his son with liver failure—their twelve-year-old miniature poodle Bijou became even more than a pet and teacher. She became a healing presence in their lives. After all, when you’re recovering from radical surgery and your life is uncertain, there’s no better medicine than a twenty-three-pound pooch who lives by the motto that it’s always best to play,
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Bear Speaks is a marvelous, fantastical teaching tale in the tradition of The Celestine Prophecy. A young professional woman from Los Angeles goes camping in the Montana wilderness to “find herself” and escape the pressures of family and fiancé, about whom she’s having some doubts. Once in the forest, she discovers that she is anything but alone. As she explores the natural world around her, she encounters the trickster coyote, a wise old spider and an adventurous raven, all of whom have the ability to shapeshift and communicate with her, mind to mind. And soon she finds herself falling in love with a magnificent bear named Ishmel.
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From Katrina Kittle, critically acclaimed author of The Kindness of Strangers, comes a wry and moving story of forgiveness, flexibility, happiness, and the art of moving on.
Veterinarian Cami Anderson has hit a rough patch. Stymied by her recent divorce, she wonders if there are secret ingredients to a happy, long-lasting marriage or if the entire institution is outdated and obsolete. Couples all around her are approaching important milestones. Her parents are preparing to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. Her brother and his partner find their marriage dreams legally blocked. Her former sister-in-law—still her best friend—is newly engaged.
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One day, at the age of thirty-one, Susan Richards realized that she was an alcoholic. She wrote it down in her journal, struck by the fact that it had taken nine years of waking up hung-over to name her illness. What had changed? Susan had a new horse, a spirited Morgan named Georgia, and, as she says: “It had something to do with Georgia. It had something to do with making a commitment as enormous as caring for a horse that might live as my companion for the next forty years. It had something to do with love.” Every day begins with a morning ride.
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“We’re just going to look.” Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend’s new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin.
When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn’t keep her—until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son’s smile. The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed.
Through happiness and heartbreak,
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