Lost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories about Cocker Spaniels, Duffy Kyla, Mumford Lowrey

Excerpt: "When we first brought Bella home from the rescue, our 10-year-old English Bulldog, Tonka, did not appreciate her enthusiasm to become instant best buddies. Bella took a quieter approach the second time we introduced them, which went well, and though Tonka remained the boss, they reached an agreement. Tonka quickly learned that Bella had many talents; for example, she could shield him from the rain when he used the bathroom. His strategy was to wait until Bella did her business and then quickly run down the stairs and stand under her to pee. Bella Umbrella tolerantly waited, checking between her front legs to make sure she was covering him completely. She s his perfect big little sister." -Debbie, Scott, Kaitlyn, and Ben McIntyre

Read more about Bella and other wonderful Great Danes inside

Excerpt: "My mother-in-law lives next door, and while my husband and I were out running errands, she heard a commotion coming from our home office. One by one, our Beagles were jumping out of our office window like paratroopers Now, you have to picture a 73-year-old woman trying to convince seven mostly self-absorbed Beagles to come back into the house after just a few minutes of unbridled freedom. She managed to wrangle two or three of the more compliant hounds and get them back inside before my husband returned home and rounded up the rest. Lesson learned. Thanks to our Beagle gates (not just for babies anymore ), our dogs have been safely secured ever since." -Paula Roy

Excerpt: "Angel, a stray who had been abused before I adopted her, has really lived up to her name. I live alone and have multiple sclerosis (MS); Angel is perfect for me because we take care of each other. However, it turns out I m not the only one she s watching out for. One night during the wee hours, Angel became restless and woke me up. I rarely go out late at night, but she seemed so anxious that I figured I should take her out. Since she stays by me either on or off the leash, I unhooked her leash so she could do what she needed to do, but instead of going back to the grass, Angel ran into the parking lot and went between two vehicles. When I caught up with Angel, I found her sitting next to one of our tenants, who was lying on the ground in a fetal position with his walker nearby..." -Jan Nash

Read this exciting story and more in the book

Excerpt: "While searching Petfinder.com in May, I found what I considered to be a treasure: Snowy, a deaf, blind, three-year-old, double-merle Sheltie. She was residing in a shelter in Missouri, half a continent away from our home in Pennsylvania, but, despite the distance, I knew she was meant to become a member of our family. I contacted the shelter, only to find out that I was too late. Snowy was being adopted by someone who lived in can you believe it Pennsylvania Hmm, what were the odds of that? In August, I was still thinking about Snowy when I received an email from Northern Chesapeake Sheltie Rescue (NCSR) about two double-merle Shelties they had recently taken in. I did not think much about it until, later that week, I saw a post on the NCSR email list asking a question about a blind, deaf female double merle. I brushed aside the stray papers to find the picture of Snowy. My eyes went immediately to her face. Could it be?" -Debbie Bauer

Read more about Treasure and other wonderful rescued dogs inside

Excerpt: "A lady and her husband were hiking in the desert when a little, white something came running toward them at top speed. The blur turned out to be a Boxer with coyotes close on his tail. Rocky had been stray for at least a month before being taken into rescue, probably surviving by picking oranges from nearby orchards and then peeling them to enjoy the fruits of his labor (we have seen his talent with our own eyes). As a rescue volunteer, I was asked to foster Rocky, but I did not. I adopted him Dubbed The Little Ambassador, Rocky turned out to be the perfect big brother for all foster dogs who passed through our home, nurturing them with love, patience, and understanding." -Judy Bailey

Read more about Rocky and many other amazing Boxers inside

Excerpt: "Sandy suffered badly from seizures and was concerned about collapsing alone at home or being embarrassed by one in public. She discovered that while her husband, Bud, could not be with her all the time, a seizure alert dog could. Only a handful of dogs have the ability to alert their guardians when a seizure is coming, and it turned out that five-year-old Ben, who was about to be euthanized for outstaying his welcome at a shelter, did. Since adopting Ben, Sandy is more confident about going outside and being at home by herself because she knows he will tell her when a seizure is coming. Ben went from almost losing his life as an expiring pound puppy to giving a woman a whole new leash on life. What a dog " -Barb Rabe and Debra J. White

Read more about Sandy and other amazing Chihuahuas inside

Excerpt: "Shortly after adopting Cooper my mother visited. Before running to the store, she'd pulled 24 meatballs out of the freezer and placed them in a dish by the stove. We returned to find the dish where we left it, but no meatballs (surprise ). Several months later she visited again - this time putting a baked ham in the same dish the meatballs had been stolen from. Having to again leave the house, I wisely hid the ham in the laundry room. Nevertheless, we came home to find it, along with the glass dish, in the family room How did Cooper get the dish off the dryer without breaking the glass? Where was all the grease? Only Cooper knew for sure and he wasn't telling. But my wild, young Lab was training me... Next time I'll remember to close the laundry room door." -Mary Campisi

Excerpt: "While everyone else was counting down the final 24 hours before Christmas, we were on the countdown to our new foster dog, Pecos. Pecos came with a mystery affliction, but her saving grace was an apparent lack of pain. She wobbled when she walked, with an odd, over-reaching step, and any movement appeared to be a challenge. We learned that Pecos loved alternating between a doggie cart and a Red Flyer wagon for mobility. People applauded her effort to walk and asked to have their pictures taken with her. She adored the attention and gave a kiss to anyone who wanted one. She had a special fondness for licking the feet of squealing, excited babies. Between social calls, we were desperately searching for a diagnosis, which took us to several specialists. Pecos had blood tests, X-rays, a spinal tap, an MRI, rehab therapy, acupuncture, and holistic treatments. Then, one day, we finally received the diagnosis..." -Diane McManus

Read Pecos whole story inside

Excerpt: "As I reentered the kitchen, I saw everyone huddled around Wilbur, just staring at him. It turns out he found a 6-pack of Jell-O in the back of the fridge, climbed in, and pulled out the treasure. There he stood in the middle of the kitchen, removing the foil tops from each container and then passing them out like an ice cream truck driver passes out ice cream. Delilah and Bully were already enjoying their treats while my other two Doxies waited patiently in line. For a second I thought that Wilbur was going to turn around and ask them for twenty-five cents " -Helen LaBuda

Excerpt: "As I stepped through the door and onto the cold concrete floor, I was practically bowled over by a huge Golden, barreling towards me at full-speed As he humped my leg and chewed on my forearm I looked around the sterile room, bare except for a dog crate, food bowl, and water bowl. Through the sliding glass doors I could see that the Scotties had a wonderful yard to play in, so why was this Golden stuck in the basement like this? There was no way I was leaving him there." -Shereen Raucci, regarding Pierce

Excerpt: "One night, as my aging cats, Tink and Sixx, smugly watched me clean out their litter box, I swore to the good Lord that once they passed, I would no longer have house cats. Maybe a small dog? It was storming outside, and just as I made my claim, there was a bright flash of lightning accompanied by a deafening crack of thunder...which was followed by a sweet meow coming from outside my back screen door. Really. Funny. Callie joined our family that day and has followed me around like a puppy ever since When I feel overwhelmed, Callie comforts me and reminds me that I was there for her during the storm; I will be rescued someday, too. I will never be without cats: Thanks for the reminder " -Kat Talamantes

Read more about Callie and other wonderful rescued cats inside