This memoir of an injured dog’s rescue and rehabilitation is “an uplifting story with tremendous heart. I couldn't put it down” (Helen Brown, international bestselling author of Cleo) Joal Derse Dauer was donating blankets at a local no-kill animal shelter when an injured and despondent dog caught her eye. With three “fur babies” already at home, Joal wasn’t looking to adopt another dog. But there was something special about Sadie . . . Having just barely survived multiple gunshot wounds, nobody thought Sadie would have much of a life. But with patience, hope, and plenty of love, Joal saw her canine companion grow in strength and joy. Before long, she discovered that sweet Sadie had transformed her life in ways she never could have imagined. Joyous and inspiring, Saving Sadie is “a triumphant tale of second chances that shows how patience, hope, compassion and love can truly transform lives” (Modern Dog).

Have you ever searched the internet for a special pet? Did that pet ever become a soul mate for you? What was the story of this special pet, and what journey did you take together? Saving Sadie tells the story of a special border collie who was on death row but became my best friend—and still communicates in the afterlife!

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I had never taken in a dog before, but I was drawn to Sadie, and when I saw her at the shelter, I knew I had to take her to the vet. I didn’t want to adopt her, but I wanted to help her walk again. #2 I was on a two-lane country highway as I drove past the fallow corn and cabbage fields, past the rough, weather-beaten barns and spiraling silos. I watched Sadie in my rearview mirror as she couldn’t stand, but after a brief struggle she was able to sit up and press her black nose against the window. #3 I was driving into Illinois to bring home a dog that had been in a shelter. I was met with two things when I opened the back hatch of my SUV: a very guilty-looking dog and the overwhelming odor of dog mess. I knew that Sadie had been through a lot, but she still let me touch her. #4 The vet said Sadie would never walk again, and that the bullet and shrapnel in her back were too embedded to be removed. He suggested I get her a cart so she could be pulled around.

A brilliant comic, Fanny Brice had a significant impact on a field that had been predominantly male, proving that the term "funny womanwas not an oxymoron.

While hiking on a solo vacation in a remote, uninhabitable region of Arizona, Zachary Anderegg happened upon Riley, an emaciated puppy clinging to life, at the bottom of a 350-foot canyon. In a daring act of humanity that trumped the deliberate savagery behind Riley’s presence in such a place, Zak single-handedly orchestrated a delicate rescue. What didn’t come out in the initial burst of publicity this story received is that Zak and Riley’s destinies were intertwined long before they improbably found each other. For much of Zak’s childhood, he was at the bottom of a veritable canyon himself—a canyon whose imprisoning depth and darkness was created by bullies who just wouldn’t quit and parents who weren’t capable of love. From the age of five, Zak was everyone’s favorite target. When Zak came upon Riley, the puppy’s condition bespoke his abusers’ handiwork—three shotgun pellets embedded beneath his skin, teeth turned permanently black from malnutrition. The meeting was one of a man and a dog singularly suited to save each other. As a former US Marine sergeant, Zak was one of only a few people with the mettle and physical wherewithal to get Riley out. And in rescuing him, Zak was also attempting to save himself, conquering the currents of cruelty that swelled beneath his early life and always threatened to drown him.