Check Out Inspirational Books for The Pet Lovers in Your Life

by Steve Dale

Clearly, pet lovers enjoy reading about animals and the difference they make in our lives. Publishers this holiday season have focused on inspirational stories.

Here are some gift ideas for the pet lovers in your life:

"Christmas with Tucker," by Greg Kincaid.

"A Dog Named Christmas ," by the same author, a hit book a few years back, even became a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV movie. This book is a prequel, set over 35 years earlier. It's 1962, and as Christmas approaches, so do the worst snow and ice storms in Kansas history. Lots of drama ensues as Bo offers to care for Tucker, a starving Irish setter. Yes, the dog is saved, and in return, Tucker helps to heal and teach a broken family about life and love.

"What a Difference a Dog Makes: Big Lessons on Life, Love and Healing from a Small Pooch," by Dana Jennings

Indeed, what a difference a dog can make. Last year, Jennings, a New York Times editor, wrote in a blog post how much his aging dog, Bijou, meant to him while he was recovering from prostate cancer. It turns out dogs are good medicine. This is an inspiring story, and particularly well written, so the words will touch your heart.

"Saving Cinnamon: The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home," by Christine Sullivan.

Imagine serving your country oversees and being placed in harm's way on a nearly daily basis. Then you meet a very special 4-legged friend. While in Afghanistan, Navy reservist Mark Feffer met a stray pup, who became his best pal. Mysteriously, the pup disappeared as Feffer was about to return stateside. Sullivan, Feffer's sister, began a desperate search for Cinnamon, ultimately reuniting her brother with his dog. A future movie, I suspect.

"Dogs and the Women Who Love Them: Extraordinary True Stories of Loyalty, Healing, and Inspiration," by Allen and Linda Anderson.

These stories are, indeed, inspiring, and sometimes you'll be touched (have tissue ready). Some will make you laugh out loud. It's interesting how many of these stories lead to 'self-discovery.' Your friends, even your mom might offer you advice that you ignore. But when your dog points you in a certain direction, you pay attention. (My hope is, another book will come out about dogs and the men who love them.)

"Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat," by Gwen Cooper.

The last thing Cooper wanted at the time was another cat; she already had two, had just broken up with her fiancé, and was living in a friend's extra room. But she couldn't say "no," to the blind kitten no one else wanted. It turns out this feline managed to chase off an intruder who broke into Cooper's her apartment, and also made friends with people who previously didn't even like cats. Still, it was what Homer taught Cooper every day that counted most. This is, paws down, the best memoir co-starring a feline, in a long time.

"Dog Walks Man: A Six-Legged Odyssey," by John Zeaman.

This is not a dog-training book about teaching a puppy to heel, but a lesson about what walking a dog can teach us. Some of us do our best thinking while performing inane chores like vacuuming or walking the dog. Both author and dog benefit, which is why this is a six-legged odyssey.

"The Cat Lover's Book of Days: A Year of Cat History, Lore, and Laughter," by Peg Stilloway.

This is a daily cat information calendar. On some days, however, I have no idea what the cat references are about; many seem random, others quite interesting. Here are a few examples:

January 4: Sir Isaac Newton may be known for explaining the phenomenon that we call gravity, but the great scientist also invented the cat flap.

March 14: How Albert Einstein described radio, "Wire telegraph is a kind of very, very long cat. You pull the tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles."

May 15: The late actor James Mason and his wife, Pamela, wrote "The Cats in Our Lives" in 1949.

June 22: Dee Finch's cat is named Brownnose (whoever Dee Finch is, and it's unclear why we should care about her cat's name).

July 7: Laptop computers were invented for cats.

"GoD and DoG," by Wendy Francisco

The artist/author and singer first showcased her music on YouTube, and from there it's taken off, with nearly 3 million hits on the site. This little spiritual gift book is missing the music, but the lyrics and drawings are here. These are the opening words: "I look up and I see God. I look down and I see my dog."

Available at Amazon.com:

Christmas with Tucker

A Dog Named Christmas

What a Difference a Dog Makes: Big Lessons on Life, Love and Healing from a Small Pooch

Saving Cinnamon: The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home

Dogs and the Women Who Love Them: Extraordinary True Stories of Loyalty, Healing, and Inspiration

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat

Dog Walks Man: A Six-Legged Odyssey

The Cat Lover's Book of Days: A Year of Cat History, Lore, and Laughter

GoD and DoG

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat

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