Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul Read Free

encompass the large variety of ways cats, dogs and other animals impact people’s lives. We have chapters on love and companionship, on pets as teachers, as healers and as heroes, plus a chapter on saying good-bye to our pets when it comes their time to pass on. Taken together, the stories are powerful proof that the animals in our lives significantly contribute to our happiness and well being.
    For truly, our pets lend a touch of grace to our lives. They teach us the real meaning of unconditional love and bring out the kindest and most generous impulses of humanity.
    As you read, you may notice that some of the stories in this book are written by well-known celebrities, while others are by individuals who are famous only within the smaller circle of friends and family. But every one of the contributors to this book knows well the power and magic of the human-animal bond. It is our sincere hope that the extraordinary stories in the book will offer inspiration and insight into discovering and receiving the special love of pets, who provide each and every one of us with a little bit of heaven right here on Earth.

Share with Us
    We would love to hear your reactions to the stories in this book. Please let us know what your favorite stories were and how they affected you.
    Also, please send us stories you would like to see in future editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul. You can send us stories you have written or stories written by others you have read and liked.
    Send your stories to:
    Chicken Soup for the Soul
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
fax: 805-563-2945
Web sites: www.chickensoup.com
www.clubchickensoup.com
    We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed compiling, editing and writing it.

1

ON LOVE
    U ntil one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
    Anatole France

THE FAMILY CIRCUS ® By Bil Keane

    “I like dogs 'cause if you're doing something stupid, they don't yell at you. They do it with you.”
    Reprinted by permission of Bil Keane.

Rescued by Love
    On most days you could find him sitting on the wall in front of Saint Mary’s Church next to the sign that read “Saint Mary’s—A Church for Everyone.” No doubt the pastor had meant to attract a larger membership with this billboard invitation, but I’m not sure he was prepared for Bobby. A towering six-footer, weighing in at over two hundred pounds, Bobby was, at twenty-something, a very large child. He spent most of his time waving and smiling at the people driving by, and shouting, “Hey, pal!” to those he recognized.
    Bobby called me Goldilocks. He knew me because, as the police department’s Animal Control Officer, I was as visible around town as he was. My regular duties were to uphold the leash law, patrol for loose dogs and issue tickets. Bobby had appointed himself my unpaid assistant, and he took his job seriously. Once he waved me down in traffic, ran over to the patrol car and banged on the hood.
    “Goldilocks, there’s a big dog up the street gonna get hit by a car! You gotta go get ’im now!”
    Another time he found a litter of newborn kittens in a garbage can and made it his job to find a home for all of them—including the last one which, at his insistence, I ended up taking home myself!
    At first I had loved being the “dog catcher,” but as time went by, the job began to get me down. It wasn’t the animals—it was the people. I dreaded having to deal with negligent owners. Especially those who no longer wanted their dogs.
    In our town the city provided a dog-surrender service with the local SPCA. For a ten-dollar fee, I’d pick up a dog whose owner could no longer keep him, and, more importantly, I’d collect information about him (good with children, medical history, favorite toys, etc.) that would make it easier for him to be adopted.
    Unbelievably, sometimes the people most capable of paying this fee chose not to, and abandoned the dog to be picked up as a stray instead. They