Last week I went to hear Allen Anderson speak at a book signing on his new book A Dog Named Leaf. The book signing was at Common Good Books owned by Garrison Keillor. Keillor came into the store during the talk and Allen had his photo taken with him. The photo is on Allen’s website: Angelanimals.net.
Due to my friend’s malfunctioning GPS, I missed Garrison Keillor, but I was there to share the joy of the event. Allen and his wife Linda started a special network called Angels Animals. They have since published a series of books that are collections of people’s stories that convey uplifting messages about the relationships between people and animals. Angel Animals was their first book. They’ve published books about dogs, cats, horses, children and animals, and a book about saving animals from disasters.
This new book is different from the rest. It is Allen’s personal story about his dog Leaf and the healing he received from him.
Allen’s beloved dog had died and he wasn’t ready for a new dog, but one day he and his wife Linda were at the humane society and saw a black cocker spaniel. They were drawn to the dog and decided to adopt him. The dog turned out to have lots of problems like abandonment issues from being dropped off at the humane society. Allen worked hard to help the dog heal, including getting up with him three times at night and sleeping in a chair with the dog on his lap.
Not long after adopting Leaf, Allen received a diagnosis from his doctor that he had an unruptured brain aneurysm. Allen’s father had had a massive stroke and Allen had seen the terrible effects his father had to endure. He dreaded the thought of becoming an invalid. The story is about Allen and the dog’s healing process and how they helped each other. In the Epilogue Allen writes about his and Leaf’s relationship, “We are two souls who entered each other’s lives when we most needed the healing power of a human-animal friendship.” p. 209.
The quote from the back cover reads:
“The inspiring true story of a man and a dog coming together at just the right moment for miracles to occur.”
If you love animals like I do and consider them a part of the family, you’ll enjoy reading this heartfelt, honest book about the love between a man and his dog.
Here is a link to the book’s webpage.
http://www.adognamedleaf.com/
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