Soul Dog: A Memoir of Spirit, Smarts, and Love

Soul Dog: A Memoir of Spirit, Smarts, and Love

One Sunday when she was a child, Elisabeth Rose asked her pastor why animals don't go to heaven. He said, "They don't have souls." "How do you know?" she replied. He said, "Because they can't reason." "Does that mean," she asked, "that severely brain-damaged people don't have souls either?" "Of course they do!" he said, and turned his back. This pivotal confrontation launched Rose on a lifelong quest to explore the inner lives of the animals she loved. Did they really think, feel, and behave in ways that add up to a consciousness similar to our own or was that just wishful thinking? And if we're similar, do we all have souls? After bonding with dogs, birds, and a cranky horse, Rose falls for a timid border collie named Kierney. She brings her home and loves her like her own child. Although Kierney proves extraordinarily smart, she suffers terrifying lapses of sanity. Professionals say she’ll always be dangerous. When Rose becomes pregnant with her first baby, the clock starts ticking, and she must fight to save her wondrous dog. If you were fascinated by Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Alex, Dr. John Pilley and Chaser, and Alexis Devine and Bunny, you will love joining Rose on her obsessive quest to unlock the hidden hearts of animals. Portrayed with passion, insight, and reckless love, the characters of Soul Dog race off the page and into your heart. Will Kierney be saved from her demons in time? Elisabeth Rose is an award-winning essayist, educator, and dog trainer. Her novel, Body Sharers, was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award for Best First Novel. She lives in Florida with her border collies.