Showing results for "The Unexpected" in Pets & Animal Care

Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues - horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs - when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own.

We often consider dogs to be our enduring sidekicks, but the truth is domestic pigs have played a role in our lives for nearly as long. Pigs are highly social and smart. They like to play. They’re inventive, crafty and belligerent - and incredibly single-minded. Ultimately, we have far more in common with these creatures than we like to admit. Here is a charming ode to one of the most common yet surprisingly intelligent animals populating our landscapes.

When Connecticut veterinarian Melissa Shapiro gets a call about a tiny deaf blind puppy rescued from a hoarding situation in need of fostering, she doesn’t hesitate to say, “yes.” Little does she know how that decision will transform her, her family, and legions of admirers destined to embrace the saga of the indomitable pink pup.

You have to be the biggest and best to stand out. At least, that's what our culture seems to believe. However, as psychologist Dr. Leia Hughey points out, we are all special and deserving of love, even if we are nothing special. Through nonverbal communication with an ordinary horse, she and others were able to reveal unhealed psychic wounds and provide a context for change and transformation. Just people and horses. Nothing special, really, but what a difference it made!

Dave Burchett sets out to discover how life might be different if he awoke each morning consciously looking for the easy-to-miss postcards from God. Waking up Slowly is an intimate, warm, and touching story of learning how to more fully appreciate each moment. During his journey, the author finds regular reminders of daily joys with his Labrador pal, Maggie, often at his side.