WHY, LOVE ME — LOVE MY DOG?
Linda and Allen Anderson
P.R. Contact: Monique Muhlenkamp

65 million dogs live in 39 percent of U.S. households; New York City residents share their lives with 20 million dogs, and millions of these homes belong to single “parents.” This has led to “Love Me. Love My Dog” — a new trend in dating that honors the importance of dogs as nonnegotiable family members. Websites such as DateMyPet.com and Claire Cook’s book-to-film July release, “Must Love Dogs” herald the tendency for dogs to be instrumental in bringing humans together as friends, lovers, and everything in-between. In their new anthology, Angel Dogs: Divine Messengers of Love (New World Library, October 2005), Allen and Linda Anderson, best-selling authors of a series of books about the benefits of animal-human relationships, show that the modern love affair with dogs has historically significant roots. “Angel Dogs,” with a foreword by The Today Show’s resident dog-lover, Willard Scott, shares the most remarkable stories from thousands the Andersons have received, from winners of the 2004 Angel Dogs Contest, and from their personal experiences with dogs.

Recent scientific findings show that humans and dogs share similar genetic structure. “Angel Dogs’ presents dramatic true accounts that demonstrate how much life is enriched because dogs and humans are so much alike and seem to instinctively understand each other. Celebrating dogs in mythology and art, the book highlights the dog-human relationship growing over the centuries into intensely satisfying physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual connectedness. The book includes information about new research on dogs’ abilities to save lives, sniff out cancerous tumors, warn epileptics of impending seizures, and return to human companions in times of need.

Some stories in “Angel Dogs” are touching and others humorous, but they all express what most dog-lovers already know: there is nothing like the unconditional love and loyalty of a dog to see you through tough times and to help you enjoy the good times.
Stories in “Angel Dogs” that illustrate why people love their dogs include:

• Tequila, a dog who brought two young people together and later, prevented their toddler from suffering a serious injury,

• As in the Animal Planet show about inmates training dogs to become companion animals, a deaf prisoner experiences his first success in life through the trust, love, and service as Hershey, a Lee County Sheriff’s Department Cell Dog, whom he trains for a good home,

• Cpl. J. R., a retired Marine Corp officer’s dog, finds and uncovers the neglected grave of a soldier who amazingly has the same name as the dog -- reminding us all to never forget and to honor those who have given their lives for others,

• Zeke, a newly adopted dog, saves the life of a newborn who has stopped breathing during the night,

• Haley, a therapy dog, makes the difference for a teenager recovering from cancer,

• A musician celebrates the late-in-life relationship between his father, a Tennessee college football coach, and his dog by writing a popular country song about them,

• From the afterlife, the dog Freckles helps a man who is assigned to guard Air Force One.

The stories are followed by short meditations to help readers focus on the divine messages dogs deliver. Each chapter closes with an “Ask Taylor” column that contains a question posed by curious humans and answers from the doggy point of view of Taylor, the Andersons’ yellow Lab.

ANGEL DOGS by Linda and Allen Anderson
October 10, 2005 • Animals/Pets • Trade Paper • 256 Pages
Price: $13.95 • ISBN 1-57731-493-X