Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued [Paperback]

Kim Meeder (Author), Laurie Sacher (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 20, 2010

An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue.
Two lives forever changed.

Laurie's dreams had been shattered before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. In an attempt to soothe her aching soul, Laurie reached out to save a dog in need. And she soon began to realize that the dog was rescuing her.
 
An inspiring true story told through the engaging voice of Kim Meeder, Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, and true acceptance, faults and all.
 
As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see, Laurie discovered the transforming power of God’s grace even for imperfect and selfish people—and she experienced a greater love than she had ever known.
 
“Love is a bridge that stands firm through difficulties and connects one heart directly to another, not because of how it looks, but because of what it is.”    --Kim Meeder, Blind Hope
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Meeder (Hope Rising) tells the story of an unwanted dog whose forlorn and broken heart and body called out to Meeder'sco-author, Sacher, and how, in their subsequent relationship, the dog became the agent of spiritual rescue to her owner. Together, Meeder and Sacher write about their own meeting and work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, where Sacher was moved to take ownership of a disabled pooch that she renamed Mia. In a completely disarming manner, Meeder relates a love story between Sacher and Mia as human and dog grew to trust one another one day, one bump, and one bruise at a time. Meeder parallels their human/canine relationship with the trust and love Sacher develops with God. With humorous and poignant asides, Meeder beautifully bridges the gap between the sad and silly, showing the lovely and forsaken aspects of the individual heart so powerfully that readers will be coaxed into revisiting their understanding of the rescue God readily offers to all.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Blind Hope
 
“Blind Hope is a powerful story, made even more beautiful by the fact that it is not simply a fairy tale. Kim Meeder creatively recalls for us how Laurie Sacher’s unique interactions with the dog she saved ended up pointing her back to her Savior. In a
culture obsessed with reality TV, I pray our hearts can not only be entertained and perhaps touched by this true story, but that we would be changed by it.”
—ANGELA ALCORN STUMP, co-author of The Ishbane Conspiracy
 
“On her ranch in Oregon, Kim Meeder brings wounded horses and broken kids together and sees healing miracles on a regular basis. Blind Hope, a wonderful analogy of how God sees and loves his children, shows how a blind and ill dog named Mia helped to bring healing, love, and acceptance to the young woman who rescued her. Laurie’s statement ‘My dog is blind… and now I see’ is the story of all of us. This book could change your life.”
—LAURAINE SNELLING, author of No Distance Too Far, all the Red River series, and One Perfect Day along with many other novels
 
“I thank God for Kim Meeder—she is one of my heroes! Her passionate love for the Lord, for children of all ages, and for  animals is inspiring. She is thoroughly dedicated to whatever assignment God brings her way, including writing this beautiful account of the special bond between a woman and her dog. Kim brings an ongoing message of hope with this story, and she does it so well.”
—DANAE DOBSON, author of Let’s Walk the Talk
 
“Skidboot opened my eyes to a lot of life and love. After reading about Laurie and Mia, I learned even deeper lessons that our four-legged friends can teach us. This book shows very clearly how God has used dogs to spread his love. Thank you, Kim and Laurie, for sharing this story.”
—DAVID HARTWIG, friend of Skidboot, the world-famous Texas blue heeler, featured in Angel Dogs with a Mission: Divine Messengers in Service to All Life
 
“Kim Meeder takes the reader along on a unforgettable journey with Laurie and her blind dog, Mia. Dog and human bring out the best in each other through hardship and friendship as the bond between the two grows deeper. And the beauty of nature provides the path that Laurie and Mia travel as they experience the ups and downs during teachable moments.”
—JOAN DALTON, founder and executive director, Project POOCH
 
“Kim Meeder again shares a touching story of how God continues to use all of creation to move in and through our lives. Blind Hope gives us another glimpse into the amazing animal-human bonds that can bring fullness to our lives and move us to reach out to others, to reach out to hope, joy, and authentic love.”
—DANNA L. HARVEY, animal-assisted therapy handler
 
“Poignant and convicting. I was touched by the way Kim told Laurie and Mia’s story. I hope I can be as open to hearing the voice of God through unexpected ways.”
—DIANE BLOYD KENT, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind
 
“The human-animal bond is a special connection. Kim Meeder highlights this in Blind Hope as she draws parallels between each one of us and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As Kim says, ‘To trust, listen, and believe takes time and practice.’ She surely knows how to portray an important message of salvation while entertaining and showing life lessons with Laurie and Mia.”
—ROXIEMUDDER, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601422806
• ISBN-13: 978-1601422804
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.4 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (169 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars spiritual not canine December 16, 2010

By Mike

Format:Kindle Edition

As warned by other reviewers this book is not about a dog. The dog story is used as a parable about spiritual awakening. if you are looking for God read it. If you are looking for a good dog story skip it.

104 of 127 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me July 30, 2010

By Bibliophile By the Sea TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I haven't purchased many books lately, but I made an exception when I saw the cover on this one. I am a big sucker for animal stories. especially ones that can bring a tear to your eyes. So naturally when this book arrive last week I could not wait to read it. It is an easy book to read in one sitting, and that is pretty much what I did.

In case you are not familiar with this book, Kim Meeder tells the story of Laurie Sacher, a broken, troubled, woman who came to work at her ranch, Crystal Parks Youth Ranch in Oregon. Laurie suffered from a food obsession, equating thinness to happiness. She decides to adopt an Austrailian Shepherd mix dog, but when she went to see the dog, it was not the dog she imagined it might be. The dog was skinny and smelly, and had lots of issues. Despite this Laurie took the dog, renamed it Mia, and, little by little, the dog transformed her life. How did Mia, the blind dog do this? By teaching Laurie life lessons and bringing her closer to God.

MY THOUGHTS - The story is not what I expected! I was prepared for a tear jerker story about Mia, the blind dog, but that never happened. Instead of the tears, what hit me in the face was that this book was more about Laurie and her learning to listen to, and follow God. It was very preachy, and just not the kind of book I would ever enjoy. I was not expecting that. I would not have purchased this book had I realized this from the beginning. My cover attraction did me in this time. If you do not mind heavily faith based stories, this book might work for you; Mia was inspiring and the photos were great. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dog is GOD spelled backwards July 29, 2010

By Bluegrass Reader

Format:Paperback

Blind Hope, An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher is a touching, true story of a mangy, abused blind dog who transformed a young woman's life and led her to understand God's love. Through Mia's life, Laurie recognized how she had been like Mia in her relationship with God. At first, Mia didn't want to listen to her master, and would struggle and run into many obstacles. But with time, the relationship blossomed and Mia began to listen to and follow her master's voice. Their love for each other became unconditional. Laurie realized that she had to spend more time with God and develop her relationship with Him so she could fully trust him. And she understood how much God loves her, even when she goes down the wrong path.

I had a rescue dog that really taught me a lot about life and God, so I loved this book! I think dog lovers everywhere will appreciate it, as well, but I really recommend this book to anyone. The messages in this book are powerful and will make you think about your relationship with your master. It is a quick and easy read and is written by both Laurie, and her boss and friend.

I was provide a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes.