The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny [Hardcover]

Philip Gonzalez (Author), Leonore Fleischer (Author), Leonore Fleischer er (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995

The true story of Ginny, an abused dog with an affinity for rescuing cats in trouble, describes Ginny's part in the saving of such handicapped felines as the one-eyed Revlon, deaf Madam, and the paralyzed Topsy. 35,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This poignant canine memoir recounts the story of Ginny, a Long Island dog with a remarkable ability to seek out and rescue homeless cats. Simple but delightful, the story is narrated from the perspective of Ginny's owner, Philip Gonzalez. Badly disabled in an industrial accident, Gonzalez quickly fell into a downward spiral of despair. His saving grace arrived in the form of a small, scruffy grey dog. Ginny quickly provided Philip with a focus in life: cats--hundreds of them. Each chapter recounts Ginny's amazing rescues of helpless felines. Particularly heartwarming is the image of Ginny running across broken glass to reach a kitten in distress. As Ginny saved cats, Philip housed them, and soon his life was taken over by the creatures--many disabled or disfigured. The Dog Who Rescues Cats is packed with touching photographs of Ginny and her feline family. Included is an introduction by Cleveland Amory, noted animal enthusiast and author of The Cat Who Came for Christmas. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

YA?When Philip Gonzalez, a young Vietnam vet, became disabled in an industrial accident, he didn't realize how drastically his life would change. Always fit and active, he found himself living on disability with little prospect of employment. Depressed and isolated, he finally followed a friend's advice and got a dog for companionship and to keep him from being so self-centered. Not being a dog lover, he was somewhat bewilderingly taken by a female mongrel named Ginny, who was in almost as bad shape as he. She soon became the center of his life?but the center of her life seemed to be stray cats. Soon Gonzalez was also taking in debilitated felines. While not great literature, this brief look at the author's relationship with Ginny and their raison d'etre is heartwarming and readers will soon become involved with them and their adopted cats, all of whom have distinct and winning personalities. Many YAs will think twice about cats, dogs, and handicaps after reading this book.?Susan H. Woodcock, King's Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060172738
• ISBN-13: 978-0060172732
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof that some angels have tails, July 22, 2005

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny (Hardcover)

Philip Gonzalez, assisted by Leonore Fleischer, relates how an industrial accident left him unemployable and embittered - until his caring neighbor forced him into adopting a dog as a companion. Gonzalez, whose history of pet ownership was spotty and liberally sprinkled with tragedy, wanted a "big and macho" dog. Instead he found himself taking home a small Schnauzer/Siberian husky mix that he named Ginny. As Gonzalez's heart is softened by Ginny's affectionate nature, he discovers that his dog has a special gift - finding and caring for disabled and abused cats. Man and dog quickly become a team, rescuing and caring for the discarded and forgotten animals littering the neighborhood in which they live. I fell in love with Ginny myself while reading this inspiring book and highly recommend it to any animal loving reader.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-warming but not maudlin: a winner!, November 25, 2003

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The (Paperback)

The perfect book for anyone who loves both dogs and cats. As other readers have noted, the real story belongs to Philip Gonzalez, as we learn how one small dog can transform a human life.

Gonzalez, a war veteran, injured in an industrial accident, finds himself broke, isolated and bitter. He doesn't want to leave his apartment until a caring neighbor provides the best mental health remedy: "Get a dog. Now!"

Philip adopts Ginny and, sure enough, they heal each other. Never a cat person, Philip gets drawn to the feline species, literally, as Ginny sniffs out disabled cats and begs Philip to take them home. He now has a purpose in life and I am delighted to see the success of his books: he feeds dozens of cats and pays their vet bills, day after day.

Gonzalez shares his story in a matter-of-fact style, yet he's sensitive and caring. The street cats and dogs deserve a home, he says, just like Ginny. Meanwhile, he keeps them alive as best he can and shares the love by finding adopters whenever possible.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a companion animal, April 13, 2001

By 

Rebekah Sue Harris (West Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The (Paperback)

Ginny is an oxymoron: she's a dog who not only DOESN'T hate cats, but one who rescues and protects them.

Philip Gonzalez was injured in an industrial accident. His best friend, Sheilah, encouraged him to adopt a dog to pull him out of his depression. While Ginny wasn't love "at first sight," it was love within an hour.

Ginny not only forced Philip to care about life again, but she also opened his eyes to the plight of stray cats in his Long Island neighborhood. Ginny has a sixth sense when it comes to cats with a handicap or illness. Fighting her natural instinct to attack, she "talked" (barked?) Philip adopting many unfortunate cats.

There is almost no conflict, no climax, in this book; rather, it's a collection of anecdotes. It's a little sappy but, for a non-author, Philip tells a great story. I do hope its sales supplement his income. It is of note that Philip, Ginny, and Sheilah have caught many strays, gotten shots for the strays and had them neutered, and then re-released them -- out of pocket, even though this is a great service to their community.

I'd like to know what comes next (after the sequel "The Blessing of the Animals") -- is Ginny still alive, have either Sheilah or Philip found love interests (ahem!!!), and if, perhaps, Ginny has been able to train other dogs to do her work?

This is an enjoyable story, and contains the all-important lessons of life after accidents -- not only for Philip, but for many of the cats that he and Ginny have saved.