Dogs of Dreamtime: A Story About Second Chances and the Power of Love [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Karen Shanley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

An extraordinary emotional journey between one woman and her three dogs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clearly besotted by her dogs, Shanley, managing partner of a marketing and communications firm, recounts her relationship with three of them. Though she swore to remain dogless after her beloved Sheltie, Kiera, died, Shanley dreamed about an Australian shepherd puppy. Convinced that the puppy was Kiera reincarnated, and over the objections of her long-suffering husband, Andrew, she found the new Kiera of her dreams and adopted her along with Molly, a deaf merle. The author details how Andrew came around and describes the joy the animals' antics gave her young daughter. Along the way, she provides an informative and touching description of how she learned to train the deaf Molly. Unfortunately, dominance was a problem between the two dogs, and she had to find Molly a new home. Later, Shanley took in Magic, an English shepherd mix with whom she felt a kind of mystical bond when she saw his picture on the Internet. But Magic became violent and had to be put to sleep. The author's subsequent depression led to a trip to Montana, where communing with open spaces renewed her spirit and restored her equilibrium. Dog lovers will enjoy this tale and share Shanley's passion for her dogs. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A book for people who love their dogs beyond all measure--and who realize, with Karen Shanley, that dogs love us in the same way--sometimes beyond what we deserve. This book suggests some of the deeper reasons for this extraordinary ability to love and for that alone I urge you to read it. I defy you to remain impervious to the magic it contains."--Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love

"Karen Shanley's moving memoir is a tribute to the healing power of her relationships with several remarkable dogs. In her search to find answers for her dogs, Shanley also finds answers for herself. Anyone who loves dogs and other animals will find a beautiful wisdom in the unexpected twists and turns her journey takes, and in the many lessons that her dogs offer in the art of life, loss and love."--Suzanne Clothier, world-renowned dog trainer and author of Bones Would Rain From the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs

"There are good personal stories and great personal stories about our interrelationships with other animals. The Dogs of Dreamtime is a great one for showing how our "best friends" and their wild relatives-any and all animals, for that matter-play a significant role in defining who we are in the grand scheme of things. In the absence of animals it's easy to see that we lose much-perhaps all-of who we are. It will be a sad and very lonely day if we ever wake up and have to ask, "Where have all the animals gone?"--Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., editor of The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior and author of Minding Animals: Awareness, Emotions, and Heart and The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love (with Jane Goodall)

"Life offers us opportunities for growth, wisdom, and redemption where we least expect to find them. In The Dogs of Dreamtime, Karen Shanley weaves a spellbinding story where the visceral connection between Shanley and her dogs-all brilliantly portrayed--ultimately transforms her life. This book is a page turner!"--Marty Becker, D.V.M., resident veterinarian on ABC TV's Good Morning America and co-author of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul and The Healing Power of Pets

"I am used to being pulled into a book that just doesn't want you to put it down written by my favorite non-dog authors. This is the first dog book that pulled me in from opening it and didn't let me put it down until well after 1am last night. I was nodding yes, I understand that, and I was crying sad tears and happy tears."--Tami Bridges, owner of the CSDogBookReview list

"In The Dogs of Dreamtime, Karen Shanley validates the mystery and the depth of our relationships with our dogs. Her willingness to see deeper into the sacred places of this relationship offers a path to healing and wonder available to all of us who carry our love for our dogs deep in our heart. Thank you, Karen, for putting into beautiful words what so many of us feel, but cannot articulate."
--Susan Chernak McElroy, author of Animals as Teachers and Healers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599210851
• ASIN: B001O9CFRW
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I will read this over and over!, June 29, 2006

By 

Jesse Moore "No home is complete without the ... (Coeur d'Alene, ID) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dogs of Dreamtime: A Story About Second Chances and the Power of Love (Hardcover)

What a truly wonderful book. I was often moved to tears while reading it. A word of advice to anyone who reads it is that you skip the Prologue until after reading Chapter 12 (up to page 171). I fortunately never read these so had skipped it and was so glad I did. Had I read it first I would have already known everything that would happen and wouldn't have been able to enjoy the book as it is written.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story!, May 31, 2006

By 

Ben Stolzer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dogs of Dreamtime: A Story About Second Chances and the Power of Love (Hardcover)

With the popularity of dog memoirs, it's hard to know what's worth your time or money. If you like books that paint the dog as wrong, incorigable, untrainable, or owners as alpha know-it-alls or instant experts, this book is not for you.
If you enjoy a great read that also happens to be a great dog story, full of heart and incredible twists and turns, you will find Dogs of Dreamtime well worth your while. This book has earned a place on my "keepers" bookshelf.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give this 10 stars, I would., June 10, 2006

By 

Mary Elizabeth (WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dogs of Dreamtime: A Story About Second Chances and the Power of Love (Hardcover)

For anyone who's done a lot of learning and growing with their dogs, and handled the inevitable curve balls thrown along the way, you'll totally relate, and smile and nod with recognition.
This is a book that will get you laughing and crying and thinking, and loving your dogs more than you already do.
A book not to be missed!