Faithful Friends: Holocaust Survivors' Stories of the Pets who Gave Them Comfort, Suffered Alongside Them and Waited for Their Return [Kindle Edition]

Susan Bulanda (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Never-before-told stories of the pets that were left behind during World War II in Hungary, Poland, Belgium, Holland, Romania, France, and Yugoslavia when Jewish families were torn from their homes and taken to ghettos and concentration camps. Most of these accounts are told by men and women who were children during the Holocaust. Their beloved pets provided comfort and courage, gave them a connection to happier times, and helped them to never give up hope.

ADVANCE PRAISE:

"Susan Bulanda shares with us stories of love instead of hate, selflessness instead of selfishness. These stories speak to the spirit of hope in all humans (and animals)." -Rabbi Loel M. Weiss

"This unique collection's deeply moving stories by Holocaust survivors reveal how the bond with their companion animals intensified and deepened during that dark, horrific night of carnage, betrayal, and terror, providing solace, warmth and love. These heart-braking and heart-warming stories add a hitherto unexplored dimension to our necessary knowledge of the Holocaust and cast new light on the indestructible, soul-sustaining nature of the human-animal bond." -Aviva Cantor, author and v.p. of C.H.A.I. (Concern for Helping Animals in Israel)

"These stories reflect the love and pleasure that pets provided to those who endured great suffering. Bulanda captures the deep affection between humans and their beloved companion animals. The stories are engaging and reflective, giving animals lover pause. We will all hug our pets closely after reading these accounts!" -Gayle M. Irwin, author of "Sage's Big Adventure" and "Sage Learns to Listen"

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 512 KB
• Publisher: Cladach Publishing (August 16, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005HMH4D2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,228 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

I have been an author for many years. My first publication was a children's short story which was published in 1970. More recently I won the prestigious Maxwell award from the Dog Writers Association of America and awards from the National League of American Pen Women. I have developed two programs for students who want to become dog trainers and canine behavior consultants at Kutztown University, where I teach. I am the former vice president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and have been a dog and cat behavior consultant for many years. Please check out my web site for articles that will interest pet loves and writers. I am a member, and on the advisory committee of the National Search Dog Alliance. My husband and I have over 25 years of volunteer service managing Canine Search and Rescue units and training SAR dogs. We are both certified as Search Managers and Incident Commanders. I also formed the American Beauceron Club and was instrumental in introducing this breed of dog to the United States. I trained the first Beauceron and Border Collie for search and rescue. I am a senior conformation judge with the United Kennel Club. My latest book, God's Creatures: A Biblical View of Animals combines my two lifelong passions, animals and Theology. I have trained the first dogs in the United States to detect toxic mold and hold a patent on the use and training of these dogs. I love to write both fiction and non-fiction. I am currently working on a book of humorous short stories and another serious book about an aspect of the Holocaust that has not previously been researched. I have a wonderful grandson who will be one year old August, 2009. I am proud to say that my son served in the Marines in Iraq. I like old cars, and my husband and I have a 1954 Dodge M37 military vehicle. I would love to get a 1950's Jeepster.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faithful Friends is a book about loyalty of animals and the courage of their owners., October 3, 2011

By 

Robert G Yokoyama (Mililani, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faithful Friends: Holocaust Survivors' Stories of the Pets Who Gave Them Comfort, Suffered Alongside Them and Waited for Their Return (Paperback)

Faithful Friends is about the bond between people and their pets. It is the first book to put this subject in the context of the Holocaust. I can honestly say that I learned as much about dogs and history from reading this book. I wish this book provided a map, so I could see where each country is in promixity to each other. I enjoyed reading the historical information that Susan Bulanda provides. Bulanda is a animal trainer for both dogs and cats. She has a degree in psychology. She uses her background to convey the feelings of the animals described here. She combines her professional experience to write this unique book.

The love of a pet can give a person the strength to survive physically harsh conditions. This is evident in all of these stories. Lya Galperin is a Romanian woman who nearly died in the Holocaust after being forced to donate blood in a Nazi camp. The hope she had of being reunited with her dog gave her the strength to live. I learned that spaniels are excellent hunting dogs and that German Shepherds are good guard dogs and excellent companions. Bulanda is vivid in describing how pets were affected by the Holocaust. There are stories about dogs were starved and cats were physically injured. These kinds of descriptions depict the harsh conditions of war well. Yvonne Redgis is a courageous woman who worked for the French resistance during the war. The love of her bull dog named Nicolas is a humorous and moving chapter in the book. There is another about an one eyed cat named Ketzelah who provided comfort to orphaned girls in Poland. Not all of these stories end happily in this book, but the memory of a pet remains with their owner forever. Kurt Moses is a man who loses his dog in the war. He still remembers his pet with love and affection. The stories in this book are short, but the experiences are emotionally moving. Each Holocaust survivor in Faithful Friends feels like a friend instead of a just a name. This is because of Bulanda's personal style of writing. She makes me care about each person's story. Faithful Friends is an excellent book of about the loyalty of animals and the courage of their owners.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FAITHFUL FRIENDS, INDEED..., September 24, 2011

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Faithful Friends: Holocaust Survivors' Stories of the Pets Who Gave Them Comfort, Suffered Alongside Them and Waited for Their Return (Paperback)

When this book came to my attention, I was intrigued by the concept. Though I have read many books about the Holocaust, I never came across one in which pets were a focal point. As I thought about it, it made sense. What did happen to the beloved pets of those whose lives were to be forever changed by man's inhumanity to man? As an animal lover who has had many pets over the years, I very much wanted to read this book.

This book is a collection of first person narratives in which survivors of the Holocaust talk about their beloved pets and what happened to them. The stories are often heartbreaking, and no two are alike. Some are so poignant that they caused tears to well up in my eyes, because these people, who fates hung in the balance, so loved their pets. Even now, many years later, their pain over being forced to leave their beloved pets is palpable, and the love that they had for these animals, who had a connection to a life before the Holocaust, leaps across the pages at the reader, making for a profoundly moving reading experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and poignant collection, October 18, 2011

By 

Beverly J. Coons (SANTA ROSA, CA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faithful Friends: Holocaust Survivors' Stories of the Pets Who Gave Them Comfort, Suffered Alongside Them and Waited for Their Return (Paperback)

These stories of holocaust survivors and their pets were told with such simplicity that their power was a little surprising. Along with a story about a pet, came history about the country impacted by the Nazi nightmare. Holland, Belgium, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, France: all affected a little differently, with citizens who reacted differently to the plight of the Jews. The stories cover the gamut of human emotions from compassion and courage to fear and cruelty. They are almost understated, but the pain of the tellers comes through loud and clear. And if you did not already love dogs and cats, you will when you finish. What a touching, sad, but love-filled book.