MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life: A Story of Love (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

The memoir of a love affair between a woman and her dog...Maggie was a special dog--a beautiful and exuberant black lab who gave years of unconditional love to her owner Kairns. Throughout their years together, Maggie taught Kairns much about the emotional intelligence of animals and the importance of trusting one's intuition when caring for a pet...

Kairns offers a tantalizing glimpse into the possibility that her bond with Maggie was so deep that she had prophetic dreams in which she predicted...an undiagnosed cancer...

Tenderhearted and sincere... --September 3, 2008

Review

Boulder author Dawn Kairns' latest book, MAGGIE: The Dog Who Changed My Life: A Story of Love, seeks to show the unconditional love animals are capable of giving to their human counterparts. She tells the story of her Labrador Retriever, Maggie, and their deep, emotional, and spiritual bond, which surpasses expectations and teaches Kairns more about dogs than she ever knew. MAGGIE raises questions about life and beliefs and demonstrates the canine ability to sense human thoughts and feelings, weaving the two species together in a tight bond. Kairns has not only written a pet memoir, but one that aims to bring the reader to a higher level of thinking about our four-legged friends. --Jill Brodsky, Rocky Mountain Pet Tails Magazine, October, 2008

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (July 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595474357
• ISBN-13: 978-0595474356
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,769 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #7 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Death & Grief > Pet Loss
  #50 in	Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful celebration of the bond between animals and their humans, March 21, 2009

By	Ingrid King - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a deeply moving story of the powerful connection between the author and her soulmate dog Maggie. This kind of a relationship tends to happen only once in a lifetime, and those of us who have been fortunate enough to share such a special relationship with an animal will find ourselves going down our own memory lane as we savor this book. Maggie enriched the author's life in ways she never could have imagined when she took that little black Lab puppy home with her. Maggie's joyful exuberant spirit touches all who come into contact with her. Maggie opens the author's heart and teaches her about trusting her intuition and listening with her heart. Interspersed with well-researched information about pet health care and advice on how to deal with the grieving process following the loss of a pet, this book shows us that animals are so much more than just pets. They are spiritual beings who are on this planet to teach us about joy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving and profound, August 11, 2009

By	Barbara Techel "Author of Frankie, the Walk '... (Elkhart Lake, WI) - See all my reviews

As I turned the pages of Maggie, the dog who changed my life, I felt a powerful kindred spirit connection with Dawn and Maggie. Their story is so similar to my own, and the path I am now on because of my own lab, Cassie Jo, who I lost to cancer in 2005.
What I love about Dawn Kairn is the fact that she opens her heart wide to the world in sharing Maggie's story and their journey. She took an extremely difficult situation of realizing she should have followed her intuition, turned it into a positive, and now shares her truth in this deeply profound book.
We can probably all say that at least once in our life we have wished we followed our own intuition. Dawn's intuition of cancer in Maggie, along with her vivid dreams, which she recalled and wrote in exquisite detail after each dream, brought to light what her gut was telling her all along.
Even though there was a time Dawn could not forgive herself for not trusting what she believed was wrong with Maggie, she took a tough life changing lesson and turned into a blessing. The blessing of helping others understand that if our intuition is telling us something about our beloved animal, to follow it, no matter what anyone else says. She also takes all the heartache (and much joy) of her life with Maggie and shares it in this deeply moving memoir that I found very hard to put down.
I laughed, reminisced, forgave myself for my own guilt with Cassie Jo, and cried for the loss of Maggie, who was a beautiful, knowing soul. At times I felt as if Maggie and Cassie Jo were twins because of the amazing spiritual lessons they taught Dawn and I.
Dawn captures the essence and spirituality of dogs, as well as, eloquently gives us her heart by sharing Maggie with all of us, and I for one, am a better person for reading their story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maggie: the dog who changed my life: A Story of Love, July 17, 2009

By	P. Bakken - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Within the past year I have lost both of my dogs, 4/7/08 and 5/6/09. I read a borrowed copy of MAGGIE, and will buy my own copy as I want to read it again and use it as a reference if I should be lucky enough to own another dog. MAGGIE gave me peace in my grieving process and helped me appreciate the time I had with my great friends. I will refer to MAGGIE again in pet ownership regarding food and vet services.
Thank you Dawn for a great, readable book.