Share <Embed>

Buy New

$16.00

A lower priced version of this book is available

Save $6.01 (38%) by choosing the Kindle Edition.

$9.99
Kindle price

$16.00
Paperback price

Read now with the free Kindle app
available on iOS, Android, Mac & PC.

FREE Shipping on orders over $25—or get FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime

Temporarily out of stock.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. Details

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used

$8.16

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Shared Knowledge Literacy Foundation

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life Paperback – October 11, 2011

by Steven Kotler (Author)

310 customer reviews

See all 20 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$21.57

$9.98

$2.69

Paperback

"Please retry"

$16.00

$12.00

$2.98

Audible, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$83.99

$79.99

$39.99

Unknown Binding

"Please retry"

—

$713.52

Dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America. It is also one of the least understood. This insider look at the culture of dog rescue begins with Kotler's personal experience working with an ever-peculiar pack of dogs and becomes a much deeper investigation into exactly what it means to devote one's life to the furry and the four-legged, in the end showing why living in a world of dogs may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human.

Praise for A Small Furry Prayer:

"It's amazing and also very encouraging to find a book like this one, filled with original thought and plenty of new information. And if that's not enough, it's a great read, a real page-turner. I strongly recommend it to anyone." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs

"This gritty journey into â'a world made of dog' is unlike any dog story you've ever read." -Christian Science Monitor

"Anyone who is interested in the human-animal connection, the bond that we feel with our dogs, will find this book fascinating. It's almost a guarantee that you will look at your dog in a totally different way." -San Francisco Examiner

"Joyousâ¦Brimming with humor, gratitude, and grace, this is a remarkable story." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Frequently bought together

Total price: $51.38

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life by Steven Kotler Paperback $16.00
Temporarily out of stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler Hardcover $19.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the… by Steven Kotler Hardcover $15.39
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Steven Kotler

350

Hardcover
$19.99
Steven Kotler

69

Paperback
$12.86
Peter H. Diamandis

367

in Crowdfunding
Paperback
$9.61
Steven Kotler

257

Hardcover
$15.39
Peter H. Diamandis

785

Paperback
$9.98
Peter Zheutlin

248

Paperback
$8.90

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Steven Kotler

257

Hardcover
$15.39
Steven Kotler

350

Hardcover
$19.99
Steven Kotler

69

Paperback
$12.86
Peter H. Diamandis

367

in Crowdfunding
Paperback
$9.61
Peter H. Diamandis

785

Paperback
$9.98
Steven Kotler

11

Paperback
29 offers from $1.08

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Praise for A Small Furry Prayer:

"This gritty journey into â'a world made of dog' is unlike any dog story you've ever read." -Christian Science Monitor

"Joyousâ¦Brimming with humor, gratitude, and grace, this is a remarkable story." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 18, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608193039
ISBN-13: 978-1608193035
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 310 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #562 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Essays
- #3207 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Dogs

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Start reading A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Customer Reviews

Write a customer review

See all 310 customer reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

Home & Hobby Books

4.3 out of 5 stars

Literary Fiction

4.3 out of 5 stars

Sports Books

4.3 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

SummerRose

Funny, poignant, uplifting and educational; a wonderful book!

May 1, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Having been involved in animal rescue myself for some time, I know the uphill battle it can be against ignorance and outright cruelty that face all who commit to saving domestic pets. I rather expected the usual rescue book of anecdotes and trials facing pet rescuers. What I didn't expect was the in-depth research Mr Kotler provided to explain our relationship and history with dogs. This is such a well-written book, far above the usual amusing and often sorrowful tales related by those in rescue, and I recommend it highly.

I learned that dogs laugh! That when that laughter is played for shelter dogs, their frantic barking ceases as they listen. I learned that my pit bulls are not the only dogs that must sleep touching their humans. I learned that dogs are capable of kindness, compassion, love and sorrow just like humans--traits I have witnessed but been ridiculed for claiming possible. I learned so much about the special connection with dogs we are privileged to have if only we open ourselves to it. This should be required reading for young students, so perhaps they will not grow up to be animal abusers, but understand that we are all here to make a difference on this planet, and if we treat other living creatures and our environment with respect we will all benefit more than we could ever imagine.

Thank you, Mr Kotler, for a thought-provoking, wonderful visit into your world. Long may you, Joy, and all your fortunate dogs live in peace and harmony.

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Jennie Simpson

A Small Furry Prayer

August 10, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Usually animal fanatics enrage me by forgetting that other people can have other legitimate causes to which they dedicate their lives because, other people's lives are not the same as theirs. However, this author manages to avoid that. He writes movingly of his gravitation toward animal rescue through the dedication of his girlfriend, and I could see their point of view without being put off by self-righteousness.

On the downside, he inter-splices his work with research and philosophy in which he is not expert, and simply presenting it as truth, and he does it a lot. I've read those same works, and watched those same Discovery specials, and I don't write about them as if I'm an evolutionary biologist. I would have rated 4 stars but it went down to 3 because of the faux expertise.

Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Kathy Matthews

Verbose,thought provoking &Insidious

March 20, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Not a tale of doggie antics but a quest for the meaning of a dog's life and further unraveling man's existence through this. If you stop reading at this sentence then you should not even attempt this book. Kilter really presents a course in philosophy while struggling with the issue of dog rescue and its fabric of life and death. The lectures based on research fit in naturally and I tried to just skim them but found this impossible...this carefully researched book needed these somewhat wordy transitions to give it a depth not often found in a "dog book". The premise of this novel worked its way into my heart and my consciousness in a way totally unanticipated. If you chose to read this tapestry, read it all the way through or it will draw you back in the future as you continue to think about what you have read every time you hug your dog.

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Jamie Phillips

Amazing and Inspiring

June 29, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author, Steven Kotler had written for magazines and newspapers, and had never considered himself an animal person. He was introduced to Ahab by a friend, who thought Kotler would be a good companion for the dog. Kotler and Ahab became best friends.

Later, that same friend introduced Kotler to Joy, a woman with a passion for chihuahua rescue. As he fell deeper in love and felt the need for a change, he and Joy set out to find a place, secluded from neighbors with lots of cheap land. They ended up in Chimayo, New Mexico, and started Ranco de Chihuahua, where their simple mission was to save lives, or make the last memories of the sick memories of love.

While there is a bit of narration about a few individual dogs, Kotler's main focus is on the historical and biological reasons that canines became our best friends. He describes in detail how saving lives and bonding with his dogs has helped him find meaning in his own life.

This was an easy read, with a lot of food for thought.

Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Patrick L. Sheppard

Dogs, people and life.

March 22, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book on a couple of different levels. Number one it's about dogs, especially those that are in dire need. It is heartwarming to see two people that start out and persevere in their desire to truly make a difference in the lives of so many dogs. The second part that I really loved though were the deep connections and the metaphysical aspects of our (human beings) existence and how we are indeed connected to all other life in general.

The individual stories of the dogs and the countryside of northern New Mexico were inspiring and knowing the area only made it more interesting. The real bonuses came though as Mr. Kotler explored the details, the setbacks and joys of the work that he and his wife got themselves into. When he then tied in so much of the new research about animal behavior and how we are intricately linked with both it and the overall environment of the earth itself it tended to both confirm some of my own ideas as well as give me pause about where we ourselves are headed as a species. We tend to forget that we are just one of many species of animals on earth and although incredibly successful in many regards our successes are not without risk, both to ourselves as well as the entire environment of the planet that sustains both us and all life on it!

I definitely recommend this book for any people who are interested in both our long history with dogs as well as our place in nature.

CommentWas this review helpful to you?

Yes