Five short stories of animals who make a difference.

***** Why I Was Named Lady Jane Four troubled teens rescue an abandoned dog.  It is her sensitivity to their needs that changes their lives and the path they will take as adults.

***** "Black Boxer" A stray fills in for an absent father.

***** "Butch" A one man dog divides his loyalties to help an orphan find his place.

***** "Muffy" A lonely old cat finds a new lease on life.

***** "Goldie" A golden retriever brings a family back together.

An excerpt from the story "Black Boxer" follows:

When I was a young boy, the one thing I wanted more than anything else was a dog of my own.  But we lived in an apartment and dogs were forbidden.  My dad kept my hope alive by promising me that as soon as we got a place of our own, I would have a dog.  

Getting a place of our own was my dad's biggest dream, and often when he and I played ball in the small park near the street he would talk about the kind of place he wanted us to have.  Most of all it would have to have a big backyard to play ball in that was far from the danger of the traffic on the street. 

Dad worried about my safety constantly.  When we went to the store together, he would walk on the sidewalk closest to the traffic, keeping me as far away from the street as possible.  But in spite of Dad's diligence, one day when we were playing in the park, I missed a fly ball and dashed out into the street after it, right in front of a car.  I would have been killed if my dad hadn't rushed out and swept me to safety.   After that day, Dad found a safer park for us to play in. 

I loved spending time with my dad.  Dad was so easy to talk to I could talk to him about anything.  But he never forgot that day when I was almost killed by a car, and often he would talk about the big backyard to play ball in that we would have someday.

Then one evening Dad and Mom got into a very bad fight.  They called each other terrible bad names that made me cry.  Before it was over, a window was smashed and one of our kitchen chairs lay broken on the floor. 

I sat on the sofa, frozen in fright, not knowing what to do or say.  Then Dad came out of the bedroom... 

How to get the book

To obtain a copy of Why I Was Named Lady Jane  (120pp)

Ask for it at your favorite bookstore using ISBN 0-9649544-5-1 ($6.95)

Or get it the easy way by ordering directly from Amazon.com

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