In one true story, Little Bit the Chihuahua saved her owner's life when she detected cancer in the Maine woman's breast. In another, a gentle Bucksport-area golden retriever named Ziva coaxed an autistic boy to talk. Another tale reveals how a rescued mixed-breed showed a heartbroken Monmouth man that he could love again.
But when Hebron Academy alumna Jennifer Skiff talks about her new book, "The Divinity of Dogs," the tale she tells most often is of Emma the Rottweiler, who grabbed her owner's arm and all but forced him out of the house as he was trying to commit suicide.
"That story tells it all in a nutshell," said Skiff, a journalist and author. "They're profound. The stories are profound."
The book, released this fall by Simon & Schuster, tells true stories of love, miracles and personal transformations involving dogs. Skiff came up with the idea after the 2008 publication of her first book, "God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine," which featured 138 stories of real-life encounters with the divine. Skiff, who divides her time between Mount Desert Island and Australia, began looking for similarly inspiring dog stories in 2010.
Skiff received hundreds of responses from people with funny, sad or touching canine tales to tell. Of the 71 stories that made it into the 320-page book, 14 are from Maine.
One story was from Lisa Gagnon of Lewiston, whose challenging-but-beloved rescue dog, Daisy, escaped from the house and was hit while chasing a car. The driver rushed Daisy to the emergency veterinary clinic, but her injuries were too severe and the dog died. ?
"I was just devastated," Gagnon said. "Anyone who knows me knows how I am with my animals ? they're like my children. I was crushed. Beyond crushed."
Depressed, Gagnon prayed desperately to God to bring her some joy. Her prayers eventually led her to a classified ad for a free dog ? a dog given away by the very same family who had hit Daisy and had tried to save her.
"I just started bawling," she said. "I could not believe it. It hit me like a ton of bricks. When she told me that, I'm like, that's my sign. This is no coincidence."
Gagnon would end up with not one, but two dogs. Her new Lab mix, Keisha, turned out to be pregnant.
?"It was a double blessing," she said.?
Although the book has been out for less than a month, "The Divinity of Dogs" has been getting rave reviews from readers. Skiff has given readings across the country, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta and several places in Maine. Since crowds often burst into tears over the emotional stories, bookstores have started passing out tissues.?
"They insert themselves and their own dogs into the story, and it's often a dog that's passed, a dog that helped them," she said. "They get emotional because we miss those dogs that have been there for us in our lives."
Skiff's own elderly dogs, CousCous, a Maltese-Pomeranian mix, and ChickPea, a one-eyed, rescued Shih Tzu, were there for the author during the eight-month period when she wrote the book. Both died, however, within days of the book's completion.
Skiff now has a 10-year-old Maltese mix named Honey. She hopes to get a second dog once she takes a break from the book tour.
Skiff is already collecting stories at JenniferSkiff.com for her next book. It will likely have something to do with epiphanies about God or dogs, though the theme isn't yet set.
For the moment, she's still focused on "The Divinity of Dogs."
"I'm overwhelmed with happiness," she said. "I'm overwhelmed that it's touching so many people."?
Have an idea for Animal Tales? Contact Lindsay Tice at 689-2854 or ltice@sunjournal.com.
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