Twelve-year-old Hayley is lonely, grieving, and scrapping to survive a new town...just like the strange wild dog her new Shepherd-mix Greta has brought home. What kind of dog is it? It's a long story, Hayley discovers, and he's wanted by a hunting community that has just the paraphernalia for luring him.
Will quiet Hayley speak up for a dog in trouble? Can she cope with her own life? The wild dog has lessons in adapting in new territory, and Hayley has a growing faith. Both dogs are showing her a magical side of life, and she knows her late great-grandmother is watching it all and pushing her to "bloom where she’s planted"—if that’s possible in the coldest winter ever.
“Full of humor and heart, Canis magicus is the perfect read for young dog lovers.”
—Lisa Papademetriou, bestselling author of Hearts & Crafts: Squad Goals
A love story between a girl and her dog
Five years after Gretchen died and a year before my 30th birthday, I'm swimming in adulthood. The quiet, country setting of my new job and talk of having a baby turn my thoughts back to a letter I dropped in Gretchen’s grave: She was my world. She saved me from childhood grief. How could I do joyful things without my original sidekick?
This poignant book complete with diary entries and photos tells how I set out to reconnect with my kindred spirit, asking for a sign from nature to validate that she's safe and well. One visit back to the grave provides a chance for Gretchen to answer my call in a much clearer way, one that erases grief and ushers in a new understanding of death—exactly what is needed to go on with life.
3/17/22: IndieReader review of Dear Gretchen: Letters to My Dog
1/17/22: WellBeing International review of Dear Gretchen: Letters to My Dog
Readers, authors and experts:
"I read a review of “Dear Gretchen” on WellBeing International and ordered a copy. I could barely put it down. This book is for those of us who have forged incredibly strong bonds with our canine companions. Gretchen’s passing spurred Heidi on to become a lifelong animal advocate; but it gets even better. Heidi also conveys potentially life changing ways to deal with the inevitable grief that follows losing a close friend. You will not be disappointed." --Ann Koros
"I was so touched by this emotionally evocative book, which ended up taking me on a sentimental journey with my now deceased Dachshund of twenty years.
This story opened my heart and provided my moment of truth into the spiritual place in which it belongs." --Joanne Tinervia"Dear Gretchen does what the best literary animal novels do: draws the reader into the world its characters create and populate. Until Colonna knows her dog is still with her, guiding her, she will not feel at home or at ease or find what fulfills her. Gretchen's return puts Colonna safely on the path of navigating by heart instead of reason, something dogs do so well and we humans all need to learn to do as fully as we can."
—Marion W. Copeland, Professor Emeritus of English, Holyoke Community College
"'...all we needed was presence.'
To use words to describe the human-animal bond is so difficult, because it is a quintessentially felt thing, but Dear Gretchen does just that and more, showing how much loving and grieving can guide a life path, a path that includes a career in animal protection and a drive to share with others the healing and joy that can come from an open heart."—Nicole Forsyth, President and CEO, RedRover and Editor, Kind News magazine
"With poetic prose, Colonna conveys the special depth of love that can only be shared by a human and a dog—a love that hurts and soothes and teaches long after the dog has departed her all-too-short mortal life."
—Jonathan Balcombe, New York Times bestselling author of What a Fish Knows and Super Fly
"I can't believe the caring thoughts that went into this book for pet owners struggling to accept a beloved pet's death. Colonna shows what it's like to swirl in a chasm of grief and compassion fatigue, search for healing, and find it. I think this is a must-read for anyone who has lost a beloved pet."
—Michael M. Arms, President & CEO, Helen Woodward Animal Center
"An extremely powerful account of how pets can touch our soul."
—Shawn P. Flynn, award-winning author of THE KITTY Who Rescued Me After I Rescued Him
"Dear Gretchen made me feel like I was hugging my first dog one more time. The symbiotic relationship that Colonna shares with Gretchen, throughout her lifespan and after, is really what the human-animal bond is all about."
—Pam Peebles, Executive Director, Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center
© 2024 by Heidi Parker Colonna
