Miracle Dogs: Rescue Stories

A professional photographer and volunteer for animal rescues, Stavrinides combines her passions in this heartwarming collection of stories and portraits of 50 amazing dogs and their loving owners. The book opens with a shot of Wyatt, a golden retriever, alongside his best friend, Ashton, a young boy with autism, shyly peering over a railing in the background. Through the companionship of his dog, Ashton developed enough patience and empathy to play little league with kids his own age. The succeeding stories are just as inspiring: Readers meet Kody, the yellow lab that jumped in front of his owner and was bitten three times by a rattlesnake. Not every animal’s story is as dramatic as Kody’s, but all are just as touching. Max, the massive Rottweiler wins over the hearts of his owners at a Humane Society benefit, and Buddy, the stray golden retriever insists on riding shotgun. Almost every entry is paired with at least one image of the dog—sometimes mid-play or lounging with its owner, sometimes in a portrait setting. Even cat-lovers will have a hard time holding back when they take a look at actor Chevy Chase’s lab Chris, grinning with eyes closed. It’s an aw-shucks collection sure to inspire a trip to the local shelter. (Oct.)