Animal Wisdom : True Stories of the Animals That Change Our Lives (Abridged ed)

When Susan Chernak McElroy published a call for stories about the impact of animals on people's lives, she was inundated with responses.

The resulting book, Animals as Teachers and Healers, was reprinted four times in two months.

On Animal Wisdom, McElroy continues in the same tradition -- demonstrating with eloquent conviction the magical, often life-changing roles played by pets, working animals, and creatures of the wild.McElroy has spent the past 20 years working with animals in virtually every imaginable capacity.

Drawing on this intimate contact -- and on the experience of others -- she uses the art of storytelling to communicate the essence of our powerful relationships with animals.

The presentation is divided into four sections: the story of McElroy's own miraculous recovery from cancer -- with the help of a dog; other tales of healing; remarkable accounts of personal transformation through animals; and profound teachings in the face of death.

The many deeply moving stories on Animal Wisdom will touch every animal lover with their authenticity, universality, and spiritual ramifications. Animal Wisdom is a both a personal testament to the power of human-animal communication and an insightful journey into the deeper levels of joy and self-knowledge available to all of us -- through the animals we love and learn from. "Amazingly personable and intimate, telling us things we usually only hear from a good friend over dinner on a cold winter night". -- Jeffrey Masson author of When Elephants weep