As a dog lover I'm delighted to welcome Barbara Brunner to my blog today. It is particularly fitting, in Breast Cancer Awareness month to have the privilege of featuring her book, which not only tells of stories of her rescued dogs but how one of them saved her life. Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of your very own.
THE STORY
Barbara's vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued dogs (nine of them!) is all about.
When Barbara meets her future husband, Ray, it is love-and dog-at first sight. Over the course of thirty-two years, seventeen relocations and nine dogs, their mutual love of dogs guides them on their unconventional path. The love that Barbara and Ray get in return is literally lifesaving, with one dog attacking a lethal intruder and another discovering Barbara’s cancer. Her own survival story underscores the story of how her dogs become survivors themselves.
Each new dog adds its own dynamic to the family, sometimes upending it. From Turbo (whose Spock-like ears may have provided super powers), Barbara learns about the will to live; Lexington demonstrates incredible patience and an inexplicable love of golf; Madison teaches that laughter is truly the best medicine and that the whole “nine lives thing” is not reserved just for cats; Morgan should be sainted for tolerating Izzy, who is as cute as she is bad. Barbara is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven there is a poster that says “If you are sick, injured or in need of really expensive medical care, FIND THESE HUMANS!”
Dog-Ma:The Zen of Slobber
By Barbara Brunner
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barbara grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from a small women's college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Meeting her husband in Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest and is a prolific fundraiser for breast cancer research. She and her husband are retired and now reside in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur. She is currently working on indulging her well known flip flop addiction.
Houdini in a Dog Suit
At six months old, Madison got her first Invisible Fence collar. It was huge on such a tiny little girl; a box three inches long and two inches square. I think it weighed as much as her head. She had been very good staying by Lexi’s side but we knew that would not last forever. My office was in our guest wing and I had a wonderful view of the yard from my windows. I had no hesitation leaving the three dogs free to roam their yard during the day. One day I noticed Madison getting closer and closer to the fence limit and with a twenty-five-foot head start, ran at full speed and jumped at exactly the right moment to jump OVER the fence’s radio field. Off she went. By the time I got out to the yard she was gone.
We had a runner.
An hour later I found her at a home almost a mile away, standing in front of the kennels for their hunting dogs. She was trying to break them out. She was her father’s daughter. Once a hoodlum, always a hoodlum.
Kennel breaking was a skill Madison would become famous for. When we traveled, we would board the dogs with our veterinarian. In the morning they would arrive and find all of the boarded dogs running loose in the building. This occurred every night and only when Madison boarded. She could open a simple gate latch with her nose. The hoop catches took a little more skill, needing both nose and paws. She figured them all out quickly. She even learned to open a peg latch with a twist bolt. Madison had issues with confinement. They finally had to put a combination lock on her kennel and retired it with fanfare the day we moved away. Their nickname for her was:
“Houdini in a Dog Suit.”
Praise for Dog-Ma:
Barbara Brunner’s recounting of the comings and goings of a maddening modern life finds calm and grounding thru the love of her dogs. Laugh out loud when big slobbering licks and kisses offers solace while coping with a world somewhat insane.
–LouSagar, Film Producer, Author and Founder of Zona Home
If you are a dog lover, as we are, Barbara Boswell Brunner and her husband Ray are people you will be delighted to meet. Barbara's vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued dogs (nine of them!) is all about. This book will inspire you with the couple's unstinting love, devotion, and respect for dogs as family members. You'll be glad to include it in your treasured collection of great dog books.
--Allen and Linda Anderson, founders of Angel Animals Network, authors of Dogs and the Women Who Love Them (named in O Magazine as one of the top books of 2010)
Dinner at the Brunner's is always memorable. When met at the door we're told "watch out for the Doberman he nips." The little white terrier jumps into your lap, very excited to greet guests, while their Rottweiler likes to scratch her back while working her way between your legs. As a guest, one is immediately struck by Barbara and Ray’s ability to blend elegance and style with the warmth and primal curiosity of the canine family members. Soon after walking into their home it is clear they share a sincere respect and love for an environment filled with style and natural beauty, but have equal passion and respect for the dogs in their life. So often while visiting a home furnished with artwork, hanging on the walls, setting on tables, and coveted pieces of designer furniture, one might expect to feel a bit intimidated or overly cautious, concerned you might “touch” something. However, at Ray & Barbara’s home, feeling the disarming positive energy of the dogs, one quickly finds the feelings of cautious appreciation transferred to awe and warm admiration for the amazing hierarchy of dogs swirling around the artwork……in an effort to be included in the conversation of the family and guests in the living room and at the dinner table! Dog-Ma, the Zen of Slobber tells these tales with humor and love.
–Les Badden, Founder of lesbadden Creative Office
Barbara's vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued dogs (nine of them!) is all about. This book will inspire you with the couple's unstinting love, devotion, and respect for dogs as family members. You'll be glad to include it in your treasured collection of great dog books.
When Barbara meets her future husband, Ray, it is love-and dog-at first sight. Over the course of thirty-two years, seventeen relocations and nine dogs, their mutual love of dogs guides them on their unconventional path. The love that Barbara and Ray get in return is literally lifesaving, with one dog attacking a lethal intruder and another discovering Barbara’s cancer. Her own survival story underscores the story of how her dogs become survivors themselves.
Each new dog adds its own dynamic to the family, sometimes upending it. From Turbo (whose Spock-like ears may have provided super powers), Barbara learns about the will to live; Lexington demonstrates incredible patience and an inexplicable love of golf; Madison teaches that laughter is truly the best medicine and that the whole “nine lives thing” is not reserved just for cats; Morgan should be sainted for tolerating Izzy, who is as cute as she is bad. Barbara is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven there is a poster that says “If you are sick, injured or in need of really expensive medical care, FIND THESE HUMANS!”
Author Barbara Brunner Reveals How A Dog Saved Her Life in New Book.
The Doberman did not pull her from a burning building. He simply discovered her breast cancer.
Punta Gorda, FL – September 17, 2012 – Author Barbara Brunner, a self-proclaimed dog addict, weaves the poignant yet hilarious tale of her life with nine rescue dogs and the bonds that are formed from their shared survival stories.
Brunner draws on early life lessons to love all animals. The love she gets in return is literally lifesaving for both her and her dogs. From Madison, or Houdini in a Dog Suit to Cooper, the medical wonder-dog whose diagnosis was more accurate than a mammogram, their shared survival stores are captivating. Brunner says, “rescue dogs provide so much more than family companionship. They fill a gap in the soul. And...can empty out your wallet!”. She is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven there is a Most Wanted Poster of her and her husband that says “If you are sick, injured or in need of very expensive medical care...FIND THESE HUMANS!”
Isabella, Brunner’s Parson Russell Terrier, feels that she is quite misrepresented in the book, exclaiming “it’s lies...all lies...” to which Brunner has responded with a stack of veterinarian bills that would pale any challenger.
Dog-Ma, the Zen of Slobber is now available for $14.99 in print from Amazon and $ 8.99 in eBook format from Kindle, Barnes & Noble and iTunes.
Barbara Brunner’s recounting of the comings and goings of a maddening modern life finds calm and grounding thru the love of her dogs. Laugh out loud when big slobbering licks and kisses offers solace while coping with a world somewhat insane.
–LouSagar, Film Producer, Author and Founder of Zona Home
If you are a dog lover, as we are, Barbara Boswell Brunner and her husband Ray are people you will be delighted to meet. Barbara's vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued dogs (nine of them!) is all about. This book will inspire you with the couple's unstinting love, devotion, and respect for dogs as family members. You'll be glad to include it in your treasured collection of great dog books.
--Allen and Linda Anderson, founders of Angel Animals Network, authors of Dogs and the Women Who Love Them (named in O Magazine as one of the top books of 2010)
For more information about DOG-MA, THE ZEN OF SLOBBER,
please contact the author at barbarabrunner@me.com or 941-347-8269
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